Tire and wheel questions

Sup guys, just got my 2017 SR a couple weeks ago and had a few questions for the more experienced. This is my first truck and have never modded any previous vehicles so apologies for the newbiness.

One of the big things I wanted to do was get new tires and wheels to improve the aesthetics of the *less than stellar* looking base wheels. Should I run the tires for their whole life or get new wheels and tires now and sell all five wheels and tires? Currently only at about 500 miles, though I can't see who'd want to buy them. (Let me know if interested, I guess) I was thinking about getting 265 BFG KO2's at 16/17" matte black wheels, no lift since apparently that's what fits stock suspension without rubbing, which I don't plan to upgrade.

That brings me to my next question. Looking at my flare-less truck from straight ahead an from the top-down with my the stock 245's on right now, it looks like I could squeeze in a 265 without it passing the fender. Can someone with an SR/flareless 3rd gen confirm? From my understanding of the law, if the wheels pass the fender, fender flares must be installed and be recon'd?

I was looking at either going to Maui Off-Road Center or Mod Industries for this, anyone have experience with both or either? And if you don't mind, how much you paid for what? I'm leaning towards MORC since they specialize in off-road vehicles, but I've seen trucks done by MI as well. I don't mind paying if that money is going toward quality service and not getting ripped off. Of course, if you have any better options please let me know.

Also, lights? Looks like A Plus Audio is a good place to get it done. Thoughts?

 

The toyota site shows the following as available for the 2017 Tacoma. If you stay within those specs of tire size, you should be fine. If you try to go with a larger tire size tire while staying with a specific rim size. (i.e. trying to put a 275/70/17), all bets are off. Not only will the tire itself have an affect, but the offset of the rim that you use. ( i.e. with the 4runners, some rub with pro rims on 275/70/17s and some have no rub at all)

Honestly, I would trust those shops to give me a rim and tire combo in the specific sizes mentioned above, but they may all fail if you try to upsize. Even between same/same vehicles, one could rub with a specific combo, where another exact truck may not rub.

You are correct about the recon laws, but if you lift (even with a spacer), you technically need recon.


I would get tires ASAP... The tires will sell... the rims, probably not..

 

Enjoy the new Tacoma. These are the best trucks ever built. I've had 5 Toyota trucks, and they last forever and are perfect for our Maui roads.
I suggest you run the truck for a while with the stock wheels & tires. See if you need more aggressive rubber for what you're using it for, and and understand your options. I don't think you'll sell them for much more new than if they have some miles on them.
I like the KO2's a lot, and have been through a couple of sets, but I run a lot of unpaved mud and dirt and nasty jungle driveways. If I'm always on pavement, a less aggressive tread lasts longer and is quieter and is better in the rain at speed. 265/75R16 is the magic number, and are fine unless you install front mudflaps. They would work fine on your existing wheels (I assume they are 16's), which could be improved temporarily with some paint or derp.

 

Thanks for the info, brother. I'll stick with stock for now since it's financially responsible at the moment as well. What are some tires you recommend with a beefy look that does well on mostly pavement driving? I was looking at the KO2, Duratrac, ST Maxx, and Cooper STT, but if you have any recommendations I'm open to them. EDIT: Just found out about the Michelin LTX AT2 and LTX M/S 2's. They seem to be much more fitted to my needs, though a little less aggressive looking.

 

We run 17" Michelin LTX's on my wife's Mercedes Diesel GLK 250. Our road home has some nasty stretches; after lots of rain like last week there are deep potholes and sharp lava rocks, along with
stretches of deep mud and river washouts. We pound it late at night or early morning, and it tears up tires and even rims. The GLK has no spare, and the 3 sets of LTX's have been bulletproof over the past 5 years. I do change them every 25k miles, while there is still plenty tread, as a precaution. They are tough.

 

I've had KO2, Duratrac, and ST Maxx. in terms of what you're looking for (assuming road noise, manners, looks), I'd probably rate them:
1. ST Maxx (quietest)
2. KO2
3. Duratrac (loudest)

the only plus for me on the Duratracs is that they came in load C when I bought mines (265/75/16), which meant that it was lighter than most other tires in that size. KO2's get dinged by a lot of people on the internet cause the tread pattern hasn't been updated in years. I'm running 255/85/16 ST Maxx now, and they're super quiet. like, street tire quiet. no problems in the rain, sand, or rocks. I'd run them again if I could get a good deal. only Lex Brodie's carries them here, and it took like 3 months to get a set of 5 here

 

Dang, those are some gnarly roads. Can see why you'd replace them more often. Do you have the AT2's or the M/S2's? I read they're very similar.

Hm, the tread pattern on the KO2's don't bother me since I've never had them before, but from what I'm reading it seems like they only come in E load ranges now. In your experience, would the ST Maxx or Duratracs last longer for highway driving?

 

The Michelins we have are the Defender LTX M/S. Each of the previous 2 sets were labelled slightly differently but were similar in function. The compound & tread work well on wet slick grass, light mud, mild rock and all pavement conditions. Hitting the sides on sharp lava at speed has no discernible effect. They stick noticeably better than the Wrangler All Terrain Adventures, the stock tires that I still have on my Gen3 TRD OR. NFL (not for long).

My previous 2012 Taco wore KO2's, which were a good tire, and really great on gnarly stuff, but wore faster and didn't grip as well on pavement or wet grass as the LTX Michelins.
E Range on a truck is a wonderful thing. I want the toughest tire sidewalls I can get, cause I run them in harms way and tear up the wimpy ones. Been doing this a long time in wild places around the world.

The dissing of E range tires on these discussion threads makes zero sense to me.

 

in my experience, ST Maxx lasts longer (so far). like @JStarr mentioned, nothing wrong with E range if youʻre planning on going off-road. the ST Maxx probably only comes in E and theyʻre heavy af, but worth the peace of mind when Iʻm 17 miles deep in a lava field.