NewHilux.net

Hi all,

I’m after some advice on what route to take with my Hilux. My factory wheels are
265 65 r17 however a few years ago I went up to a 265 75 r16. Been running this size tyre for about 3 years now and haven’t really had any problems. I have noticed however that in low range 1st gear going down a steep track it simply wants to run and I’m having to hit the brakes more than I would like. Would going back down to the factory size help at all?

For reference my car is a 2012 sr5 with the 4speed auto

Yep you could go back to the stock size or re-gear the diffs. Did your lux come with the bigger brakes?

I've run a range of tyre sizes over the year on my lux and I don't really notice the gearing change off-road. IMHO I think 32s are the sweet spot for the hilux. My 285 70 r17 (33in) are great offroad however they make 5th gear rather useless unless I'm on a flat highway.

hiluxxury wrote:Yep you could go back to the stock size or re-gear the diffs. Did your lux come with the bigger brakes?

I've run a range of tyre sizes over the year on my lux and I don't really notice the gearing change off-road. IMHO I think 32s are the sweet spot for the hilux. My 285 70 r17 (33in) are great offroad however they make 5th gear rather useless unless I'm on a flat highway.

Thanks mate. I just wasn’t really sure if that one inch in tyre size would really make that much of a difference that’s all. I don’t want to revert back to the original size only to find that I’m in the same predicament.

I do have the bigger brakes yes. Although going down to a 16 inch on top of less airflow my brakes have suffered a little

It will be mostly the extra tyre diameter that is affecting your brakes. Extra tyre diameter on the same rotors means the brakes have to work harder to achieve the same braking force on the road. With the 2012 rotors you are probably close to the max size with 16” rims though, a change to TRD rotors and calipers will probably mean 17” rims.

How close to correct is your speedo with the taller tyres?

HK1837 wrote:It will be mostly the extra tyre diameter that is affecting your brakes. Extra tyre diameter on the same rotors means the brakes have to work harder to achieve the same braking force on the road. With the 2012 rotors you are probably close to the max size with 16” rims though, a change to TRD rotors and calipers will probably mean 17” rims.

How close to correct is your speedo with the taller tyres?

That’s true. Going down to a 16inch rim I reckon I’ve probably got 1-2mm from the caliber to the rim. I’m also thinking the factory alloys would probably provide better airflow too.
In terms of speed, it’s now dead on with my GPS

Mine did similar going from 255/70/15 to 265/65/17. It reads maybe 99 when the GPS shows 100.