Many Toyota Tacoma owners upsize their tires for different reasons, including additional off-road performance or plain aesthetic preferences. So what are the biggest tires that you can fit in a completely stock Tacoma? We've compiled our research for your reading pleasure.
A completely stock 2022 Toyota Tacoma can use a tire with a maximum diameter of 32.5 inches without needing any modifications. The specific tire sizes may be different for some Tacoma trims because they come with different sizes of stock wheels or rims.
If you are interested in upsizing the tires of your stock Tacoma, then you have come to the right place. Do read on, and we'll do our best to help you understand how you can buy the right tire size for your project.
What Are The Biggest Tires For A Stock Toyota Tacoma?
The stock Toyota Tacoma's maximum tire diameter depends on the wheel well clearance and also the offset and backspacing of the wheels/rims to be used.
Based on all these factors, a completely unmodified Tacoma can accommodate a maximum tire diameter of 32.5 inches and a maximum tire width of 10.83 inches (275 millimeters).
Different trims of the 2022 Toyota Tacoma come with 16-inch, 17-inch, or 18-inch wheel diameters. As such, the biggest tire specifications for each wheel size will be different in order to achieve the 32.5-inch overall tire diameter.
32-Inch Tires For 16-inch Wheels
The SR, SR5, TRD Pro, and TRD Off-Road trim levels of the Toyota Tacoma may have different wheel designs, but they all have 16-inch diameters. Below are the possible light truck tire specifications for the 16-inch wheel size.
The biggest tires that you can fit on these stock Tacoma trims should have a maximum specification of 265/75/R16.
32 and 32.5-inch Tires For 17-inch Wheels
The Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport trim comes with stock 17-inch wheels and 265/65/R17 tires. You can upsize these to the following tire sizes without the need for any modification.
- 265/70/R17 (32 inches)
- 275/70/R17 (32.5 inches)
32.5-inch Tires For 18-inch Wheels
The Toyota Tacoma Limited trim comes with stock 18-inch wheels and 265/60/R18 tires. As with the TRD Sport trim, you can also increase the Toyota Tacoma Limited's tire size. The maximum tire size, in this case, should be 275/65/R18.
What Do The Numbers On My Tires Mean?
While you may already be familiar with the numbers that we have been rattling off regarding tire sizes, some may still be in need of a quick refresher. To illustrate, let's take an example: 275/70/R17.
- 275 is expressed in millimeters. It represents the tire's width.
- 70 is the aspect ratio, expressed as a percentage. This means that the tire's height coming from the rim is 70% of the tire's width.
- R17 means that the tire is of radial construction and that it will fit onto a 17-inch wheel or rim.
There are other specific numbers on the tires for load rating and speed rating, but for now, we will limit ourselves to size specifications.
What Is A Tire's Overall Diameter?
We measure a tire's overall diameter from its outermost point along its circumference line. Moreover, we also need to be sure that the tire is properly mounted and inflated on its manufacturer-assigned rim size. Finally, the tire must not bear any load during measurement.
What Is A Tire's Width?
Under the same conditions of measuring overall diameter, we can also measure a tire's width. Tire width is measured from one outer sidewall to the other, with an imaginary line passing through the center point of the tire and perpendicular to the sidewalls.
What Is A Tire's Aspect Ratio?
Aspect ratios are not stated in inches in millimeters, but as percentages. To get the aspect ratio, we need to get two measurements first.
- Tire height - the distance from the rim's outermost point in its circumference up to the corresponding point on the tire's treads
- Tire width - the measurement from one end of the sidewall to the other
A tire's aspect ratio is the ratio of the tire's height against its width. For example, a tire that has an aspect ratio of 65 has a tire height that is 65% of its width.
Should You Upsize Your Tires?
Getting bigger tires is one of the first and easiest upgrades you can do to your Toyota Tacoma. As long as the tires are within the size limit, then there's no need to install a leveling kit or do a full suspension lift.
Before you decide to upsize your tires, please consider the advantages and disadvantages of doing so.
What Are The Advantages Of Upsizing Tires?
Cosmetics
Some truck owners want to lower their truck's ride height. However, many of them prefer a bigger set of tires as they go well aesthetically with a truck that is designed for utility.
Higher Ground Clearance
A vehicle that sits higher from the ground can usually go to more places than one that sits lower. When you upgrade to taller tires, you can increase your car's ground clearance. Along with this, you also get greater approach and departure angles, as well as fording depth.
With these increases, you can brave more rough terrains without worrying about scraping the ground with your vehicle's underside. Moreover, you can even cross or wade through flood or shallow rivers that you would back away from if you had stock tires.
Better Traction
Upsizing tires usually involves wider and taller tires or just wider tires. Either way, when you upsize your tires, you improve your vehicle's grip or traction on the road.
Because of a bigger tire contact patch, your car will be safer to drive, especially on slippery roads. Moreover, your car's increased traction helps make your car more stable when you are driving at higher speeds on the highway.
Finally, better traction gives you better overall control of your vehicle, especially on winding roads and even during emergency cornering situations.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Upsizing Tires?
If you intend to make the most out of the advantages of upsizing your tires, then you should also be prepared for its disadvantages.
More Expensive Tire Replacement
With all other factors held equal (e.g. tire brand, location, etc.), bigger tires are generally more expensive than smaller ones. If you wish to upsize your tires, then you should prepare to buy the entire set at the same time.
You should also buy a spare tire of the same size. It would neither be safe nor pleasant-looking if you use a smaller tire in case of a flat.
Slower Acceleration
While bigger tires give you better overall control of your vehicle, they also dampen your acceleration. First, the bigger tire contact patch results in more road traction, or in other words, friction. Second, bigger tires weigh more than smaller tires.
As a result, your engine will have to work harder to overcome both the additional friction and weight to get your vehicle moving from a standstill. Thus, your vehicle's rate of acceleration will decrease.
Heavier Steering
Once again, the higher friction produced by the bigger tires' contact patches will result in heavier steering. You may not feel the difference that much when you are cruising on a highway, but you will probably notice it when you are dry-steering into a cramped parking space.
Higher Fuel Consumption
As your engine works to overcome the additional weight and friction due to the bigger tires, it will consume more fuel. Moreover, if you choose tires with bigger tread patterns, your engine will also need to overcome the tires' additional wind resistance, especially on highways.
Inaccurate Speed Reading
Your car's speedometer is calibrated to read your vehicle's speed when you use its stock rims and tires. If you upsize your tires, the bigger diameter will cause your vehicle to move a little farther with every wheel rotation. Thus, you will be moving faster than your speedometer says.
Reduced Ride Comfort
If you increase your tires' width but decrease your tires' aspect ratio, then you can expect a rougher ride. A narrower tire sidewall can make a vehicle more stable on fast corners, but it will have limited flex room to absorb impact on the road.
In our case, however, the sidewalls will increase in size so they will have more flexing capacity. However, if you upsize to all-terrain or even mud-terrain tires, then you will definitely feel the additional vibration and wind resistance caused by the bigger tire tread patterns.
Why Is The Toyota Tacoma So Popular?
Since 2002, the Toyota Tacoma has been the undisputed sales leader in America's small to mid-sized pick-up truck category. The "Taco", as some aficionados call it, hasn't had a full model update since 2016, but many mid-size truck buyers prefer it over its competitors.
As a mid-size pick-up truck, the Tacoma is still relatively maneuverable in urban settings. However, it also has the ruggedness to fare quite well in off-road settings. If you need to tow a trailer, the Tacoma has sufficient grunt to pull 6,400 pounds when properly equipped.
Finally, true to its manufacturer's badge, the Toyota Tacoma also maintains its reputation for reliability and good resale value.
How Much Will The 2022 Toyota Tacoma Cost?
As of May 2022, the Toyota Tacoma retails from $27,150 for the entry-level SR trim up to $49,290 for the most expensive TRD Pro trim.
Wrapping Up
A stock 2022 Toyota Tacoma can use tires with a maximum overall diameter of 32.5 inches and a maximum width of 275 millimeters. The exact tire aspect ratio will depend on the wheel sizes of the different Tacoma trims.
Thank you for reading through and we hope we were able to help you understand the maximum tire size for your stock Tacoma. For more interesting reads about Toyota, please check out these great articles.
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What would the biggest tire without a lift for the Toyota Tacoma Off-road with 16” rims? Also best lift kit and tires with the same rim size? Thank you!
I have the same question for my 2021 Tacoma!!!