Happy Medium for Tires

Good Morning everyone.

I have read a lot of then rim / tire post here and I have followed that up by coming up to speed with understanding the pros and cons of increasing tire size or rim size or both. It made me wonder if there’s a happy medium

I live in the southeast part of the country and I’m not going up any mountains or trails and I’m not going mudding however I’ve been stuck in the mud in a previous vehicle. Twice and both times with the boat in tow.

anyway I see that with 17” rims you get a lot more side wall than with 20” rims
My objective is simply to fill the wheel well more than stock. I don’t want spacers or offset tires and I don’t want to alter the suspension or elevation of the truck. And I want a wider tire
So being that said I am thinking that
285/70/18 is the happy medium

Would you agree or where am I off or what am I not considering?


For those who have 20” rims do you go off road ? I have not figured that out yet
Thanks in advance

 

The 17 and 18 inch wheels are the most common. The only issue with the 285/70/18's is that there are limited options for companies that make that size which results in them being more expensive.

 

no issues 4x4'ing with 20's. too many posts talk trash about 20's being brutal for this and that when better than half likely have never owned them and are just making noise.
Between my 87 Toyoto Truck, Tacoma and Tundra i have only ever owned all-terrain tires on a truck and am currently running Toyo AT3's which have been the best so far (previously have run Duratracs and BFG All-Terrain) can't see that changing as they're fantastic. A 33" tire can be fitted on a stock 2.5 gen that won't make a noticeable impact on the stock gearing helps fill the wheel-well better and will add a little more height helping with those times the diffs touch ground.

 

This is why I went with 295/70/18. Also where I am they did not have that size and would’ve had to be shipped

 

I understand about the 20”
I just thought I’d ask as someone who’s actually using that particular size. First hand knowledge is priceless. Thanks

 

I used to own a 2016 duramax that had 35x12.5s on 22in wheels when I bought it. I swapped out the 22s for 18s and the on-road ride quality went up 15 fold because of the wider sidewall cushion. I dig the looks of larger wheels but, in my limited experience, you'll get a stiffer ride.

My .02.

 

You echo the sentiments of one of my trusted friends.

 

IMO I think the perfect size tire would be 275/70R18. 33" tires are very capable for pretty much anything you need. It does not require any alterations to your truck, is very readily available anywhere by multiple brands, and most likely will correct your speedometer to the true speed because I have found that the speedometer from the factory with 32" factory spec tires reads about 2mph higher than GPS. The 33s will correct that and not have too big of an impact on your gas mileage.

285/70R18 imo does not give you enough benefits for the drawback of being an odd size that is likely more expensive than 275 and has far fewer choices of availability.

 

I have the "happy medium size" of 285/70r18. I love the way it fills out the wheel wells, and is slightly wider than stock which sometimes looked fine/ok from the front, and then from the rear it looked like you were riding on spares. The 285/70r18 solves that for me. I did put a 1" coilover lift up front and removed the front, front-side mudflap spats. But no real trimming necessary.

If you're ok with the expense (probably $50-100 more per tire than 275/70 or 295/70) and limited selection/availability, it's a great size.

My previous tundra (2014 DC) I ran 275/70r18 with no lift and fit perfectly. They filled the well somewhat and performed/handled great. I put in a 2" coilover up front and went to 295/70r18. They looked awesome, but due to tire shortages I ended up with Mickey Thompson Baja Boss ATs'. Those tires were awesome but were heavy. Butt dyno really felt the impact. And so did the fuel tank. I didnt really mind the lower mpgs and expected them, but with the small 26gal tank of the 2014 it SUCKED.

Oh, I mounted all of these tires on stock TRD Off-Road wheels (machined/black) with no issues.

Edit: just realized you've got a TRD Pro, OP. a 285/70r18 will look sweet with that setup, I think you'll be happy. Nitto Recon Grappler (my tire), Nitto Exo & Ridge Grappler, and Toyo Open Country AT3 are the lightest all-terrains in that size group at under 60lbs per tire.

 

I went with 305/60r18

truck seems more “planted” and there’s no rubbing or need for removal of the front mud flap. The stance is what I was looking for and I have to be completely honest the tire shop guy that wired with me was very patient and receptive to what I was looking for.

thanks for all the information you guys gave as well. I stayed with the 18” rims and I didn’t lift the truck either.

This is an option for anyone who is looking for tires

 

Pics when you get a chance....

 

Yes Sir.
I’ll get you some as soon as I can. Might be Monday just fyi

 

2019 TRD

 

My wife noticed that on the rear tire there’s less visible red from the shock.

I really like the ride especially taking corners
It’s much better

 

Best I can get

 

This is what I run, the 275 70R18. One size up over stock and with front end leveled it perfect. Thought about 295's but they would rub like crazy with my Method wheels.

 

Has a rear sway bar been added to your rear suspension??

Your Pro would NOT have one from the factory, as they were trying to give our Pros more rear wheel articulation for off-roading. However, if you aren't looking to do anything that could be deemed rock crawling or will be putting it in a situation where you'll need a maximum amount of 'flex' from your rear suspension, you can simply add a rear TRD sway bar (if that hasn't been done already) and you'll see significant improvement in handling (much less body roll and a more 'planted' feel in the corners)...

https://www.sparksparts.com/oem-parts/toyota-trd-rear-sway-bar-ptr1134070

Shop for it at a local dealer or a dealer that's close to you as shipping would be high on these. You can also check this forum, offer up, CL, etc.. for them as they pop up regularly

 

I have not as of yet added a sway bar. I intend to add traction ladder bars after the powder coating is completed. I will consider it after the super charger is installed and I have some drive time on it. Truck has almost 27K miles on it now but Lord willing, i will get some more miles on it next month. I am sorry about the picture , I will get a better picture by Thursday evening. I wanted to put it next to some other tundras at work. I have a switch pro and morimoto lights to get put in next week. I have the caliraised low profile bracket and the Morimoto brackets. I installed one on each side to see which I prefer but they shipped the lights and brackets without the part that actually holds the light..

Thank you for the information and I will let you know in the future.

I have been trying out some Molle seat back (soft ) panels and really haven't gotten it set up like I wanted either.

 

275/60/20 and have been off-road a few times.

 

All good brother

I just really enjoy seeing pics and details of other folks' rigs; especially when they are doing something a little more unique and less main stream!!

 

I should note that I went with Toyo AT3

 

A better picture

 

Not that you should but after 300 miles in the rain, various speeds averaging 70-80 and sometimes higher the tires held great no slipping, no sliding just planted.
So i can say I really like the tires and they do inspire confidence but im not one to let ambition exceed skill