Tire choice

2017 TRD off-road w/ 265 all-season tires currently, looking to replace. It is my daily driver, spend a lot of time in snow in the winter and dirt roads in Summer. Not into rock crawling or anything very technical. Camping, fishing spots, snowboarding. The Falken Wildpeak A/T3W was recommended. Trying to decide between 265/70r17 vs 285/70r17. Sticking with OEM specs seems the safest, I've been told the 285 would require a lift kit. Is there much benefit to the 285/70r17 over the 265? Risks of lifting it (not looking for a major lift, just enough for the bigger tire). Open to any suggestions; I am new to 4runner, novice car guy, I care about aesthetics but prioritize good value and practicality. I don't have a lot of $ to dump into it so trying to make the best decision for use of the car.

Thanks!

 

When we got our 23 4Runner I was in the same boat. Wanted a better all terrain tire and wanted to keep the road manners and gas mileage. I ended up doing a 255/75r17 Yokohama geolandar at g015.

Next set of tires will probably be a 265 wildpeak though....I have ran them(285/75r17)on my f150 for 6 years and they have been great.

 

im a diehard Falken WP AT 285/70/17 P rated guy on my 2011 & 2022.

my 2007 ran stock 265/70/17 Falkens and they never let me down. IMO youre good to go with either size.

 

Toyo Open Country ATIII’s in stock size, SL load. They’re a great do it all tire with very good wet weather manners. Quiet, long lasting, great traction and love the rain. Perfect for my needs here in central Fla.

Edited to add - 3 peak snowflake rated and very light for how aggressive they are.

 

I haven't had to replace tires yet, but we put BFG KO2's on my sons jeep and he really likes them. We shared driving when we moved him to Colorado and I really liked that low road noise on the roads, but still handled any off-roading we would do, which does not include extreme rock crawling or really heavy mudding.

 

I would stick to the stock size. If you go with a more aggressive AT like the wild peak, even in the stock size it will look bigger than the original tire.

Other than the looks and perhaps off-road performance, the 285 will be worse in every way. It might not be dramatic, but the extra height and weight affect gearing and performance, so you'll accelerate slower, brake longer, and lose a little bit of fuel economy.

 

The allure of 285's and a modest lift is a constant aesthetic pull, but for all of the reasons you stated - my next tires will remain 265's. Toyo Open Country AT3's are the leading choice for me at this point. Currently at 25 months and 39,000 miles on the original Nitto Grapplers - I should get 50,000 out of them!

 

running a 285 didnt impact me much other than a 1-3 loss in mpg. I still knock down 18 mpgs rolling 75-80 mpg on the hwy.

 

I agree about the look but it does look pretty bad ass at 285 and a lift. Out of my falkens I usually get 55-57,000 miles and that’s doing a regular rotation at 3000 miles.

 

Go to tire rack.com and look at reviews. They will give you lots of information on different tires in different road conditions. I would stay stock size.

 

Welcome from Arizona! I'm using Falken Wildpeaks in the stock size and they work well.

 

I went from the Falken MT’s 285/70/17 to these. Way better ride, less noise, I’m happy.

 

Curious to your experience with your geolanders and why you would go wildpeaks next time around?

 

They look good I think, but the wildpeak is defiantly a little more aggressive. My only complaint it's the tracking on some cement roads. They like to follow the groves like you're on a roller coaster. On asphalt they're great. Smooth and quiet. They do tend to hold a lot of gravel sized rocks and then chuck them out on the highway....my wildpeaks dont seem to do that as much.

 

Can you give an update on the tires. I’m down to these or the Mickey Thompson’s to replace my KO2’s.

 

personally just installed the Toyo Open Country AT3s and absolutely love them. Quiet on road and aggressive enough to handle off roading in Texas

 

Nitto Recon Grapplers are great. Quiet on road with good grip in rain, offtroad. Just don’t go with BFG’s, they don’t last

 

Where in Texas is this? Looks nice

 

M/T's and Toyo's both premium pricey choices, I run aggressive A/T Mickey's their tread is unreal, maybe cuz they're Load E too. Toyo's are killer, do it, doubt @SlvrSlug will have bad review!

 

Has anyone had experience with load range E tires on their 4 runners. I've used them on other trucks & liked them. I have a 23 TRD Pro. I would stay stock size.

