Help.. Rim and Tire Size. *Fuel mileage *All Terrarain

I just bought a 2007, it currently has a 2" lift and 18" rims. (275/70r18) I am currently getting 14 city, 17 hwy. Looking to increase my mileage. Wondering about the best all around tires and rims. Note: Idaho weather with winter driving conditions. I also travel dirt roads for fishing and hunting. Willing to possibly go with 17" rims. Thanks for any advice!

 

You are at least 2 inches taller than stock. Are you accounting for that throwing of odometer? Odometer is reading less than what you are actually getting. Best setup for gas mileage is the lightest wheel possible with factory size tire. The lighter the better.

 

Welcome to TW.

If you want to maximize milage, return it back to stock height and slap some 265/65 r17 Michelin defenders on there.

 

I'm not sure what came stock on this 2007 pickup. Research shows they could have been 15, 16, or 17" rims originally. With the lift I'm hoping 17"r will do a little better with 30 or 31" tires. My tires are 33s right now. I never thought about the odometer being off. Thanks!

 

If you're serious about fuel economy, stock height or anything closer is your only option. Also not driving over 60 mph helps a lot... Your mpg is already pretty good though, so you won't probably notice a drastic change to your finances. I'd probably wait until your tires need replacing to make the switch, otherwise you're throwing away money to save money.

 

18's came in the limiteds' , 17's are on the sports and the sr5 and off road are on 16's
17's will work well for the op

 

Drop the lift. Back to 17s with a set of Michelin Defenders.

Remove all extra cargo in the truck.

Accelerate easy (less than 2000 rpm), begin coasting before stomping on the brakes.

Keep an eye on tire pressure, not the TPMS, use a gage.

Maintenance on MAF, Throttle body, lubes, driveshaft, spark plugs..........etc


Do all this you will likely pick up 2-3 mpg. I wouldn't expect to cross into the 20+ mpg realm.

 

Your MPG doesn't seem to bad but seems that it varies wildly from truck to truck. When I got mine it had 33" 285's on it which weighed about 90lbs per corner for the wheel/tire combo. Gas mileage was about 15mpg and didn't seem to vary much based on type of driving. I changed to a 31.5" 265 tire in which each corner weighs about 70lbs and there was almost zero change in mpg. Maybe 1mpg at the most. I was quite disappointed there wasn't a larger effect.

Gas mileage just SUCKS on these trucks and doesn't seem like there's a good solution. Although some have had good luck with upgraded cam gears. YMMV.

 

Wheel size has no affect on mileage. Wheel weight would have some affect. Smaller tires will give you the biggest gain. But your going to spend a lot of money just to get a 2 or 3 MPG differance.

 

Fuel millage? What fuel millage these are tacomas not priuses

 

You're about 8.3% larger than stock.

14 x 1.083 = about 15 mpg city and 17 x 1.083 = 18.4 mpg.

Bump down to a plus one size tire (265/75-16, 265/70-17, or even 255/75-17) and you'll be solid.

 

15/18 is definitely nothing to scoff at. Sorry you aren't happy with the fuel economy, but it seems like your truck is doing great compared to others, especially since it's lifted and on bigger tires!

 

Extended range, for those of us who go to remote places, is very important. It's not always about having a Prius and saving money. Sometimes it's about being able to get in (and out of) remote places. 5mpg difference between two builds might not seem like much, but that gives you an extra 105 miles on the 21 gallon tank and an extra 25 miles out of every 5 gallon jerry can you carry. I'll take 130 extra miles of range over a bunch of stupid mods just for looks and gear you don't need. Others may have other priorities. Cheers.

 

^This. I did a trip recently where I definitely needed the 5gal aux gas can I brought along with us. It seems insane to me that I can't get more than about 280mi of range in my truck.

 

I was just asking for advice.. Yes, I like off road capability because of the stuff I like to do in the mountains. No, I absolutely didn't buy a Prius! I bought a truck from someone thought 18" rims and a lift was important.. To me, 17rs would be fine with nice all-terrain tires. I'm probably not going to gain anything major from dropping the lift (and going stock) from what you all have told me plus I like the clearance. Gas prices are going thru the roof so if I can have my pickup and find a way to save a buck or two I would be happy. Just getting a feeler for what would be a good mixture of both mountain and highways. Thanks

 

No need to change rims and have that extra expense. The overall diameter of the tire is what matters and you can get the same overall size tire with 15", 16", 17", 18" or even 20" wheels. You can get a smaller tire on the 18" rims you have. 275/65/18's are a 32" tire that will be a good compromise. Just a bit bigger than stock, but not enough bigger to have any real downsides. A 265/60/18 is exactly the same overall size as factory 265/70/16's.

The only 275/70/18's I've seen are heavier E rated tires, that is a common factory size for 3/4 ton trucks. The smaller 275/65/18's are available in a standard load tire which will save you some more money, ride better and might help a bit with fuel mileage.

But to be honest you're not going to ever see enough difference in fuel mileage to get a return on your money. I'd leave it as is for now and possibly drop down slightly in tire size when the current tires are worn out. Keep the lift, only 2" isn't hurting you and will still look good with a slightly smaller tire. My 07 is stock with 265/75/16's on it and I'm only getting 1-2 mpg better than you. You're burning about 30-60 more gallons to drive 10,000 miles than I am.

 

This is why I carry Jerry cans