Toyo MT 255/85R16 (and comparison pics)

[ashooter]

Updated 8-25-08:
Well, (at 42 psi) I have about 300 miles of highway, 150 miles of dirt/rock roads, and even a few miles of shallow/slimy West Texas mud on these and I have never had a tire that sticks to things better than these do. Again, I'm NOT a rock crawler, so I'm not talking about walking the truck up a bare rock face, but I've been in at least 3 or 4 places where I know my Revos would have slipped and these just stuck to whatever they've been pointed at. They really feel/sound good on pavement, too. I'm very happy with my selection so far!

 

[ShearPin]

Another Toyo 255/85/16 User

After a week delay my Toyo MT's arrived - I had some M55's show up initially due to a "computer glitch". I haven't put too many miles on them yet - a few 100 km's of mixed wet and dry pavement and some washboard dirt.

As reported they are quiet. Mine took some weight to balance, which I attribute primarily to the Land Rover "Wolf" steel rims, but they track straight and have eliminated a lot of the wallowing I had previously. Highly recommended for a heavy rig with a roof load. I had to swerve at highway speed this past week and was very happy with how planted the Rover felt.

I look forward to getting more miles on them once I have some vibes sorted in my driveline..... And yes - before the boot tray leak pan is pointed out - my Rover is a casual leaker.

- Photos coming - having trouble uploading...
Henry
www.4x4freedom.com

 

[Nullifier]

Well that is great news for Toyo fans. I know several guys running the toyo mt and they like them. Personally I am running maxxis bighorns in 255 and although the Toyo mt is tempting to try They are 11lbs per tire heavier. That would net a loss of another 6.285 hp from my little 2.7 so I think I will be staying where I am. Especially since I have am very happy with my Bighorns.

 

[ShearPin]

Their they are - pics posted....

Henry
www.4x4freedom.com

 

[flyingwil]

Great thread! Is there any other user feedback on the Toyo MT's? I am about due for new rubber in about a month or two and starting the homework on whether to keep the BFG's or jump ship.

This picture below, almost has me sold on the Toyo's as the tread design seems much more desirable for all round use over the BFG MT's. Looks like the treads are a bit closer and might prevent the loud lug noise, and be a bit smoother coming to a stop. Any input from users?

 

[rambrush]

well I am only running the 265x75x16's and they are great, quiet and balanced out well. I went out in the rocks on Monday and the sidewalls took some hits but held up great.

 

[Redline]

You are correct, the tread is better all around and quieter. The BFG 255/85R16 are going to change here in a few weeks to the new KM2, which I think may also be quieter than the KM. But the Toyo MT is known for not being loud and being a great all around 'traction' tire, if not a full-on mudder (which most don't need).

Great thread! Is there any other user feedback on the Toyo MT's? I am about due for new rubber in about a month or two and starting the homework on whether to keep the BFG's or jump ship.

This picture below, almost has me sold on the Toyo's as the tread design seems much more desirable for all round use over the BFG MT's. Looks like the treads are a bit closer and might prevent the loud lug noise, and be a bit smoother coming to a stop. Any input from users?

 

[wentz912]

Just a question from a frequent lurker here. how well do the toyos work on packed snow and ice? I've only seen them do far less than stellar on the slick hardpack that we have here in washington state although they do much better in the deep stuff that we only have touches of here. I attribute this mostly to my having only seen them on really light vehicles running an improper load range tire, thus not allowing the tire to bite properly.

Anyhow, for packed snow, ice, and slick hardpack, which of the tires that have been discussed here would be most appropriate. My vehicle is a stock 84 toyota pickup with no traction aids as of yet and running a 15" wheel.

 

[Redline]

I don't have an answer for you regarding packed snow/ice, but I'll add a few comments & observations.

There are only a few Toyo MT 15-inch sizes 33x12.50, 33x13.50 (very wide in my mind) and one size that I think is fairly new but interesting, the 33X10.50R15LT. This size might work on your 1984 Toyota P/U if you have a lift to clear them and don't want a wide tire. All of these 15-inch sizes are load-range-C, a good thing instead of "E" most of the time for a lighter vehicle.

