33 replies to this topic

[rruff]

Like said....33" wheels on your combo are counter productive...not just in height, CG and wind, but those 33" wheels and tires weigh a ton and they are un-sprung weight which takes more to move down the road....style vs function.

If you like to get into remote locations, bigger tires are the best way to get more ground clearance. More traction is nice also... and heavy duty tires are a must, regardless of size.

 

Unsprung weight effects suspension performance, but takes no more energy to move down the road than any other weight.

 

Tire weight does take more energy to accelerate and decelerate, but at worst case (all the weight is at the outer circumference) it's only 2x weight elsewhere. So if you have a 6k lb loaded Tacoma and you add 10 lbs per tire, that's only ~1% increase. You'll never notice that.

 

The big unknown variable with tires is rolling resistance. Truck tires are never tested, and this value varies a lot. You can't tell by looking at them or weighing them.

[rruff]

Sure definitely. Been reading a lot on regearing with my setup. Feel that would help immensely in between climbs/wind issues etc

The regear will not improve your power output at all, and so it won't increase your speed going up climbs or into headwinds. It will help a little in acceleration but that's it.

 

As others have mentioned, you can set a max gear to use. If the transmission is hunting, just set this to 5th or 4th and let it rev. On my Tundra it's called S mode. I have a toggle switch on the shifter that lets me move the gear up or down.

Edited by rruff, 09 August 2022 - 01:05 AM.

[ntsqd]

Blanket statements aren't always correct.

 

For instance; while it doesn't take any more energy to sustain a given road speed with a larger tire, it does take more energy to get a larger tire up to that speed and it requires better brakes to slow down a bigger tire at the same rate as the original tire size.

 

Changing the axle ratio doesn't magically add power, but it can put the vehicle in a different location within the engine's power curve. So while it doesn't add any power it can put the engine in a rpm band where it makes more power more efficiently.

 

Same is true for mpg's, it's not a direct relationship between vehicle speed and mpg because larger tires and/or different axle ratio changes the rpm vs. mph relationship and changed correctly can put the engine at it's most efficient operating rpm for the road speed desired.

[Vic Harder]

+1 to what Thom said.