TL;DR - I'm done with 16" wheels and the limited tire selection they offer. My next set of tires (and therefore wheels) will be 17". I don't need new tires quite yet, but mine will only last another 6-9 months. Finding skinny 16" tires (255/85/R16) with a hybrid AT/MT tread pattern is nearly impossible, so I'm moving to 17" wheels for more options. I've already got the new wheels - which the ever-helpful Zane picked up for me for a steal - and after some cleaning and several coats of my favorite bronze coating, they are going to be fantastic.…
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TL;DR - I got my third Cooper ST/Maxx flat ever, all on the same set (my fourth) of tires. I still think they are one of the best tires out there. I got another flat - this time the driver rear - as I was driving home on I-5 after a long trip to Death Valley. I'd been driving for approximately 20 hours when a fellow driver alerted me to the situation, only a few miles from home. That's not right either. After running on this for two miles or so at 65mph, even though it looks pretty normal, the…
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TL;DR - My Cooper ST/Maxx tires finally gave me a bit of trouble. Still, I'll probably buy a 5th set when these wear out because they've performed better than any other tire I've seen others run on the trail. I had two flat tires on our recent trip to run the Plumas NF and Lassen NF trails in Northern California. The first wasn't really the tire's fault since I sheared off the valve stem; the second was a flat I got on the highway as we drove home. That's not right, but at least the tire is fine! That's not…
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TL;DR - I gouged a sidewall, and I need a new tire. I've been running Cooper ST/Maxx tires for the last several years. They are a great tire, and I have yet to find a tire that I prefer, overall. Traction is excellent in a variety of terrains, road noise is low on the freeway, and while they are only available in a heavy, stiff, "E" load rating, there are no other tires at the size I use - 255/85R16 - that are available in lighter variants. On this trip, I finally damaged a tire, by gouging a sidewall on…
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TL;DR - I have four brand new 255/85 R16 ST/Maxx tires on the truck now. Again. I looked around a bit for new tires, given that my ST/Maxx were on their last legs. I also did a bit more digging into why mine were so worn out, as I noticed that the fronts were worse off than the rears. Or rather, the current fronts were worse, as I've been doing a really good job of rotating on every oil change. Turns out that my alignment was total crap, and I got that addressed just before getting a new set of…
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TL;DR - I've really liked the ST Maxx tires, but they are on their last legs. Time to start a search for replacements. I put a new set of Cooper ST/Maxx 255/85R16 tires on the Tacoma a little over a year ago when I switched to 4Runner 5-spoke wheels. They've performed very well over those ~35K miles, the one that's been on for the longest is now nearly bald. I might have a bit of an alignment issue, but regardless, I need to get new tires. I'm currently considering another set of Cooper ST/Maxx, a set of BFGoodrich KM3's, or...…
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TL;DR - To solve the problem with mud being flung everywhere with my SCS wheels that stuck out past the fender flares, I installed some new-to-me 1999 4Runner wheels on the truck, which sit under the fender flare. This solved the mud issue, but introduced a slight incompatibility with my new ADS front suspension - the tires rub on the shock reservoirs at full lock. The 3rd Gen 4Runner wheels are already a welcome change to the truck from a functional perspective. Only 7½ inches wide and with 4.625 inches backspacing - a mere 1/8" more than the stock 2000…
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TL;DR - I love the look of these Stealth6's, but I'm on the hunt for new wheels; or at least some solution to the amount of mud that gets thrown into/onto the truck when I run around in wet weather. I've really loved the look of the SCS Stealth6 wheels since I installed them. They are 16"x8" with 3.5" backspacing, which means they sit about an inch further outboard than stock wheels. That means that in muddy terrain, the mud gets everywhere, since they protrude an inch or so past the fender flares. Apparently, I haven't been on a really…
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