Thoughts on swapping to a smaller tire size

[Ty Harman]

I am currently running Falken Wildpeak AT3W 285/75R16 on TRD Pro wheels on my 2017 Toyota Tacoma thinking of swapping out to BFG KO2 235/85R on my stock steel wheels to run as my daily driver I drive 85 miles back and forth to work - hoping it can save a little bit on MPG and wear n tear while still proving to be a capable tire.

Has anybody had any experience with the KO2's in that tire size?

With a fair bit of research that I've done it sure does not seem to be a popular size at least not on tacomas! I think its because people think its to skinny but I am shooting more on function rather than looks.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Look into the weight of the tire and wheel together while the tire might be smaller depending on its construction it could weigh more than the larger tire and steel wheels typically do weigh a lot more And the more your tire and wheel combination Weighs the more of a hit you’ll take on mpg

 

[old_man]

The weight of the tire/rim has less to do with mpg's than the diameter and its effect on engine rpm's. If you lug down the engine (get it out of its power band) your mpg's will suffer. If you regear to get the rpms back up, you will feel an increase in performance and if done correctly, an improvement in your mpg's. You can almost regear for the cost of a new set of tires.

The weight of the tire/rim will effect acceleration, but once up to speed, it takes virtually no more energy to spin a big tire as it does a small tire. Every thing has a BUT...if you run a big tire and lower the air pressure, you will expend more energy due to sidewall flex. That is why new tires run higher pressures, to cut rolling resistance. This comes with a penalty of ride harshness, with necessitates different rate shocks and different suspension geometry.

I routinely run 18 psi in my 35x12.50x15 on mild trails and rarely air back up before heading home. It handles and rides fine on the highway, but I forgot to air up (28 psi) and ran several months and noticed that my mpg's dropped significantly.

 

[RideFlyDiveJeep]

I have asked a similar question. If you ran skinnier tires then you keep height/diameter but lower the moment arm which means less torque to turn the tires/wheels. I know a bunch of guys that swear by it. Looking into tires, for me, the stock JL tires are actually great. weightwise they are lighter than some smaller diameter and fatter tires. So you can get a 285 70 R17 BFG K02 and keep the weight down. So If youre not rock crawling keeping stock height/diameter would be ideal. You could also look at lighter rims?

 

[510Steve]

I think I would look at Nitto Terra Grapplers in or around that size if you're looking to get better MPG. KO2's get awful fuel economy. I lost about 1.5 mpg on my old truck (S10 Blazer) just by swapping from terra grapplers to KO2 in the exact same size.

 

[Ty Harman]

Thanks for all the feed back everyone very useful information!
Seems like everyone on this forum is so helpful and nice very refreshing
you all are awesome!

 

[Ty Harman]

The weight of the tire/rim has less to do with mpg's than the diameter and its effect on engine rpm's. If you lug down the engine (get it out of its power band) your mpg's will suffer. If you regear to get the rpms back up, you will feel an increase in performance and if done correctly, an improvement in your mpg's. You can almost regear for the cost of a new set of tires.

The weight of the tire/rim will effect acceleration, but once up to speed, it takes virtually no more energy to spin a big tire as it does a small tire. Every thing has a BUT...if you run a big tire and lower the air pressure, you will expend more energy due to sidewall flex. That is why new tires run higher pressures, to cut rolling resistance. This comes with a penalty of ride harshness, with necessitates different rate shocks and different suspension geometry.

I routinely run 18 psi in my 35x12.50x15 on mild trails and rarely air back up before heading home. It handles and rides fine on the highway, but I forgot to air up (28 psi) and ran several months and noticed that my mpg's dropped significantly.

I am planning on re-gearing to 4.88 from stock 3.91 and installing locker front and rear within the next couple weeks just waiting on parts now to arrive... so that problem should get resolved-

I will say that at least this tacoma is a manual transmission so it hasn't been lugging the engine as much as it could be in the automatic version

also don't get me wrong the Falken AT3W tires are great! they are quiet and perform very good... however I have heard so many good things about the KO2... and hoping a skinnier tire might help and be a fair compromise

I just feel like the more time goes on maybe I should just have a set of on road tires to commute and then an Off-road tire for the trails but wow seems like such a pain to constantly be switching back and forth

 

[Slambo1]

I am currently running Falken Wildpeak AT3W 285/75R16 on TRD Pro wheels on my 2017 Toyota Tacoma thinking of swapping out to BFG KO2 235/85R on my stock steel wheels to run as my daily driver I drive 85 miles back and forth to work - hoping it can save a little bit on MPG and wear n tear while still proving to be a capable tire.

Has anybody had any experience with the KO2's in that tire size?

With a fair bit of research that I've done it sure does not seem to be a popular size at least not on tacomas! I think its because people think its to skinny but I am shooting more on function rather than looks.

