OEM tires weigh about 41lbs each. AT tires in the 275/70/18 size that many owner run weigh about 55lbs each. I know this affects mpg, but what have others noticed, parts wear, ride, handling? It's been so long since I've owned a 100 series with stock tires I can't remember if it makes any noticeable difference? Plus I never see the weight difference discussed when new owners as for tire advice.
Tire weight
- Thread starter SWUtah
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I am planning on getting some Toyo AT2 and wanted one of the "Xtreme" sizes, but they are about 10-15lbs heavier than the standard LT sizes. I may get one of the LT sizes, even though they are 8ply not 10 ply, as that is a significant weight difference IMO.
When I went from the stock 275/60R18 to my current 275/70R18, the two biggest effects I noticed were braking and acceleration. The LC100 has pretty good brakes to begin with, so it didn’t feel like braking suffered too greatly. Acceleration on the other hand was greatly noticed (yes, I have stock gearing). With the stock tires, my LC felt like it could practically pull a wheelie. Now, not so much. I test drove a fellow Mudder’s LC100 and he has 315/75R16 Toyo MT. Wow, those felt heavy (but he has stock gearing). There was no doubt he was rolling on 35’s.
On my ’94 Toyota Pickup, I ran 33’s, but ran 35’s for about 6 months (with factory 4.88 gears). I hated the increased stopping distance and the very poor acceleration. I swapped them out for 33’s, which were manageable.
Hardly anyone talks about tire weight because it’s the unavoidable evil, we just suck it up as we roll off-road with greater ground clearance and beefier sidewalls.
Six months ago I too looked at the Toyo AT2 “Xtreme” sizes. From what I read back then, it was the MT tread that was 10-15 pounds heavier per tire. The regular AT2 and AT2 Xtreme were pretty close in weight. I wonder if the latest specs have a typo. The 285/65R18 XT used to weigh 58 pounds, and now it’s 69. That’s a big jump.
On my ’94 Toyota Pickup, I ran 33’s, but ran 35’s for about 6 months (with factory 4.88 gears). I hated the increased stopping distance and the very poor acceleration. I swapped them out for 33’s, which were manageable.
Hardly anyone talks about tire weight because it’s the unavoidable evil, we just suck it up as we roll off-road with greater ground clearance and beefier sidewalls.
Six months ago I too looked at the Toyo AT2 “Xtreme” sizes. From what I read back then, it was the MT tread that was 10-15 pounds heavier per tire. The regular AT2 and AT2 Xtreme were pretty close in weight. I wonder if the latest specs have a typo. The 285/65R18 XT used to weigh 58 pounds, and now it’s 69. That’s a big jump.
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I was looking at my next tire being 295/65/18 Duratech's, they are 33.1" tires but weigh 58lbs. I now have Michelin MS2's 265/70/18 32.6" and they weigh 42lbs. That's a 40% increase in weight per tire. Sounds like I would regret that decision since mine is a mall cruiser 
If you wheel your truck on sharp rocks or anything that could cut them, the extra weight is worth it - there's a reason why they're so much heavier!
I have Toyo Extremes 285/75/17 and did notice in weight before I regeared to 4.88's. Now, the only difference I notice is they are louder than my old 285/75/16 BFG's ATs.
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I know our suspensions are heavy duty from the factory and I now have OME suspension, so I doubt the weight off the heavy meats would cause any premature suspension component failure? Has anyone with the big heavy tires 55+lbs seen what they consider early suspension component failure.
Unsprung weight will put more stress on all components - especially upfront.
I went from 275/70r18 BFG ATs to 295/70r18. Also did steelies, so can't pin point what caused the most loss of power, but the 5spd still turns them.
I just installed new tires last week at are 62lbs each. I did notice a fairly sizeable difference in acceleration compared to stock tires, but that's to be expected. Now, I don't even notice the difference. I am already acclimated to it.
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What are your tires and what size are they? 62lbs are really heavy, what did it do to your mpg.
Coopers run about this weight with their ST/MAxx lineup in 275/70r18. Did lots of research on this in a prior thread where I compared these weights for BFG, Cooper, Toyo.
I'd all but guarantee that added weight you're feeling is not weight you're feeling - it's just the reduced effective gearing from the larger diameter. I swapped stock tires for 275/70/18s and it "felt" like it not longer looked like a minivan.
I'd all but guarantee that added weight you're feeling is not weight you're feeling - it's just the reduced effective gearing from the larger diameter. I swapped stock tires for 275/70/18s and it "felt" like it not longer looked like a minivan.
It depends but I generally disagree. I have Duratracs that measure just about 33" even on the factory 16s, and when I switched to Tundra steel 18" rims with pretty worn BFG ATs that measured about 32.6" the Tundra setup felt MUCH, MUCH heavier. It felt slower, handled worse, rode more harshly, etc. It was so noticeable that my girlfriend as a passenger noticed it and then when she drove it she thought something was wrong with the truck. Now going from stock to 33s sure a lot of the difference is the increased rolling diameter, but switching amongst different tires and wheels you can most definitely notice the weight difference.
The Tire Rack has looked at the effect of rotational mass and did find a difference in handling and performance with tire/wheel weight, but not mpg. That was with a 3 series BMW, however. Almost everyone changes size when changing tires, so there are a lot of variables to performance and handling changing at the same time. When I bought my Michelin AT/2 tires, I purchased the standard load and not the E rated tires, specifically because the standard load tires were so much lighter for the same size. No regrets on that decision, but I do my off-roading in sand, not rock! My next round of tires will be the MS/2 and I'll go with the lighter standard load again.
Falken Rocky Mountain 285/75/r16. I have already put 600 miles on them and haven't noticed much difference in mpg. Just as
. For what it's worth the speedo is correct too because I am running a yellow box.