Driving Impressions? Manual transmission w/ larger & heavier wheels/tires

[jnorris]

Hi all, I am considering a set of TRD Pro take-off wheels and tires for my '26 TRD Off Road with the 6 speed manual transmission.

• Current = stock 17" wheels with 265/70R17 tires --> 31.6" diameter, ~65lbs
• Replacement = 18" TRD Pro wheels with 265/70R18 Toyo Open Country AT tires --> 32.6" diameter, ~76lbs

For any manual transmission owners out there who have made a similar wheel/tire change, including simply adding larger/heavier tires to the stock 17 inch wheels, I'm interested to hear your perceptions on changes to how it drives (acceleration, braking, etc). Thanks!

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[828findadventure]

You will not notice a difference until you go up to a larger tire, such as a 285/70/17 or 285/70/18 in a heavier load range like C or E load rated. Those tires start to get very heavy, and you will notice gas mileage and performance will take a hit.

 

[nickd]

I have exactly this setup. Used Nitto Terra grappler G3 tires which are not heavy. Didn't notice a difference. However they rubbed a little bit while turning and I did notice a little difference in ride harshness after I installed a 1.5 inch levelling spacer.

 

[Ace-ington]

I have a TRD Sport i went from 265/65 r18s to 285/70 r17 load range C which I believe is 6 ply (E was 10 ply)

They were a little heavier so you will notice on your gas mileage but am still ok with it and I have a set of Falken Wildpeaks AT4W

They can be a little trouble to balance my one tire was, and the other thing i notice cause I have the sport after going to all terrain tires they tend to spin a little more on the road although that could be my alignment(which I haven't got one with these tires)

 

[BLtheP]

I have an SR, which comes with the smaller brakes and 245/70R17 SL tires (30lbs stock).

I went to TRD off-road wheels and LT265/70R17 C rated Toyos at first. The tires were 51 lbs (I weighed them - kinda heavy for a 32” C). My mpg dropped from about 20-23 on the highway to about 19-20 at best. However, I also started driving mostly in 5th on the highway. Mainly because the heavier/stickier tires just seemed to require a lot of boost to maintain 6th. Dropping to 5th didn’t seem to hurt mpg much (if any) though, it was mainly just keeping the engine naturally aspirated most of the time to prevent needing boost. It drove pretty nice.

Then I went from the 265s, back to my stock wheels but with 34X10.50R17 D Toyos, which are advertised as 55 lbs. based on the 265s being 51 lbs, my guess is that these are heavier than 55 lbs because they felt heavy. But, they really are not bad either.

Mpg is now down to about 17-18 and I mostly drive in 4th, sometimes 5th on the highway. Usually 4th. I never use 6th. Occasionally I get 19.5 mpg or so if conditions are right. Keep in mind, I drive 70-80 on the highway. Revs are around 3200-3400 or so a lot of the time (it’s a 4 cylinder - I don’t care about revs). I’m regearing once 5.29s come out and that should restore all or most of what I lost.

Honestly, through all this, the performance hits have been pretty small; smaller than expected for sure. I feel the 34’s most when I’m starting out from a stop in 1st, and when I’m trying to pick up speed mid range (50 mph or so) in 4th. Other than that, it drives pretty great. Even reverse is fine.

I started out with smaller brakes than you, and they are still fine. However, I have already bought all the parts to step up to the larger brake package, and so I’m doing that anyways. I don’t think you should have any concerns about brakes, as the small brakes I find more than adequate for these tires. I’m just going larger to the TRD package because it seems like a smart idea and I want to tweak the pedal feel a bit with the larger calipers that come in that package. I don’t think you will need to do anything at all for yours.

Overall I have no regrets with my choices. I am very much looking forward to my 5.29s though. I think it’ll really bring everything together. Lockers are going in at the same time too.

 

[Devleen]

Hi all, I am considering a set of TRD Pro take-off wheels and tires for my '26 TRD Off Road with the 6 speed manual transmission.

• Current = stock 17" wheels with 265/70R17 tires --> 31.6" diameter, ~65lbs
• Replacement = 18" TRD Pro wheels with 265/70R18 Toyo Open Country AT tires --> 32.6" diameter, ~76lbs

For any manual transmission owners out there who have made a similar wheel/tire change, including simply adding larger/heavier tires to the stock 17 inch wheels, I'm interested to hear your perceptions on changes to how it drives (acceleration, braking, etc). Thanks!

Switching to these heavier 18-inch wheels and tires will make your truck feel slower, reduce gas mileage, and require more pedal effort to brake.

 

[jnorris]

Switching to these heavier 18-inch wheels and tires will make your truck feel slower, reduce gas mileage, and require more pedal effort to brake.

Yes, I’m looking for qualitative feedback on how much those things are impacted from others who have made a similar change.

 

[Pappy]

Yes, I’m looking for qualitative feedback on how much those things are impacted from others who have made a similar change.

Those tires are the same size. Only the rim changes. You won't feel it. As other have said, if you jump to a 285/70, or 285/75, then yes, you will notice.

I run 285/70-17 load range C with a heavy camper. Yes, I noticed. But, a @CAMTuning tune solved that issue.

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