Choosing 285's - LT load range C or Standard Load? Tire Recommendation

I am looking at 285's and have narrowed it down to 2 tires


Toyo Open Country AT3 load range c - 55lbs
Open Country A/T III | The All-Terrain Tires for Trucks, SUVs and CUVs | Toyo Tires


Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT standard load range- 48lbs
Mickey Thompson | Baja Boss A/T



I have a 2021 TRD Pro and not sure if these will fit on stock suspension. Since they do a bumper and fender trim on them at port. Otherwise I am prepared and ready to add the eibach pro springs for 1.4" front lift and 1" rear.


My question is are stanard load tires like the MT baja boss strong enough for off-roading/camping/overland? Keeping in mind I may have to air down and live on the westcoast (california trails, utah trails, arizona trails)


Thanks in advance for your feedback!

 

If if you’re going to off-road, having a rock or branch puncture your tire will ruin your trip pretty fast. I only use 10 ply or LT in most tires.
And yes, 10 ply tires ride fine on the road.

 

With my experience with BFG KO2 Load E & Load C, Falken Wildpeak SL.

• I don't have much confidence putting Falken Wildpeak SL when there are small pointy rocks.

• BFG KO2 Load E was too much of a hard ride even with softer TRD ORP shocks. Keep in mind KO2 have real 3ply side wall so its a hard side wall.

• BFG KO2 Load C was a nice balance for our on road travel and offroad confidence.

 

It seems like a load range c in 6 ply is a happy medium between being durable and comfortable on the road.

 

Again this is only my personal preference.

If you get a puncture on trail with sharp rocks or sharp pieces of wood sticking out on the side of the trail on Load C tires don't blame me. If you see someone with SL tires go without any puncture don't blame me..

 

The E rated Toyo AT3s only weigh 53lbs according to their chart.

 

Looking at Toyos site, I see that also for the E rated OWL. looking at tread depth being the same (16.5/32nds) it is hard to not assume this could be an error especially given the BSW is 55lbs.

 

I guess I would advise C rated or better. I have had punctures in all sorts of tires of various ratings, sometimes it’s just inevitable. C rated will simply be less likely to puncture compares to their SL brethren and your street manners, fuel economy, and cost will most likely be a happy medium when compared to E rated.

Whatever you get, have fun, make sure your spare is ready, and keep wheelin’

 

Why spare is important? Then why Toyota engineers decide to use just 4 All Terrain tires & all season tire in TRD Pro spare?

 

Ya know, my brother’s GMC Canyon AT4 came like that as well… 4 Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs, and a spare highway tread blah blah… all about cost saving that works for “most” drivers…

once you start wheeling, upgrades are a must and unfortunately, unless it’s a Jeep, seems like this is going to be a necessary upgrade moving forward. But I feel your pain @kmeeg!

 

Spend the money and get Load E rated tires.

 

To add to all of the different opinions here..

I would buy SL if I were only off-roading occasionally, and not really doing anything where punctures are a big concern.

Load range C is great for mixed highway and moderate off-road use. I have used 2 sets of load range C all terrains and had no punctures in 2 years. I'm not hardcore, but do moderate trails a few times a year.

Load range E is ideal for lots of off-roading, and any time maximum puncture resistance is a concern. If you're going to off-road in a lot of rocky areas, it might be worth the slight drop in fuel economy.

Ride quality with LT tires VS SL tires seems to vary for one tire to another. FWIW, I have a set of LT/E 295/70/17 mud terrains at 65# apiece, and the ride quality is fine, IMO. Road noise is definitely more substantial than an all terrain, but not obnoxious.

 

That is correct according to toyo it has something to do with the rubber they use for the white letter tire vs. the black letter tire. Weird

 

Yup, I got the BSW 265 Toyos since they were listed to be 3lbs lighter than the white letter version.

 

I don't like shiny lettering. I like to keep mine look neat.

 

That's weird because for the 285's the black BSW are heavier than the white letter tire

 

I have E rated LT285/65R18 Toyo ATs. They have good traction in mud, rocks, muddy rocks, wet rocks, have not been in sand or snow yet, wet road traction is good. They are quiet and ride nice. Tough to beat the 55k mile warranty.

 

For California, 10 ply, LT load for sure. You most likely will be exploring the desert.

If you were in the Midwest or the East than lighter ply would probably be ok.

 

Yeah I’ve had e rated tires before on my Tacoma and it rode like crap. I think I’ll stick with C range at the most.

 

Were they MTs? Did you have a spacer lift or something? My truck rides really nice on Es.

 

Haha nope they were all terrains and I had a bilstein 5100 setup. I guess every set up is different

 

Who knows!? Finicky things. Could have been the way the alignment was set, springs, or dirty Russian hackers too I guess. Hehe

 

C for me..... no need for E load for myself , i dont haul, and in all the wheeling ive done, on wicked nasty sharp stuff, ive only lost one side wall. And that was on a oem tire.

 

I too had 10 ply Toyo AT2’s on my 2011 Tacoma. Tough as nails, but about 2-3 mpg drop, and harder on the butt and suspension. Ball joints/shocks wore out faster (I think.. or at least I want to think) than they should have. But, over lots of stabby rocks they didn’t flinch.

 

I’m running E ply rated tires with a spacer lift, stock shocks and it rides nice and soft. We must have a different setup.

 

Eh…… I have SL load Wildpeaks and have been all over Anza Borrego, the Mojave Road, and up to the towers on Santiago Peak, Broadcast Peak, Calico Mountain (very few know how f-d up that road is), and Sand Hollow in Southern Utah. I have had no issues yet, other than a tapcon screw puncture on my way to work. In fact, there’s really no evidence of any off-road abuse. Having said all that, I will be switching to E load on my next set, because stressing about my tires really hindered my enjoyment of the Mojave Road trip

 

Yes, I ran P rated tires on my Tacoma and never had a tire failure. I consider having a heavier tire like insurance, you don’t need it till you need it.