Clarifications on 265/75/R16

Hi all. Apologies for yet another thread on a subject that seems beaten to death on Tacoma World. However, I've read dozens of threads on this subject and have found a lot of conflicting information and want to ask a few questions here to hopefully clear up some of my confusion.

1. What advantages do larger tires offer, specifically size 265/75/R16? Is it purely aesthetic?
2. What are the disadvantages of moving up to 265/75/R16? Does it negatively impact handling? Acceleration and power? How bad will a set of basic all-season tires ding MPG?
3. Will I need to remove my front mud flaps on a stock 3rd Gen SR5 to avoid rubbing if I move up to 265/75/R16?

Thanks in advance!

 

1. Aesthetics onroad, larger diameter is useful offroad
2. There aren't a whole lot of disadvantages, imo. You're going from a ~30.6" tire to a ~31.6" tire. As long as you stay SL, the weight difference should be mostly negligible. With all-seasons I'd guess maybe 0-0.5mpg loss (you need to hand calc your mpgs so you can take the ~3% larger tire into consideration).
3. Probably not

 

i went up to that size, no issues, looks better, about 1-2 mpg loss, no difference in engine response, runs great, mud flaps still on...

 

1. Advantages are slight, but larger diameter will roll over objects easier, will raise the vehicle up half approximately ½ an inch, and will fill the wheel wells a bit more. Larger sidewall will help absorb impacts and help make ride softer. ( as long as you stay with SL )

2. Disadvantages are slight again, will reduce over all gear multiplication requiring more throttle to overcome reduction meaning higher fuel usage. Will alter speedometer reading slightly ( you will be going approximately 3.3% faster than speedo reading )

3. Offset of wheel can cause rub. If you stay factory offset, you should be fine.

 

My truck came stock with 265/70/16's. Going to 265/75/16 meant a 1" taller tire that was the same width as factory. The biggest real-world advantage is that there are more tire options in 265/75/16. And they cost less than 265/70/16. I think they look better on the truck, but that is a personal preference. Not everyone does.

If you drive off road a taller tire provides more ground clearance which will help you get over rough terrain easier without dragging the undercarriage over rocks and mud. But the difference in these sizes is so small that that advantage is pretty small. A 1" taller tire only means 1/2" more ground clearance.

There are some theoretical disadvantages. The bigger tires effectively changes my axle ratio from 3.73 to about 3.63, meaning the truck has a little less power. That can make the engine work harder, reduce tow capacity, and reduce fuel mileage. The odometer and speedometer are calibrated at the factory for factory size tires and will be off slightly. If my speedometer says 70, I'm actually doing 72, at slower speeds the difference is even less. If the odometer says I drove 100 miles, I actually drove around 102.

As long as you stay with the same width tire and stay with a modest All Terrain tire your fuel mileage won't be affected by such a small change in size. It is going to wide tires, and tires with an aggressive tread that hurts fuel mileage.

When you go bigger than 265/75/16 you start seeing downsides. A 285/75/16 is 2"+ taller than stock and about 1" wider. The tires cost a LOT more and you have the costs of modifying the truck. Now the speedometer is off by 5 mph at 70 and if the odometer says you drove 100 miles, you actually drove about 107. There is a noticeable loss of power and fuel mileage. The power can be gotten back if you go to the expense of changing the axle ratios to match the bigger tires. But not the fuel mileage.

That is a lot of expense in the short and long term for a 2' taller tire, which will only net 1" more ground clearance over factory. IMO 265/75/16's are the way to go. They cost less and you have more options to choose from. They are the largest size that will fit with no modifications to the truck. The gains in ground clearance are modest, but so are the downsides. If there is any loss of power it is too small for me to notice and I've never noted any difference in fuel mileage. My truck is 15 years old with 220,000 miles. Fuel mileage has never varied since new, even when I had heavy E rated tires on it.

 

Thanks all for the good info, v helpful.
One more question, I've heard that its not really worth worrying about the accuracy of speedometer readings with the larger tire size, as it will still be within the margin of error that exists even with stock tires. But what about the odometer? Is there a way to recalibrate it so it still gives an accurate reading with the larger tire size?

 

The speedo and Odo get their signal from the same source AFAIK, so any error applies to both stock or modified. If you don't know where the speedo is within the "margin of error" as you call it, how do you know where it will be when going to a larger tire. What is the margin of error for this system, anyway?

There are 3rd party modules that you can install to compensate the speed signal and correct for the change in tire diameter.

 

And your tire is always changing diameter as you wear them out! So the speedo is not ever really perfectly accurate.

 

Your speedometer will likely be more accurate with the 265/75. Toyotas tend to run about 3% over anyway.

