Tires: Tall and Skinnys? (1 Viewer)

[RiverRatMatt]

At some point in the fairly near future I'll need new tires for my Tacoma. I'm posting here because a. The Taco section isn't that well traveled on this forum [tis a LC forum anyway] and b. My personal use for my truck is more akin to expedition than hardcore rock crawling.

The tires that always interested me were the tough, thinner tires, like on military trucks. Lots of tread, but not fat and wide like mudding tires are. I hear they're great on sand and I think they'd be better for my needs anyway.

What are some examples? What price am I looking at? Can they be had at any local tire store? How do they do on ice/snow?

Thanks in advance for helping a tire newbie out..

 

[e9999]

You will likely hear that skinny tires are not as great on sand as wide tires I would think. Seems logical at first glance. Although, I have read a few first-hand knowledge guys who wrote here that this is not necessarily true and they are doing great in sand. Personally, I have done well with semi-skinny (not pizza cutters) tires in sand.
And aggressive treads are generally thought not be that good on sand either.

 

[EUROTECH1986535]

skinnys

skinnys will get you better mileage but will let you down in deep mud snd sand (my experience) yokohama makes some nice winter snow and ice skinnys check tire rack etc. then get the tire that best fills your needs if you dont need wide tires to lower your ground pressure then buy what you like. i will say that my 60 sinks like a rock unless i got 10.5 or wider tires but i am down in the muck...................swamp donkey

 

[Combat Chuck]

X3 Skinnies are terrible on loose terrain, like sand and muck. Airing down is an option to improve performance, but it still won't be nearly as good as something broad.

In my experience, I run skinnies almost exclusively. I spend more time in town and on-highway as opposed to offroad, and when I do go out, I usually follow established trails that are ideal for something taller than a Subaru, but smaller than a crawler. The compromise works well for me, but I resent the fact that my cheapness precludes me from getting off the bunny hill.

 

[RiverRatMatt]

Makes sense. I don't do much sand driving at all (mostly desert dirt here rather than sand), it was more of a side thought. I also avoid deep mud and try to keep my lines out of the pits.

At this point I mostly am doing exploration stuff, so my off road will generally at worst be rough, dug out, trenched out, many timres rocky but dry roads.

Any specific tire recommendations? I'll look at Yokohamas

 

[derelict]

Im going to run 255/85r16s on my 60. 33.4" tall and about 10-10.50 wide. There arent that many options available but you can get them in KM2s and load range E.

 

[greentruck]

x2 on the 255/85 R16 BFG KM2 if you want high-performance skinnies. I'm very happy with this decision.

They're running on 8" wide rims, which is the widest rim that is recommended. A little narrower would be good, but I've had no problems with them in limited testing so far. Their performance and ride is very adjustable using air pressure.

I could run a wider tire, but see no need. A narrower tire is less wear and tear on your vehicle and will even marginally add to mpg in comparison to a the same tire in a wider width.

 

[RiverRatMatt]

What about something like these?

 

[RiverRatMatt]

What are the tires that this truck has?

 

[shep]

I recently got some new 255 KM2's and love 'em. I don't do anything too hardcore but like to get as far from people as possible in the high desert we have. Narrower tires have always worked well for me.

 

[93yotasr5]

pizza cutters. get the tsl SS narrow. 34x9.5x15 hose are bad ass tires and i want them for my 93 pickup

 

[RiverRatMatt]

Those TSL SS Narrows are only 34''? That'd mean I need a lift on my Taco... I'd rather not get a lift in general, more top heavy is not a goal of mine

Sexy tires though... very much like them.

 

[EUROTECH1986535]

What are the tires that this truck has?

Michelin 255/100r16 XZL that is the 900r16XZL replacement. They look like a great tyre. Size wise I think that they are the same as the 9.00's being a shade over 36" tall and just over 10" wide. The max single load rating at 65psi is the same 3750 lbs and construction is the same, tread 4 steel plies and sidewalls 1 steel ply. The main difference is that the tread pattern is slightly different being a 4 block pattern rather than 3, this though gives them a higher speed rating.

 

[EUROTECH1986535]

What about something like these?

i wouldnt unless i was restoring a old jeep they are bias ply and a 70 yr old design they look cool but ride like a log wagon just my .02

 

[RiverRatMatt]

i wouldnt unless i was restoring a old jeep they are bias ply and a 70 yr old design they look cool but ride like a log wagon just my .02

That's what I was expecting, thank you for confirming!! They sure do look cool though

 

[sledge916]

Michelin 255/100r16 XZL that is the 900r16XZL replacement. They look like a great tyre. Size wise I think that they are the same as the 9.00's being a shade over 36" tall and just over 10" wide. The max single load rating at 65psi is the same 3750 lbs and construction is the same, tread 4 steel plies and sidewalls 1 steel ply. The main difference is that the tread pattern is slightly different being a 4 block pattern rather than 3, this though gives them a higher speed rating.

where can you buy these???

Sethro

 

[Layonnn]

Michelin XZLs and XMLs do not flex much at all, FYI. They are also extremely heavy, negating part of the reason for going with a skinny tire.

They do look really cool though.

 

[derelict]

pizza cutters. get the tsl SS narrow. 34x9.5x15 hose are bad ass tires and i want them for my 93 pickup

My problem with these is that the sidewall is HUGE and there have been reports of trucks flopping due to sidewalls folding over on themselves.

 

[Combat Chuck]

TSL's are simply too noisy for me, and owning both a first-gen pickup and a 40, I need all the noise control I can manage, including finer tread on the tires.

 

[TroyCrane]

These are 1100R16 Michelin XL's.....They're about 38.5 x 10.....I air them down to about 8 lbs and they are great in mud, sand and on the rocks....