Titan7 Tacoma AK1 Wheels & Toyo Open Country A/T III Tires

Comfort & Noise 

There’s a slight low audible hum when the tires get rolling but it isn’t intrusive or overbearing.  This isn’t surprising when you look at the large void area on the Open Country A/T III designed for off-road grip.  We’re comparing it to the Goodyear Wrangler we had before.  There was a lot of tire squealing from the Wranglers as they reached the end of their life.  We reasoned we were just overdriving a large sidewall meant to absorb impacts but our even larger sidewall on the A/T III doesn’t squeal a bit.  Head toss when hitting bumps has been minimized along with loud impact noises when crossing railroad tracks and manhole covers.

OpenCountry3_20psi
Here are Toyo Open Country A/T III is deflated to 20psi to soak up all the bumps on the trail. This made a huge difference in ride quality. Our Bilstein shocks couldn’t keep up when the tires were inflated to 32psi. Our Tacoma started out in La-Jolla, CA and the morning salty air took its toll on our rear drums. We’ll address that in the future.

Looks

Well looks are super subjective, aren’t they?  We kinda hated the stock wheels that made our Tacoma get lost in the sea of other Tacomas.  We like the style of the AK1s in tandem with the more rugged looks of the Open Countries.

MotoIQ_Project_Tacoma_RearOverall Impression

Instead of an ending paragraph, I decided to create a video.  I’m learning as I go with that whole process so please take it easy on the criticism.

Sources

Titan 7

Toyo Tires

4 comments

  1. I went from Nitto Ridge Grapplers to the tToyo A/T III’s on my 2017 Ram 2500 CTD about a year ago. The Toyo’s have noticeably softer sidewalls (I drive my truck like my Subaru Legacy…or at least I try too) and they do make more noise but they seem to be wearing much better (I frequently tow close to or over the trucks rating) and have better traction in the limited offroad excursion the truck sees. I have no complaints with the Nitto’s but I’ve also been very happy with Toyo’s!

  2. I’m running 16” SCS F5s with (stock size) Michelin ltx m/s in 265/65-r16 on my 14’ taco and love the setup. Wheels are around 17.5lbs and tires around 37 iirc. Michelins are quieter and grippier on the street than my previous KO2s and weigh less. They work great off road in mud and sand when aired out. Haven’t tried Toyos but heard they wear out quickly.

    1. It looks like you’re definitely seeing the benefits of only going as large as you need (16 inches) which is a great way to keep the rolling weight down. I have yet to be disappointed by a Michelin tire I’ve purchased.

      As far as the Toyo’s wear time will tell but after the many reviews I’ve read many people seem happy with the longevity.

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