New Tire Report - Cooper ST Maxx 235 pizza cutters.

Yesterday, I replaced the OEM 265/70R16 tires on my 2016 DCSB TRD-OR with LT235/85R16 Cooper ST Maxx. Discount Tire inflated them to 35 psi and I was on my way. First impression is that these tires feel just a bit firmer than my others. I also noticed a decrease is the truck’s tendency to follow the grooves in the pavement.

Noise level was no worse than the Wranglers that came off. At 75 mph, I’m getting equal parts wind, engine and tire noise. Given the aggressive tread, I am very happy about this.

It is too early to tell if fuel economy will take a hit but conventional wisdom says it will due to weight and tread design.

Speaking of weight, I weighted the ST Maxx and it was 50.8 lbs. Cooper says 52 on their web site and Discount Tire claims 49. My biggest concern would be the degradation of acceleration and braking and how they would affect my trailer towing. I was pleasantly surprised in that I noticed only minimal change. Yea, I think I’m into the brakes just a little bit more to stop, but just a bit if any at all. I’ll be towing this weekend so I’ll have a more complete picture at that time.

Appearance is a mixed bag. From the side the new tires look better. The slight increase in diameter and the aggressive tread and sidewall are nice improvements. However, from the ends, truck looks funny. The tires are noticeably narrow and give the truck an out of proportion look, especially with compared to the many Tacos that have oversize / wide tires on them. Had I chosen to go 255/85R16 I think things would look more balanced.

Overall I am quite happy with my pizza cutter choice.

Pics will come later tonight.

 

Thank you for your very detailed review of the Cooper ST Maxx tires. Sounds like they are going to be a very solid choice for your needs. We look forward to your thoughts after your towing this weekend. Have a fun safe weekend.

We appreciate your business.

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention Discount Tire is great! Great prices, solid service, knowledgeable staff.

 

(Pretty please, that’s the size I’m looking at going to)

 

Yes I have pics to post tonight!

 

Before:

 

How about some after pictures.....

 

After:

 

The best way to compare them is to right-click and open the image in another tab. Then you can swap between browser tabs and rapidly see the difference. The two shots of the driver side are specifically edited to be the same size to show the difference more clearly.

 

Did I say 285? Sheesh!! OK, I corrected my original post.

Yes, 235/85/16 NOT 285/85/16!

 

Guessing you’re on the stock suspension, with no rubbing?

 

Yes, stock suspension. I have not fully flexed it yet but I am pretty confident the additional diameter will be offset by the reduced width to prevent rubbing. I may have a chance to flex it out this weekend. We'll see.

 

Awesome!

 

Well, we towed the 22', 4000 lb travel trailer about an hour away for a 2 day camping trip. The drive started with a few miles of freeway then was major two-lane highway the rest of the way. Some elevation gain along the way and some winds as well. This was the first trip with the new LT tires and only the 2nd towing this trailer.

Right away my wife and I both noticed the trailer pushing the truck around. We pulled over to double check the weight distribution hitch (all was well) and continued. The rig was affected by larger vehicles passing us and gusts of wind and just wanted to push itself around in the lane. I hadn't seen this before.

MPG going out was 10.0. Prior trip was longer and I got 11.6 on the way out and 13 on the way back in similar conditions.

On my from this weekend's trip we were driving into a headwind. I didn't sense as much side too side motion of the rig, but there was still some. Again we averaged 10.0 MPG.

Now, one trip is not statistically significant, but in my book the jury is out as to whether the LT 235 tires are better for towing than the P 265's were.

 

235/85/16 Cooper ST Maxx. Averaging 20.5 mpg

 

I assume you mean 255 not 245. How much lift do you have? Any rubbing?

 

Correction 235/85/16

 

Tires are IMHO just way to skinny and not enough rubber on the roads to aid in stability, especially when towing, there's a reason why engineers make the tires the size they are... I'm thinking you need to go back to the original size or just one size down ...

 

Just curious as to why you think that? My understanding is that skinnier tires actual do better at providing grip.

 

235/85/16 is only .16 inches less rubber on the road from the 245/75/16 stock tire. More rubber=more weight=less gas mileage= more rubbing on things.