How Much Performance Loss From Larger Wheels/Tires?

Drivers may not "notice" a difference, but mathematically, the difference between a 37lb tire and a 55lb tire is very significant.

Depending on how one drives, gas mileage is the least of it. But the physics of spinning up, slowing down and damping the suspension of that much more weight, rotational forces and all that, is dramatic.

Twice I've been woo'd by the LT/E Rated tire and immediately regretted it. The truck will feel more lethargic, more effort to stop and a harsher ride.

As someone else on here said, quite eloquently, unless you frequently travel to places where recovery will be difficult or impossible, an LT/E rated tire on such a light vehicle is unecessary.

And an LT/C rated tire may have a lower weight rating than the recommended SL rated tire, because C rated tires are typically designed for jeeps. A vehicle that does not tow or haul things.

It's all compromises, so make sure you are making the right compromises for your user requirements.

 

OR stock is 265/70-16. I went from there to 265/70-17's, then to 255/80-17. I should've been clearer. I replaced my stock wheels and tires so soon that I forget I ran a stock size lol.

 

I have 4 1/4 mile passes in stock trim. ~15.5 @91.x mph

I'll run some when my 295/70/17 goes on.

 

Installed my new 285/70/17s and 3" leveling kit this morning and then was outran by a work van. But it looked way better while going slower. Lol ultimately I didn't get this truck to go fast. I have a car for that.

 

I gotta say, i switched from the stock size 265/70/16s after 30,000 miles to a set of Falken Wild Peak 265/75/16s and didnt notice any loss in power. About a 1 mpg loss in gas mileage. Then after having the latest tsb done, forget about it, cant even tell the bigger tires are on there. Going to 285s might be a different story.

 

Thanks very much for the honest feedback. I think I will stick with the 265/70s. I really don't want to decrease acceleration and braking performance given it's pretty marginal already. I'm wondering what the on-road penalties must be for the much larger tires/lifts I see all the time. I guess these trucks must spend more time off road? Thanks to everyone for all the feedback.

 

I went up one size in tires, which meant they fit on the stock rims. I also went from a AS to an AT Falken Wildpeaks, you can find my raves about them on the appropriate threads. But to answer this question, I lost about 3mpg according to the dash thingy. I also noticed more road noise, but they look cool, so all is good!

 

What brand/model tire are u running?

 

Ko2.

 

How Heavier Wheels and Tires Impact Braking Distance - Beefed Up Brakes

Found this article that will help you estimate the impact on braking performance from larger wheels/tires. In my case, if I increase from the stock 265/70 R16 to 265/75 R16 I gain about 1 inch in diameter and 5 more pounds per wheel. By their calculation that would reduce braking system performance by about 5% - or stopping distance would increase by 5%. It comes out to about 3% from the radius increase and 2% for the weight increase. I assume acceleration would suffer a similar amount.

Their rule-of-thumb is that X% increase in radius will reduce brake performance by an equal X%. For weight it is 1% more stopping distance per extra 10 lbs of weight at the wheels.

 

Only the butt scale. There are plenty of quantifiables.

 

Dude...

 

LOL I don't maths often but when I do it's one shot plus one shot is more shots

 

IMHO this is an extremely valuable point. "User Requirements", right.

It's not so much that one is better/worse than the other - but what are your needs and what compromises are you willing to take.

Heavy tires negativity affect acceleration/stopping etc. Light tires are more prone to trail damage.

I feel like half the comments on TW are people justifying their choice; "I did X and it's fine" while the other half is people trying to explain the cost/benefit and trying to get people to honestly assess what they want. "you could do x, but it will affect Y, so how much do you need z"

There is no one right answer. It's more about finding the best answer based on what the user wants and/or needs. Every choice is a compromise in one way or another.

 

If you can measure it then it’s not subjective.
Judgement calls are subjective(I like/don’t like the sidewall lettering), things you can measure are not. The blanket statement “performance is subjective.” Is a generalization that seems to ignore things like acceleration, stopping distance, road noise, weight, tread compound(i.e. grip, tread wear). Just as rear axle ratio affects performance in a measurable way, so does tire diameter.
Whether you like a given change or not is subjective but the measured difference is not.

 

dman heavy tires. feels like driving a tank around all the time. 285/ regear and tune was awesome. flashforward to 315s and some more weight and a s/c the 285 re gear felt faster.

 

I know old post but I'd like to add my opinion as far as my trials n tribulations go... yeah I got a big azz boat I tow maybe twice a year. Yank... work has a hold on me so it's an expensive lawn ornament most of the time. I have a 17 trd off road with added ome heavy duty suspension lift and leaf springs upper control arms etc... also upgraded to a beefier transmission cooler from wat came stock. Added air bags in rear for towing. Amazing btw. Also can't forget with the squat factor ur tires. Added 10 ply ko2s. Cold air intake, minimal advantage... throttle response controller. Meh. Notice more advantage when not towing. But still to this day I kept wot stock tire size. 265/70/r16. Run at 55psi while hooked up to boat or camper or not. Mind u I tug boat a 20ft aluminum 2020 tracker targa v18 combo and this old post 25ft bumper pull camper frequently and does well with my adjustments. But forget the window sticker mpg rating. Lmao. Soon as u put ur heaviest wife in passenger seat in a fully stock tacome ur mpg are gonna drop. Currently with fiberglass topper and daily gear without towing I average 15-16mpg. But my 10ply ko2s I've ran two sets so far bout to put on my second I get 55kmiles on a set easy n prolly more but im more preventative maintenance so replace before worry hits. Yeah bigger n beefier looks sexy but in all reality how often is ur reason for going bigger n beefier a determining factor. If ur doin a pavement princess, then by all means get the tallest lift possible and fattest tire/wheel combo u can fit but mark my words the first time u run a gravel road or hid a intersection with standing water and have ur window cracked or hit the mud... lol. You'll be baptized all over again. Not to mention wider tires without wider fender flares on dirt roads... goodbye paint job. Jus a lil food for thought from my experience of trying many different things on mine.
Personally I love the appearance of my tacpma. Yeah I get people coming up to me at gas stations while fueling, then in their 30" lift with monster truck tires etc asking me "bro, ur truck looks sick but why dont u go bigger lift n bigger tires etc... " it's all about for and function and Financials. I'm more about functionality. But try to incorporate as much aesthetic form as possible. Everyone's situation is different. Hence why I get a kick outta folks on here asking a question thing it's a question with a definitive answer. There's so many determining factors at play. Best yall can do is read up. Do ur home work n educate urself n decide wats best for you. Never take someone's response as far as doin something specific. And expect it to come out perfect. Educate urself on thing and factors at play etc and trust ur gut. Never trust someone on the internet who's telling to to go with something specific. Granted yes it may be a great pointer but believe none of wat you hear n half of Wat u see. Cuz everyone's situations different.