I think you are going the right route. Small (rd. Skinny) tires are used by the most experienced international overlanders. Equipping your rig with “skinny tires” seems counterintuitive, but they will usually be more advantageous on most terrains. Sometimes it’s actually more fortuitous to exert more pressure on the top of loose soils and reach the firmer ground beneath when riding on “pizza cutters”. Narrower tires exert more pressure on terra firma which translates into better traction on most terrains. Exceptions to this might be very deep snow/mud. Naysayers might remind of this last stated fact, but remember - there is no such thing as a perfect tire for all condition. Consider the type of terrain you usually travel in, but yes, a narrower tire will ALWAYS give you better mileage, less tire noise, less danger of hydroplaning, and less dirt sprayed along the side of your vehicle (and nearby personnel/objects) after going through the most insignificant mud puddles. They will be much cheaper and lighter - important when you have to change them. I have only gotten the widest tires that still fit without extending past the fender, on all of my vehicles. From a design aspect, I think it looks better. Last time I thought it was cool to extend tires beyond fenders, was in the early 70s. Good luck, don’t be a lemming of the wide tire crowd and remain confident sporting those “skinnies “.

 

[Slambo1]

I think you are going the right route. Small (rd. Skinny) tires are used by the most experienced international overlanders. Equipping your rig with “skinny tires” seems counterintuitive, but they will usually be more advantageous on most terrains. Sometimes it’s actually more fortuitous to exert more pressure on the top of loose soils and reach the firmer ground beneath when riding on “pizza cutters”. Narrower tires exert more pressure on terra firma which translates into better traction on most terrains. Exceptions to this might be very deep snow/mud. Naysayers might remind of this last stated fact, but remember - there is no such thing as a perfect tire for all condition. Consider the type of terrain you usually travel in, but yes, a narrower tire will ALWAYS give you better mileage, less tire noise, less danger of hydroplaning, and less dirt sprayed along the side of your vehicle (and nearby personnel/objects) after going through the most insignificant mud puddles. They will be much cheaper and lighter - important when you have to change them. I have only gotten the widest tires that still fit without extending past the fender, on all of my vehicles. From a design aspect, I think it looks better. Last time I thought it was cool to extend tires beyond fenders, was in the early 70s. Good luck, don’t be a lemming of the wide tire crowd and remain confident sporting those “skinnies “.

P.S. KO2s are the most durable tires you will find, immaterial of MPG indicators (which is extremely variable)!

 

[RideFlyDiveJeep]

I think I would look at Nitto Terra Grapplers in or around that size if you're looking to get better MPG. KO2's get awful fuel economy. I lost about 1.5 mpg on my old truck (S10 Blazer) just by swapping from terra grapplers to KO2 in the exact same size.

@510Steve I'm putting those on my short-list now :) thanks for the info.

edit: not in my tire size, but the G2 is, and a little lighter. Need to make sure that sidewalls and tread depth are similar for same performance and durability. I'll have to look into it more.

 

[MattLew]

you might find proper gearing will have much greater effect on your mpg than tire width, but yes skinny ATs will get better mileage than wider MTs and better on road handling off road however wider MTs will give better off road traction and handling... I had ATs on factory wheels and MTs on aftermarket wheels on my old ranger... the difference was not impressive, but tires the right diameter for the gearing was worth a few mpg.

 

[Smileyshaun]

Something else to think of. how much will swapping tires and wheels cost and how much better will the mpg be Now figure out how many miles you’ll have to drive to make it beneficial financially, some times you may be surprised ( Especially with our low fuel prices ) how long it will take to make it financially beneficial when your only talking about a few mpgs.

 

[Billiebob]

I have a TJR and have gone stock. 33s, 35s, back to 33s, now I'm on skinny 32s, 7.50R16s.

I noticed but ignored the incremental mpg creep as I went bigger. The drop to 7.50R16s tho gave an instant 5mpg. I added 95 miles to my range with one change. I'll never go back and I still go the same places. You won't regret going back to stock tires.

On the gearing vs lugging theme. 2K rpm is a pretty sweet spot for economy. You only have to drop a gear, ot two, or three if you start to lug. The Audi A8 hits 150mph in 5th gear. It loses speed in 6th, 7th, 8th gear which are designed to drop rpms, quiet the ride, extend range, lengthen engine life, reduce emissions. The reason no one makes new vehicles with a clutch is because the manufacturers can program an automatic way easier than educating buyers.

Anyone thinking an engine must be in the powerband all the time is the reason you cannot find a new vehicle with a clutch.

 

[Billiebob]

Now figure out how many miles you’ll have to drive to make it beneficial financially,

Generally, going down in tire size means spending less on tires. Often you can buy tires and rims cheaper than buying 4 bigger tires. I just did that.

