Lightweight vs Bigger tires

What offset and any rubbing?

 

-12 offset and I had to do some trimming of plastic on the front and rear of the wheel well and get an alignment that pushed the caster close to 3*, all on stock suspension. The only rubbing I get is when ice or mud builds up on the edges of the wheel well.

 

I’d go BFG Commercial traction T/A in the stock size but keep the originals close by if you need fuel economy

 

Goodyear duratrac 265/75/16 in load C would be great. Not much heavier than stock. For forest roads, this will be great, it’s what I have . I love it

 

You’re joking, right? Do you happen to know what that 265 (or 285) number means?

Hint...think metric system.

 

Section width; not to be confused with tread width...as you have done.

 

Yeah, both of these are 245/75-16s but notice how the X/T is an inch wider

 

True. Section width is the widest part of the tire measured in millimeters. But tread width is the part of the tire in contact with the road. The wider section width may not always translate into wider tread width. And it is not part of the tire size numbering system. You have to look it up in the manufacturer's specs.

Tire weight is something many guys overthink. In this case 8lbs on each corner is nothing to be worried about. I've changed by 15 lbs on each corner and the difference was not noticeable.

That said, I think 265/75/16 is the sweet spot for a Tacoma. That size is usually value priced, is just enough bigger to look good, but has no down sides. Going to 285's involves a lot of extra things to do, some negatives, additional cost and all for minimal gains in size over 265's.

 

You don't say?

 

It's all about compromise.

Standard load 265's will get you anywhere, but an E rated tire can take a beating longer and harder, plus more tread life (usually 4-5/32nd more) I've run 3 set's off all terrain 265s, all have pro's and cons.

I'd say for you 32" 265 falken wildpeak standard load or LT is all you need. It will be lighter, quieter, and more than good enough for forestry roads.

A tire like STT Max has high rolling resistance, so more fuel consumption. Typically large lugs means noise and fuel costs. But superior traction offroad.

 

You'll also need to consider the different load ratings. If you don't need the extra strength of an "E" then you can save a decent amount of weight. Some tire models offer several load ratings.
Example: I'm not doing anything off road that's serious enough to justify an "E" load, so I got some Toyo AT3's that are considerably lighter than others, while still running the 265/70/17 size I wanted.
Unsprung weight affects virtually every driving dynamic, although the effects of relativity small changes are less pronounced on trucks.

 

GO BIG OR GO HOME

 

First of all, the stock Wranglers are super capable tires for what they are.

Second, get what you want.

I personally think an e-rated tire is way too much for this truck.

You can upgrade size and grip without going E.

I went to 265-75-16 Duratracs and have zero regrets. I am a big fan of the 3PMS certification and Goodyears have done right by me over all my vehicles. They are also one of a few brands still made in America.

 

Duratracs are very good tires.

 

265/75r16

Perfect size tire for this truck imo. It also depends what kind of driving you're doing. I can tell you from experience you'll feel that unsprung weight pretty severely in most situations as the 3.5 needs to rev to infinity for any power. My winter tires are a 265/75r16 e-rated 10 ply on factory rims, and it's night and day difference compared to my summer setup. If you're building this for offroading, a larger tire would make sense... If it's stop and go traffic or highway driving I'd stick with the smaller, lighter tire. 265/75 looks great on this truck, and no matter what size you end up with you'll probably always want to go bigger on a midsize truck lol.

 

don't think anyone else caught that either?, wife or wife's boyfriend?...lol

 

If you dont plan on lifting go with the 265s. Im running 265 70 17s on a non lifted truck. Granted I do have a 2" lift Im waiting to put on and I think this tire size even looks great with a 265.

Im running a method MR316 wheel with 0 offset and BFG KO2 in the C load variety. The setup has worked great in all conditions that the midwest has to offer. I took about a 1-1.5 mpg hit.

 

Can I get in on that???? Your wife, not her boyfriend, to be clear!

 

Why not both

 

OP, theres alot of talk about tire size and tire weight, but don't lose sight of the style of wheels you're looking for. I think people get so down the rabbit hole of trying to find the "perfect" mix of the largest, most agressive tire, while retaining good gas mileage, that they end up with something they're not completely happy with. Example: you find the lightest C load mud terrain or SL all terrain, its only 0.5" larger than stock, or even the same size, and you're only x amount of weight over stock configuration, and you expect a 0.5-1 mpg loss at most. But then you're surprised when a more aggressive tread pattern makes you lose 2-3 mpgs.