Tundra tire options

[Osprey]

Hello, I'm in need of new tires on my Tundra 2002 access cab TRD.....have Michelin LTX M&S 265 70 16 now but was going to E tire and air bags to carry a FWC. Problem is Michelin has no E in my size. I either have to go to a 245 75 or 265 75 16 to get a E rated tire. Mostly highway and mountain roads not rock crawling. That being said what are you guys using on your Tundras. Thanks

 

[BSS]

https://www.treadwright.com/p-48-265-75r16-sentinel-a-t-e.aspx

 

[Osprey]

Thanks BSS, I'll add those to the search....

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

One of our shop trucks is a 2001 / 2002 Toyota Tundra, Access Cab, 4x4, TRD, Limited.

We have "E Rated" Michelin 265/75 R16 tires on it now (LTX A/T2).

They seem to be doing really well.


On my 2005 Toyota Tundra, Access Cab, 4x4, Limited I have a new set of Toyo's.

Toyo Open Country 265/75 R16 "D Rated"

Very happy with them so far.

The truck drives & handles great.






.

 

[Osprey]

One of our shop trucks is a 2001 / 2002 Toyota Tundra, Access Cab, 4x4, TRD, Limited.

We have "E Rated" Michelin 265/75 R16 tires on it now (LTX A/T2).

They seem to be doing really well.


On my 2005 Toyota Tundra, Access Cab, 4x4, Limited I have a new set of Toyo's.

265/75 R16 "D Rated"

Very happy with them so far.

The truck drives & handles great.






.

 

[Osprey]

Thanks again for all your information. I don't want to be in the middle of Alaska with tire problems....

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Unfortunatly good tires are going to cost you.



I got my tires installed at Les Schaub for a little over $1000.00.

Could have maybe gotten a better price if I shopped around, but didn't have the time.

I have never spent that much on tires, ever. Painful.

I did some searches on Craigslist for used tires, but just wansn't really liking what I saw.


Good tires are well worth the investment if you are going to Alaska.

Pay now or maybe pay later.


I'm hoping I can get some miles out of the new tires !





.

 

[mtn-high]

Bought my toyos here http://www.treaddepot.com/sizes/opatl.html

Even with the shipping ($100) and install ($80) I beat the local shops quote by $175 and he was only quoting the 6 plys. When it was all said and done, the total cost was $820 for the 10-plys..installed.

FYI..I got 42K out of the last set of 6 plys with the camper on full time. Wranglers (2X, no camper)...Michs (never again)...at best, 25K miles per set! (basically, these are junk) Very close to the same cost as the Toyos as well....

good luck in your search

mtn

 

[Brewery Meister]

Hello, I'm in need of new tires on my Tundra 2002 access cab TRD.....have Michelin LTX M&S 265 70 16 now but was going to E tire and air bags to carry a FWC. Problem is Michelin has no E in my size. I either have to go to a 245 75 or 265 75 16 to get a E rated tire. Mostly highway and mountain roads not rock crawling. That being said what are you guys using on your Tundras. Thanks


Hello,

It sounds like we have the same truck. I've been running 265/75 BF Goodrich All Terrain radials. I love the tire. I've had two sets since the original tires went goodbye and I've gotten a total of 120K miles. Never been stuck...and I go in ice and mud. They're great on the freeway too. I had a set on an older '75 Landcruiser and they worked great there too. A bit pricey, but well worth it.

Good luck and isn't that a great truck?

Take care, Clark

 

[Osprey]

Thanks for all the advice.....put on the E rated Michelins - smooth quiet- camper ready.

 

[24hoursofnevada]

Thanks for all the advice.....put on the E rated Michelins - smooth quiet- camper ready.



An excellent site for tire reviews is www.roadtraveler.net , he's a member of this forum and posts great information about tires and all things associated with "Overland" style travel.

 

[randygirl]

I have the e rated 265/75/16 Michelin LTX A/T 2. Love them. I plan to get the same ones for my new truck. Have well over 40,000 on them
And they are doing great. They have been to Alaska and and on some serious rocky roads in Idaho and Montana.
They get my vote!

 

[sourdough]

A new set of 265/75/16 toyo open country a/t where on my '03 Limited when I bought it 12,000 miles ago. I run it hard on forest service roads and the size fits fine but next set will be BFG a/t. Have found Discount tire to be an excellent supplier choice. Les Swab, I'll just say I'm not a fan.
here is some info about fitting larger tires on a 1 gen. Tundra....
There are some very good reasons for running a larger tire, and they all pertain to offroad travel. A larger tire allows a longer footprint when aired down, increases clearance, improves approach and departure angles, and enables the truck to easier mount larger obstacles. The taller sidewall keeps the rim farther from the ground and decreases the likelihood of a pinch flat from an unseen obstacle.

