What New Tires Should I Install on my Toyota Tacoma?

my garage feels and smells like a tire shop [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] today I've got two different size tires a 265 70 R17 and a 285 70 R17 and can you tell what my favorite brand of tires are because both of these are BF Goodrich ko2 all-terrain tires and they're both low range C now when it comes to the Toyota Tacoma these are two very popular tire sizes the 265 tire I have here today is about and I mean this is an approximation 31 inches in diameter whereas this 285 is nearly 33 inches in diameter now what makes these two tire sizes popular amongst the Toyota Tacoma Community well if we're talking about the 265 over here a 265 is actually the stock tire size on the third gen TRD Tacoma trims it fits on the stock suspension and stock configuration of the 3rd gen Toyota Tacoma without any modifications and people typically don't have issues with 265s rubbing on different components when they're in full turn it's also a great size tire for off-roading while maintaining driving performance on road now the 285 here is slightly larger than the 265 tire of course but it's liked amongst many Toyotas to come owners because of its aggressive stance it gives the truck a tire this size will also give your truck better off-road performance when compared to a 265 but it's also not substantially large to the point where it makes it difficult to fit on these trucks fitting 285s isn't too too bad on the Toyota Tacoma now why do I have these two tires with me today well it's actually not just to make a comparison video for you guys it turns out my own Toyota Tacoma is actually in need of some brand new tires my current Tire setups are 265 70 R17 BF Goodrich ko2 low Braintree tires which if you're paying attention yes that's the exact same as this tire right here and I'm changing them out because I've driven over 50 000 miles on them which is what you're expected to get out of these ko2s and while they definitely got some life left on them there is a little bit of minor chunking they're definitely worn after all these miles over the last almost four years and they've seen better days now they've served their purpose and I've gotten what I wanted out of my own set of ko2s and obviously I've had a positive experience with them hence why I'm going with the exact same Tire all over again but today the question is for the next 5000 miles should I stick with the 265 size or should I move up to the 285s so with all that being said I thought I would make a video for you guys here on my channel comparing 265 and 285 size all-terrain tires specifically talking about the pros and cons and while I won't be revealing which of these tires I'm going to be installing on my own Toyota Tacoma sorry guys you're going to have to wait for the future video on that I do want to hear what you guys have to say in the comments section down below you could leave a comment about what tire you think I should go with and or what you think I'm going to end up going with foreign so I've got my 265 70 R17 ko2 right here and let's go over some of the pros with this size tire compared to a 285. now I think the biggest thing that people like in the Tacoma Community about 265s is that they will fit on these third generation Toyota Tacomas with the stock suspension and they won't cause you any rubbing issues if you're a recent viewer to the channel you may know that I've done quite a few suspension modifications to my own Toyota Tacoma but before any of the suspension modifications long ago I had ko2 265 size tires so on my stock TRD off-road suspension with no lift these exact tires fit I didn't have any issues of rubbing even when I went in dips in the parking lot and I was on full turn and I didn't have to do a cab Mount chop or a body mount chop or make any modifications to get this specific Tire to work [Music] now this one's gonna sound really obvious but you're going to get better gas mileage with this tire when compared to the 285 counterpart from my own experience tires play a big part in determining what gas mileage you're going to get but of course your driving style driving conditions whether you're driving in the city or Highway those are all factors that affect gas mileage as well but if we isolate out the tire size the smaller tread tire and tire that weighs less is going to perform better in that respect it should be noted that this specific ko2 this 265 70 R17 low range C Tire weighs 47 and a half pounds alone so without the wheel whereas the stop tire that comes on the TRD off-road and TRD Pro that is very similarly sized it's also a 265. it's a Goodyear Wrangler and from what I read online it weighs 39 pounds without the wheel if you're considering stepping up to an all-terrain or ko2 specifically from the stock tires consider the weight even though it's true and I said that one of the pros to choosing a 265 is how light it is compared to the 285 this ko2 in this low range specifically is much heavier than the stock tires which kind of throws the lightweight argument out of the window completely speaking of weight something I really like about these 265 size tires is that I can pretty easily change a tire myself as you start getting bigger and bigger tires your tires are getting heavier and heavier and something to consider is that if you're driving alone can you change the tire yourself or do you need two people to help you lift the tire I always wanted a wheel and tire combo that was light enough that I could change myself without any big struggle and this 265 isn't that heavy for me I know I keep talking about weight but it's really an important factor in my opinion when choosing a tire for the Toyota Tacoma but another benefit to 265s versus 285s is that they'll put less wear and tear on your drivetrain components including your axle and your wheel bearings [Music] foreign there are a few negative things about these 265s if we're comparing them against their 285 counterpart for one because they've obviously got a smaller tread you're going to get less traction with these both on and off-road now for off-road I'll have to say the traction benefits make all the difference I have wheeled again with 285 size ko2s on a Tacoma versus these 265s and I feel so much better driving in the 285s when it comes to off-road don't get me wrong I love off-roading with these 265s you guys see most of my off-road videos where I have a ton of fun and I'm on these tires but when it comes to Wheeling I pick a 285 any day over these 265s honestly there's a big difference when it comes to traction on road believe it or not and I'll say that the one thing I don't like about ko2s on road is that when it rains I feel like I'm slipping and sliding and I'm hydroplating a little bit more than I should seriously it's been raining a ton in San Diego well relative to what a ton of rain here normally is I drive really carefully and often in four-wheel drive actually because I feel like the ko2 isn't the best in rain I've said this in other videos too that I think this is because of the tread pattern well great for things like sand and snow water gets trapped in these tread blocks and because it can't Channel out as easily creates a really slick surface when you're driving in the rain now thankfully I don't live in an area that gets a lot of rain but what it does I really feel like I'm slipping everywhere on these 265s so the 285s are going to give you a minor Advantage because you're going to have a little bit more traction but sometimes that can make all the difference foreign [Music] in these tires again these are very capable but you can't beat larger size tires where you're going off-road and 285 makes a big difference I always say this in my video but with the 285s your holes become smaller you've got a wider contact patch that gives you more traction and because the diameter is slightly larger on the 285s compared to this 265 you also gain a little bit of a minor lift foreign so now I've got my 285 so what are some of the pros when comparing them to the 265 that we just talked about [Music] appearances can be subjective but I think most of us would agree that this 285 looks better on the Toyota Tacomas than the 265. bigger tires just make the truck look more aggressive they give the truck a better stance some people say that 265s don't fill out the wheel well enough on these third gen Tacomas and 285s fit the bill more appropriately everyone builds their truck differently and I'll say that personally I'm not really someone who typically puts form over function but there's no denying that 285s just look great on these trucks in the 50 000 miles I've driven my truck with 265s anytime I come across the Tacoma with 285s especially if they're ko2s I always think wow I wish my truck had 285s foreign [Music] benefits of a 285 compared to a 265 but just to reiterate off-road ride quality is better in the 285s for me I can honestly feel the larger Tire absorbing more impact so that's less stress on suspension components and also a more comfortable ride this also might be a minor one but if you live in a city where there's lots of construction or you just live on streets where there's a ton of different potholes which I do you feel the difference with 285s and they're so much better compared to the 265s we just talked about that weighed 47 and a half pounds these 285 70 R17 low range C again weigh 50 pounds without the wheel here's the thing even though the weight might not sound like a big difference on each of the tires relative to the 265. if physics taught me one thing it is that static weight is not the same as rotating weight any extra rotating weight is going to put slightly more wear and tear on drivetrain components [Music] I want to revisit this for a second because earlier I mentioned the 265 counterpart weighed 47 and a half pounds which is obviously kind of close to the 50 pound weight of these 285s so yes there's a weight disadvantage with this specific 285 but I want to remind you again that this High 40s to low 50s pound category pales in comparison to the stock tire weight which is again a much lighter 39 pounds [Music] I've driven with 285s on road I don't notice too too much of a difference it is subtle but takeoffs are a little bit slower in these than the 265s I've also noticed quite a difference in braking power it's slightly worse with these 285s when you're driving on Hills the transmission hunts more for Gears than it does with the 265s a lot of people are mixed on whether a re-gear is necessary or not so that's a big thing to think about considering gears aren't cheap the biggest hesitation I think people have at least it was the biggest hesitation for me when I was trying to decide tires for my Tacoma was fitment how do I get these 285s to fit will they fit with the stock suspension without rubbing how much of a lift do I need otherwise I have a video where I talk more about this but to summarize while it's not rocket science to get a 285 to fit on these Tacomas you will likely have to modify your suspension setup to make extra clearance and prevent rubbing because with the Tacoma as is from the factory these 285s probably won't fit I think it's probably been done before with certain wheel combinations and probably removing the mud flaps and doing a body or cab Mount chop or both it's hard to say because everyone's setup is different but what's worked for me in the past is leveling out a Tacoma so basically the Tacoma comes raked forward from the factory so that if you put any weight in the bed your Tacoma won't be sitting in the squatting position but if you tend to not carry a lot of weight anyways a lot of people like I originally did with my truck get some sort of leveling kit where they'll just lift the front of their truck about an inch inch and a half I installed a Wescott designs TRD Pro lift which is basically a lower shock collar that achieves that level lift on the TRD Pro using a method 703 wheel that has a zero offset which means the wheel causes the tire not to poke out too much or not to sit inward too much I was able to fit 280 5 ko2s without removing mud flaps or doing any sort of chopping and that was on full turns as well but point being that there had to be some sort of modification done in order to get those 285s to fit also if you're considering a wheel with a negative offset or basically a wheel that causes your Wheel and Tire setup to stick out more towards the street that sort of setup typically tends to rub a little bit more and those are situations where you'll need to do a cab or body mount chop and or a lift but again every situation is unique and there isn't a perfect answer so definitely talk to a lot of people call your local off-road shop if you're considering putting 285s on your Tacoma and you're not sure if they'll clear so given what you heard in this video which size tire should I go with honestly this is not an easy decision and actually throughout filming this video I had just like a conflicting mind of going oh yeah 265 no 285 265. I think I know what I'm gonna do to my Tacoma but as you heard there's pros and cons to both of these sizes anyways in my upcoming video I will reveal that decision and in that video I will also address things like why I stuck with the BF Goodrich ko2 brand did I even consider any other Tire brand stuff like that thank you guys so much for watching if you want to connect more with me you can follow me on my Instagram it is at Chloe kuo Taco I post more in there on real time but other than that I hope I will see you in the next video bye guys [Music]

Channel: Chloe Kuo

Views: 107,289

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Id: A4sv5hpXilo

Length: 17min 15sec (1035 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 16 2023