aardvarcus
Adventurer
Yay tire threads!
I have a 2005 2.7L 5 Speed X-Cab, with 4.10s. I have run 235/85R16s since shortly after I got it. I also have a set of 255/85R16s on spare wheels that I swapped back and forth for “serious” offroading, however I think I am going to stop doing that, for a variety of reasons.
Yes it drives differently with the bigger heavier tires. I quickly got used to it, and basically forgot about it. No, it doesn't pull off the line like my other truck with the 8.1L big block. But it does effectively get 2-2.5 times the fuel economy. If it didn't, take a wild guess what I would be driving. I personally don't want to ruin my MPG with poor tire/gearing choices, because then I would prefer to just drive a full size. That single fact is a factor in every Tacoma related decision I make.
In my opinion the biggest factor in tire performance is hands down tread pattern matched to your terrain and conditions. Why this doesn't get brought up nearly as much as size I don't know. I can't get the type of tread pattern I want in a 255/85R16 tire, so I bought a 235/85r16 tire.
Also we through around these sizes like they are all the same, but even within the same size there are differences in diameter, width, and weight. Also I don't like the general trend that many newer 255/85R16s are getting shorter and wider. What happened to 33.3 tall and 7.2 wide, when did that become 32.8 and 8.2 wide? Aren't there enough wide tires to choose from already?
When you change your tire diameter, you effectively change your gearing. This only becomes problematic when you need more torque than your engine can produce at your current RPM level. Luckily Toyota thought enough to include a special feature on my truck that allows me to significantly alter my gear ratio on the fly. By altering my gear ratio I can increase my RPMs to a point higher on the torque band of my truck, as well as now requiring less torque from the engine due to the additional gear reduction. Some people don't like to activate that special feature of altering their gearing ratio on the fly. They prefer to alter their static ratios so that they are always at the higher RPM level. I will admit this confuses me, unless they are having issues at taking off from a stop at the lowest possible dynamic ratio available.
I am sure there are many that will disagree with me. That is fine. I now base my decision on my experiences and how I drive my Tacoma. I know what I prefer, and to each their own.
I have a 2005 2.7L 5 Speed X-Cab, with 4.10s. I have run 235/85R16s since shortly after I got it. I also have a set of 255/85R16s on spare wheels that I swapped back and forth for “serious” offroading, however I think I am going to stop doing that, for a variety of reasons.
Yes it drives differently with the bigger heavier tires. I quickly got used to it, and basically forgot about it. No, it doesn't pull off the line like my other truck with the 8.1L big block. But it does effectively get 2-2.5 times the fuel economy. If it didn't, take a wild guess what I would be driving. I personally don't want to ruin my MPG with poor tire/gearing choices, because then I would prefer to just drive a full size. That single fact is a factor in every Tacoma related decision I make.
In my opinion the biggest factor in tire performance is hands down tread pattern matched to your terrain and conditions. Why this doesn't get brought up nearly as much as size I don't know. I can't get the type of tread pattern I want in a 255/85R16 tire, so I bought a 235/85r16 tire.
Also we through around these sizes like they are all the same, but even within the same size there are differences in diameter, width, and weight. Also I don't like the general trend that many newer 255/85R16s are getting shorter and wider. What happened to 33.3 tall and 7.2 wide, when did that become 32.8 and 8.2 wide? Aren't there enough wide tires to choose from already?
When you change your tire diameter, you effectively change your gearing. This only becomes problematic when you need more torque than your engine can produce at your current RPM level. Luckily Toyota thought enough to include a special feature on my truck that allows me to significantly alter my gear ratio on the fly. By altering my gear ratio I can increase my RPMs to a point higher on the torque band of my truck, as well as now requiring less torque from the engine due to the additional gear reduction. Some people don't like to activate that special feature of altering their gearing ratio on the fly. They prefer to alter their static ratios so that they are always at the higher RPM level. I will admit this confuses me, unless they are having issues at taking off from a stop at the lowest possible dynamic ratio available.
I am sure there are many that will disagree with me. That is fine. I now base my decision on my experiences and how I drive my Tacoma. I know what I prefer, and to each their own.