From Highway Tires to A/T

I recently went from 245/60R20 Geolander H/T on my Limited to 265/70R17 Wildpeak AT3Ws on ORP wheels. The Geolanders made the 4Runner drive car like-quiet, responsive. The Wildpeaks-that I have had for a couple hundred miles, feel much different-hard to articulate but steering is a bit heavier, truck feels less responsive. The Wildpeaks are fantastic on the dirt roads-I hardly feel anything compared to the other tires-they just are not as nice on paved highways it seems.

Is this just something you get used to going to a A/T tire from a highway tire? FWIW I have never owned a vehicle with A/T tires, only H/T tires.

 

I feel like new tires tend to be a little less responsive for a few hundred miles. You also went from a sidewall that was about 5.7" to one that is about 7.3", that will make a difference (ever notice how sports cars have almost rubber band sidewalls?). You also went to a wider tire that is probably significantly heavier and that will make a difference in how your steering feels too..

 

I made a very similar switch. I went from Bridgestone Duelers (street tire) to Falken Wildpeaks. I didn't have the Bridgestone for long (I swapped them out the day I bought the truck), so I can't say how it drove before, but the steering does feel a little heavy.

I am impressed with how quiet they are on the road.

 

Yes, I am shocked for how quiet they are compared to how aggressive the tread pattern is. It's one mean looking tire.

 

Damn right it is!

 

This is expected because Wildpeaks are made for different purpose. They are aggressive and heavy.

If you get lighter tires like Toyo Open Country AT3 SL they will be much closer to the smooth stock like ride. So compared to Wildpeaks its 24lbs difference with 4 tires rotating. Each have their pros and cons

 

Interesting. The tires I had on the 20" wheels were 35lbs each-the Wildpeaks are 30% heavier.

 

You have more sidewall due to the smaller wheels. Also Wildpeaks are known to be heavy for their size.

 

Yup, mine drove SO nice with the Dueller HTs it came with, and I got great mileage too. I kind of miss them actually, but off-road and snow performance was disappointing.

Going down to a 17" wheel from a 20 will make a big difference in handling response even with the same tire, so no surprise there. Once you get in the snow or dirt, especially if you air down, the trade-off will be quite worth it.

 

I've wondered that myself. Since I removed my Duelers the same day I bought the 4Runner, I think "If I can get 20-22MPG with my Falkens, I bet I could've got 25 with my OEM's!"

I'm great at hypermiling my truck, so I bet I could've pulled that off with ease. BUT...the Falken's make the truck look SO much better, meaner, more aggressive and COOLER.

Lets be honest guys, it has to look cool.

 

So I’m just wondering what part of highway tires vrs all terrain tires do you not understand? I am not judging here, but it is pretty much self explanatory.

 

I definitely felt the difference when I switched to 10 ply Wildpeaks, but it doesn't bother unless I'm trying to hold 75 going up a mountain. It's a fair tradeoff for the capability. A side benefit is not having to care whether there's a curb when some yahoo blocks the parking lot exit.

 

Agreed. The sidewall on my Falken's is so tough that curbs are a non-issue for me. I never have to worry about getting curb rash on my wheels and can easily jump a curb at will!

 

I doubt that 10ply (rated) has impact on the sidewall right? Different tires have different side wall right?

For example Wildpeak AT3W Load E has 2 ply side wall vs BFG KO2 Load E has 3ply side wall. Again not sure, just my observation on ply construction.

 

There is definitely a compromise to be made when switching tire categories. Usually when going from from H/T to A/T you gain traction (at least off road) and the looks are great, but it often comes at the cost of weight, handling, mpg, braking distances, noise…
The compromise really has to be worth it. A lot of folks go with A/Ts solely for appearance, and so long as the cons are worth it, that’s well and good. Fortunately tire manufacturers seem to be catching on, and making more aggressive looking SL rated A/T tires that give people the off road look (and some of the benefits) without so much of the compromise. Nitto Nomads, Firestone Destinations AT2s, Falken Wildpeaks Trails, BFG Trail Terrains all come to mind here. If the weight/handling/mpg of heavy duty all terrains doesn’t suit your needs, check out some of the milder offerings and pay especially close attention to weight.
Tire rack also does a pretty thorough road test and description for many tires to give you insight before you purchase.

 

When I first got mine, I was consistently getting 22.0 to 22.5 mpg. Keep in mind that I drive mostly highway on my commute to and from work, and drive like a grandma. Especially as I had set a goal to try to get the best mileage I could with it, because everybody told me they were so bad I took that as a challenge.

My best tank ever was 24.6, that was on a 7-hour road trip coming back from Central New York. I kept it at 70mph or below, hit zero traffic, and pretty sure I had a tailwind.

Now with the stock size all terrains, skids, and sliders. I get in the 20.0 - 21.0 range pretty consistently.

Pretty sure my next tires are going to be e-rated 255/80/17 RT Trails, so I can kiss that mileage goodbye lol.

 

That's what happens if you go from a SL tire to a E load range or more. Stiffer sidewalls, heavier bigger, more rolling weight so less power and gas. Changed center of gravity to. I have 360 lbs of concrete block in back of mine testing rear brake wear and I can feel it. That's my dilemma. Finding size I want not E load range. I have been comparing. I'm about ready to buy some ORP wheels for $325 and put off road tires on them and street tires on my 20s for mileage and handling. Hard to pass up something that cheap that will get scratched eventually anyway. You can see price difference between regular SL and E tires. $232 SL. Same tire E range is $320

 

I get about 24mpg on factory tires at 69mph. 70-100mph about 19-20mpg. Funny what a 1mph difference can make to a rolling refrigerator

 

After years of driving KO2s and General Grabbers on other trucks as well as my 4Runner, I now run Michelin LTX AT2 tires. They seem to balance well, nice highway manners. No issues off road when aired down. I don't crawl up boulders or anything like that but the 4Runner sees a lot of dirt every year. They hold onto mud more then others. I did flat the right rear in Canada last month sliding off a dirt road into a ditch and receiving a sword like rock right through the center of the tread. Can't say I would not have punctured with any other AT tire I used to run.