great tire size debate

[MOAK]

I just picked up our, new to us, LX450 back in November. It is in great shape, flawless body, new leather on front seats, front axle rebuilt at 202,000; head pulled and rebuilt, along with water pump, etc, etc, at 160,000; all new rubber under the hood, (hoses/belts) at 202,000; engine purrs like a kitten, trans is great, but, like all 80's with 208,000 it does need a couple of things, A/C work, trans temp sensor, maybe new exhaust from "y" pipe all the way back, and of course I'll be adhering to my very anal PM schedule..
It has an OME 2.5" sitting on 315/75/16s. These tires are monster size, and I can't help but think we need to go down to a 33" tire. Better economy, better highway manners, and less initial outlay of money. The truck has a difficult time staying in overdrive and I just think that a smaller tire will be much more economical, and we will not be sacrificing very much off road trail performance. Our 80 is not a daily driver, (maybe 60 miles a week), but primarily used for our long range expeditions out west and up north. We used to do run our Rubicon with 33's, and I had plans of going down a size, until we got the 80. Is my thinking backwards on this? Will I regret dropping a size? Is the 80's drivetrain going to notice a difference in economy and wear and tear or is the drivetrain up to the task of supporting 35s? I like tall and skinny, and it seems about the only option out there is a 255/85/16 (33.2x10).. Help out fellow overlanders, I need some fact based opinion... Thanks

 

[p nut]

I guess it just depends on your usage. I'd say 33's are a good choice. I'd even say stock size wouldn't be bad, either, if better road manners are wanted.

For tires, you won't see much MPG difference between the taller/narrower 255/85's and 285/75's, so pick which ever you like. I prefer the the wider tread myself. You could even go 265/75's, which are pretty capable, cheaper and would handle slightly better.

I had 265's then moved up to 285's last year. For the stuff I do, I don't think it made much difference as far as performance. I do like the looks better, though. About 1-2MPG hit.

 

[Skids HJ61]

I would definately go down to a 33" size tyre (in what ever width you choose 285/75, 255/85 etc). A 80 series running standrad gearing (CW&P) on 35's is too highly geared. If you go down to 33's you will notice a massive improvement in acceleration, braking, cruising RPM's and getting the engine to run in the sweet spot, fuel economy and general handling. Sure, you will lose some offroad clearance but it doesnt sound like you are hard core (2 inch lift and from your comments) so I dont expect a small drop in clearance will matter for what you expect the truck to do. I have played with many different tyres sizes on my trucks over the tyears so I can talk from experience.

Hope that helps :ylsmoke:

 

[bossman429]

If i could get 255's to fit on my 100 series properly, i would have put them on there. (yes I know some have done it but IMO its a bit too skinny for the size wheels i have)

I think the 80's wheels are 1/2" or so narrower so that would be perfect (someone confirm this). id go 255's There is a great and old article on here debating wide vs skinny. Skinny wins 90% of the time.

 

[Skids HJ61]

There is a great and old article on here debating wide vs skinny. Skinny wins 90% of the time.

that age old argument is also never ending in Oz. I dont think it really matters myself, Ive had fat and skinny and there are a number of other factors to consider like air pressure, driving style, tread pattern, tread depth and everyone knows a track can be very different from month to month so for me, fat Vs skinny is just one more argument over a campfire that'll never be resolved haha

 

[p nut]

If i could get 255's to fit on my 100 series properly, i would have put them on there. (yes I know some have done it but IMO its a bit too skinny for the size wheels i have)

I think the 80's wheels are 1/2" or so narrower so that would be perfect (someone confirm this). id go 255's There is a great and old article on here debating wide vs skinny. Skinny wins 90% of the time.

I think both 80 and 100 are 16x8. Offsets are different. Also, for me, skinny sucked (although mine were skinnier than 255's). I would personally stay 265+.

