Tire questions for 03 Tundra

[jpete]

I recently bought an 03 Tundra 4x4. It has the stock P265/70R16 tires. I have two questions.

1. The door sticker says to set the psi to 26psi. This makes the tires squeal and look like they are flat. This doesn't look safe to me. My local tire guy said that was just to soften the ride and I could go up to 35psi. I have done this increase (I don't expect a car-like ride from my pickup) but I am worried this will harm my tires. 35 is listed as the max. I am also worried that this will somehow void my certified warranty and/or my extended warranty. This is important because I'm taking it in Tuesday for a popping sound in the 4WD.
2. My second question is what are good tires? I was without a truck for a while so I'm not up on the new models. I currently have Nokians. They have some tread left but I just split the sidewall on one- don't ask me how. Even though it is a little early, I'm probably going to go ahead and replace all 4 to keep a matched set. The truck is primarily for going to work but I want to be able to go off road if I want. Nothing like some of these monster builds but something respectable. Also, I live in Wisconsin so being good in snow is important.

Any help you guys can provide would be great.

 

[Duane]

oh you are going to start another long debate on tires..
There are several threads on this topic....
my input..long life and smooth quiet ride Michelin LTX M/S

Many guys like a BF Goodrich mud terrain with sipes cut into them so they will stick to the ice in winter...



oh and for answer #1..... pressure specs are on each individual tire.. inflate them according to the tire manufacturers specs. I would run at least 32 psi in them as 30 psi for a full size truck seems almost minimal unless you had a special tire designed to air down.
Not sure with your split sidewall but if you run a tire underinflated it is harder on them as they overheat due to all that flexing in the sidewall and they can come apart. Over inflated tires to me normally just cause you to prematurely wear out the center of the tread sooner and most tire blowouts are from under inflated tires.

 

[Matador98]

The spec. to run 26psi was a lame attempt by toyota to get people to quit coming in complaining about their tires being out of balance. On the early tundras, they had a lot of balancing problems, and tires popping off of rims. 26psi is how they "solved" it.

I just recently put Michelin LTX MS on my Tundra, and they are great. They are 285/70(or 75) R16. The widest I can fit without lifting the front end a bit. They look better than the 265 stock tires, give it a good look. I run about 33 in the front and 31 or 32 in the rear, and that is when the tires "looks" about right.

One board you should join is www.tundrasolutions.com. Lots of good info there after you swim through all of the horse****, kinda like 'Mud. The board has gotten busy with the release of the new Tundra, but there is a dedicated 1st-Gen Tundra section.

You'll love the truck, mine is awesome. I can't say my best vehicle ever...as that is the 60.

 

[SPDSHFT]

I agree with 32psi up front. If its real hot outside you can air down to 30, and the heat will build up the psi. As for tires, again, a thousand awnsers....on my first Tundra I replaced the stock tires (cant remember now what was on there) with Bridgestone Deulers (non-Revo, wasnt avail) and loved them. I had them on a Tacoma Prerunner and they lasted forever and have a smooth, quiet ride, with great off road ability. I run BFG's now bacause they came cheap with the wheel set I bought used. When they go, I will go back to the Deuler Revos. Just my opinion.

 

[Hank]

I agree with upping the tire pressure and sticking with tire manufacturer specs. The Dueler isn't a bad tire. I really like the Michelin m/s as stated, I have them on my Excursion and had them on the 95 Chev I just sold. Top notch DD tire. I enjoy the Cepek Fun Country II also for a daily driver with some offroading. They won't last as long as the aforementioned tires but look great, are tough and work well in adverse conditions.

 

[HOGWILD]

Your question is not hard to answer and if you own a 4x4, i would look at the Yokohama Revo's, or Wrangler Forteras! when i get rid of the Duelers on my 06DC i will probably do the Wranglers because i feel that they will give me a better ride than the Revos but if i were doing a lotta 4 wheeling Revos would probably be my choice! also make sure ya put at least 36 PSI in all 4!!

 

[gotmud]

Contrary to what a few folks have written on here, tire pressure is dictated by vehicle weight. For example, your tires may say “Max Pressure 35lbs” but there is more. Look past the first part of the air pressure and you will see the following “@ XXXX lbs” In other words, the maximum air pressure corresponds to the maximum load carrying capacity of the tire. One of the biggest mistakes many tire shops make is to not train their staff on how to properly inflate the tires. Instead of looking at the placard on the vehicle, they simply look on the tire and air away. The fact that your tires may squeal or look flat is somewhat subjective. Many other factors such as alignment, shocks, sway bar bushings and other suspension and steering components, and tire tread play a larger role when it comes to tire squeal.

By inflating beyond what the placard calls for, you run the risk of longer stopping distances, and premature wear of suspension and steering components since a harder tire will not absorb shocks that are transmitted through the sidewall.

It is true that a lower pressure will give you a smoother ride, but that is not what dictates Toyota to put a lower pressure on the placard. As I mentioned above, simple changes to suspension and steering components can dictate what pressure the tires need to be set at.

You asked for advice on tires. I have a ’05 DC 4X4. 61K miles ago I replaced the stock tires with a set of Bridgestone (not Yokohama) Revos whichI run at 29F/32R. I still have enough tread to go another 5K miles before I am to 2/32nd of tread; good tire both on road and off road. For just street use, I like the Goodyear Fortera Silent Armors.

 

[turbotoy]

Has anyone come across a small tire that says 80psi

I took off the stock tires on my 05 taco shortly after purchase and put on 245 Yoko geolanders. Went to check them the other day and they were low, so I read the sidewall and i swear it says 80psi

I put them to 50 and the truck rides great now. I've only seen 80 psi on 1ton trucks

 

[Kittenhugger]

probably get some low rolling resistance.