I’ve been running the Tamarock M/Ts for a year now, having put on about 20,000 miles in that time. My 5th Gen is the only vehicle in the family, and for that reason, it’s not only the daily driver but it’s the weekend adventure rig.
I have always wanted to dip my toes into mud terrains, not just for the aggressive look, but also for the extra traction off-road. Living in Southern California, we admittedly don’t have a lot of wet conditions, but when it does rain, trails turn muddy quickly. My major hang-up was being able to hear some of the louder ones on the highway before I even knew what truck they were on – I didn’t want to be that guy. Talking with the representatives from Arroyo, they were quick to tell me that they regularly hear that the Tamarock M/Ts are regarded as very quiet. After learning that they are known for their relatively low noise level, I decided to give them a shot.
So, let’s get into the year-long review and figure out if I regret running them. Spoiler Alert: Of course I don’t!
Also, check out my initial impressions post.
Table Of Contents
Running A 12.5″ Wide Tire
Time and time again, you see posts online from people asking about running oversized tires, not just tall but wide, on the forums. What was needed? The extra weight. How they might feel. BMCs. Viper cuts. And you can go on forever.
After running the Tamarocks for a year, I can say that mounted on the Lock Off-Road Baja Wheels and paired with the Dirt King 2.0 IFPs and 4130 Uppers, all I needed was a BMC to run them comfortably. I had previously trimmed the smallest wedge off my front bumper and pushed the fender in, and with that, they’ve fit great! The pickup and go, braking, or handling have not felt different, even at about 90 pounds per wheel and tire, but I’ve also made numerous modifications to my 4Runner, including adding extra weight.
Something I hadn’t considered with wider tires and wheels was how the rear tires would perform. You often see this with 35s, where the trim piece on the door breaks off when they get stuffed. Fortunately, the 33s don’t seem to have that same issue!
A bit more on the specs below for those who like the numbers:
- Tires: Tamarock M/T 33×12.5R17
- Wheels: Lock Off-Road Baja Machine Finish 17×9 with -12 mm offset
- UCAs: Dirt King 4130
- Suspension: Dirt King 2.0 IFPs
- LCAs: OEM
On-Road Performance
On-road driving has been the vast majority of my 20k miles. Short and long trips alike. Daily driving has been nothing but great. I approach my review process to anything I’ve installed on my 4Runner as the less I think about it, the better it’s doing, and the Tamarock M/Ts is nothing different. The wider and heavier tires did not make anything feel different; vibration was no worse than that of an AT, whether new or worn, and the noise level has been really manageable for such an aggressive tread pattern. I’d go so far as to say it’s not more noticeable than running BFG KO2s or Falken AT3Ws, as they’ve started to age out. As these are my first set of M/Ts, I can’t speak to how they compare to others.
As for MPG, I swapped out these at the same time as a new full suspension, opting to lower the front end slightly, as my previous setup was starting to sag due to added weight. Both of these have led to a slight improvement in fuel mileage, but it’s hard to say what’s contributing to that.
Off-Road Capability
I’ve taken several trips over the last year, primarily through sandy and rocky trails. As I mentioned earlier, the less I think about certain aspects of my 5th Gen during these trips, the better they’re performing. Airing these down, the 10-ply tire kept things feeling firm while being more comfortable on the long washboard roads in Death Valley and Joshua Tree. Talking with Arroyo, they’ve comfortably run these tires down to 10 psi without unseating the tire. I’m not comfortable with that, especially when I’m so far away from help on many of my trips, but it’s good to know that running 20 psi is very doable.
Having run the tires through some tough climbs, some wear is evident, with small amounts of chunking of the tread blocks. However, I would say that’s more a result of my own aggressive driving style, rather than slow driving, with a tendency to accelerate over obstacles. It’s also worth noting that if you play in the rocks, you will see chunking – it just comes with the territory.
As mentioned in my initial overview, the self-clearing feature works well, but with a small caveat: you really have to get up to speed to eject some of the gravel that is stuck deeper into the tread. This is most likely also why the tires are so quiet; the lugs being closer together keeps road noise low, but also locks in certain gravel pretty snugly.
Longevity & Wear
To date, I’ve driven approximately 20,000 miles in a little over a year of driving. It would seem that I have about half of the tread still remaining. I do my best to rotate the tires every 5,000 miles, and have found the wear, with the correct tire pressure, to be even and consistent. With this many miles on the tires, the road noise hasn’t gotten any louder, which has been really great! Even with the tires being somewhat worn out, due to my poor level of throttle control, these pieces of missing rubber have not been noticeable.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Affordability – These tires are priced much lower than the competition, which is about 30-50% less than some of the other well-known brand M/Ts of this size.
- Surprisingly quiet, nearing that of an A/T tire.
- Excellent at hill climbing, the lugs are spaced to grab at anything they can.
- Tread wear is excellent, still has some serious rubber left after 20k miles.
- Great online presence, if you’re searching for some tags, Arroyo is quick to plug your post!
Cons
- If you’re coming from a road or all-terrain tire, these will have the distinct M/T hum, but again, they are significantly quieter than others on the market.
- I sometimes feel like I should tip the Costco techs who are rotating these, considering they weigh almost 60 lbs. each (and 90 lbs. with the wheels). However, at this size, the wider tire will add weight compared to any 285/70R17 tire, regardless of the brand.
- The softer rubber, compared to an A/T, does mean that if you tend to skinny pedal obstacles, you’ll pay a slightly higher price. If you’re patient and slow-going, there shouldn’t be much concern.
Final Thoughts
It’s been a year and 20,000 miles since the Arroyo Tires Tamarock M/Ts went on my 5th Gen, and I couldn’t be happier with my first dip into running M/Ts. Working with Arroyo has been great, and I am also excited to give their R/T version a try.
This tire is best for those who want a low cost but performance similar to tires that are almost double their price. If I decide to stick with M/Ts for my next tire, I’d see no reason to switch to anything else. They’re quite well-handling, look great. Arroyo’s goal of excellent performance at an affordable price really rings true with this one!
