The stock tires on the Trd Pro...

I’m wondering if anyone has any thoughts about the tires that Toyota puts on the Trd Pro? Don’t get me wrong, the Goodyear Wranglers with the Kevlar are very capable, but don’t you think that the most off road worthy Tacoma should get something a little more aggressive to suit the rest of the truck? Maybe BF Goodrich KO2 or Wrangler Duratracs, just something that has always made me curious.

 

I've got a '17 Pro for 2yrs now and got 50k on them. Finally switched them out last week. Couldn't wait. In my opinion, they're pretty terrible.....Goodyear's got a great sales team somewhere

Wet traction was not great, snow traction was terrible, off-road dirt/sand was just ok. I get the "kevlar for increased sidewall strength" but honestly it's a marginal difference and a marketing gimmick. There are way better tires out there.

If I had to do it again I would switch them immediately. This was my first truck so I didn't think of that until I was already about halfway into them haha

I ended up going with Blizzak DM-V2s for the winter up here in MN, haven't decided on an AT tire yet. KO2s would get my vote if they're going to be your only set of tires all year round. Otherwise I'm leaning Cooper ST Maxx because they seem to be able to take a proper beating.

 

That is kind of how I figured people would feel but I wasn’t sure. Personally for an all terrain I like the General Grabber AT/x, they are supposed to be great snow tires and just great overall for anything you throw at them. If you’ve ever watched Expedition Overland, they used those tires and went from Alaska to the tip of South America without a flat, that’s enough to get my vote. I’m sure the KO2s are great though because if they weren’t you wouldn’t see them so much.

 

My brother has the Grabbers on his Jeep Wrangler and they're a good AT....he says they're a bit messy in the rain, but they're fine on sand (he's on the beach all the time). Regardless, they're WAY better than the stock Goodyears were on my Pro.

 

I would agree, but unfortunately Toyota isn't likely to use an entirely performance related lense when making these decisions. It almost always comes down to which manufacturer (for any given component) is willing to meet their requirements at the best price. In this case the majority of those requirements aren't likely to be off-road performance related.

 

I think they are a decent all-arounder, and overall are a quality tire. But, they don't really excel at anything. Just OK in a variety of situations. On fire roads and mild trails they do great, and they slipped less at times than a buddy that was running a more aggressive tire. But I wouldn't expect them to get me through a mud hole.

 

I understand your point @usernotfound, but I would argue that the Trd Pro is the midsize equivalent of a Raptor. The whole point of the truck is to be an off road beast, so why go all out and get the nice Fox shocks and then go get street tires?

 

Not impressed with the Goodyear’s on my 17’ TRDOR sold them at 22k miles and went Falken wildpeaks the difference was like night and day.

 

Maybe when they actually have the competition of the Ranger Raptor, they will make the change.

 

I see where you're going, but they're not a street tire. They may not be the best A/T according to everyone on this forum or even generally amongst off-roaders, but they're certainly a step above the typical truck tire. Maybe I'm misinformed, but not many trucks come with an All-terrain kevlar reinforced tire out of the box.

 

Vehicle engineering is about compromises. Toyota engineers correctly assumed that most TRD Pro's will be used primarily as pavement pounders and some of them will be used occasional light off-road. Considering that, the Wranglers were probably the best choice. You could argue that the "TRD Off-Road" should come with 33 inch mud terrains if it were to live up to it's namesake. But it's not going to happen. Lucky for you, the aftermarket has plenty of options.

 

One of the first things I did was to switch them out.

 

I've said the exact same thing when we were looking at them at the dealership. I would think either the k02 BFG or GY Duratrack! I'll go ahead and state the obvious, that they just don't look beefy enough to compliment the rest of the package. Hell they don't look beefy enough to compliment my Off Road for that matter!!

 

I've got a '17 Pro and I'm about to finally change mine out. I put about 35k on them and had a pretty similar experience to the quoted post. The only positive things I have to say it they are a decent everyday commuter A/T tire (the lower end of decent). The tires performed equally as bad in the snow as they did off-road. I'll be putting KM3's on very soon

 

I wouldn't confuse what looks or doesn't look like an aggressive tread with actual performance. As I mentioned, these tires work just fine on gravel roads and mild trails and have decent manners on paved roads. I kind of both agree and disagree with the OP. Should it have something more aggressive? Probably, but even then it might not meet everyone's needs -- some people need good tires for sand and beaches, others for mud, others for rocky trails. Many people would end up swapping them out anyway.

 

I see all points, but I don’t know why you would want a Trd Pro as your pavement pounder. I think the wrangler is an acceptable tire for the Trd off road model because most people won’t be doing to much off roading, but I feel like the Trd Pro is supposed to be the golden tier and it just kinda sucks that those tires are at the level of everything else on the truck. I don’t want anything crazy, just a better AT tire. I completely respect every side of this argument and Toyota certainly know more than me lol, I just wanted to hear some opinions

 

I think my dealer agrees with you too. Every time I visit the showroom they feature Taco's and Tundra's lifted and tricked out 33 inch BFG AT's, armor, lights, and a winch. They never have trouble selling them at $10K above the base price. They know their market.

 

Toyota needs to compete in comfort, fuel economy, and capability. The OEM Goodyear tires are an excellent compromise. I recently changed my OEM tires to the KO2 in 265 75 16's on my 17 TRD OR LB. The OEM tires weighed 36 pounds and the KO2's weigh 53 pounds. That is 68 more pounds of un-sprung wright. Un-sprung weight as I recall equals about four pounds of weight on the springs. This means you are carrying the equivalent of nearly 300 more pounds. Not good for what Toyota is shooting for. No way are they going to drop a mile or so per gallon as well as lose the softer ride. For the vast majority they are excellent all around tires. I wanted new tires and was kind of disappointed that they were so good. I used them off road quite a bit.

 

The Pro is really no more capable than the TRD Off Road. The shocks are definitely better, and the rear shocks with reservoirs may not fade as much on long, fast washboard runs, but that is pretty much it as far as better capabilities. The rest of the differences are mainly minor trim items -- skid plate, exhaust, interior. Basically the same truck with better shocks. Like someone mentioned, dealers do put some packages on them, but what I have seen are mainly just block lifts and bigger wheels and tires. Makes it slightly more capable, maybe.

Don't forget that it is not just unsprung, it is also rotational, with a lot of the extra weight at the extremes. At speed, that puts even more load on the suspension. And, now the truck doesn't just have to stop itself, but also the heavy spinning mass. Worth it for many folks that need the capability, but it will wear things out faster.

 

I agree with this. I do most of my driving on-road, especially now that my job has changed since I originally bought the truck . At the time I got the Pro for not only the suspension but also the exterior looks and the leather interior. If I get T-boned tomorrow and have to get another truck, I'd go with the Sport next time around and get the leather. Everything else I can upgrade as it goes.....suspension, looks (all that blacked out stuff)....but not tires. They'd get swapped immediately haha

Probably go QS too, it's badass. Like this: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trd-pro-clone-in-quicksand.471122/

Don't get me wrong, I love my truck as-is. God help the guy that T-bones me haha