3rd Gen Tundra HYBRID & Tire Size

Hi, all. I believe I’ve read every thread and post on this site related to tire sizing.

Following my extensive homework I was set on ordering 285/65/20 tires to beef up the look without requiring a lift or level.

Then I saw a post from (Llama?) that mentioned any tire over 33” (e.g. 275/60/20) throwing off the gear ratio and negatively impacting the sensitivity and performance of the MAX engine.

Has anyone else had this experience? A few questions below and any answers would be greatly appreciated.

How noticeable is the decreased sensitivity and performance of the MAX engine? City? Highway? Towing?

Is the difference equally noticeable across drive modes? I drive mostly sport, sometimes comfort, never eco. I tow a boat a few times per year.

Is it for sure the tire size (diameter) that is causing this issue? Does this hold more or less true at different tire weights?

Thanks, all. Really hoping I hear some positive experiences of 34-35” tires on the Hybrid so I don’t have to settle with 275/60/20 shoes.

Cheers.

 

I'm running 275/65r20 BFG KO3s on my hybrid. Stock tires weigh around 38lbs and these are 64, and I think these are around 2" taller. As far as running, I have no complaints. I get between 17-22 depending on the temperature and if I'm in the city or highway, or if I put my foot in it. Highway I get the best economy. I run mine in normal mode all the time as well. If I watch my max gauge, I can squeak out some extra in the city if I am not overly aggressive.

I would say it's more sensitive and doesn't hold as long in hybrid than it used to, but I added a lot of weight on the wheels and went up about 2" to a 34.1. I specifically went with this size because of width, it's only .4" wider than stock. In my experience, width gets you more than height when looking at tires that are around the same height.

Overall I'm happy, like the way it runs still and am ok with my MPG. This past week I added the TRD air filters (K&N basically) and did the dirty deeds slip on muffler and it seems like it's running better and started to hold the hybrid cycle longer, but it could be just the temp when it was warmer or just my butt dyno, who knows.

All that said, if I could do it again I would do exactly the same thing cause my rig is 99.5% a pavement pounder and still gets better mileage than my 23 Tacoma Pro did.

 

This is really helpful; appreciate the insights. I am looking at the Nitto Ridge Grappler tires and if I spec to the size you have (275/65/20) they actually offer that in a SL load range which is only 52lbs vs. the E which is 61lbs.

Are you running SL or an E? Thanks, again!

 

E

 

In Canada we can't get the factory 3" lift added to a build. Idk the details yet, but ordering bigger tires from the dealership requires them to deactivate the collision detection system. Essentially any lift and tires combo that raises the cameras by more than 4" inches has the dealership doing the deactivation on install.

Currently working through an order for a limited Trd-off road hybrid with the 3" lift.