The SKINNY on skinny tires

Who has been running the new Cooper Road+Trail for a bit and what are your impressions? My 255/75r17 Cooper Discoverer AT3 4S are nearing end of life and I am looking to replace soon-ish.

Reason I ask about the Road+Trail is it appears as though this was the replacement for when they discontinued the AT3 4S. Always enjoyed my AT3s so wondering if this new version is similar.

 

Let's see a photo, those are the exact tires I'm thinking of getting after my current ones wear out.

 

No chopping required here. I have stock OR wheels though, so my offset is like +25mm.

 

Did a thing yesterday. 255/85r16 Falken Wildpeak AT4Ws. Can definitely tell these are heavier and can really feel it under 10mph. After reading a lot of the posts on here, I came to the conclusion that a re-gear or tune wasn’t necessary. But now that I have them, I am having second thoughts. I’m curious- for those that have run these for a while, do you just get used to it? Is there any concern for long term damage/wear to the transmission struggling a little in lower gear? Overall, I love the look and the smooth ride. The tires absorb all the little bumps that I used to feel. I’m happy with it, but I’m just curious what other’s thoughts and experiences are.

 

I've had my 255/85r16 Yokohama mud tires (55lbs each) for a little over 3 years. 4 months after tire install I got the OTT tune, which helped with acceleration and daily driving.

Despite carrying 1,200 pounds of additional weight (armor, bumpers, recovery gear) I still do not feel the need to regear. Truck drives great on the highway and in 4lo. I would recommend starting with a tune if the tire weight still bugs you in a few months.

 

Did a thing yesterday. 255/85r16 Falken Wildpeak AT4Ws. Can definitely tell these are heavier and can really feel it under 10mph. After reading a lot of the posts on here, I came to the conclusion that a regear wasn’t needed. But I’m curious- for those that have run these for a while, do you just get used to it? Is there any concern for long term damage/wear to the transmission struggle in lower gear? Overall, I love the look and the smooth ride. The tires absorb all the little bumps that I used to feel. Happy with it, but I’m just curious what

I worry about tuning and voiding warranty… I know everyone says “oh they would never know” but I have reason to believe otherwise.

 

Oh I'm sure they'll know. But get those new tires out on a trail and you can start worrying about more fun things like bending spindles, snapping CV's, and drive shafts.

; )

 

I'm running them in stock 245/75/r16 and I'm pretty happy. They handled bad snow and slush really well and I feel totally in control in heavy rain. I don't go off road but they're great on rural gravel and bad pavement. I just had them on some real back roads at speed and they never broke loose, but I have basically new tread after 5 weeks or so so that might change over time. They look great to me, more aggressive than you might think with a lot going on in the sidewall and a nice deep tread.

My only concern is that there's a bit of pulling or sticky feeling with these tires. The truck tends to want to follow the grade or tire grooves in pavement, which can feel like I'm holding the wheel over very slightly but firmly to prevent wandering. It's not a straightforward alignment problem IMO (happens on either side depending on road conditions) , and I'm not experienced enough to know if it's a caster/camber issue that could be fixed with alignment adjustments, but it feels directly related to the tires. Maybe something in the steering system needs to be tightened up? Unclear.

I'm still going to look at getting into a skinny tire this fall to prepare for winter, but I'm happy with the Coopers so far. This picture was the day I got them put on.

I don't think they come in 235 but they might have a 255 available?

 

Ho

How are those tires after a few years? I was concerned mud tires wouldn't last long. That's what's been holding me back from buying some

 

LOUD! But I still really like them, it’s a great looking tire and the off-road performance is great when aired down. Rain performance is really solid too.

I have 8/32” tread left after ~18,000 miles, so about halfway worn. Your concerns are valid, you’ll get more mileage out of an AT tire.

 

so...i ran kumho at 255 75 17 on fj cruiser alloy on my 2004 t4r, and hankook at 255 75 17, for 8ish years lifted on 5100/ome, loved it, barely any rub too, 15mm offset

now for my new to me truck, i am going to run mastercraft 255 75 17 at, courser 115t, loved the tire and brand going back 20 years, had the old ones on my jeep tj
these are going on american racing outlaw 17x8 et0, after i do my lift


great tire size!! i like them more than my current wildpeaks 265 70 16 (feel too wide, heavy, and worse in snow and rain)

 

probably the load range E on them - they are heavier than lower ply
you should prob run them at like 30-32 psi max
i wouldnt worry about trans or gear issues with them
havent heard anyone do that particulary for these sizes before

i have run 255 75 17 for about 10 years and theyre low friction and lighter than most other tire upgrades for these trucks, in load range 'not e'
tehcnically right now i have beefy wildpeaks, 265 70 16 and they seem a lot heavier and more drag than the 255 75 17 im used to

 

They are C, but still heavier than typical passenger load. Good advice on the PSI...didn't think about that. I can probably play with that until I find the comfortable spot for cruising. Also, good to know that this size is comparable to the 265s. The wildpeaks in 255/85r16 are 58lbs ea, and the 265/75r16s are 53 lbs ea, so not much lighter. Would make sense that the weight feels about the same. I think I'm just not used to the weight difference from stock is all. Now that I've had them a couple of days, I'm getting used to them. It's not like I hear my tans whining, just more sluggish to get going. Comparing this to a buddy who has 33s on his 4banger 2001 ranger, he had whining from his trans until he re-geared.

 

there you go
also i have a theory the 255 are a tad heavier on paper, but the friction area is less (less footprint) they roll better than my 265 70 16 i think (like gliding or throwing it in neutral they roll better)
especially on semi snowy highway

also once wheels in motion heavier wheel less footprint is more efficient than otherwise, except starts and stops, not sure which averages more efficient (physics)

 

guys.. hear me out. 255/100r16 36.3" Michelin XZL All-Terrain Radial Tires

 

Only almost 90 pounds each

 

Almost as much as the price. If you can find a set, they go for around $1k each.

 

They can be had. It's on safari trucks and military vehicles. I'm sure they would be great for a dedicated Off road truck. Haha

 

Never heard of that brand, but that is the size I'm looking at for my next set. And go from 16 to 17 to fit bigger brakes. How much do those weigh?

 

It has been done before. Here is his build thread. This truck is INSANE! It spent a good amount of time in Africa. https://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/containerized-retromod-global-tacoma.77748/