I run a 265/70/17 daily and a 265/75/16 winter setup

 

Hello all, first I want to thank Sam here for this thread. And thank all those following him for their comments, all valuable info for me in purchasing my new tires, and ultimately cancelling my Leveling Kit (for now, but I'll get back to that later). Took ownership of my 22 SR5 on 11/18 and we knew immediately that those passenger tires had to go!
By 11/30 I started looking for anything in print to educate myself on these trucks. I'm a Jeep owner as well and have a TJ with 3.25 lift and 33s, all done by me over the past 3 years so we expected to be lifting/leveling the Taco right from the start. I had even ordered the Supreme Suspensions 3"front/2"rear leveling kit a week after putting the down payment to secure our trucks purchase. It's been on back order for weeks so after seeing the TW Tire Calculator, joining this group and reading this and other threads...all lead me to the knowledge that I could put a sufficient tire under my truck without necessarily having to lift/level right now, going into the Central Virginia winter. I try to do all my own work, at least until I get to the alignment or other specialized equipment. The Jeep was easy, a 19 year old TJ, tearing into it seemed appropriate but tearing the front end apart on a brand new truck still under warranty in the winter wasn't what I wanted to do if I didn't have to.
You folks gave me the confidence to put a 31.8 tire under my Taco when I thought I wanted a 33. On this truck the 31.8 looks like a 33! I have no rub, didn't even have to remove the front air dam (still probably will for other equipment) and, I swear (as somebody else has observed) the truck looks more leveled just adding the bigger tire.
I must admit convincing the Pep Boys team that I knew what I was doing did take a minute but they all came out to see it roll off the lift, with no rubbing, and really like the look! I gotta say, so do I!
So again, thank you all. I may raise the truck later on...a little offroading is a hobby not a daily need so the lift/leveling can wait for better weather and budget. I needed a truck bed and have always loved these trucks! So glad to finally have one.
Top pic original Firestone Destinations...245/75R16. Bottom two pics Falken Widpeak A/T3Ws...265/75R16

 

Can you still get a 265/75/R16 to flex the full amount that a 265/70/R16 does or is the bigger tire to big for that. I see everyones post that it “doesn’t rub” but haven’t seen an off-road elaboration. Including when wheels are turned

 

Do it!

 

I'm in a similar boat purchase wise. I noticed no one referenced rotational weight, so let me throw it in as a question.

Stock Offroad tires are 265/70/16 and weigh 37 pounds each. Comparing to BFG K02s (what I am looking at buying):

• 265/70/16 weigh in at 51 pounds each
• 265/75/16 weigh in at 54 pounds each

How much am I going to notice the extra 14 pounds of weight in each tire if I go to the same size tire.
How much am I going to notice the extra diamter and extra 17 pounds per tire if I go to the 265/75/16.


Is the answer "You will notice it, but you won't notice it...much" for both? Or is the larger 265/75/16 going to be a lot more noticeable?

FYI I have about 350 pounds added to my 2021- 150 pound rock sliders and 200 pound ARE MX topper.

 

thanks for this. Have a ‘22 SW SR5 myself. Now I KNOW what I’ll be adding!

 

Yes, you are going to notice the extra 56-68lbs of rotational/braking weight for sure! Acceleration will be slower, braking and suspension will feel sluggish, and your mpgs will drop. Do you need to go to a 10ply titre?

Roughly 10lbs of rotational weight is 100lbs of chassis weight.

 

Functional reasons for off roading, more aggressive tread and more durable sidewall. Is there a better solution for functionality?

I figure if I am going to go up to tires that weigh 51 pounds each, might as well go to the 1" larger for 3 extra pounds. I am expecting the extra 4 pounds per tire to be noticable. I don't know if the extra 3 pounds will make any sort of material difference.

 

....

I can tell you I have noticed the extra weight on my truck. The rotational weight I mean. If I had my Father-in-Law's '21 SR5 with the 4 cyl I probably wouldn't have done it but we opted for the bigger V6 and larger 4WD unit on our '22. Also I'm putting on a catback Flowmaster system and Pedal Commander. All bought, just not installed yet.
But the extra weight over the stock tire has caused a slightly more sluggishness in acceleration and caused me to go to 5th gear on my automatic to get up to my usual 75mph highway cruising speed, then 6th. At the same time and I think this is important, the Falken's have also stabilized the truck in a handling perspective. It feels more planted now even on dry pavement. The steering wheel is marginally heavier too but I dont consider it a problem. Someone has (I saw today) a thread here that says they are on their third power steering pump in 2 years but I haven't read that thread yet to see what they have going on. So, I'm calling this a win!

 

did you go more aggressive in stock size, or more aggressive 265/75/16? Do you happen to know the weight of the tires you went up to?

and…would you do it again the same way or do different?

 

I got some 265/75r16 Cooper Discoverers to replace the stock tires - after 2500 miles. Read up and got the C-Load for the weight. Still get 19-20mpg, great in the snow, fill the wheel wells, roll better and makes the truck look like a truck.

Lot of options out there - do your research and go with what best suits your driving tyle and intended use.