It's much better to think in terms of fitting a larger tire (the result) rather than think in terms of lifting (a process). This relates directly to DJ's remark about racecars and their low center of gravity, since in order to maximize capability and minimize unwanted side effects, the largest tire should be run with the smallest possible lift (for a reasonably modified Tundra, that is roughly a 35x12.5R16). While lifting is the easiest way to run a larger tire, it isn't the only way, larger tires aren't always the goal, and even the additional height isn't necessarily a goal, it may only be a by-product of a certain setup. For some good examples of unlifted rigs with large tires, look at the moon buggies on Pirate. These vehicles were built with the intent of running a very large tire, and use suspension, axles, brakes and axle placement commensurate with their designed tire size. Since the suspension can be fully compressed and the tires turned lock to lock, vehicle height is based on a desired uptravel/downtravel ratio, not clearance to the frame or body.

The largest tire that can be run on a stock Tundra is a 265/75/16 or equivalent--that is the tallest tire on the smallest rim. The plastic fender liner, mud flaps, fender flares, bumper and even the cab are not sized to accomodate anything larger. In order to run a larger tire, all those pieces (maybe more) need to be adjusted, somehow. The greatest obstacle to running a larger tire offroad is the rear outside corner of the front wheel well. There are two options for adjustment, cutting and lifting.

Cutting

33" Tires
This requires at the least a large hammer, and at most a small welding setup, sawzall or air saw, grinder, replacement sheetmetal, body filler, paint and undercoat. The minimal approach is to remove the plastic in the wheel well and then pound, cut or grind the pinch weld flat. Since it is a pinch weld, re-weld any section completely removed (pull the carpet up first and throw a wet towel over the welding area on the inside of the cab). Pull the plastic liner aft and reattach using the same bolt that secures the bottom of the fender. Trim the mud flap and the back of the fender flare, or use a heat gun to heat and deform the plastic. Check for interference with the front bumper as well and trim as necessary. This will allow a 285/75/16 tire to be compressed and turned lock to lock.

35" Tires
This is a much more extensive modification and requires sheetmetal skill with a MIG or TIG welder, as well as trimming either the stock sheetmetal fender or a fiberglass replacement. Follow the guide on Trails Less Traveled (link elsewhere in this thread) to find the areas in need of a trim. When cutting, pull the upholstery and use a wet towel to catch sparks. Keep a fire extinguisher, a bucket of water, and some wet shop rags nearby when grinding or welding on the cab. Use an air saw or sawzall when possible, try to avoid using a cutting wheel, particularly on the structural channel where it's impossible at first to catch any sparks. Be extremely careful working on the lower structural channel in general, be certain to re-pinch and weld the channel, and replace any removed metal with at least an equivalent thickness in an equivalent position to provide strength. It's very important to remove as much paint and undercoat around the planned weld areas as possible. 3M makes an excellent gap filler and undercoat base layer to apply on the inside and outside of any joints. The fender can be reattached at the bottom using a vertical self-tapping bolt into the bottom of the structural channel, with a nylon spacer between fender and cab. Depending on the wheel and tire, the tire may interfere at the body mount at the rear of the wheel well. If this is the case, a suspension lift or drop bracket will also be required.

Lifting
Lifting is a much more common solution since cutting isn't always an option (lease, new truck, nerves). Lifts are arguably easier to install. A lift may also be required in addition to trimming in order to fit a particularly large tire. A lift, regardless what type, is a spacer designed to distance the tire from the cab and frame. A lift does not increase the available suspension travel unless the extended length of the shock is also increased from stock. Coilover lifts (spacers, replacement coilovers) change the compression/extension ratio of the suspension, which is why a large tire on a coilover lift may be adequate on the road, but there is no more clearance during articulation than stock, and the tire will rub when stuffed and turned. Body lifts provide clearance between the tire and the cab at the rear outer corner of the front wheel well, making the limiting factor the cab mount at the back of the wheel well. As a result a 35" tire can be fitted to the truck with a coilover lift and body lift, with minimal modification to other components. Drop brackets (also known as cradle lifts, since the front differential is held in a new cradle below the frame) move the frame and body away from the tire, solving both interference at the cab and at the cab mount. Any lift, vs. trimming to fit a larger tire, raises the center of gravity but does not provide a performance improvement other than a minute increase in the breakover angle. Lifts can be combined to raise the truck higher, but in my opinion larger tires do not overcome the increased rollover risk from an unnecessarily high center of gravity--a drop bracket, body lift and coilover lift may allow an otherwise unmodified Tundra to run a 37" tire, but the truck will be nearly 12" taller than stock with less than 6" of additional track width per side--usually no more than 1.5" to 3"--resulting in a decreased roll angle and ultimately a truck that must stick to relatively flat runs offroad and is less safe on the road. The same tire could be run with fender and wheel well trimming and a long travel kit, with no increase in the center of gravity except as a result of the desired extension/compression ratio at static ride height, 3+" of additional track width, and a similar cost (LT 4WD ~4-5K, stacked lifts ~3-4K). For a beach truck, maximum roll angle isn't much of a concern, but for trails a large tire needs to be combined with a low center of gravity for the most capability--just like DJ's racecar example.

