Any Downsides to Running slightly bigger tires???

[fjtotaco]

You will be fine. These 4th Gen Tacoma's were engineered to support 285/70/17's and some ship with them.
I have the same tires you are interested in and there in no power issues of any kind.
Go for it!

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[Anthonyi143]

You will be fine. These 4th Gen Tacoma's were engineered to support 285/70/17's and some ship with them.
I have the same tires you are interested in and there in no power issues of any kind.
Go for it!

thanks so much for the input i think thats what im going to go for! is your truck lifted?

 

[Anthonyi143]

I didn't notice any change with my 6-speed going up to 285/70/17. I went with SL tires though; Falken Wildpeaks. The BFGs are slightly heavier, like 3 lbs a tire.

even if i got them in a C-load?

 

[Anthonyi143]

Why do you want bigger tires? Because peer pressure? Or because there is something wrong with the stock tire size?

The moment I looked for Tacoma content online (youtube), I was inundated with a culture obsessed with bigger tires and lifts. It is contageious. The dream is focused on equipping a vehicle to go offroading in Moab, whether or not you will ever actually go offroading. I bet a lot of people wouldn't actually enjoy rock crawling!

What is wrong with stock tire size? I am asking myself that question. They are not small tires.

There is a legitimate reason to buy heavier tires--just today I was towing a car (3,000#), and with a strong cross wind, steering felt pretty nervous. I think it has a lot to do with the stock tires. A heavier LT tire would be more stable.


However, to the OP--if you just need to have the biggest tires, the best wheels are the stock wheels. They are +60mm offset.

Forget spacers. Anything that pushes the tire out from the hubs, whether spacers or wheels with les offset, will reduce the maximum tire size you can run.

The biggest tire I know of that will fit with no rubbing is Mickey Thompson 255/85r17 on stock wheels. I thought it would be cool to have the biggest tire on stock 17" wheels, with no lift. Maybe even lowered a bit? I'd be going for more of a stadium truck vibe, not rock crawling. But I am also thinking I should be smart and keep the stock tire size...

I just hear that the stock tires are not that great and I was going to get KO3's in a lighter load, but i couldnt decide weather I wanted to get the 265's or go up to a 285.

 

[AmbyBomb]

Looks like in C load, the BFG are 2 lbs lighter.

 

[oxi]

I have only owned 2 Toyota trucks that were on stock tire size. My 1986 2wd long-box and 1997 2wd short box, both manual 5-speeds.

The rest have been all with larger tires:

1985 2wd with 32" tires with rare 4-speed manual.
1986 4x4 with 35's that I ran 7 desert off-road races with.
2010 SR5 with 265/75 R16's, later to 285/ 75 R16's.
2016 SR with 265/75 R16's, only automatic handicap transmission.
2024 TRD Sport with 265/70 R18's, never drove it with stock size tires.

Do note my 2005 X-Runner, I dropped down to a 285/30 R18 from factory 255/50 series.

From this first image to second image. I also change my tire size and rims on my daily Camry awd from 18's to winter 16's, no issues.

Changing rim size and tires never an issue.

 

[fredygump]

1-2 lower mpg, slight power loss (8 speed auto), more expensive $$.

Little to no change to drivability, unlike previous gen tacomas.

But you gain ground clearance, far better off road capability, looks.

Worth it for some, not for others.

Your MPG probably changed a lot less than you think. But to know for sure, you need to compensate for odometer error introduced by the larger tire size.

It is easy to calculate this for yourself if you want to know your actual mpg. Tinkerers Adventure youtube channel has a recent video talking about what actually affects fuel economy. It's worth checking out for anyone interested.

 

[fjtotaco]

thanks so much for the input i think thats what im going to go for! is your truck lifted?

YES, I had the tires put on before the suspension lift, they are C load also. My suspension is an
3" Ironman 4x4 stage 2 With Upper Control Arms.

