265/65/17 or 265/70/17 for highway tires?

I've looked for ages through all of the discussions regarding stock height and slightly taller tires. Ive noticed few members replace stock tires with highway tires in the larger size (265/70/17).

Is there any benefit with going with the larger tire for highway use? Or is it just a "looks" thing?

I'm debating getting all terrains, but my truck is used for a commute and the occasional road trip. I feel like a semi-aggressive tire would be unnecessary in my situation.

So what is everyone's opinion?

Should I stick with my stock size (265/65/17) or go with the larger (265/70/17)?

 

Look at the specs on the tires you want. If you're mostly on the road, I would just get highway tires and go with the tire that is lighter in weight.

 

So you don't think the taller tire will make much difference besides just a difference in weight? I'm new to this

 

^Weight makes a difference in stop-&-go driving, not on the highway.

With the larger dia. tires, you will get very slightly better fuel economy once you account for the odometer error...

 

I've heard that the speedometer is off just a hair and that going one size taller will fix this. That's one of the reasons I'm considering it.

 

I went KO2's in 265/70 r17 load C. They are noticeable firmer than the stock tires. If all I did was commute, I wouldn't be happy with these. I actually like the shift points and rpm's better with this tire size over stock.

I go out to BLM land often, so the Agressive AT has been nice for some of the clay mud we get and giving me confidence in avoiding punctures.

Check out Cooper AT3. No first hand experience but they look like a less aggressive AT. I've seen lots of dudes on here plenty happy with them.

 

I've been looking at the coopers, yokohamas, and hankook all terrains because they seem like something I would like, and the prices are decent. I'm currently running bfg rugged terrains in stock form and I'm satisfied with their performance.

I was just considering more of a road tire for less noise, smoother ride, and the longevity.

 

If you have life left on the rugged terrains, I'd drive em into the ground. I actually thought they were a pretty comfy tire on road. I just didn't trust them on miles of gravel/sharp rock.

 

I thought the engine would have to work harder to rotate a larger tire therefore would get worse mpg? I always assumed larger tire= loss in mpg?

 

^But you are also traveling a greater distance with each rotation of the tire. For steady highway cruise, a larger tire means the engine revs lower for a given real speed (e.g. 2400 rpm instead of 2500 rpm), so fuel economy is better. Again, the difference is very slight. For @BlueTACO09 's situation, it's more economical to use up the current tires first.

 

I'm planning on it. They've been good to me, I've gotten 50,000 out of them so far. I'm hoping to get at least another 5-10k

 

255/75/17

 

With no lift?

 

They're essentially the same diameter as 265/70/17

 

50k!!!! I pulled mine at 9k. Maybe I should have pushed them further

 

I currently have Michelin M/S 2 in 265/70r17 size on my sport. I track fuel mileage on the Fuelly app and after 20k my mpgs have gone down about .25 mpg with larger tires (yes I do the odometer correction). The M/S is one of the lightest tires at 40.9 pounds in that size while the stock size is 37 pounds. The weight of the tire negates any benefits the diameter offers in my honest opinion. I am going back to stock size when these wear out because I don't Offroad at all (which are the individuals that really benefit from larger diameter tires). Maybe you would see a benefit if you did 100% highway driving. My out of 275 miles I do a week only 20 miles of that is stop and go and my average is 19.3 and I drive slow and extremely conservative. IMHO if you commute with the truck don't bother getting larger tires for the "benefits". Looks maybe if you can afford the extra money...

 

I have an almost similar commute, and average a little over 19mpg. I drive conservatively most of the time... I do like the look of a larger tire and I have been looking at the defenders (updated M/S 2). They are just so pricey compared to everything else.

I've been comparing prices and I've seen in some cases that the larger tires are cheaper than their smaller counterparts. I'm seeing that the 70 is a more common size on full size trucks

 

I've been surprised as well. I would buy them again, but they have been discontinued.

 

Interesting thought. Smaller contact patch, lower weight, but with the benefit of looking tall? I like it

 

And look into Firestone Destination A/T's in this size. They're fairly light, very quiet, and not too aggressive for hwy use...