Regearing
Without regearing, a larger tire changes the speed (not the rpm) where the transmission shifts, requires more fuel to start rolling, more heat in the torque converter, greater shock load when a spinning wheel finds traction, and a higher (numerically lower) crawl ratio offroad, which translates to less control. While the up-front cost of regearing can be high, it's an eventual requirement for any tire larger than 33" on a Tundra due to the wear and potential damage to components on and off the road. In general, the stock 3.91 gear ratio is sufficient up to 33" tires, a 4.56 ratio can be used from 33" to 35" tires, and 4.88 is great with 35" tires and nearly perfect with 37" tires when compared to the stock tire size and gear ratio. This doesn't mean oversize tires can't be used with the stock gearing, but in that case the ring, pinion and axles will be at significant risk and the truck should be driven gently. Available ratios are 4.10, 4.30, 4.56, 4.88 and 5.29, some factory-only, some aftermarket. The 00-04 Tundra shares gearsets with the 95.5-04 Tacomas, and some 4Runners and Sequoias.

Gear Ratio/Tire Size Equivalences
In general, as rotating mass increases, it's better to use a numerically higher ratio (lower gearing) if the ideal ratio isn't available, or if the truck would be better suited to lower gearing for your general use. For the best compromise between mileage and performance, choose the ratio closest to the "ideal" ratio. Also due to the expense of regearing, it's best to plan your build in advance with regard to use, suspension needs, planned axle width, and GVW, as these factors may allow a larger tire or require a smaller tire. While 3.91 gears and 35" tires do not offer the same control offroad as the stock configuration, it does work well enough for moderately difficult trails--so if your build is progressing and you're not certain where it will end up, save regearing for last.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR TUNDRA IFS (Independent Front Suspension)
The Tundra uses a double-wishbone suspension supported by a coilover attached midway out on the lower control arm. There is a ball joint in the steering knuckle with the stud in the lower control arm, and a ball joint in the top of the spindle with a stud in the shorter upper control arm. As the front suspension droops, the shape of this trapezoid changes radically, limiting the amount the truck can realistically be lifted via coilover mods. Use a floor jack to pick up the truck by the crossmember at the rear of the engine. The spindle angles towards the centerline of the truck as the upper control arm drops--the change is readily apparent looking down the side of the truck front to back, using the rear tire as a vertical reference. If the stock upper ball joint and control arm are used in conjunction with a high coilover lift, the truck will be difficult to align (camber will be very negative and caster will be near zero), and the ball joints will be more prone to failure. In addition, the farther down the stock upper control arm droops, the closer the stock upper ball joint angles toward maximum deflection. The neck of the joint is very small, and will shear at the neck if the joint is subject to sufficient shock load off the vertical axis. Also, because the joint is in the spindle and the UCA extends past the stud, clearance is lost between the tire and the arm as the suspension droops. The stock coilover does not extend far enough to allow a shock load at the upper ball joint, but some spacer kits which install on top of the coilover may as they effectively increase the maximum extension of the coilover. Limit straps can help save the upper ball joint, but for offroad plans, it's better to just replace the stock UCA with a uniball arm. The suspension can be drooped slightly beyond the stock coilover extension limit before the upper ball joint is at risk, Bilstein offers a 5100-based kit that will provide slightly more downtravel with the stock spring and upper control arm, and adjustable ride height from 0" to +2" over stock.

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT MY WARRANTY?
The Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act protects vehicle owners from warranty cancellation on parts not related to or affected by a modification. For example, a new coilover kit will be covered by the manufacturer of the kit, and the remainder of the truck will continue to be covered by Toyota, as long as the coilover kit did not adversely affect anything else--if you turned the coilovers up too high and a CV or ball joint breaks, the joint will probably not be covered by the Toyota warranty. In general, any post-modification warranty claim will require inspection (by a Toyota representative) and explanation (from the owner) as to why the modification did not result in the warranty claim. Joint or drivetrain failure due to large tires or improperly cranked coilovers will probably not be covered.