Nothing hypothetical here. 5, 7.50R16s mounted, balanced on new steel rims were less expensive tham 5, 33x10.50R15 KO2s mounted and balanced on rims I own. Add in the 5mpg bump, plus an expected bump of the KOs 75K kms life to maybe 100K kms life with these new pizza cutters, there is no downside.

 

[Wallygator]

I am planning on re-gearing to 4.88 from stock 3.91 and installing locker front and rear within the next couple weeks just waiting on parts now to arrive... so that problem should get resolved-

I will say that at least this tacoma is a manual transmission so it hasn't been lugging the engine as much as it could be in the automatic version

also don't get me wrong the Falken AT3W tires are great! they are quiet and perform very good... however I have heard so many good things about the KO2... and hoping a skinnier tire might help and be a fair compromise

I just feel like the more time goes on maybe I should just have a set of on road tires to commute and then an Off-road tire for the trails but wow seems like such a pain to constantly be switching back and forth

Smart move choosing to re-gear, you are going to love it. That said, I love pizza cutters and tend to choose them over fatter tires. They just function and perform better. I have the AT3W's now on my vehicle and they are a heavy tire. I had BFG's on the previous vehicle and didn't have this same feeling. However the previous vehicle had aluminum rims and the current one is steel so there is that. Any way looking forward to your thoughts after the re-gear and lockers...gonna be awesome!

 

[Ty Harman]

Smart move choosing to re-gear, you are going to love it. That said, I love pizza cutters and tend to choose them over fatter tires. They just function and perform better. I have the AT3W's now on my vehicle and they are a heavy tire. I had BFG's on the previous vehicle and didn't have this same feeling. However the previous vehicle had aluminum rims and the current one is steel so there is that. Any way looking forward to your thoughts after the re-gear and lockers...gonna be awesome!

I can hardly wait to get the new gears and lockers installed as I am still waiting on parts to come in... I will definitely give you my thoughts after the re-gear and I am excited to test out my existing tire combination but i want to also do it right and properly break in the new gears so I’ll have to continue to be patient even after the install... just so much to look forward to!

 

[Ty Harman]

Generally, going down in tire size means spending less on tires. Often you can buy tires and rims cheaper than buying 4 bigger tires. I just did that.

Nothing hypothetical here. 5, 7.50R16s mounted, balanced on new steel rims were less expensive tham 5, 33x10.50R15 KO2s mounted and balanced on rims I own. Add in the 5mpg bump, plus an expected bump of the KOs 75K kms life to maybe 100K kms life with these new pizza cutters, there is no downside.

View attachment 157420

Yeah I can get behind what you are saying there that makes a lot of sense!
Thanks for the input

 

[TerryD]

I did the two sets of tires thing before. I always had the wrong set on...

With my Xterra, I opted for a milder AT vs the MT and HT combo I had for my Cherokee. I've been exceptionally happy and I always have my offroad tires on. My ATs have been excellent on trips (over 30k on them as of this post) and perform great in 90% of the off-roading I do. In the 10% that remains I either opt for a bypass (don't like mud anyways) or throttle in and be ready to winch out.

Now a thought on sizes:

235/85/16 is a common size, as common as 285/75/16 so there's not much of an issue there. However something odd like a 255/85/16 (same diameter as a 285/75/16) could be harder to source a replacement for while traveling should you lose a tire for some reason (trail/road damage ect).

There's also the added expense of the second set of tires, storing, moving and handling those tires and the time and effort that changing to and from them adds to the before and after phases of a trip.

I, personally, having been there recommend against it.

 

[Billiebob]

 

[Ty Harman]

I did the two sets of tires thing before. I always had the wrong set on...

With my Xterra, I opted for a milder AT vs the MT and HT combo I had for my Cherokee. I've been exceptionally happy and I always have my offroad tires on. My ATs have been excellent on trips (over 30k on them as of this post) and perform great in 90% of the off-roading I do. In the 10% that remains I either opt for a bypass (don't like mud anyways) or throttle in and be ready to winch out.

Now a thought on sizes:

235/85/16 is a common size, as common as 285/75/16 so there's not much of an issue there. However something odd like a 255/85/16 (same diameter as a 285/75/16) could be harder to source a replacement for while traveling should you lose a tire for some reason (trail/road damage ect).

There's also the added expense of the second set of tires, storing, moving and handling those tires and the time and effort that changing to and from them adds to the before and after phases of a trip.

I, personally, having been there recommend against it.

yes I ultimately would want just one set of tires if I can find the right ones -

I also been considering the Toyo M-55 LT255/85R16 its a 33" tire and almost 10-1/2" wide I ran these tires on our heavy duty commercial 1-ton full-size survey trucks back in the early 2000's they were great in that application but I fear they may be a little heavy still and also you are right harder tire size to find being kind of an oddball size!

Has anybody had any experience with this tire on a smaller lighter vehicle like a Tacoma?