Sell me on 275/70s vs 275/65s.

I'm going to be replacing my stock tires on my truck before winter. I will also be upgrading my wheels (somewhere between +25 and +35 offset depending on what I go with). I drive 90% of the time on the highway/rural paved roads, and the rest offroad, but not actual trail riding, just woods/fire roads, etc. I have a fairly long commute (20 miles one way), and don't really want to slap on something overally heavy and excessively large. I hate the weakness of a HT tire, though. I'm most likely going with AT3's or AT2's in 275/65s (stock size), or upping to 275/70s. If I do level, it will be ~2" up front...maybe. Most likely nothing done to it for now.

Aside from aesthetics, is there a justification for going with a larger/heavier tire (in the 275/70s vs. the stock size)? I searched the tire/wheel setup thread and very few people are running the latter setup (probably because it's a stock size).

 

Nitto ridge grappler 285/70r18.

I'm in the same boat as you usage wise. I went with bfg KO2's in 275/70r18 and wish I'd gone larger. Even with the stock trd OR suspension.

If you're gonna lift ~2" I'd look at 305/65r18 in the KO2's if you're sick of having money, or the falken wildpeak aTw3 in the same size.
Both are 3-peak snow rated tires. But are excellent on road too.

I've heard the same about ridge grapplers. Just wish they had brought out the 285/70r18 size last year when I got my BFGs

 

I guess 2" might have been a bit extreme. I just want to level it out a bit. I'm happy with everything else. Love the lifted look, but it's not practical with how much I drive my truck. I barely get 15-16mpg in the summer as it is. The new RG's are nice, but more than I need, and those 285/70s are the next step above 275/70s which is already probably as tall as I want to go.

I suppose my question is more toward the idea of keeping the stock size in a better performing AT and wider wheel (will be going with a 9" rim). I know people say you can run the 275/70s on stock suspension which is why I was considering it as I'm not planning to level right away. Tires and wheels I will be adding before leveling. The 285/70s won't fit without some sort of level/kit, correct?

 

You know what's funny...I bought a set of aftermarket wheels and tires from another Tundra owner and when I went to compare them with the stock setup, they were bigger even though the specs were the same. Bigger as it taller...standing side by side.

OEM - alloy wheels and Bridgestones 275/65/18 compared with aftermarket alloy wheels and Firestone ATs 275/65/18. The Destinations were literally 1" higher. And it wasn't because of tread depth.

My point being that depending on the tire/wheel setup, there may be minimal difference between the 275/70 vs 275/65 that you are asking about. Or there could be a huge difference.

 

Good point. Mine are Bridgestone Dueler HT's. They're 32" x 10.9"

 

And the Firestone AT's are supposed to be that size according to their size chart...
I went further in comparison - I have 4 new Blizzaks 275/65/18's I had on steels for the winter. The AT's are also about an inch taller.
The reason I am mildly concerned is if I have to use my spare which is a Dueler on a steel wheel. It will clearly be smaller than the AT's.

 

Were the wheel widths different? A tire on an 8" wheel will be taller than on a 9" wheel.

 

Measured and not any significant difference.

 

I modded my truck because I don't drive much. My 2010 Tundra has a little over 20k miles on odo. If I were to drive a lot, I would keep everything stock. Tundras are streamlined for efficiency from the factory. I don't know of any suspension/tire/wheel mod that makes this truck more efficient. On the other hand, I know a lot of mods that led to a lot of problems.

By the way, those ultra high mileage trucks (million mile Tundra) are basically all stock.

 

but. . . but. . . modding is so addicting, haha.

 

Agree. That's what I was thinking. Sort of a compromise between boring stockness, and over the top. I think a good 275/65 AT on an aftermarket wheel (thinking SC8's) is a good compromise, but almost everyone on here is up sizing their tires when buying new treads. I don't see many running stock size.

 

275/70/18 might be a good option. From my understanding, your speedometer becomes more accurate than with stock size tires. Also tires in this size in general seems to be cheaper than the neighboring sizes. I saw some which is even cheaper than smaller 275/65/18. But you do have to look at tire by tire. They are one inch bigger in diameter than stock (they fit stock Tundras without an issue).

285/65/18, on the other hand, is rather expensive and the selection is relatively smaller.

 

I went with aftermarket wheels and stock size 275/65/18 AT's. Compare my Avatar pic that shows oe alloy to the current setup.

 

They fill out the wheel well WAY more than my stock tires/wheels do. Looks good.

 

Thanks. They stick out about 1 or 1 1/2 inches further than stock. But same tire size, so funny how it looks different.

 

What offset are those wheels?

 

25mm
https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&initialPartNumber=8038950SB25B&wheelMake=WORX&wheelModel=803 Beast&wheelFinish=Black Painted&showRear=no&autoMake=Toyota&autoModel=Tundra+4wd&autoYear=2014&autoModClar=CrewMax

 

By the way, not trying to sell you on one size or the other. Just letting you know that based on the wheel and tire that I bought, it has a bigger diameter than stock even though the size was supposed to be the same. I also had to remove the front plastic air diffusers on the front wheel wells to eliminate some minor rubbing.

 

I gotcha. The 285's are only another .7" extra rubber of diameter (so .35" more on top of the hub/axle). Not sure on if they would require a lift or not. My 275's fit fine. Even with the aggressive sidewall of the KO2's I don't have any rubbing.

I think the 285/70r18 size is perfect for a "aggressive stock" looking 4x4 3rd gen Tundra and wish they (Nitto RGs) were out when I bought my tires.
Maybe a coachbuilder shim in the front for clearance.

 

The other concern I have, which is almost entirely unrelated, is the limited availability of load range, D & C options at this size. I know a lot of you are running E rated tires and are happy, and in fact, the weight difference isn't that great in many of these tires, but I'm concerned about ride quality as well.

 

Hmmm...what about 265/70s? Would be a touch narrower, but a bit taller than 275/65s.

 

I pulled the trigger on 275/70/18 Toyo AT2's last weekend. Wheel is an+12. I was looking for a more aggressive look without going crazy and am very happen with the decision. Changes the look quite a bit. So far I have not noticed much of a difference driving wise.

 

AT2s are definitely on my list. Some on here complained about wet performance, however. It's between this and the AT3's most likely.

 

Hey, I've been searching the forums for a picture of what I've been thinking of getting and your it. Wanted to see what some LT275/70/R18's with a +12 offset looked like. I like it. I see the TRD package, does that ride any higher than a standard SR5? you have bilstein shocks right?