LT or P rated wildpeaks?

Had c load BFG ko2's and the extra weight noticeably affected the power/acceleration of the truck. I had AT3's put on in p metric and it now is noticeably a positive gain in power and acceleration.

I dont need anything more than this so it works great for my needs and I wont be going with the cool looking tire over a tire with better performance again

 

Those running the P rated , what psi do you run ? How does it compare to the door sticker ? I know with LT psi would increase but what about the P rated ?

 

I would opt for P or SL rated if you can. I had a few sets of LT tires on my Tacomas and the result is always a hit in mpg and a rougher ride. The Tacoma will never tow enough to justify LT tires and the hit in performance from increased unsprung weight will actually degrade your towing experience.

Unless you offroad a lot there is no reason to buy LT tires. I run 34" P rated on my Tundra. I feel plenty manly with them and still get 16-17mpg.

Try running the PSI listed on the door. Im running 32 psi in the Tundra on all four corners and it weighs in at 6200lbs empty. The bumper on your Tacoma would drag on the ground if you loaded up to 6200lbs...

 

I am leaning that way I have ran Toyo 285/70/17 and currently have Toyo AT 255/80/17 I am looking to soften the ride I’m not too concerned about mpg. Just curious on psi because with a LT it typically goes up vs the door sticker but staying P metric I’m just curious does it stay same as door or go down ?

 

With p metric it will be the same as the door. I would use that as a starting point and adjust for ride quality. The chalk test is the best way to tell for sure but should be very close to your door. LTs are a little different because of the load ratings. Some are rated at 80 psi max some 60, seems to depend on aspect ratio and size.

I swapped LT duratracs out for same size P metric Terra Grapplers and gained nearly 3 mpg.

 

Ok good to know , I would think because they are wider it would be less psi. But if I look at the index tables I come up with 18 psi haha that just seems way too low to me. I’ll prob start at what the door says and adjust if needed thanks

 

I went with these and are very happy with them.

https://www.herculestire.com/tire-details/Hercules/Cross-V Terra Trac

 

Yeah 18psi definitely too low

Look at the door probably 30ish psi. That is for the factory tire which is rated at some 2750lbs at 44psi or so (estimating). So the load rating by the door psi is some 1875 lbs.

For Haha a Toyo At 2 in 285/70/17 is rated at 3195lb at 80psi. To get same load you go 1875 ÷ 3195 × 80psi = About 47psi. Tire may not wear well at 47psi which is why you chalk test them. Narrow wheels for example you may have to decrease that a bit. The back of your Tacoma will likely never weigh 3800lbs so that is fine lol.

 

Also p metric loads required to be over rated by 10% so you could factor that into your LT psi math.

 

I sent Falken an email about this topic and here is what they responded with:

"I'm responding to your inquiry on behalf of our technical team here at Falken Tire.

I would 100% agree with your initial inclination to opt for our non-LT 265/75R16 WILDPEAK AT3W with Load Index 116, which is in between a Load Range C (112 Load Index, aka 6-ply) and a Load Range D (119 Load Index, aka 8-ply), and far stronger than your OE fitment which was most likely P265/70R16 112.

I also agree the Load Range E version LT265/75R16 (123 Load Index, aka 10-ply) will be too much tire for a Tacoma, sacrificing fuel economy, and comfort as you said. The LRE version is really designed for a 3/4T truck application such as an F-250. You would actually compromise more than just comfort and fuel economy with the Load Range E version, as the contact patch would not be ideal, and could sacrifice wet and/or other traction characteristics. In fact, I always recommend our non-LT version for Tacoma owners, when asked in person or by email, and openly on TacomaWorld.com.

In terms of pure load carrying capability, our 265/75R16 116T WILDPEAK AT3W is superior to competitor offerings in p-metric P265/75R16 Load Index 112, as well as superior to competitor offerings in LT265/75R16 Load Range C Load Index 112.

To answer your question exactly, the construction of our WILDPEAK AT3W is as follows:
Sidewall: 2 -PLY POLYESTER WITH HIGH PLY TURN‐UPS
Tread: 2-PLY POLYESTER, 2 FULL STEEL WIDTH BELTS, 1 FULL POLYMIDE (NYLON) CAP PLY

As noted above, the WILDPEAK AT3W uses a 2 ply construction with high-ply turn-ups on all tire sizes, so both our LT version and non-LT 265/75R16 116T are quite robust in terms of sidewall protection and durability. Furthermore, the upper sidewall features of the tire actually protect against rocks and punctures, specifically when aired down, they're not just for looks.

