Light Truck Tires - traction/mileage/fuel economy

I need to replace the tires for my 2006 Tacoma Doublecab, 4x4, V6, automatic.



I’m looking for a good combination of wet/snow traction, mileage and fuel economy.



I don’t drive off road - mostly city/town driving with a little highway mixed in. Also, I never tow anything and occassionally haul dirt or mulch in the bed.



Can anyone recommend decent tires that meet my needs. Thanks

You want too much ! Snow traction is related to a more aggessive tread which tends to have a little higher rolling resistance. If you want that much, be prepared for compromises and pay big $$$$$$. With the size of your tires, it will be tough to say “get car tires”. Tire Rack ratings and similar I’ve found reliable and worthwhile.
BTW, I like your truck choice, but if you don’t go off road, never tow, etc, you could do well with a 2wd with limited slip or Ridgeline. I would get a car and a utility trailer with my compromise tires.
But that’s more $$$$ than new tires. :slight_smile:

I would start at tirerack.com and read their reviews, and then go from there. No need, particularly, to buy from them, but the reviews give you an indication of what others think about the various tires.

I had Uniroyal Cross Country tires on my 2000 Blazer for 40k miles. Quiet with good road manners and steering response. They were not the best for off-roading and snow.

The Uniroyals were replaced with Firestone Destination LE’s. The handling and steering is not as crisp as the Uniroyals. However rain, snow, and off-roading handling are much better. In the last week, there have been two major snow storms in South Jersey and I’ve gotten plenty of practice driving in 1 to 2 feet of snow. The snow has ranged from powder to slush. Even with 20k on the tires, the Firestones have worked well under these conditions.

I’m considering the General Grabber HTS as my next tires. They get a good review from Tire Rack. I’m hoping for better road manners like the Uniroyal Cross Country tire.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=General&tireModel=Grabber+HTS&partnum=37TR5GRHTSOWL&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Chevrolet&autoYear=2000&autoModel=Blazer%204wd%204dr&autoModClar=

Ed B.

what I’m looking for is a “reasonable/realistic” combination of tread life, fuel economy and traction. I know I’m not going to find anything that’s great for all 3. I’ve checked tire rack. It helps a little but even for the same exact tire, some reviewers will call a tire junk and others will say it’s the best tire they’ve ever owned.

Also, I don’t plan on replacing my truck. I like it and it’s paid for… Admittedly, I don’t use it very often, but I like the idea of having 4 wheel drive. I had a 2wd truck before and didn’t care for it in wet/snowy weather - if there’s no weight in the bed - they’re too prone to sliding.

Do you live in a place you could rationalize getting winter rims and snows with separate summers. I pay no more for tires over the life of my cars in tires, buy “one off” OEM steel rims for less than $50 each from a place in the midwest with free shipping for my Tacoma, 4Runner(uses same rims) and RAV4.

Isuzu hub caps for $5 each from j yard fit into onto them instead of $80 each for Toyota for example. I mention all this because there are ways of getting the best you want for a very reasonable price…rotate for maximum safety, traction and economy. It cost me just $200 extra dollars over the life of the car for rims but I can buy specialized, cheaper tires that didn’t have to do everything.

It may end up costing me less. I get better buys from these cheaper specialized tires that wear very well. Firestone Winterforce example make good winter but poor summer but with very good rain performance for moderate to heavy snow areas and one of most inexpensive going.
Sorry for the rant :slight_smile:

I’ve done all the “gazintas” and I know I’m ahead and will pay less than someone who wants it all from one set of tires.
Besides, it gave an excuse to buy a compressor and make believe my garage is a real one…varoom !

I have Bridgestone Dueler H/T on my '01 Sequoia. It looks like they’ll last about 30K miles which isn’t too great. I have been impressed with how they handle the snow. I’d buy them again but that depends on price and what else is out there.

As already mentioned, www.tirerack.com has a good consumer review section.
www.1010tires.com also has one.

Your best bet would be to review the consumer feedback on these sites.

The General tires that were original equipment on my Silverado only lasted about 30,000 miles. Next set were Michelins - Cross Country, that lasted about 70,000 miles, but weren;t t hat good in snow (upstate NY, where we get lack effect snow). Next I tried Uniroyal Laredos, and they were better in snow but a little noisier on dry pavement. Uniroyals lasted about 70,000 miles. Went back to Michelin Cross Countries, and they seem to have improved their grip in snow. Hdd a big hole (size of a pencil eraser) in the tread of the Generals once - couldn’t wait to have them wear out. Never had a problem with the Michelins or Uniroyals.

I once had a set of Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revos on my Bronco that I thought were a great compromise of price/mileage/on road and off road traction. I’m not sure how they effected fuel mileage, because the Bronco gets about 9-10 MPG no matter what tires are on it, and fuel mileage isn’t important to me anyway.

If money is not object then the Michelin’s are the ones to get…I use to buy them all the time…but for some reason their prices went through the roof about 5 years ago. IMHO they are just too expensive.

I switched to Coopers. For snow and we weather as good or better then the Michelin’s …For dry they seem even better then the Michelin’s. With the Michelin’s I was able to get 70k miles…but the Coopers…only 50k miles…but the cheapest price for the Michelin’s I can find is $185 each as compared to the Coopers for $108 each.

Which Cooper tire did you have?

Ed B.

Discovery HT.

I’ve also had the ATR. Great tire also…bit more aggressive in the snow.