 

If you don't care about getting tires that look aggressive, the Yokohama Geolandar ATG015 was excellent on my last 4Runner in snow, and on dirt and gravel roads. It's more of a mild mannered all-terrain, but still sufficient for mild to moderate off-roading.

Lifting does not clear tires. Alignment and trimming clears tires. I really don't recommend stepping up to a 285 unless you are okay with a loss in performance. But, if you are going to step up from stock size, I would go right to a 285, as most 275s are only available in LT load ranges. Ranges. And, from your first post, it does not sound like you require LT tires.

 

My Geolandar MTs are load range E. Ride quality is fine. They are just a little noisy. If you're going to be off-roading in areas where punctures are a concern, I don't see any reason not to get E's. But, if you don't need the puncture resistance, might as well stick to an SL, or a C as a good compromise.

 

I have been reading about upgrade tires since I bought my daily driver 2017 SR5. Here is my choices.
My usage is mostly on pavement or BLM dirt roads. So I turned away from serious E rated LT tires and requisit bead locks. Wanting to keep handling and gas consumption near stock, I looked at the fine AT tires engineered for us 95/5 road/dirt drivers.
I settled on stock size P-rated Pirelli Scorpion AT plus, 3 peak snow rated with some sidewall treads. Very smooth riding and quiet-hardly different from my Grandtrek stock tires. Tire Weight is just a couple pounds more. My local tire shop met Sam's Club $187 tire price. I am staying with factory shocks and just installed new take offs for a good price. I picked up a set of SR5 take off wheels a couple years ago, so I can replace any rims that get damaged.
My Harbor Freight air compressor keeps all the family car tires at correct pressure, but is too anemic for airing up our truck tires if aired down low for wheeling. I purchased a Smitty Built 2.5 cfm air compressor for the family to use since my nephew bought a new Bronco with 37" KO2's. He airs down from road 40psi to 30 or less depending on trail. I plan to air down from road 32psi to 25 or so depending on trail surfaces. P-rated tires have higher load capacity at lower pressures and are generally more flexible for gripping.
Good luck with your project.

 

I know your not looking for bigger, heavier tires so this is off subject a bit but it is tire related. Last year I bought the best tires I've ever owned. I have owned BFG AT and MT, yoko geolanders, kumho MT, Mickey Thompson MT and found them all to be lacking in one way or the other. Especially with the price of some of them. I was low on cash and took a gamble buying some of the least expensive MT's on the internet. They had decent reviews so I bought Milestar Pategonia MTs for a little under a grand. They are 285/75r16 on a 2002 limited with a 3" lift.

These are bar none the best tires I've ever owned. They are extremely quite and comfortable. They are excellent in all on and off road conditions (except the rain where all MTs lack a bit and rock crawling which ive never done). They are absolutely superb with the off road driving I do. I go to work 5 days a week up a pretty gnarly dirt road that is almost impassable when it rains. They have lasted a year and a half and still have decent tread for MTs. They will need to be replaced before winter but they have thousands of on and off road miles on them. Most of the on road miles are on steep mountain roads with sharp turns that I fly around. I also do a lot of highway driving at 70mph+. They are great in the sand, snow and look good to boot. None of the tires I've owned performed as good as these with the type of driving I put them through.

So as stupid as it sounds these cheap ass tires have out performed way more expensive tires in every aspect I throw at them. Not too mention in the mud they are monsters and the only time I've been stuck was 100% driver error (I drove off of a culvert and got high centered). I know many people here will say I'm insane but all I can say is try them and I bet you will agree with me.

 

I’d suggest looking into the Nokian Outpost AT tires. I have a pair on our high lander and they have been pretty great so far. I don’t do a lot of snow driving, but from what I’ve read they are supposed to really excel in the snow.

 

only lasted a 1 1/2 years? How many miles did you get out of them? Doesnt sound cost effective to replace tires every 1 1/2 years.

 

I have read that they have pretty lousy tread life.

 

i agree. I get 55-60k out of my falken wp at3s

 

That's pretty good. I expect to get around 60K out of my Toyo AT3's, and it looks like I could get a solid 50K out of my Geolandar MTs, based on tread wear so far.

 

Man, how are people getting this mileage out of Falkens? Are yours E load? I've had my SL Falkens for less than 30k miles and I'm already thinking that the tread is getting pretty shallow. Do you take them down to the wear bars?