Tires: Tire size, toyota fj cruiser, 2007 toyota fj

Question
I just bought a used 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser the vehicle came with 17" alloyed rims with P265 Dunlap tires. The tires have a lot of wear and I would like to replace them with P245 tires on the same 17" rims, can this be done and if so would it be safe? Thanks, Nick

Answer
Nick,

On every vehicle sold in the US, there is a sticker – commonly called the tire placard - that lists the original tire size and the proper pressure for that size.  The placard is usually located on a doorpost or in the glove box – but sometimes it is located in the trunk or on the fuel filler door.

According to Tire Guides, which publishes a summary of the vehicle placards, your vehicle's placard ought to say P265/70R17's inflated to 32 psi.

If that is true than going down to a P245/70R17 is going down in load carrying capacity and that increases the risk of a load related tire failure, which sometimes has tragic consequences.