4 Cyl 5 Speed Tacoma: Has anybody regretted getting 265/75R16 tires?

[Clutch]

BFG KO2's take care of my needs so I'd be set even if that were the only tire available. Honestly, though, I could probably even do with 31" tires as well.
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IIRC, I have had 5(?) sets of them over the years, seems like every other time I try something else, then then go back to "old faithful" BFG. This must be "every other time" the Kumhos are sitting in the garage, just have to put them on.

Rentals: Have you tried dealers?

http://www.toyota.com/rental/tacoma.html

Nothing here, but there is one in Phoenix that does...maybe rent one the next time I fly down to check on my rental property.

Plan on keeping the next truck 15+ years, starting out with a brandy new one sure would be nice.

 

[WillBeck]

So much better it gets towed places? :smiley_drive:

Hahaha, I got offered a trailer ride home from a wheeling weekend so I accepted. Plus it makes my truck seem more cool to have it trailered places.

 

[JBL13]

Mine came with a factory package that included 265/70/16 tires and 4.30 differential gears. No factory locker with that, but I've added an aftermarket locker.

 

[TacomaJack09]

I run 265/75/16 Goodyear Authority AT load range C's and have been very impressed with these tires. It's what you would come to expect from a Goodyear tire. Like others have said, it's a bit sluggish over the stock tires but in my case it's worth it. I live in NW Montana and I'm on some pretty rough forest roads quite often. I've driven back and forth from here to Ohio 6 times and my only regret is not getting the 6cyl over the 4 lol. Going over the continental divide is slow 40-50mph in I believe a 75-80mph zone. And the head winds through North Dakota and E. Montana leaves me in 4th gear but I set the cruise at 72mph and go with the flow. Still the 4 has served me well, and has taught me to slow down and enjoy the drive.

 

[Clutch]

I run 265/75/16 Goodyear Authority AT load range C's and have been very impressed with these tires. It's what you would come to expect from a Goodyear tire. Like others have said, it's a bit sluggish over the stock tires but in my case it's worth it. I live in NW Montana and I'm on some pretty rough forest roads quite often. I've driven back and forth from here to Ohio 6 times and my only regret is not getting the 6cyl over the 4 lol. Going over the continental divide is slow 40-50mph in I believe a 75-80mph zone. And the head winds through North Dakota and E. Montana leaves me in 4th gear but I set the cruise at 72mph and go with the flow. Still the 4 has served me well, and has taught me to slow down and enjoy the drive.

Is that loaded down? I am down in Idaho....90% of the time it will be used running back and forth to work at 65mph (empty), which I am sure it will be fine. Heading up to the mountains pulling my moto trailer a couple times a month concerns me. It is usually just me...the trailer, bike, and 5 gallons of fuel are just shy of 1200 lbs. It should be fine....I don't mind driving slow either, I some times catch myself going 5-10 under the limit...probably should put one of the orange AG triangles on the back of my current truck.

There is a guy on Tacoma World that lives in Idaho too, says he hauls firewood with his 4 banger, and is fine.

 

[GTV]

My mom & her husband have an '09 with the 4 banger and 265/70's on 17's (same height). I never drove it before the swap (neither did they, it was bought like that), I would call it doggy but drivable. It would be a lot better with a little more gear.

 

[TacomaJack09]

Is that loaded down? I am down in Idaho....90% of the time it will be used running back and forth to work at 65mph (empty), which I am sure it will be fine. Heading up to the mountains pulling my moto trailer a couple times a month concerns me. It is usually just me...the trailer, bike, and 5 gallons of fuel are just shy of 1200 lbs. It should be fine....I don't mind driving slow either, I some times catch myself going 5-10 under the limit...probably should put one of the orange AG triangles on the back of my current truck.

There is a guy on Tacoma World that lives in Idaho too, says he hauls firewood with his 4 banger, and is fine.

I guess I should've mentioned some details haha. I have Bilstein 5100's all around with the fronts set to level (.85"). Riderite Airbags in the back to give me a slight lift and rake. I have a fiberglass Leer cap on that's not light (100+lbs.) with a rack and ARB awning. So I'm not very aerodynamic. I have a sleeping platform in the back with a drawer and always keep my camping/climbing gear with me. Usually I'm travelling with 1 other person and a full cooler. So I guess I'm pretty loaded down. Never really thought about that. The 4 with 265's does pretty good considering all this.

 

[p nut]

Is that loaded down? I am down in Idaho....90% of the time it will be used running back and forth to work at 65mph (empty), which I am sure it will be fine. Heading up to the mountains pulling my moto trailer a couple times a month concerns me. It is usually just me...the trailer, bike, and 5 gallons of fuel are just shy of 1200 lbs. It should be fine....I don't mind driving slow either, I some times catch myself going 5-10 under the limit...probably should put one of the orange AG triangles on the back of my current truck.

There is a guy on Tacoma World that lives in Idaho too, says he hauls firewood with his 4 banger, and is fine.

