Which Tires for the best Fuel Mileage

I bought a set of BFG All terrains a few months ago new. I paid $835 for them at dealer cost through a family member who works at the Ford dealer I got them from. I bought an E class tire (10 ply) because they were $40 cheaper a piece. My fuel mileage has suffered bad. I went from 17-18mpg city and 21 hwy to about 13.5-14mpg city and 15mpg hwy. My truck is a 2.7l Automatic 4x4. I am thinking about buying a set of Nitto Trail Grapplers in the same size I have now (265/75/16) but not in a 10ply and selling my bfg's. Would the lighter tire even though it is a "mud terrain" give me better fuel mileage than my heavier all terrians?

 

A heavy tire will kill mileage. No need for a E rated tire on a tacoma. Find a c rated tire you like. I know the duratrac has a huge following. A skinner tire will also help with MPG. Goodluck

 

Dude whats up im in Viola

 

Typically speaking, the lighter and less aggressive the tire the better your fuel economy will be.
The bigger the tread blocks and the more aggressive the pattern the more rolling resistance you will have. More rolling resistance--> more work that your engine is doing--> more fuel consumed.
Also, the higher the ply rating the heavier the tire. Heavier tires get worse gas mileage because it takes more work to get them rolling.

Also, keep a close eye on your inflation pressures; even a couple psi low can put a dent in your MPG's.

 

Holy crap its a small world! I'm in Viola also! hmu sometime and we'll cruise or someting

 

Well I was, I think I know who your are Actually I do, I just followed you on instagram the other day I think

Im in WA again, should be back in TN for a few weeks in may.

 

this is a good question, my 33 grabbers chew through a tank of gas like nothing...

i want to go back to some 31 inch all terrains, but which ones get the best MPGs?

 

Michelins seem to have lower rolling resistance and are a higher mileage tire. They are also lighter built to save you some weight which makes a big difference. My tires vs some of the others are 10-15 lbs lighter. That's weight against the drivetrain not just carry weight. Same thing when you go to steel wheels, even more weight. I've seen guys go from 31x10.50's on aluminum wheels to heavy mud tires on steel wheels and lose an easy 2-4 mpg.

 

bfg makes the radial long trail which is a highway tire. and as bad as the OE tire is they are highway rated.

bridgestone makes decent tires too

I currently use Firestone Destination AT and have had them for four years (whatever clout that has )


edit: 235/85-16 is equivalent for O.D. and is lower roll resist

 

P rated tires is what you want. Not LT.

 

I don't normally pop in to a thread just to argue with the OP, but there's no way a set of tires cost you 6 MPG on the HWY. We're not talking 38's ... It's just not possible.

I've driven trucks my whole life and on all of them I've gone from whatever came stock to aftermarket tires. 32's, 33's, 35's ... I would even be questioning 3'ish MPG loss. 1/2-2 is more likely.

You said you bought them a few months ago. Are your before new tires MPG numbers from summer? Are you in 4WD a lot more now? Did you develop a lead foot with the new look of your truck? Any other mods done? How are you tracking the MPG?

Something else is going on ..

 

A highway tread tire will give you the less resistance and like said above a P rated tire. Also a stock size on the 1st gen of 235's will be best for fuel mileage. Like above thought I think there may be something else going on. It's hard to believe that the tires made you drop that much.

 

I'm shopping for a faster tire too, but I don't want to mess with the speedometer or the looks. A truck with tiny tires looks stupid.

I have Bridgestone 31 x 10.5 now. That is the stock size for the 4x4 6-lug wheels.
I'm looking at 265/75 r15 because they are a 1/5" narrower and 1/3" shorter (overall diameter). Not much smaller, but anything will help over time.

Use this calculator to see the actual sizes.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/tirecalc.php?tires=265-75r15-31-10.5r15

 

Michelins MS2 will be one of your best bets for Fuel Mileage. I run these tires and they are very smooth and quiet.

 

im in the same boat as the OP, my mpg dropped 4mpg when i went from stock to 33 grabbers... i think this is pretty normal, weight + diameter + roll resistant tread = poor MPGs..

however OP you have to count in the fact that your new tires are going to throw off your speedo and odometer... find a tire calculator and see how much larger the your tire is % wise, and add that to your current MPG findings.. like if i get 240 out of a tank its actually 270 or something like that... If you have a in car gps, that is probably the easiest way to track your real mileage per tank..

 

Depends alot on your right foot. Less plys means less weight,,so yes. The Mud Terrain is based off of the All Terrain platform. They created and upgraded the All Terrains for Baja wins,,and they did that at a 6ply 110mph+ beadlocked tire. They would turn into pizza cutters at that speed, until the upgrade to the Tri Guard 3 ply sidewall,,then not so bad and much better wear and durability.

A excellent tire you have, but your 4 plys to many. 10 ply is for logging road running, towing heavy, ect, if you do alot of that. If you keep them, rotate often.

 

You can buy stock size Mastercraft Courser STR's for like 90.50 ea online. I have beaten the living shit out of them (trust me) An alloy wheel helps a lot, too

 

My basic question, after viewing these replies is: Are P rated, Falken AT3ws going to make THAT much difference in mileage vs regular highway tires?
I have a (new to me) used 2013 4x4 Crew Cab Tacoma that used to be a fleet vehicle. This truck has had no mods at all and I'm due new tires, and want to get something a bit more aggressive looking, but the truth is, my off-roading is typically farm fields and gravel roads, with 95% being hwy miles. I'm looking at at the P rated Falkens

 

Youre going to see a slight drop. Maybe an MPG or two on the highway but that's what I got on my old truck with slightly larger than stock Nokian Rotiivas. Yokohama Geolandars are pretty mild A/Ts. If you want a good highway tire that has decent offroad capability I've heard the Michelin Defender LTX M/S are pretty good and will return good MPGs.

 

Cub Scout Pinewood Derby chief here. The lighter the better. Heavy wheels are less efficient and waste energy. In the case of a pinewood derby car that energy is gravity, and in a Taco it's fuel. Plenty of rules in the derby in terms of wheel modding/lightening because of this (and people still try it bc it works so well). Lightweight tires should be more fuel efficient, generally speaking.

Then again I'm no physicist. Just always assumed that rule carried over...