 

[MOAK]

Well,,, skinny versus ultra fat, in my humble opinion skinny wins, but skinny versus a little bit wider, a bit wider wins. Nevertheless, it is an age old debate and a matter of personal preference, combined with what one utilizes his machine for. Thanks for the informed replies, my assumptions have been confirmed. I like the (33x11) 285/75s. I'll drop 2" in height, and 1.5" in width, which will be much better for the drivetrain, handling, and my wallet.... Anyone interested in a set of 315/75 BFG KMs with only about 15k miles on em? A set of four,, which I don't understand what the PO was thinking as I always rotate 5.. Thanks again,,

 

[bossman429]

that age old argument is also never ending in Oz. I dont think it really matters myself, Ive had fat and skinny and there are a number of other factors to consider like air pressure, driving style, tread pattern, tread depth and everyone knows a track can be very different from month to month so for me, fat Vs skinny is just one more argument over a campfire that'll never be resolved haha

Very true. Thats a good point. In order to see the advantages of a skinny tire you need to alter the tire pressure more.

I think both 80 and 100 are 16x8. Offsets are different. Also, for me, skinny sucked (although mine were skinnier than 255's). I would personally stay 265+.

Thats what it is. I knew it was something. all i know is I saw a picture of a 100 series with 255's and It looked like one of those pickups with the railroad wheels on it, that are way to inboard lol

 

[p nut]

Well,,, skinny versus ultra fat, in my humble opinion skinny wins, but skinny versus a little bit wider, a bit wider wins.

Well, there is ultra fat.....and then there is the obnoxiously fat. OF wins, period.

 

[JohnnyS]

33s (285s) are a great choice for an 80 series, or a 100 for that matter. You'll be hard pressed to find someplace you can't go & it is a very common size (price & availability).
Plus you can run two spares easily if you have on on a tire carrier & one underneath.
The original plan on my first 80 was to run 35s, however after wheeling it all over Arizona I realized it swapping up to 35s would cause unnecessary stress on the vehicle, & the funds could be better spent on other things.
Our current 80 is perfect on 33s, good highway manners & amazing off-road.
I would go with 285s over 255s;lots of tire choices, 80s are pretty big & may benefit from the additional width (increased footprint in sand, etc...), they also fit perfectly on OEM wheels.
My 2 cents.

 

[Corbet]

I lost 2MPG when I went from 33's to 35's so you should see a gain there. Go 285 as there are many more tire choices and if you have an issue on the road you have a better chance of finding a replacement on the shelf.

 

[mattafact]

I've had 285s and 255s on my 80s and liked them both. There is a ton more selection in the 285s.

I also had 37s but that's another story.

 

[Eric H]

I've run 285 Nitto's, 305/70r16 dura tracs, 315 Toyo Mt's, and now 295/75r16 Toyo open county AT's in the Extreme model. The 295 handle the wet puddles with less pulling than the 305's and fill the fenders nicely. I like the look of the 305's but they are 32.8" vs 33.4" with the 295's. There are very few tire options in the 295 but the Toyo AT is a great tire for the truck. The 305 Toyo AT may be just the ticket as the tread width on the Toyo is less than the GY DuraTrac due to the shoulder shape.

 

[CYK]

Steamrollers. 325s fellas. Everything else is bike tires to me. Lol

And let's be clear. They are toyo at2 tires and they come in p, lt and xtreme options. Best at tire on the market today.

 

[zimm]

Having run both 35 ' s and 33's on a 100, I can say there not much comparison in performance offroad. The ability to do it, and which one will do easier, are two different discussions. Thus also goes for width. In any given diameter, the wider tire will out perform the narrower tire off road. If if mileage and knuckle wear etc don't matter to you, the wider tire is the better tire all else equal.

As to 33 or 35, I can't speak for an 80 with stock gearing. I know on the harder more technical stuff 4.88s would be a vast improvement over 4.30 in the 100, but for overall wheeling performace, even without a a regear, the 35 crushes the 33. A regear would only make the package that much more dominant. I am NOT currently running lockers.

In the end the skinny/wide debate is only fought by those that put thier hearts over thier heads. So many classic rigs like 110s and 40's look so frigging great with skinnys, that lovers of the look seem to pack in thier intelligence to advocate them. I have skinniy 33s on my 40, they arnt nearly as good as wider tires or 35s, but thats ok because that how I think the truck styles best and that matters more to me.