A case for 265/70 18s...

Kind of bucking the conventional so hear me out. It's a little more narrow than the stock 275/65 but a little taller by about half an inch. They are considerably lighter than 275/70's which are always 10 ply E-rated tires, and considerably cheaper!

So I get a little bit bigger tire that'll look better than stock, and have the option to go SL or E load rating, keep a lower weight to maintain performance, and have lower cost over the sort of standard 275/70s.

Some other info, my truck is my daily driver, I tow about a 4000# boat weekly from May to September, and live in New England where winter is very real. I plow with my truck my paved 500' driveway and usually have 300ish pounds in the back for ballast. really never drive around with my plow if I can avoid it. I haven't had any huge complaints towing or plowing with the stock Michelin "AT"s.

Whatcha think? Anyone have this size post a pic! Does the ride quality really suffer with an E rated tire? Again, anyone running this size have some pics? Looking at Toyo AT3, Cooper XLT, Falkens, and maybe Hankook Dynapro's. Leaning towards the Toyos in the SL rating.

 

I am interested to see what others have to say as well...it seems like a conservative but good choice for Tundra.

 

I think as long as you put a decent tire meant for what you want to do with it, you shouldn’t have any problems.
There was a member here a while back that switched out to a skinny tall tire for some of your very same reasons. And there was a debate about it.

this was one of the videos I think we were talking about along the way.
https://youtu.be/9h3T_QicRqg

 

Towing and plowing why would you want less than a 10 ply?

 

It is a fine choice, as are stock size tires in standard load. Benefits- better MPG and smoother ride if staying with standard load.

I run E load, 275/70-18, and yes, there is a noticeable difference in running E load vs the standard load. Stiffer tire so you feel the road more, firmer ride. Personally I would not run E load on a Tundra if I didn't have to.

Now if the tire manufacturers would start making C load in the popular 18 inch tire sizes life would be perfect! Unfortunately that is not the case unless you move to 17 inch wheels.

Currently running falken wildpeaks, very happy with them. I had Cooper LXTs for 9000 miles but had issues- one sidewall defect and they would never keep balance. Got full credit returning them so it worked out. Had to have a deflective bunch. I have also had Hancook dynapros on my 4 runner and they were actually really good tires.

 

Stock tires tow and plow just fine. I only plow my driveway. I'm towing a boat that is <1/2 the rated capacity for the truck. 97% of the miles I put on the truck are not towing or plowing...

 

I had them on a Tacoma and my last Tundra but read some so so reviews about wet traction etc... not sure how to judge that...

 

They did great on my 4runner. But yes, once they got about 45k miles, wet traction was not as good as before. They wore really well, handled fine, no noise, great in the snow and a decent AT, no impact on MPG. I replaced them with a more aggressive AT when they had about 57k miles, still had tread enough to pass state inspection but I wanted to move up to a C load tire with more aggressive look.

And don't discount the Coopers, plenty here that run them with great results. My experience seems unusual. Search and there is a tread dedicated to them on this site.

Cant comment on the toyos but do really like the falkens. I would buy wildpeaks again no hesitation.

 

I think they look pretty darn good. I don't need the extra .5" or E rated tire. Toyo AT3

 

I went from an LT285/70r17 to a P285/70r17, there is a very noticeable change in ride quality and acceleration. The GY tires were 69 lbs and the new ones are 45 lbs. The P rated is much smoother and quieter as well. I tow my boat with these and with the trailer and gear it is just shy of 6800 lbs. Tires do fine on our rough MT roads. They do as good or better on dirt roads as well.

The truck is rated to do everything that it is capable of with P rated tires so you should be good to go and not have to get LT rated tires. Getting LT tires was a mistake for me and not needed on a 1/2 Ton truck IMHO.

 

I ran 265/70/18s and loved them! Other than the crappy defective coopers i had i think its the best ideal tire size!

 

I"m running the Yokohama Geolander H/T G056 in 265/70R18. I think it's a great tire. Very quiet. They're on an 8½" wide Vision wheels. I replaced my Michelin Defender LTX M/S of the same size after around 50K on those tires. The Michelins were the loudest tire I have EVER had on any vehicle.

 

I'm looking into the same thing.
My new to me 08 Crewmax has the 20" wheels..Not a fan.
I'd love to go down to an eqevelant size in 17/18 rim and even a slightly taller.
My E350 runs 245/75-16 (E Rated) and they perform great everything I need them to do. (the Tundra is replacing the Van)

When I hade my Ram3500 CRD, I ran the 275/70-17. E rated always. Great strong tire. Very restant to punctures and such. Got to where they hurt my back at rull air pressure. That's the way these P rated 20's feel like at times.

I'd like to figure out a comb that is narrower than what I have, and at least as tall and readily available.
We have a small travle trailer, but I'll prolly still like to find a light P rated tire sutible to the task and DX these 20's...

I'm a big fan of old school tall n skinny tires.

 

I am considering this size for downsize for daily commute usage

 

I think it’s a great idea I just ordered some
265 70 r18 Michelin LTX M/S they were heavily discounted I think since they are not ordered often.

it makes sense to me that a lighter thinner and taller tire would do better in MPG it would have to have less rolling resistance. We will see how it goes I’ll take every extra MPG I can get in my 5.7! I’ll post back with results

 

Keep us posted

 

Well turns out the stock black wheels on the Tundra have 20in rims ‍♂️ I’m an idiot. I ended up going with Cooper Discoverer 275/60/r20 as they didn’t have anything in 265/70/20.

so far the coopers are doing great very smooth and super quiet ride. I think this size looks fitting on the Tundra with stock suspension.

 

I run 265/70-18 and wouldn’t change it. Perfect tire size for these trucks. In the Tacomas a true +1 tire (about 3%) corrects the odo accuracy. In our Tundras I’ve found this size to be a +1/2 (~1.7%) that also makes my odo and speed as close to GPS accurate as possible. Also fits a stock truck with no trimming and as you’ve noted more tire loads and options.

 

I can’t believe that nobody has mentioned in this debate yet that some Tundras actually come stock with 255/70/18 so the size being spoken about here would actually be a wider tire. My 2020 SR5 has the 255/70/18 and I’m looking to go to either 265/70/18 or 275/65/18. I don’t think I want to loose that small amount of height though or go E rated. This has been a helpful convo overall tho!

 

My 21 CM SX (SR5 blackout) came with 255/70/18 (And confirmed that the driver door sticker too). looking at 265/70/18 since its a little taller. anyone have any insight?

 

Precisely the change I made. The only rub was the front plastic wind dam when turning in reverse. Just removed it. Will continue to buy this size from here on out.

 

the only reason you had the rubbing was due to your wheels with a different offset. Stock wheels would not have that issue with that tire size or slightly larger.

265/70 or 275/65 will look essentially the same. You can put the two tires side by side and the difference will be hard to tell. Both sizes are good because there are quite a few SL options.

 

You’re right, forgot to note that entirely, thank you!!

Dustin at FN Wheels hooked it up, I was looking for OEM takeoffs around the forums and he reached out and got me yet another pair of FN Wheels. The offset it a little aggressive but I couldn’t pass them up, had them on my old Pickup as well