Specs for the 33x10.50R15 size Toyo MT:

Load range C/6
Product code 360470
Rim width range 7.0-8.5-9.0
weight 57
tread depth: 19/32
Height 32.8
width 10.9
Static loaded radius 15.2"
Max load 2600-lbs @ 50-psi
revolutions per mile: 632
Tread plies: 3P+2S+2N
Sidewall plies: 3P

I like your observation about stiff Toyo MTs on lighter vehicles. Although I like the ruggedness of a load-range-E tire, the lack of tread and sidewall flexibility can be a limitation. This is even more true with the Toyo MT which experience has taught me is a very stiff tire. To be fair, all of my Toyo MT tires have been load-range-E, and I don't know if the C-range Toyos are more flexible or if their sidewalls are just as stiff.

Even when running my Toyo MTs on a heavier vehicle (unladen F350 diesel), they needed very low PSI to get them to radically flex and conform to obstacles for slow speed crawling.

To steal some thunder from this thread and the Toyo MTs I would suggest you consider the louder Maxxis Bighorns. They have a couple more 15" sizes available, like the 30x9.50 & the good old 31x10.50 if you need a smaller 15-inch size. I have found the Bighorns to balance well and offer very good traction at a moderate price compared to the expensive Toyos.

http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16867&highlight=maxxis+bighorns

Since you are in Washington I know you can get the Bighorns from Les Schwab.

Just a question from a frequent lurker here. how well do the toyos work on packed snow and ice? I've only seen them do far less than stellar on the slick hardpack that we have here in washington state although they do much better in the deep stuff that we only have touches of here. I attribute this mostly to my having only seen them on really light vehicles running an improper load range tire, thus not allowing the tire to bite properly.

Anyhow, for packed snow, ice, and slick hardpack, which of the tires that have been discussed here would be most appropriate. My vehicle is a stock 84 toyota pickup with no traction aids as of yet and running a 15" wheel.

 

[Redline]

I would strongly suggest you try them at 35-PSI, they should ride better than at 40-50-psi. A softer ride is related to a more compliant tire that may deform and conform more and offer more traction without any negative trade-offs in this example.

At 35-PSI a 255/85R16 will carry 1920-lbs each.
3,840-lbs per axle and 7,680 per vehicle is just a hell of a lot of capacity that it usually not needed. Plenty of safety margin for most wagons or light pickups.

Because the masses don’t check their PSI to maintain adequate/safe pressure I think many enthusiasts are so concerned that they over-inflate their treads.

The only vehicle I have owned that needs more than 35-psi when unladen is my 1996 F350 diesel, which needs only 45-psi for the 4,300-lbs on the front axle. The rear gets only 35-psi when unladen and for very light loads, then pumped up from their for heavy haulin'.

snip.......

First impressions:

1) They are surprisingly quiet! I know everybody says that, but they honestly don't sound any different at highway speeds than my Revos did... but then my FJ80 has a lot of wind noise.

2) Steering is very noticeably more responsive - scary almost, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. Not sure if it's because the tires are firmer, more air pressure, skinnier or what. the tire shop put 65 lbs in the tires just before my highway test drive and I have 54 lbs in them now after doing the "chalk test" to get to the pressure where the tread is flat on the pavement. I was running 40 lbs in my "E" load range LT265/75R16 Revos. I may go down a little more with these Toyos, but I doubt I'll go all the way back down to 40 lbs for everyday driving.

snip.......


8-14-08 Just a small update: I dumped some more pressure so I ended up with 48 lbs cold in both the front and the rear. After driving over some chalky "caliche" and then looking at where the tread was white, I'm guessing this will be about right for my truck. Tires seem to stick to the pavement a lot better than they did at 65 lbs - I was probably rolling down the highway on the middle two rows of tread yesterday! We'll see what happens this afternoon at 70 mph for two hours with it 100 degrees out there.

 

[bigreen505]

Just a question from a frequent lurker here. how well do the toyos work on packed snow and ice? I've only seen them do far less than stellar on the slick hardpack that we have here in washington state although they do much better in the deep stuff that we only have touches of here. I attribute this mostly to my having only seen them on really light vehicles running an improper load range tire, thus not allowing the tire to bite properly.

Anyhow, for packed snow, ice, and slick hardpack, which of the tires that have been discussed here would be most appropriate. My vehicle is a stock 84 toyota pickup with no traction aids as of yet and running a 15" wheel.

No personal experience here, but my guess is pretty bad. A hard rubber compound in warm temperatures turns into a very hard rubber compound in cold temperatures. I finally came to the conclusion that asking a tire to be a good road-conditions snow tire and mud/rocks off road tire is just too much, and went back to dedicated summer and winter tires. That said, I think silica rubber technology is getting pretty good and we may get there in another five years or so. The absolute best A/T tire I've had in snow was little more than adequate and took some skills to handle in winter. I have to assume that all the people who run around with A/T and M/T tires in the winter are simply better drivers than I, or maybe just have lower expectations of traction. I've heard the Trxus MT is a pretty good winter tire ... if you get a round set.

