Overland tires that don't weigh a ton?

[Nomad_K]

Hi guys,

I am trying to help a non-web savvy friend find some quality off-road tires (fire-roads, large farm/small ranch work) that work well under a variety of conditions without weighing a ton. Reason being said friend switched tires on his Tundra (not sure which model he went from or too - I will check) and lost a noticeable number of miles per gallon. He commutes from the city to his farm on the weekends so decent economy on the road is important.

I am also interested in seeing what everyone has used, as keeping the mileage from dropping off a cliff on whatever I wind up in (Jeep/FJ/Suzuki... who knows :sombrero: ) would be nice.

Cheers!

 

[Redline]

Know the size? It's hard to suggest anything without knowing size and tread pattern desired. There are still many variables.

Once you know the size and read desired (an A/T I assume) then do some online searching for him and find a lighter, narrower, shorter tire to get some MPG back (or go to the stock size for best MPG).

 

[Martinjmpr]

Weight is one of the reasons I prefer a tall, skinny tire. My Taco had 235/85/16's on them and they were noticeably lighter than the 265/70/16 stockers.

Of course, "light" is a relative term. They still weighed probably 50 pounds for the tire and wheel combo.

 

[Outback]

The BFGOODRICH T/As are hard to beat for anything but sticky mud. Plus they wear like stone!

 

[brianjwilson]

BF Goodrich Mud Terrain KM2
In most cases, they are lighter than other mud terrains. Very quiet and smooth for a mud terrain, work well in rain, snow, etc etc. I have 25k miles on a set (35x12.50R18s) and well over half tread.

 

[Ironduff]

Hard to say without knowing the tires involved, but the loss of mileage may be due to the tire's size as much as or more than than weight. Going to a bigger diameter tire changes effective gearing, lowering engine rpm. Depending on many veriables, this can take the engine into the edge of a 'lugging' condition, and lower mileage. Wider tires almost always hurt mileage, since they have more rolling resistance and a bit more wind resistance.

Then there's the question of speedometer & odometer accuracy... if he didn't recalibrate for larger tires, especially if he's going by the dash readout, he really can't _know_ just what his mileage is.

Personal experience says that a more aggressive tread may hurt mileage slightly, too.

Jim H.

 

[01tundra]

BF Goodrich Mud Terrain KM2
In most cases, they are lighter than other mud terrains. Very quiet and smooth for a mud terrain, work well in rain, snow, etc etc. I have 25k miles on a set (35x12.50R18s) and well over half tread.

Correct.

Here's a little bit of info I pulled together comparing 37" mud terrains, notice the weight of the Toyo's, their 37's weigh as much as, if not more than most manufacturers 40's!


FYI - All these #'s are from the manufacturers

37x12.50x17 tire weights (a few of these are 13.50)

BFG KM2 - 71.6#
Yokohama Geolander M/T -71.6#
Goodyear MT/R w/ Kevlar - 76#
Interco TrXus M/T - 78#
Interco Irok Radial - 81#
Mickey Thompson MTZ - 83#
Pro Comp M/T - 84.4#
Toyo Open Country M/T - 92.6#
Cooper Discoverer STT - 83#
Nitto Mud Grappler - 92.8#

 

[Brock63]

I think I mentioned it before...you typically dont get lighter weight and strength/durability in the same package. The Goodyear Kevlar MTR is the only exception I know about.

Increase the number of plys in footprint and sidewalls.....weight increases significantly. Increase load bearing from C, D or to E and it goes up. Overall size of tires and it goes up.

There is a reason the Nitto and Toyo tires are considered some of the toughest tires in professional offroad racing and experience fewer sidewall failures/damage.....but it comes with a price in WEIGHT.

Moving it is not much difference...stop and go traffic is where the extra rotational mass will hit you in gas mpg and performance...once you get it all spinning at highway speeds it is fine.

I prefer to sacrifice a couple mpg to keep from having to change out a tire on the trail from a stick staub puncturing the sidewall as I drive by or a piece of shale slicing it through.

I am guessing we will start seeing more like the Goodyear in future....going for lighter weight with increased strength.:smiley_drive:

 

[Nomad_K]

Hey guys,

Fantastic info - thank you! I think he was running a 265/70/16 - I rang to ask as I spent 5 hours on tarmac, but alas, no luck in confirming the size or brand. It makes sense that there is a tradeoff between weight and strength although I am glad to hear that someone (Goodyear) is trying to give us the best of both worlds. Now I'm off to see how much those cost...

 

[EXP-T100]

Correct.

Here's a little bit of info I pulled together comparing 37" mud terrains, notice the weight of the Toyo's, their 37's weigh as much as, if not more than most manufacturers 40's!


FYI - All these #'s are from the manufacturers

37x12.50x17 tire weights (a few of these are 13.50)

BFG KM2 - 71.6#
Yokohama Geolander M/T -71.6#
Goodyear MT/R w/ Kevlar - 76#
Interco TrXus M/T - 78#
Interco Irok Radial - 81#
Mickey Thompson MTZ - 83#
Pro Comp M/T - 84.4#
Toyo Open Country M/T - 92.6#
Cooper Discoverer STT - 83#
Nitto Mud Grappler - 92.8#

Holy crap 92.6 and 92.8 lbs. i have some TSL that are 38.5x16x16.5 that only weigh 89lbs.

 

[Strizzo]

for farm/ranch work, probably an A/T style tire is all that would be needed. the guy i sold my hardbody to liked the firestone destination LEs that were on it because they wouldn't tear up the grass in his fields like a mud tire might. for a truck that will probably need an A/T, but also needs to do some highway driving i'd recommend a less aggressive A/T like the destination a/t. something that'll get you out of trouble if needed but not kill the mileage