2024 TRD OFF ROAD PREMIUM LONGBED SWAY BAR disconnect,
3" Ironman 4x4 Stage 2 suspension lift. 285/70/17 BFG K03's

 

[fredygump]

Uh huh. Love that passive aggressive vibe you’ve got going on there, sport.

Should I be like you?!

Gate keeping is the thing people hate about forums, and yes, that is what you are doing.

If you want to talk about your love for modifying your truck, do that. Say to the OP: "Why go with slightly bigger tires when you can get huge tires?" That would communicate your point of view.

I persist in my point of view that stock tire size can be cool. Nothing wrong with them. There are advantages of that size in some situations. OP recognizes tires affect gearing, for example.

It is worthwhile for a person to ask why they want buying bigger tires. Like I said, influencers affect us, planting ideas like needing unnecessarily big tires. Suddenly we think we need something we had never thought about previously.

I don't need big tires. But I started to get drawn in by the influencers. I'm still on the fence. I might get bigger tires still. But if so, I'll do it in my own way. I'm slow-rolling the decision and am considering more factors than just the tire size.

 

[MT-Taco]

Your MPG probably changed a lot less than you think. But to know for sure, you need to compensate for odometer error introduced by the larger tire size.

It is easy to calculate this for yourself if you want to know your actual mpg. Tinkerers Adventure youtube channel has a recent video talking about what actually affects fuel economy. It's worth checking out for anyone interested.

My speedometer is dead on with 285’s. Makes calculating easy.

 

[fredygump]

I just hear that the stock tires are not that great and I was going to get KO3's in a lighter load, but i couldnt decide weather I wanted to get the 265's or go up to a 285.

It is true that stock tire are not great, especially on my SR5. Those tires were designed for fuel economy.

That 285 is just the width. That doesn't tell you the diameter.

Looking up tire sizes is kind of messy and confusing, but using tiresize.com helps. There are probably a few different diameter K03 tires with 285 width that would work.

It is worth remembering that your speedometer/ odometer from the factory is -3%. So a 3% larger tire makes your speed dead accurate. Go over 3% bigger and you are driving faster than the speedometer says. (There is a $200 converter box you can install to compensate for changing tire size. No easy way to adjust tire size in the ECU to my knowledge.)

 

[bitflogger]

Bought a stock size replacement set of..
MICHELIN DEFENDER LTX M/S2
245 /70 R17 114T XL BSW.

I didn’t go any bigger as I drive 90 miles a day @ 70-85 mph on the expressway with occasional light towing. I want a quiet ride with decent mpg. I don’t do any serious off-road driving just camping a few times a year and dealing with Michigan winters.

I don’t want to recalibrate my speedometer/odometer and think it looks plenty sexy as is.

I feel like going with bigger tires that require lifts and spacers put extra wear on suspension parts and more maintenance cost is involved. I’ve found that it’s not worth it on my daily driver. If these things don’t bother you, whether you actually do off-road or just like the look, those are the only negatives I see…

An FYI from past experience and a sibling who gets those tires in same northern area. The Defender LTX family are not 3PMSF but Michelin owned BF Goodrich Trail-Terrain TA are. The Defenders in winter time against the Trail-Terrain TA are mediocre or craptacular when the 3PMSF Trail-Terrain TA are awesome, and also better off of pavement in other months.

The Defenders are still good, and likely to a little longer lasting but civil for highway use but from experience the Trail-Terrain TA are competent in winter stopping when Defenders are not. The new + version are supposed to last longer.

Now that we have had 3PMSF year round types and dedicated winter tires same time as standard M+S on same vehicle models at same time, we feel friends only let friends buy 3PMSF in MI, WI, MN, CO, WY, MT and other places I go.

 

[Tacoma John]

3PMSF.. 🫤. Meh. The Defenders I’ve had in the past have lasted for almost 100k miles with no road noise, no hydroplaning, and IMO, great handling in the snow.
I’m sure the Trail-Terrain TA’s are nice and I’ll check them out. Thanks for the info. Maybe I’ll get a set for my wife’s SUV.

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