I don't know what your mountain passes are like in Idaho, but there are a couple here that's fairly steep (i.e. Parley's Canyon). My old Land Cruiser with a 4.7 V8 would down shift quite a bit heading up this pass.
_
I don't know which way I'd go if I were in your shoes. On one hand, I4 seems like it would do fine for the majority of the time. However, if you find hauling the trailer up the mountains begins to be a bear, then you're looking at regearing. Which means more $$ spent, which could have gone to a V6 purchase from the beginning.
_
I'd probably lean V6. Buy once cry once? Probably the best solution is to buy a slightly used truck where the V6 cost gap would be significantly less (I'm assuming).

 

[PirateMcGee]

Is that loaded down? I am down in Idaho....90% of the time it will be used running back and forth to work at 65mph (empty), which I am sure it will be fine. Heading up to the mountains pulling my moto trailer a couple times a month concerns me. It is usually just me...the trailer, bike, and 5 gallons of fuel are just shy of 1200 lbs. It should be fine....I don't mind driving slow either, I some times catch myself going 5-10 under the limit...probably should put one of the orange AG triangles on the back of my current truck.

There is a guy on Tacoma World that lives in Idaho too, says he hauls firewood with his 4 banger, and is fine.

I've driven (all 4wd/4cyl): 2nd gen ext cab manual and auto, a new SR auto and manual, and a regular cab 2nd gen manual at fairly low elevations (Appalachian Mountains).
-2nd gen ext. cab manual. and new SR just adequate
-Auto new SR and 2nd gen ext. too sluggish.
-Regular cab: 4cyl manual worked excellent and had a bit of pep...reminded me a lot of driving my old 22re regular cab 4x4 on stock tires with a header.

The weight is really noticeable on the new SR with the 4. Unless you are looking at 05-14 regular cabs, I would avoid the 4 or plan on getting a 2nd gen ext. cab and doing a couple of bolt ons especially since you now live at elevation.

The gas mileage penalty of a tundra is pretty minimal when compared to the V6 taco. Especially with any kind of load so...

For me, my next replacement will be:
gently used (rare) Tundra RCSB with the 4.7L/5speed auto (excelllllllllllent truck....don't drive one )
RC 2trfe 5 speed 2nd gen with the lowest miles I can find in the country (would replace my Fit and Sport)
or a 1st gen tundra 05-06 RCLB
2015 left over Outlander GT (if I decide a wagon with ATs will work)
03+ minty Montero

or buy 8 more Montero Sports for the money...

or keep what I have and continue being "budget conscious" :elkgrinas a salesman politely referred to me being a cheapskate).

 

[Clutch]

I guess I should've mentioned some details haha. I have Bilstein 5100's all around with the fronts set to level (.85"). Riderite Airbags in the back to give me a slight lift and rake. I have a fiberglass Leer cap on that's not light (100+lbs.) with a rack and ARB awning. So I'm not very aerodynamic. I have a sleeping platform in the back with a drawer and always keep my camping/climbing gear with me. Usually I'm travelling with 1 other person and a full cooler. So I guess I'm pretty loaded down. Never really thought about that. The 4 with 265's does pretty good considering all this.

Thanks for the info!

I don't know what your mountain passes are like in Idaho, but there are a couple here that's fairly steep (i.e. Parley's Canyon). My old Land Cruiser with a 4.7 V8 would down shift quite a bit heading up this pass.
_
I don't know which way I'd go if I were in your shoes. On one hand, I4 seems like it would do fine for the majority of the time. However, if you find hauling the trailer up the mountains begins to be a bear, then you're looking at regearing. Which means more $$ spent, which could have gone to a V6 purchase from the beginning.
_
I'd probably lean V6. Buy once cry once? Probably the best solution is to buy a slightly used truck where the V6 cost gap would be significantly less (I'm assuming).

We have few, but nothing the current truck couldn't handle.

Yeah, I don't know what to do....pickins are really slim for the amount of money I want to spend which is about $25K, and wanting a manual trans. In the Tacoma ACLB, it is either the 4 banger SR or the Sport...which is a $7-8,000 difference. Several reasons why I want a manny....one of them is, since I plan on keeping the truck 15+ years. I don't want a $4000+ repair bill when an auto fails, seems like they fail about 100,000 miles. The auto in my Trooper is starting to go...it has a smidge over 100K on it. Heck, I am still on the original clutch on my Tacoma with 330,000 miles on it.

The whole reason for getting a new[er] truck is she doesn't want me want me out in the back country in my old truck anymore, makes her nervous...truthly it is starting to weigh on my mind too. So first and foremost....reliability is at the top of the list for needs, second it longevity. SR ACLB, has everything I want but gobs of power.

I've driven (all 4wd/4cyl): 2nd gen ext cab manual and auto, a new SR auto and manual, and a regular cab 2nd gen manual at fairly low elevations (Appalachian Mountains).
-2nd gen ext. cab manual. and new SR just adequate
-Auto new SR and 2nd gen ext. too sluggish.
-Regular cab: 4cyl manual worked excellent and had a bit of pep...reminded me a lot of driving my old 22re regular cab 4x4 on stock tires with a header.

