My tires are noisy

Folks...new to the Tacoma world (after wanting one for 10+ years). I bought a mint (truly) 2005 TRD Sport short box crew cab. Previous owner was in management at a Toyota dealership so the Taco has lived a charmed life for sure. He put (under 1000km ago) new Toyo Open Country A/T 285/70/R17's on it. Great tire, handles well but rides a little higher (also added a 2" lift) but the road noise is somewhat obscene. I trust dropping to a 255 or 265 will make a large difference? Any advice? I have a few options to swap for brand new 265/65/17 Dunlop A/T tires as well as a set of Bridgestone.

My question is, will I notice a significant road-noise difference if I narrow out my tires? I live in the Pacific Northwest so the roads are wet and slick 368 days a year. I'll hit the snow 10 times a year, maybe. The issue is not the bearings...it's 100% the rubber on the road.

 

AT tires will have some noise. For mostly highway driving with a quiet drive, a less aggressive thread pattern will mostly quiet down road noise. Perhaps Firestone Destination AT? Had those in my 2003 and they were great. BTW, welcome to the site and congrats on your new ride.

 

I'm not sure about the width and noise..

But I can say you might miss the look of the 285's
Maybe try a less aggressive tread pattern?


Hopefully others chime in welcome to TW

 

I've got 265/70 16 Toyo open country mud terrain tires on my 02 DC Pre Runner and they do have some road noise due to the aggressive tread design but doesn't bother me at all

 

Most AT tires are louder than highway or street tires, I have bfg ko2s, and they are very reasonable quiet for an all terrain. I do not mind the little noise that they have. I don't know for sure how width effects noise, but tread pattern definitely does. I've never driven with toyo open country's so I can't compare the two...

 

Btw welcome to TW, another option could be dynomatting the truck. It made a big difference for me in terms of road noise.

 

The tread design will have more of an impact on the road noise from the tires than the size will.
The toyos you have are a very mild AT tire and quieter than most. If you opt for a less aggressive tire it will cut down on the noise some.
Or turn the music up.
Or dynamat the interior.

 

This reminds me of my old rock crawler jeep I had 15years ago . I had 35" TSL Boggers on it . when I flat towed it I could here the sound of the tires from inside my friends p/up with the Windows up going down the freeway

Now that was loud LOL !!!!!

This vid brings sounds just like what I heard !!
https://youtu.be/eN7lqAAO7hU

 

Thanks folks. Sounds like the tread is my issue rather than size. To be honest, the sound doesn't bug me but it bugs the wife. I said "good thing you don't have to drive it then" yesterday, which lead to my question today #doghouse

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPsbDUZvfFo

 

the wider the spacing in the tread the louder the noise. I have some All seasons and they are pretty quiet. The winter tires we have on right now make a lot more noise but its not awful.

 

Do not swap them out with Dunlops! They are the worst tires many people here have driven in wet conditions.

 

Tread and tire size are both contributing factors. A 265 A/T doesn't deliver much noise at all. Check out Cooper A/T tires. I've been satisfied with them. Most tires are going to open up, noise-wise after the new wears off around 10,000-15,000 miles.