Best A/T Tire for My '08 Taco?

[CharlieV]

Hey all,

I just bought an '08 crew cab short-bed tacoma to use as my DD and to chase surf in the Northeast. It has 40k miles and is just about needing tires. I need to find a tire that works well on the sand/beach and the highway at 70mph. My instinct is to buy BFG A/T's, but I read on a Taco forum that they're pretty lousy in the fuel mileage dept. The whole purpose of me buying a compact truck was to get better fuel economy than my full size did. Do any of you have experience with BFG A/T's killing fuel mileage and/or can you recommend another model tire? I'll be replacing the stock size with 285/75R16's and a small lift up front to accomodate the larger tire.

If there is a thread already pertaining to this topic, my apology. Please direct me!

Thanks-Charlie

 

[teotwaki]

Hey all,

I just bought an '08 crew cab short-bed tacoma to use as my DD and to chase surf in the Northeast. It has 40k miles and is just about needing tires. I need to find a tire that works well on the sand/beach and the highway at 70mph. My instinct is to buy BFG A/T's, but I read on a Taco forum that they're pretty lousy in the fuel mileage dept. The whole purpose of me buying a compact truck was to get better fuel economy than my full size did. Do any of you have experience with BFG A/T's killing fuel mileage and/or can you recommend another model tire? I'll be replacing the stock size with 285/75R16's and a small lift up front to accomodate the larger tire.

If there is a thread already pertaining to this topic, my apology. Please direct me!

Thanks-Charlie

I use Bridgestone LT265/75/R16 D695 A/Ts on my 4Runner and have had them last 60k miles by watching tire pressure and rotating evry 5 K miles. Excellent on ice, good on snow, rocks, sand and hard packed dirt but average in mud.

 

[Overland Hadley]

BFG AT

If you are concerned about mpg I would stay with the stock tire size, or at the most go to a 265/75. Gen 2 Tacoma do not need a lift to accommodate a 265/75.

 

[toy_tek]

Are you sure the fuel mileage complaints weren't related to a larger tire size/inaccurate speedometer reading?

BFG A/T's are great tires. Expect between 40-60k miles on a set, depending on use. I've had 5 sets on 4 different trucks.

I've also had good luck with Nitto A/T's. They're quieter on road, and did great in sand as well (aired down).

Going to 285 will make your truck feel sluggish unless you re-gear. Which equals $$, which is what you're trying to save with better fuel mileage. Unless you need additional clearance, doesn't make much sense to go with a tire that size.

 

[soonenough]

I've had good luck with Goodyear Duratracs. They're on the more aggressive side of A/T's, but I commute 80 miles a day with them and they don't bother me at all.

On an otherwise-stock '08 Tacoma, when I changed from the OEM 265/70/16 Rugged Trails to 265/75/16 Duratracs, my mileage dropped ~0.5 mpg. Some of that is probably attributable to the increase in size, some to the more aggressive tread pattern, and some due to the increased load rating (weight) of the tire.

 

[hillbillyjake]

mastercraft courser at2. i've had them on teh wife's fj for about 45k and have only rotated them once and they are still runnable for this winter. had a set of 265/75's on my 08 4 door. i loved them. these are the best winter tire i have ever run. i aired them dowm to about 20# this winter when i was running around town and it handled snowy/icy roads with ease. same for my wifes fj.

not knocking the bfg at's but i have run them on a 97 nissan x-cab and they did not do as well as the mastercrafts. i realize this is apples to oranges but a close camparison anyy way.

as a side note. i had no rubbing issues what so ever with these tire and size on my 08. hope this helps

 

[fourfa]

I have the E-range BFG ATs in 265/75-16 on my 05 DC/LB Tacoma. They're very heavy tires in load range E (10 ply) so you should expect a drop in mileage. Driving carefully, I average 19.5mpg (measured from GPS, not odometer which now reads 3.48% low) whereas I used to get 20-20.5mpg. Shrug, I can deal with that.

There have also been C and D range ATs (not sure what's available now) so if mileage is primary, you might consider the lighter ones. Then again those won't let you inflate quite so much (I run my e-range at 80psi on the street) so it might or might not equal out.

 

[ETAV8R]

General Grabber AT/2s get my vote.
Do research on BFGs being out of round.
Thats all.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Well, it's a 3rd gen 4runner, not a 2nd gen Taco, so it's a bit of an apples/oranges comparison, but I'm very happy with the BFG AT KOs I've been running for the past year.

If you want a larger tire but not the weight try going to a tall/skinny tire. I had 235/85/16's (32" diameter) on my 04 Taco and loved them. When my current 265/75/16s wear out I'll most likely go back to a 235/85/16 as I like that tire size.

 

[PirateMcGee]

General Grabber AT/2s get my vote.
Do research on BFGs being out of round.
Thats all.

x2 I've had these tires for 20-30k now and they're great tires. Do everything the bfg will do for cheaper and they have great puncture resistance. I drive alot of shale "roads" and alot of fire/FS roads with sticks and have yet to get a puncture.

 

[7wt]

I've had good luck with Goodyear Duratracs. They're on the more aggressive side of A/T's, but I commute 80 miles a day with them and they don't bother me at all.

Yup. I love my Duratracs. I will be getting another set when these go tango uniform. I have had Bridgestone Revos, BFG AT's and now the Goodyears. The Goodyears have been the best of the bunch hands down. The Revos were great in the rain and the sand but sucked everywhere else, forget about mud. The BFG's were good almost everywhere but mud. Milage was OK, I only dropped a little but went up a size with a much heavier tire (235/85 load E). They were impossible to balance and rode like wagon wheels. The Duratracs on the other hand make my truck ride like a magic carpet. I get killer wet weather traction on and offroad and I give up little to mud tires. They have been the perfect tire for my Tacoma in New England. My milage is slightly better with the 265/75 Duratracs over the BFG AT's which I bet is due to the lighter tire. I can't wait for the snow this year to see how well they work. My guess is the won't be as good as my skinny BFG's on pavement due to the lower ground pressure but will kill them offroad due to the tread.

 

[toy_tek]

Do research on BFGs being out of round.

Happened to me. Out of 5 sets of tires (20 total) I had one out of round. BFG replaced it. No biggie.

 

[targa88]

I have the E-range BFG ATs in 265/75-16 on my 05 DC/LB Tacoma. They're very heavy tires in load range E (10 ply) so you should expect a drop in mileage. Driving carefully, I average 19.5mpg (measured from GPS, not odometer which now reads 3.48% low) whereas I used to get 20-20.5mpg. Shrug, I can deal with that.

There have also been C and D range ATs (not sure what's available now) so if mileage is primary, you might consider the lighter ones. Then again those won't let you inflate quite so much (I run my e-range at 80psi on the street) so it might or might not equal out.

Same tire - works great. I would stick with the smaller size 265 vs 285.
I would suggest the "D" range.

 

[CharlieV]

Guys,

Thanks for all of your responses! Regarding the BFG A/T's, I know they're a great tire, but I may be better off with an even less aggressive A/T. The only OH this truck will likely see is oversand and maintained trails on my land in VT. The price seems high as well. Through my wholesale connection they're $200 per tire right now. I definitely won't buy a ten ply for this truck as it's a compact. My F350 dually uses E's, I can't see why my run-around truck that I'm not loading heavily would need them.

Regarding the size, I thought I already had 265/75's as stock, but maybe I read them incorrectly and they're 265/70's. It's the TRD package if that makes any difference. I will concede that of late I've had my heart set on a larger tire (small man syndrome?) and was leaning toward the 285/75 and a small lift up front. Candidly, I'm leaning in that direction for nothing more than asthetics and vanity. The stock size would be fine for what I'll be doing. I know that goes against the ethos of overlander, but... Admitting it's the first step right? I can deal with a little sluggishness, however I'd hate to lose 3 or so miles per gallon for example. I'll let you know how I make out in this thread with some pictures when I get new tires mounted.

 

[Redline]

Guys,

Thanks for all of your responses! Regarding the BFG A/T's, I know they're a great tire, but I may be better off with an even less aggressive A/T. The only OH this truck will likely see is oversand and maintained trails on my land in VT. The price seems high as well. Through my wholesale connection they're $200 per tire right now. I definitely won't buy a ten ply for this truck as it's a compact. My F350 dually uses E's, I can't see why my run-around truck that I'm not loading heavily would need them.

Good points and I agree. Load-range E is not preferred unless you need/want it, and you don't for that truck. If you want a relatively tall, narrow tire, then run the load-range E 235/85R16, it is a great size and should help MPG. Run these at moderate pressures, 35 or less PSI.

Regarding the size, I thought I already had 265/75's as stock, but maybe I read them incorrectly and they're 265/70's. It's the TRD package if that makes any difference. I will concede that of late I've had my heart set on a larger tire (small man syndrome?) and was leaning toward the 285/75 and a small lift up front. Candidly, I'm leaning in that direction for nothing more than asthetics and vanity. The stock size would be fine for what I'll be doing. I know that goes against the ethos of overlander, but... Admitting it's the first step right? I can deal with a little sluggishness, however I'd hate to lose 3 or so miles per gallon for example. I'll let you know how I make out in this thread with some pictures when I get new tires mounted.

LT285/75R16 will look good with a little lift but will also likely help you lose 'some' MPG, how much depends. If you are wanting to keep some fuel economy I will agree with all the others, consider the excellent, versatile size of 265/75R16.