The weight is really noticeable on the new SR with the 4. Unless you are looking at 05-14 regular cabs, I would avoid the 4 or plan on getting a 2nd gen ext. cab and doing a couple of bolt ons especially since you now live at elevation.

The gas mileage penalty of a tundra is pretty minimal when compared to the V6 taco. Especially with any kind of load so...

For me, my next replacement will be:
gently used (rare) Tundra RCSB with the 4.7L/5speed auto (excelllllllllllent truck....don't drive one )
RC 2trfe 5 speed 2nd gen with the lowest miles I can find in the country (would replace my Fit and Sport)
or a 1st gen tundra 05-06 RCLB
2015 left over Outlander GT (if I decide a wagon with ATs will work)
03+ minty Montero

or buy 8 more Montero Sports for the money...

or keep what I have and continue being "budget conscious" :elkgrinas a salesman politely referred to me being a cheapskate).

Trying to find a SR with manual trans to test drive has proven darn near impossible here.

Really don't want an AT....man pickins are slim. While I do like the Tundra...would do a RCLB if I went that route...my buddies that own them they are getting 13-15 mpg. Since it will be used as a daily driver 90% of the time...don't want to deal with that. Believe I could squeeze 25 out of a Tacoma SR for the work commute of 52 miles round trip. Speed limit is 65, I set the cruise at 63, and try to stay out of people's way.

 

[TacomaJack09]

I haven't really heard of any Tacoma autos failing. I'm on here and TW pretty often too. The few I've seen have been from heavily modded trucks when they were wheeled pretty hard. Even those are a dime a dozen... I do love my manual transmissions though, I have 230k on my original clutch! Woot! I'd personally go with a v6 if i did it all over again. Which in a few years will be the case.

 

[p nut]

I haven't really heard of any Tacoma autos failing. I'm on here and TW pretty often too. The few I've seen have been from heavily modded trucks when they were wheeled pretty hard...

I've not experienced any transmission failures, either. I had a Supercharged 4Runner with 150k miles, driven fairly hard, and zero issues. Tacoma also had 150k and LC had close to 180k. Engine and transmission ran great. Heat is what causes these to fail, so just make sure to get an aux cooler and change out the fluid regularly. I'd say if that's the only aversion to getting an auto, the worry in unfounded. Modern day autos are pretty bulletproof (at least with Toyota). This really opens up your options.

 

[Clutch]

I haven't really heard of any Tacoma autos failing. I'm on here and TW pretty often too. The few I've seen have been from heavily modded trucks when they were wheeled pretty hard. Even those are a dime a dozen... I do love my manual transmissions though, I have 230k on my original clutch! Woot! I'd personally go with a v6 if i did it all over again. Which in a few years will be the case.

Should of elaborated. If I was "forced" to go auto...might as well get a fullsize truck. At that price point, you can get a regular cab with a V8. Tundra is off the table since its poor mileage. Which leaves the domestics. I simply do not trust them out of warranty. Blame having stellar luck with Toyotas over the past 25 years.

Cheapest V6 auto/4WD ACLB in a Tacoma is 31,500 that I can find, which is $6500 over what I want to spend...another $1-1500 can get a manual trans.


Why I don't want to spend $32K+ on a truck??? Because I will redo the suspension, which is $2500, either do a AT habitat or a SnugTop with a hard shell RTT...which is another $10K give or take. Which pushes it to roughly $45K....don't want to spend that much. Starting with a SR pushes it down to $37K...which is still a lot to spend on truck that really doesn't have much hung from it. Man, have truck prices really shot up, from the last time I bought...IIRC my SR5 TRD OR sold for $22K new. What are they now $35K+?

 

[PirateMcGee]

Have you test driven the auto sr? It's close enough to get a feel for the rest of the truck. The 5 speed is better so if the auto seems ok, you would be pretty safe putting a deposit down on a 5 speed utility package being brought in.

 

[Clutch]

Have you test driven the auto sr? It's close enough to get a feel for the rest of the truck. The 5 speed is better so if the auto seems ok, you would be pretty safe putting a deposit down on a 5 speed utility package being brought in.

I have been trying, I swing by the dealer every couple months to buy an oil filter, never have any SR's when I am there...can't seem to get the timing right. Like usual I am not in a huge hurry, so I don't put too much effort in seeking one out.

A SR with pest control equipment in the bed, did blow past me on the way home from work last night, so they will truck down the highway...

To get a new version of what I already have (Tacoma, with front coil-overs, OME rear, ARB winch bumper, and a Wildernest)...even going super basic it is going to cost me nearly $40K, think I am having a hard time with it. Seems like a lot of coin just to go sleep in the dirt. When did car camping get so expensive? Remember when it was cheap...and that is what you did because you were too broke to go on a "real vacation" ....ha!


Heck, $40K gets you a 3/4 ton domestic, with a shell FWC Granby, and maybe a heater! Have looking at the AT Habitat...nice and all, and I know those guys need to make money...but damn $10K for a glorified tent when everything is said and done. Geez that is a brand new Husky 701!