Looking for advice/information on 2016 TRD Off-Road

I'm not very familiar with the 3rd gen Tacoma's so I'm looking for some advice/information.

I'm considering buying a 2016 TRD Off-Road that has a 2" lift and some 33" Toyo RT tires. When I test drove, it was much slower than I anticipated, although I knew size and weight of the tires would impact the acceleration. If I buy this truck I would plan to put on some smaller tires and even consider regearing.

I believe these are the stock 16" wheels that came on the 2016 TRD Off-Road, yes?

With that being said, what would be a good tire size for the current wheels that are on the truck?

 

What tire size are on it now? E rated tires are heavier than C rated which has an effect on acceleration. Stock I believe are 265/70/16 C rated. You could go 265/75/16 and have a bit more sidewall.

 

I forgot to get the specific tire size when I test drove it yesterday, I'll reach back out to the seller to confirm.

The wheel in the photo is a stock wheel for the truck right?

 

Those are genuine accessory wheels that came stock on 2nd gen TX Baja and TRD Pro trims, not on 3rd gen. Assuming they're OEM and not replicas of course. Replicas are available in more sizes and more popular widths.

 

285/75-16 is the most popular 33" size. It's a very common upgrade. Most people either live with the slowness, get a tune (which helps a lot)($$$), or re-gear ($$$$).

 

Not sure what you are expecting in terms of acceleration. I have a similar set up 2" lift on a 2022 with 285/75R16 with an OTT tune and it seems to accelerate just fine when needed but I guess my expectations are low - I bout the truck to go off road so pretty happy with aspect of the 3G truck.

 

See page 20 of this PDF to see the stock wheels and tires that came on an Off Road in 2016.

If the truck seems slow and is an Automatic, try pressing the ECT Power button and see if you notice an improvement.

https://www.tfltruck.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/2016-toyota-Tacoma-Technical-specs.pdf

 

I did confirm the tires are Toyo R/T 285/75/16 load range E so I believe they weigh around 59 lbs. each. I would likely replace with some Goodyear Wrangler UltraTerrain AT 265 /75 R16 116S SL SBL coming in around 40 lbs. each which would help some with the weight.

I need to test drive it again and try using the ECT button to see if that makes a noticable improvement or not. Thanks for all the replies!

 

I should add as far as tire size - you have to be careful with 3rd Gen Tacomas. In my experience 32s (265/70R17 or 265/75R16) fit fine no rubbing or cutting required with stock wheels. When you go with other than stock wheels offset is important - even with out too much negative off set larger tires can rub especially when going off road. I run 33s (285/75R16) but I am planning on going to 35s so I did a CMC (Cab Mount Chop), viper cut (cut the front fender) and replaced the UCA. I plan to run it this way until I can afford a $3000 plus re-gear.

 

Test drove a 2020 SR5 today with the factory 265/70/16 tires and noticeable difference in the feel of the engine being a bit stronger upon acceleration. If I do end up with the 2016 I think I would have to swap out the 285/75/16 E tires for some 265/75/16 SL or C rated tires.

Thanks for the replies!

 

Go with a lighter tire same size done .. those Toyo u have now weigh 69lbs .

 

- ECT button makes a slight improvement in shift logic, so it holds gears longer.
- The 2016-2019 trucks benefit tremendously from an aftermarket tune. Find an OTT tuner in your area.
- The 3.5L V6 loves to rev. Feel free to flog it like a Honda and shift at 4000-5000 rpms. Stock redline is 6500.

 

It actually would cost less to get an OTT (go with the Spicey since you want acceleration) tune than swap out the tires. Or . . . . part out the E rated tires to pay for the OTT tune and get some 285/75R16 C rated tires. IMHO with the lift the truck will look better with the 33s.

 

I reached out to a local DFW shop that can do the OTT tune for $450 which seems like a great price to up the performance of the Tacoma. I would likely go this route first and see how much it improved the driveability with the 33" tires.

Now I have another question!

The truck currently has 2" spacers with the wheels shown in the first photo. I want to pull those spacers off, but will I have rubbing with the 285/75/16 tires? Or the 265/75/16 tires?

 

https://youtu.be/EDU5CNpCXUE?si=O-6uAzs2ADKFy1M1

Off topic , but you should watch this
Sorry

 

I’ve heard the complaints about the 2016’s for sure and I’m going my due diligence with all the trucks I’m looking at. I’m usually hesitant to buy any vehicle in the first new model year because of the kinks that still need to be worked out.

 

I am not a fan of spaces to get lift especially if going off road. You shouldn't have any rubbing issues with the 265/75R16 with or without the spacers. The 285/75R16 could be problematic without the 2" lift - I would be surprised if the former owner has not done some fender modification and alignment to push the tires forward a bit as well to deal with rubbing even if just pushing the fender liner forward some and some minor cutting on the front fender. I am getting the impression you are not considering taking it on extreme or difficult rated off road trails and over the rocks - if at all - you haven't mentioned any of that. If that is the case then C rated 265/75R16 without the spacers makes sense. You will still have 4x4 that can do pretty well on easy and intermediate off road stuff - if you even want to do that stuff. The 265/75R16 IMHO look a little beefier and fill the fender wells a little better at stock height where with the 2" lift they look too small - again that is just my take - beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Hey, some folks are all in on pizza cutters the skinny tires, great MPG they say and work just fine - Ok great - but I hate the look - so there is that.

Here is what my truck looked like with 265/75R16 on stock wheels - no rubbing - no cutting - no lift - bone stock suspension.
Just starting out into off roading just sliders and an engine skid plate. I was doing the easy and intermediate trails - a few pin stripes here and there but that was it. She ran fine, at least for me as I've said but the acceleration was never a "thing" for me. The OTT tune should take care of that in your case.

 

Thanks for all the great information! I plan on little to no off-roading, just love the look of a lifted truck. I would actually prefer a non-4WD vehicle to have less maintenance items to deal with, as we don't have much use for 4WD vehicles here in DFW area. If I buy this truck, I'll likely just start with the tune and see if that solves the need for speed. If it still feels sluggish, I can do something with the tires.

 

Test drove the truck again tonight using the ECT button and my lead foot. Found the truck to be more responsive and no concerns with the power, although I would likely still get the OTT tune done.

Made an offer on the truck now just waiting to hear back from the seller. If I can’t make a deal on this truck I will certainly keep looking for a gen3.

Now, anyone looking to buy a 2001 PreRunner XtraCab Stepside?

 

I have a 2016 trd off road 2wd. One and only owner, drives like a dream after having gotten a tune a few years ago. That was when I had heavy ass E rated tires. After years of horrible treadwear from improper tire pressures and lack of rotations I went to a LT rated Coopers from Walmart. It drives the best it has in years!
I'm just about coming up on 75,000 miles, super happy with how the trucks been over the last 9 years. Hasn't left me stranded, always starts Everytime. Everything still works as it should.
One thing I would ask about, being that it's a 2016, is if it's had the timing cover Gasket replaced. If it hasn't yet, that's definitely something to pay attention to if you do buy this truck. Thankfully when mine started leaking it was still under a powertrain warranty.
By the way I run 265/70/17. Perfect size in my opinion, like I said it drives AMAZINGLY. I LOVE HEARING THAT V6 PURRR