Anyone gone back to stock tire size? 265/70 to 265/65

I upgraded my wheels and tires two years ago, I got 40k miles out of a set of 265/70R17 Falken Wildpeak AT3's on FN Countersteer X Wheels with a -10 offset that is causing most of the problem.

The fitment wasn't great, I had bad rubbing until the tires were halfway worn down. I still had to remove the front mudflaps.


I like the wheels but I want good mileage and a tire that will last. So Michelin Defenders seem like a good call but they are not cheap. I am sitting on the fence between staying with the larger size and hoping they fit better or just going back to stock OD tires. I drive mostly freeway or snow occasionally at Mammoth.

Any input is appreciated.

 

I had the Sema wheels and went from 265/70 back to 265/65. I didn’t regret that choice at all. They had 4mm offset and were only 7” wide so they just barely kissed the mud flaps when turning at speed or reversing.

I don’t see a downside to smaller tires, other than they just don’t look quite as wonderful, but I don’t think the smaller ones look bad either. You might try to trade wheels or something.

 

Thought I'd update this thread in case anyone searches with similar questions in the future.

I had Discount test fit 265/70-17 Michelin Defenders on the front to see if they'd rub. We had ZERO fitment issues compared to the above image of the Falken Wildpeak AT3's. The Falkens were not great tires and I would not recommend them. I got 40k with heavy rotations, noisy as hell and the rubber looked like they were 10 year old tires in 2 years on a garage kept truck.

With the Michelins' I've gone from 17MPG FWY to 21MPG+ FWY zero rubbing issues and it's smooth as silk on the road. Really happy I changed the tires and asked the tire shop to test fit the fronts so I didn't have to downsize.

 

Michelins are the way to go if you want to save fuel + tread life. I lost 3-4 mpg when I changed out a set of LTX 2's for a fairly aggressive set of all terrain tires.

 

I’ve got the Defenders on mine (265/75/R16 on OEM Pro wheels) and love em!

 

You are right. Funny thing is we took the truck off road in Joshua Tree on the new tires and they were great. Unless you're in thick mud I can't see much advantage to the AT tread and we don't see that where I am (socal).

 

We have a winner . Truck looks in my opinion so much better. Thats no bullshit. Thumbs up bro man