How big is big enough? - Tire sizes

[JCWages]

For a daily driven / overland vehicle I've been a fan of "next size up" on the tires. Adds a little weight, but not much more strain or wear. My truck came with 32's stock, I run 33's without issue. 35's would look killer, but then we are talking gearing, wheels, less mpg, etc...

I agree with this. 1 or 2 sizes up depending on load range choice seems reasonable for most vehicles. As you size up going narrower allows you to avoid the gearing issue somewhat by keeping weight down compared to the same diameter tire in a much wider size.

 

[madcratebuilder]

Have you found any LT255/75R17 tires that have a load rating of E?

Only problem I have with a E rated tire is the weight, 54lbs plus. 4 ply Dura Trac is 40lbs, the Wrangler M/T is C rated 52lbs, KO2's are C rated at 46lbs.
255/75 or 255/80, I need to mount a 255/80 and see how it clears.

 

[Billiebob]

Do you feel that's big enough?

After 40 years of wheeling I'm done with going big. All oversize tires do is create the never ending cycle of something breaks so we need to "upgrade" that too. Moderate changes are fine, your truck came with 30s, you want to run 33s, have at 'er. I run 33s on my TJR and I love them but I bet I go thru steering joints faster too. I've had many Jeeps, many lifts. It was a never ending game of beefing up things which broke. My TJR now runs a box stock suspension, driveline, even wheels thru 33s. To fit 33s, all I have is an AEV HighLine body kit. I like it way more now than when it looked like a cartoon character 5" in the air.

Almost every SUV, 4x4 Pickup is well built and capable stock. Everytime you make a change you create a weak link and something breaks so you either "upgrade" that part or start carrying spare parts..... increasing the weight and stressing something new. I'm betting 90% of the lifts, big tires out there are done for ego and to feel part of the big boys group.

Yes. Stock is big enough.

 

[Murphy Slaw]

I'm trying to decide on new shoes now. I have a cabin in the middle of 30 acres with a trail into it. If I go too aggressive I'm afraid it'll tear up my own road worse than the stock Wranger SRA's have for the last few years. But those SRA's will force me into 4 wheel drive with a heavy dew.....

The Bighorn has 275 60 20's. I want it ALL. Good traction, great ride, long wear.

Any ideas?

 

[JCWages]

I'm trying to decide on new shoes now. I have a cabin in the middle of 30 acres with a trail into it. If I go too aggressive I'm afraid it'll tear up my own road worse than the stock Wranger SRA's have for the last few years. But those SRA's will force me into 4 wheel drive with a heavy dew.....

The Bighorn has 275 60 20's. I want it ALL. Good traction, great ride, long wear.

Any ideas?

Here you go.

https://www.falkentire.com/tires/light-truck-suv-cuv-tires/wildpeaka/t3w-tire

 

[Billiebob]

I'm trying to decide on new shoes now. I have a cabin in the middle of 30 acres with a trail into it. If I go too aggressive I'm afraid it'll tear up my own road worse than the stock Wranger SRA's have for the last few years. But those SRA's will force me into 4 wheel drive with a heavy dew.....

The Bighorn has 275 60 20's. I want it ALL. Good traction, great ride, long wear.

Any ideas?

Agressive tires only rip up the terra firma if you have a heavy foot. Contrary to popular opinion if you want to tread lightly, first get the most aggressive tread you can find, second use 4wd to divide the torque 4 ways instead of 2. Third, use lockers when running straight so no one tire can spin. And finally, use a light foot on the skinny pedal, shift early, keep the rpms low.

 

[Renegade]

I have run almost all the major trails in the USA with 33s on my jeep. The bigger you go, the more you have to upgrade or risk breakage.

 

[retrorabbit]

Our last Grand Cherokee (WJ) started with 33s. I ended up hanging the front diff on the center of a rut and flooding the cabin. Not the end of the world, it was a good excuse to pressure wash the carpet. We then went up to 35" tires. The ride was improved, weight dropped, and we were able to easily roll over more ledges which should have helped the transmission survive a bit longer.

For our Wrangler, we have 37" tires. Running larger brake rotors killed the idea of 35x12.50x15. Being stuck with 17" wheels and needing to regear regardless of tire size; 37s were a natural fit. I doubt I will ever go back to anything smaller for a proper adventure vehicle, however, I am very tempted to go with a hybrid tire next time instead of a full on mud tire.

We have another Grand Cherokee (ZJ) now. I have yet to decide between 30, 31, 32, or 33 inch tires. 30s will do everything we want to do with the car, but 33's and a 2" lift sure look cool. Bigger tires have a lot of advantages, and on some vehicles you can offset the added weight with a reciprocating saw to make the tires fit.

 

[MetalMatt1776]

The greatest factor for me when deciding tire size is the axles underneath the vehicle. For my truck with a Dana 60 and a Sterling 10.5 35s are the minimum to achieve decent ground clearance. Also, I can comfortably run 35s to 37s stock without fear of excessive wear. Considering those factors and price I went with 35s (actually 315/75r16.)
Another big factor could be the physical space for the tire. My co-worker has 2500 Chevy and went with 35s in a fairly standard offset, but even with a 6" lift he had to do some significant trimming. Where as my F250 is sitting on 35s with barely 4" of lift no clearance issues even at full compression.

 

[denw]

I'm trying to decide on new shoes now. I have a cabin in the middle of 30 acres with a trail into it. If I go too aggressive I'm afraid it'll tear up my own road worse than the stock Wranger SRA's have for the last few years. But those SRA's will force me into 4 wheel drive with a heavy dew.....

The Bighorn has 275 60 20's. I want it ALL. Good traction, great ride, long wear.

Any ideas?

Nitto Ridge Grapplers awesome tire also very quiet on highway great grip in the rain as well

 

[OtherOrb]

For me? I prefer overlanding to rock crawling, so I stick to stock height or stock+1" or so, depending on the vehicle. Never wider than stock, often 2-4" skinnier. Wider tires cause too many problems on the vehicle.