Also, I have owned a Tacoma in the past and used this exact size in both non-LT and LT versions so I can speak from quite a bit of experience on this topic, I have never had any issue with the non-LT off-road around 20psi. On the other hand, if the truck is fully loaded with gear and people, I have found that 20psi is a bit too low and could cause a pinch flat or bead unseat, therefore I usually recommend no lower than 25psi in a loaded off-road application for a Tacoma. Off-road air pressure is a sensitive subject that really depends on a lot of factors such as speed, conditions, load, rim width, driving style, etc.

I know this was a lot of information, but I hope it is helpful for you in your quest for new tires for your Tacoma. If I could be of any further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach me by email or cell phone below.

Thank you for considering Falken Tires!

Drew Howlett
Product Manager, Light Truck & SUV Tires
www.falkentire.com | +1.909.261.6668"

 

That is a great response from Falken! Much more than I would have expected.

When you mentioned 18psi did you mean offroad pressure?

For on-road your calculation will be similar to the LT calculation.

Factory tire load rating is 2469lbs at 44 PSI. Lets say door reads 30PSI. 30/44 x 2469 = 1683lb load

The 265/75/16 Wildpeak has a slightly higher load rating of 2756lbs. 1683/2756 x 44psi = 26.9 psi (new PSI to achieve OE load rating with new tires)

I still recommend the chalk test but you can see how to derive the PSI.

M

 

Good response from Drew at Falken. Excellent information.

 

When I bought my ‘10 (used) there were LT265 Hankooks in load range D on it. Tire sticker in the door jamb says use P265 and that’s what I’ll get when the rough riders wear out.

 

What size are those

 

265/75r16
That pic was taken with stock suspension. The only thing I rubbed on was the front air dam when I got rowdy in the dirt.

 

I went with the LT's
285/70R17 117T
Running 42psi

My opinion FWIW
They are louder than the BFG K02's I normally run, by a good bit.
The beat the K02 in the rain by a large margin.
They are what & what in the mud.

The LT's do hit bumps a little harder, but nothing that bother me.

 

Interesting response from Falkin C/S.....

Although not Falkin...recently had P rated Cooper AT3's on my '14

After 3K miles I punctured one on a graded BLM road....had road haz from DTD

They replaced the tire...but more recently I went to Cooper ST Maxx LT 265-75x16

Yes heavier...yes lost MPG...but more piece of mind with the 3 ply sidewall

Your driving conditions may be different...but for me....its LT E rated.....

wouldn't it be nice if tire mfg's would offer more selections in 16" C & D rated AT tires ?

I seriously considered LT WP3's...but the LT Maxx won out...

 

We disected the Cooper AT3 (and Cooper AT3 4s) and found the construction to be a 1ply carcass compared to our Falken AT3W 2-ply carcass with high turn ups. Cooper AT3 4s weighs 41lbs vs Falken AT3W 44lbs in size 265/75R16 SL 116T. Both have the same 14/32nds tread depth in that size. The Cooper AT3 4s is a lighter tire due to the tire construction. I'm leaving factual differences here only...

 

I read through all the posts in this thread, and all good points!! To the average joe a non LT AT3W is going to be fine, it's a pretty stout tire compared to many of the A/Ts on the market, and you don't have to haul around the extra weight of the LT beads, belts, etc.

HOWEVER, I realize many on this forum including myself are NOT the average Joe. So for the guys who are really going to off-road and wheel the trucks often, you might want to consider the LTs in Tacoma sizing. I actually ran the LT265/70R17s and LT265/75R16s on my Taco hands down. The added weight on this size tire (32" ish OD) is negligible in real life (mpg/braking) and in theory (physics: moment of inertia). You will feel the increased unsprung mass through the steering wheel and a bit harsher ride but most of us have a more compliant off road suspension anyway whether it be the OE TRD or aftermarket.

If you're going from a 32in tire to a 33in or 34in or 35in tire, I would take a closer look at the weight, because every step in diameter has a much larger affect on vehicle performance since the moment of inertia is going up drastically, not to mention the size of the contact patch.

Also, psi for the LTs in the LT265/75R16 flavor, I ran 35psi on road, 18-20psi off road, lower if crawling. For the LT265/70R17s, I was a little more careful of not going below 20psi because my rig was armored and loaded, actually I usually just ran 25psi as squashing a sidewall into the rim while off camber seemed to happen quite often. It all depends on how heavy your truck is and how smart/fast/dumb you drive. Recommended off road pressures are tough. Too many variables.

 

LT265/70R17 LRE fully loaded truck on EASY trails at 20psi: