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Need input on good All-Terrain tires & tire size. Switching away from my current “Rugged” set up

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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
Suggestions for good, versatile, comfortable, quiet, yet strong and capable ALL TERRAIN tire? I want to set my RAV4 up to be more of a sleek, daily driver, and change away from the kinda “rugged” set up I currently made it into.
Mainly for re-gaining some of my lost MPG that the LT245/65R17 KO2s & big ‘ol roof-rack crossbars have taken away, and gain a quieter, smoother ride.

If I get some 19inch wheels, and use the OEM 235/55R19 size tire will I get similar MPG as I did with a stock 225/65R17 wheels+tires?
235/55R19 IS slightly smaller & narrower than my current 245/65R17, and a less aggressive, non “LT“ class of All-Terrain would be lighter than my current set-up.
 

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#2 ·
You can't go wrong with Falken Wild Peak A/T Trail tires in whatever size you decide to go to. They are no more noisy than the OEM Dunlops my '21 came with. They are speed rated to 130 MPH. They corner well with very good grip. They get excellent reviews for snow (they are 3 peak rated) and for off road traction--though of course they are NOT as aggressive as your KO2s. You will take a MPG hit over whatever you got from the OEM tires (I lost 2 MPG running 245/65-17) but the Falkens WILL get better MPGs than your KOs.
 
#3 ·
000000 said:
Mainly for re-gaining some of my lost MPG that the LT245/65R17 KO2s
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000000 said:
If I get some 19inch wheels, and use the OEM 235/55R19 size tire will I get similar MPG as I did with a stock 225/65R17 wheels+tires?
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I am getting consistent 27 MPG in my 2021 gas model XLE running stock OEM wheels and Falken WildPeak A/T Trails in 245/65-17 size. When running OEM Dunlop Grandtreks in 225/65-17 I got 29-30 MPG depending on how much steady state highway driving I did and how frequently I used ECO mode.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
Tazio Nuvolari said:
I am getting consistent 27 MPG in my 2021 gas model XLE running stock OEM wheels and Falken WildPeak A/T Trails in 245/65-17 size. When running OEM Dunlop Grandtreks in 225/65-17 I got 29-30 MPG depending on how much steady state highway driving I did and how frequently I used ECO mode.
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I appreciate the input.
So you think I’d be able to gain a little MPG back AND have a quieter ride if I maybe just swap out my LT245/65R17 KO2s for some 245/65R17 Falcon Wildpeaks, all while just keeping my current aftermarket wheels?

When I installed the KO2s I also installed running boards, roof crossbars & wind fairing, ditch lights, etc. and I went from like 30+ MPG average stock to 21 MPG average.
A couple weekends ago I removed the crossbars, wind fairing, ditch lights and mud flaps= basically anything that added “wind drag” and I’m averaging 25 MPG now. So even if I can gain like 1-2 MPG and have a smoother quieter ride solely from replacing these KO2s with a better tire, I’d be happy.

(And it’s not even like the KO2 are bad, but I do drive highway more than I ever off-road with this car so at this point I’m kinda just rocking the KO2 cause they look good.)
 
#5 ·
000000 said:
So you think I’d be able to gain a little MPG back AND have a quieter ride if I maybe just swap out my LT245/65R17 KO2s for some 245/65R17 Falcon Wildpeaks, all while just keeping my current aftermarket wheels?
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YES!! I think you could keep your aftermarket wheels and swap Falken Trails in 245/65-17 for your KO2s and get better MPG and a quieter ride. Just make sure you get the A/T Trails and NOT the more aggressive Falken A/T 3W. Those KO2s are a really aggressive tread pattern tire and that by itself kills your MPG. The KO2 tread pattern is also what makes all the highway noise and rumbling. The Falken A/T Trails were designed especially for our 5th generation RAV4s--the Toyota engineers and Falken people worked together to maximize their MPGs, street and off road and snow performance. A version of the Falken A/T Trail ( which was cheaper and not 3 peak rated) was factory installed OEM on all the TRD model RAV4s. The Falken A/T Trails in 245/65-17 weigh 37.9 lbs. each. Check the weight of your KO2s--I bet they weigh a bunch more. That causes worse MPG also. There are lots of threads and posts throughout this forum praising the excellence of the Falken A/T Trail tires. I cannot recall ever reading anything bad about them--literally everyone who got them loves them.
 

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#10 ·
I’ve been getting between 38-43mpg on my short five mile commute (XLE Hybrid), and I’m running on Toyo AT3 (235/65-17) and Enkei TS-V, with a full size Yakima roof basket, plus a largish lightbar attached to said basket. Prior to that I was driving in ECO (doh!) and getting 33-35mpg for the same commute. Now that I wised up and drive in Normal mode, I think I can reach 500 miles on a tank of gas. It’s fairly quiet on normal city driving, and on the highway it’s not terrible, even if I reach >80mph. It’s got that three peak rating for snow - I’ve driven on unplowed highway lanes at 50mph, and did not feel any hint of sliding or pulling to one side (do not attempt though :p). I know how loud those KO2s can be, my friend had them on her Crosstrek years ago, and she got rid of them because of that.
Image
 
#11 ·
000000 said:
I appreciate the input.
So you think I’d be able to gain a little MPG back AND have a quieter ride if I maybe just swap out my LT245/65R17 KO2s for some 245/65R17 Falcon Wildpeaks, all while just keeping my current aftermarket wheels?

When I installed the KO2s I also installed running boards, roof crossbars & wind fairing, ditch lights, etc. and I went from like 30+ MPG average stock to 21 MPG average.
A couple weekends ago I removed the crossbars, wind fairing, ditch lights and mud flaps= basically anything that added “wind drag” and I’m averaging 25 MPG now. So even if I can gain like 1-2 MPG and have a smoother quieter ride solely from replacing these KO2s with a better tire, I’d be happy.

(And it’s not even like the KO2 are bad, but I do drive highway more than I ever off-road with this car so at this point I’m kinda just rocking the KO2 cause they look good.)
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Those KO2s are LT tires, and the Falkens are regular p-metric. You would get quite the weight savings me thinks.
 
#12 ·
marokero said:
running on Toyo AT3
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I ran 2 sets of the earlier Toyo A/T2 tires for almost 20 years on my 2003 Jeep Liberty and they were very good tires. They were oriented more to off road than to street driving. They gave great traction in all conditions. There were tough and I never got flats off road on sharp rocks and very rough logging and BLM roads in the PNW. However, they were NOISY at highway speeds and especially had a deep harmonic rumble at 80 MPH. I took a big hit on gas mileage--almost 5 MPG. The tread on all TOYO A/Ts including the new A/T3 is more aggressive than the FALKEN Trails. I think on a gas model RAV they will be noisy and be hard on the MPGs.
 
#13 ·
+1 for the Falken WildPeak A/T Trail. If you're looking for a tire that can handle all sorts of terrains, from paved roads to rugged dirt trails, this one's a winner. It's not just tough, it also rides pretty cleanly.

As for the MPG question, it's a bit tricky to predict if you'll get similar fuel efficiency with 19-inch wheels and 235/55R19 tires as you did with 17-inch wheels and 225/65R17 tires. There is some EU data on fuel efficiency for tires, but it doesn't cover all the tires you can get here
 
#14 ·
I have a Woodland with the stock 18" rims and stock Falken Wild Peak tires 225 60HR18. Its an OEM Wild Peak and I find them quiet with great grip and MPG. Woodland stickers with 37 MPG combined and I am doing 41.5 MPG combined after 3,500 miles.

I love the ride and mileage. I am planning on getting the exact same tire when these wear out in several years.

Hope that helps.
 
Discussion starter · #15 ·
Thanks everyone.
Funny enough, I had a convo with a stranger a couple days ago, and he was interested in Falken Wildpeaks, saying he heard good things. I was like “You and me, both!” Seems the general consensus across the board is Falken makes some good AT tires, lol.
 
#17 ·
Discount Tire said:
If you end up going Wildpeak A/T Trail, know your purchase is backed by Falkens 30-Day ride guarantee (y)
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If you get the Falkens for the 5th gen RAV in 245/65-17 size what tire pressure PSI should you run? If you use the 35 PSI the door placard recommends for the smaller OEM 225/65-17 size Dunlop then the new bigger Falken tires would be overinflated wouldn't they?
 
#18 · (Edited)
Tazio Nuvolari said:
If you get the Falkens for the 5th gen RAV in 245/65-17 size what tire pressure PSI should you run? If you use the 35 PSI the door placard recommends for the smaller OEM 225/65-17 size Dunlop then the new bigger Falken tires would be overinflated wouldn't they?
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Pressure tends to be a personal preference, however, tires are pneumatic so you need to be aware of the minimum safe "cold" inflation pressure for load capcity, which is set by the vehicle manufacturer.

Your O.E. tires (102 load index - SL construction) carry 1,874 lbs per tire at the placard pressure (36 PSI) so the 245/65R-17 WildPeak A/T Trail (107 load index - SL construction) need to have the cold inflation pressure set to meet that 1,3874 lbs. Using the load inflation tables, 31 PSI is the minimum cold inflation pressure the tires need to be set at to meet this load requirement.

My recommendation is to set the pressure at 36 PSI and adjust to your liking from there. Just be sure not to go below 31 PSI cold and to not inflate the tires past the maximum pressure as indicated on the sidewall.
 
#19 ·
marokero said:
I’ve been getting between 38-43mpg on my short five mile commute (XLE Hybrid), and I’m running on Toyo AT3 (235/65-17) and Enkei TS-V, with a full size Yakima roof basket, plus a largish lightbar attached to said basket. Prior to that I was driving in ECO (doh!) and getting 33-35mpg for the same commute. Now that I wised up and drive in Normal mode, I think I can reach 500 miles on a tank of gas. It’s fairly quiet on normal city driving, and on the highway it’s not terrible, even if I reach >80mph. It’s got that three peak rating for snow - I’ve driven on unplowed highway lanes at 50mph, and did not feel any hint of sliding or pulling to one side (do not attempt though :p). I know how loud those KO2s can be, my friend had them on her Crosstrek years ago, and she got rid of them because of that.
View attachment 197592
Click to expand...
Huh, I wonder why Eco mode would get worse MPG. Any thoughts there?
 
#20 ·
Discount Tire said:
Pressure tends to be a personal preference, however, tires are pneumatic so you need to be aware of the minimum safe "cold" inflation pressure for load capcity, which is set by the vehicle manufacturer.

Your O.E. tires (102 load index - SL construction) carry 1,874 lbs per tire at the placard pressure (36 PSI) so the 245/65R-17 WildPeak A/T Trail (107 load index - SL construction) need to have the cold inflation pressure set to meet that 1,3874 lbs. Using the load inflation tables, 31 PSI is the minimum cold inflation pressure the tires need to be set at to meet this load requirement.

My recommendation is to set the pressure at 36 PSI and adjust to your liking from there. Just be sure not to go below 31 PSI cold and to not inflate the tires past the maximum pressure as indicated on the sidewall.
Click to expand...
Should be noted that if you are planning to go into mud or dirt off-road, you will get better traction airing down to 20PSI or so. Then pump back up for pavement.
 
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