Best Tires for Toyota Tacoma

Having the appropriate tires for your truck significantly affects its performance. With the right set of tires, you can enjoy optimal traction, control, and fuel efficiency. Here are our top recommendations for choosing and maintaining your Toyota Tacoma tires.

Tacoma Stock Tires

Pile of used tires. by Robert Laursoo is licensed with Unsplash License

In most cases, you’ll want to replace your truck tires with ones similar to what it came with. If you have the new 2024 Toyota Tacoma, this is what you’re rolling on based on your trim:

• SR: 17-inch steel wheels with 245/70R17 all-season tires.
• SR5: 17-inch styled alloy wheels with 245/70R17 all-season tires.
• TRD PreRunner: 17-inch TRD PreRunner alloy wheels with 265/70R18 all-terrain tires.
• TRD Sport: 18-inch TRD Sport alloy wheels with 265/65R18 all-season tires.
• TRD Off-Road: 17-inch TRD Off-Road alloy wheels with 265/70R17 all-terrain tires.
• Limited: 18-inch chrome-finished alloy wheels with 265/65R18 all-season tires.
• TRD Pro: 18-inch black TRD Pro alloy wheels with Goodyear Territory 265/70R18 R/T tires.
• Trailhunter: 18-inch bronze-finished Trailhunter alloy wheels with Goodyear Territory 265/70R18 R/T tires.

Tacoma All-Season Tires

All-season tires offer balanced tread performance that handles wet and dry road conditions. Though not optimal for severe winter weather, they can handle light snow. Consider Michelin Defender LTX M/S tires, Cooper Discoverer SRX tires, or General Dunlop Reliatrek HT tires for all-season performance on your Toyota Tacoma.

Tacoma All-Terrain Tires

All-terrain tires are a solid option for going off-road to tackle challenging road conditions. Their durable tread can take you through mud, dirt, and rocks. All-terrain tires provide superior grip for unpaved roads, so you won’t lose control when the surface gets rough. The Nexen Roadian ATX is an excellent choice for your Tacoma, thanks to its longevity and traction.

Tacoma Off-Road Tires

Off-road tires go above and beyond their all-terrain counterparts, offering outstanding traction even in blizzards or torrential downpours. They’re the highest-performing tires around and a must-have if you’re going off the beaten path in your Tacoma. The BF Goodrich T/A KO2 is perfect for off-road and dry pavement driving.

Tacoma Winter Tires

Winter tires provide the added traction you need in cold weather. They have flexible rubber that remains pliable in freezing conditions. Winter tires also feature a deep, powerful tread pattern that will help you maintain traction on ice and snow. Good options for the Toyota Tacoma include the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac, Pirelli SCORPION ALL TERRAIN PLUS, and the General Grabber Arctic LT.

When to Get New Tires

You should replace your tires any time there’s insufficient tread depth. Most tires have tread wear bars that become exposed as the tread wears down. So, monitor the wear bars to know when it’s time for a replacement. If the tread sits even with the horizontal wear bars, you must replace your tires immediately.

You can also use the penny test to check the tire tread. Take a penny and place it in the tread with Lincoln’s head facing down. If you can see the top of Lincoln’s head, your tire has less than 2/32 inches of tread left, and it’s time to replace it.

Perform the penny test on the tire’s most worn part. You should replace your tires based on the tread depth at the very shallowest point, not the deepest. Check the tread on all four tires, as they may wear unevenly.

Understanding Tread Wear Patterns

Evaluating the wear of your tires can tell you a lot about how your vehicle is driving. Check your tires periodically for warning signs of poor inflation, alignment, or balance.

If you notice that the tires are more worn on the inner and outer edges, it may indicate they have low air pressure. This happens because the tires tend to sink inward in the middle, which leads to inadequate contact with the road. If the tire is worn out only in the center, it’s overinflated, and the edges aren’t touching the road, which is also not ideal. To ensure your tires are in good shape, check your owners manual to determine the appropriate tire pressure and adjust the air pressure accordingly.

If there’s more wear on a particular side of the tire, your wheels are probably misaligned, which puts undue pressure on one side of the tire rather than the other. You may see this type of uneven wear on several tires simultaneously due to poor alignment. If the tires are unbalanced, they’ll usually wear down in patches. If the wear has taken on a cupping pattern, this means your truck is bouncing on the road, which is typically due to a problem with the struts, shock absorbers, or other suspension parts.

How to Increase the Life Span of Your Tacoma Tires

Proper maintenance will help you get the longest possible life span from your tires. As described above, inspect your tires at least once a month for signs of uneven wear. Use a tire pressure gauge to determine whether your tires are properly inflated and respond accordingly. You should also check your tire pressure any time the weather changes suddenly.

Other important tire maintenance tasks include:

• Tire Rotation: Have your tires rotated every 5,000 to 7,000 miles. This helps them wear evenly by moving tires from the front to the back and from the left to the right.
• Tire Balancing: Small weights are added to the inside of your wheels to keep all four tires appropriately balanced. You should have your tires balanced whenever one is removed or replaced, or if you notice your steering wheel shaking, have a professional check the wheels to ensure they’re not out of balance.
• Wheel Alignment: Wheel alignment usually takes place along with tire balancing. This process ensures the wheels sit in line with the road so your vehicle drives straight.

Schedule Your Tire Maintenance

If your tires are overdue for maintenance, schedule an appointment at our Classic Toyota tire center. We’ll help you balance, rotate, and align your tires or assist with tire selection if your Toyota Tacoma needs a new set. Come visit us in Tyler, Texas, today.