 

[Gurkha]

I have taken my Geolandar AT-S to snow covered Kashmir and Leh in the Himalayas, it did quite well for an AT, not outstanding but the break was predictable instead of abrupt which would have meant instant death in certain circumstances there.

 

[ashooter]

I would strongly suggest you try them at 35-PSI, they should ride better than at 40-50-psi....

Howdy Redline!

http://marktg.toyotires.com/file/loadinflationtable.pdf

Check out the link above and take a look at the table titled "TRA Light Truck Inflation Table" on Page "A9". For load range "E" LT255/85R16's, at 40 psi it shows a load rating of 2110 lbs and at 45 psi 2290 lbs. I'm pretty sure the stock Michelin P275/70R16's that were used on 93-97(?) Cruisers had a load rating of around 2200 lbs at the factory spec'd 32 psi.... So, the 42 psi I've pretty much settled on with these Toyos seems to be about "right".

Granted, that load rating may be overkill for when all 4 tires are on the ground, but I'm super happy with the way the truck handles on everything I've driven it on - so far about 500 miles of highway and close to 250 miles of dirt/rocks and more mud than I've seen around these parts in 15 years.

48 psi wasn't bad, but the tread was crowned a little - maybe 1/4" of tread on the outside edges was up off the pavement. It was plenty squirrelly with 65 psi in the tires though!!!

 

[Redline]

I have no disagreement with the load chart or numbers you linked.

The PSI-to-load ratings are industry standards and are the same as the chart I use. The only difference is that Toyo's chart doesn't have a listing for the 35-PSI load rating I shared. There is a standard for 35-PSI for the LT255/85R16 and it's 1920-lbs. 190-lbs less than the 2110-lb rating for 255/85 @ 40-PSI.

No argument that you 'can' run 42-psi, it's just more PSI than needed.

Howdy Redline!

http://marktg.toyotires.com/file/loadinflationtable.pdf

Check out the link above and take a look at the table titled "TRA Light Truck Inflation Table" on Page "A9". For load range "E" LT255/85R16's, at 40 psi it shows a load rating of 2110 lbs and at 45 psi 2290 lbs. I'm pretty sure the stock Michelin P275/70R16's that were used on 93-97(?) Cruisers had a load rating of around 2200 lbs at the factory spec'd 32 psi.... So, the 42 psi I've pretty much settled on with these Toyos seems to be about "right".

Granted, that load rating may be overkill for when all 4 tires are on the ground, but I'm super happy with the way the truck handles on everything I've driven it on - so far about 500 miles of highway and close to 250 miles of dirt/rocks and more mud than I've seen around these parts in 15 years.

48 psi wasn't bad, but the tread was crowned a little - maybe 1/4" of tread on the outside edges was up off the pavement. It was plenty squirrelly with 65 psi in the tires though!!!

 

[ashooter]

Redline,

Actually that table DOES show the load rating of 1920 lbs at 35 psi... So as usual, The Tire Guru (aka "Imelda Marcos of Tires") is correct.

I am just more comfortable running these at 42psi since it equates the OEM load rating for most 80-series Cruisers... and my guess is they will wear better at that pressure. Strangely enough, my '92 originally came with 235/75R15's, but that was just plain silly on Toyota's part, so I'm basing my numbers on the later FZJ80 specs. One thing that always nags at me when people talk about running what I consider "low" pressures (35psi) on the highway is what is in the link above on Pg 71:

"WARNING! Please note that size for size, LT-metric tires require higher air pressures to carry equivalent loads of P-Metric tires and that any failure to adjust air pressure to achieve the vehicle’s load requirements will result in tire fatigue and eventual tire failure due to excessive heat buildup. Due to the higher PSI requirements of LT-Metric tires they may not be suitable for replacing O.E. P-Metric tires because of the ride harshness that results from higher PSI."

Heat buildup down here where it's between 90F and 105F about 6 months out of the year just seems like something not to take any chances with. 35psi on a 100F day at 75 mph for four hours just seems like a bad idea to me!

Also, in case you were curious - these 255/85 Toyos seem to ride softer at 42psi than my 265/75 load range "E" Bridgestone Revos did at 40psi. Only reason I can think of why that would be the case is that the 255/85 sidewalls are taller. Kind of interesting, whatever the reason.