Tire/ recovery advice for noob in PNW

Taking delivery of my first Tacoma & 4x4 truck in late April.

Any regional specific on what tires & recovery gear I'd need in PNW to get started?

I'm mostly going to use my truck for camping adventures and explore some of the more remote roads. Majority of it will be summer/ fall trips and maybe some winter drives up to Hood for snowshoeing. Definitely thinking of heading out to the Alvord/Steens region this year as well.

I'll probably drive on the stock tires this summer but I know they're not great. What do folks in the PNW like to run on their Tacoma? Would really appreciate any tips to navigate our backroads and what to be aware of. I'd rather be well prepared than get out somewhere and find myself in a tough noob situation.

Thanks y'all!

 

That's a pretty open ended question, how much do you want to spend?

Traction boards, shovel, come-along, fairly cheap and will get you out of 95% of situations

 

Yeah, it was kinda vague... maybe a better question would be: "what AT tires would you recommend?" and "What is the minimum I'd need for recovery? Do I actually need a winch for what I'm looking to get into or will traction boards do?".

 

Anything besides Ko2s. I run cooper st Maxx, but I believe they're replaced by the rugged trek, which are also a good tire. Traction boards will work right up until they don't.

 

Cell phone number of a buddy.

 

Ko2s and nothing else.

General makes a good AT.

Just wanted to be the first to say that.

Drive the truck a while, take it out with a few others that know the area, then decide and buy tires if you think you need them.

 

Any tips on meeting locals that would take me out? I have good common sense but I don't want to get in over my head either.

 

Pretty sure this site has sections or threada based on location. Just do a google search and results for this site should pop up.

 

Nitto Exo Grappler AWT are great..about $1200 for a set of 4 from Discount Tire

 

It helps to list your general location in your profile.
I assume you’re close to the Portland area with mention of Mt Hood.
This is a good thread for meet ups.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-fellowship-of-pnw-tacomas-pdx-area-wheeling-next-meet-up-see-thread.651170/

It has been pretty quiet lately, but tends to have more going on as the weather gets nicer.

 

Good idea.. just haven't filled out the profile much yet but yes, I'm in Portland.

 

Get some Kenda At2s!

 

You mentioned heading up to hood for snowshoing. For tires be sure to get something that is three peak mountain snowflake rated, then they'll count as traction tires when chains are required on the passes not to mention just work better in the snow.

They're an older design but I still love my goodyear wrangler duratracs in the snow. I'm on my 3rd set.

For recovery gear a shovel goes a long way (and is required along with a fire extinguisher if you head out to the trails in Tillamook state forest). Then just a tow strap and a receiver shackle would be a good start to go poking around. Don't worry about a winch right off the bat, they're not required at all unless you start getting super rowdy which would be hard to do 100% stock.

If you do start getting into more trails stuff rock sliders are invaluable on our tight slick trails around here.

Also agree with folks saying rock the truck stock and decide what you want. No need to rush, especially with April delivery. You could rock the stock tires until fall and then get something better for the snow heading up to the mountain.

 

Rugged Treks are replacing ST MAXX? Nooooooooo!

 

I've been pretty happy with Cooper S/T Maxx tires for mud, snow, sand and rocky terrain. As they've gotten some miles on them, they are so-so in the rain. I run 255/80/17 and did not need to do anything to the wheelwell to prevent rub. I have a lift and alignment that keeps things nice.
Depending on where we're going, we always carry a shovel and max trax. I have yet to need these things to bail myself out. But I bail out at least 3-4 people every winter with that stuff.
I finally got a winch this winter but have yet to use it.

 

You stock tires are probably good enough for remote roads and anything else short of going off road (not just dirt/remote roads) far as winter goes, a good set of tire chains is much more effective and alot cheaper than snow tires. I like diamond snow chains personally, they work well and can be put on in 2 or 3 minutes even if the tire is in deep snow.
https://tirechain.com/diamond-car-snow-tire-chains/

 

Wyckedan's advice is spot on, minus the jab about KO2's lol.

One piece of advice I'll throw out there is trying to pick up a set of Load C rated tires. E rated tires are overkill for these midsize pickups and can hurt your gas mileage. I know Goodyear puts out the Duratrac in 265 75 R16. I think Mickey Thompson and Cooper have C load all terrain snowflake rated options in that size as well.

Another couple of tips I'll throw out there is 1) you'll have a better selection of tires if you can bump up to 17" rims and 2) if you decide to just stick w/ 16" rims, make sure you pick up 265 75 R16 tires to get yourself a quick 1" lift without any tire rub issues.

 

Yeah but then you have to chain up every time you go to the mountain. NBD if you go once or twice a year but that's a huge hassle if you're going up weekly. It's much easier to have snow rated all terrains that you can run year round and then just turn the knob to 4wd when you hit snow.

No real need for dedicated snow tires in the PNW

 

There is a LOT of wilderness and desert in the PNW to get yourself completely schmucked.

Just a few suggestions that will keep you chooching.

1.) Research.
You are on the right track starting this thread. Do not rely on just what you read here. Take some (or all) of the suggestions provider and dig into the specifics on your own, to way your options.

2.) Patience.
Take your time and make small steps before going all out with either the vehicle build, or back country adventures.

3.) Common sense.
If you have any, be sure to deploy it regularly. It is really easy to play "Monkey See - Monkey Do" when the internet makes it really easy to make you think that you "need" any particular item to experience life. Same with all the great videos/pictures of awesome looking destinations. I want to remind you that many if not all of the epic places you read about and see plastered all over the net are that way for a reason. They usually are NOT just a few miles from civilization. Many factors come into play for you to reach and enjoy them.


Cheers fellow PNW dweller.

 

you don't need to chain up every time, just if stuff starts getting "interesting". Diamond snow chains can be installed without tools and without rolling the car onto them. Just need to tighten the racket mechanism after a few miles.