"Readily available" tire size question

sasaholic

Adventurer
also every the tire specs that are on manufactures websites very greatly. ive seen actual measument to up to an 1inch off so you really have to take a tape measure and see for your self, but remember the width of the rim also will change the height of any given tire slightly also. the skinnier the rim the taller it makes the tire.
 

stevenmd

Expedition Leader
every 255 has been larger in diameter than any 285's that are out. usually 285 actually measure out to be just bellow or right at 33 inches tall whereas a 255 is closer to 33.4 most of the time, not much difference but there is some. also the ssr comes in a 35 10.5 16 not only 15, but are expensive and hard to come by.

So 255/85's are taller than 285/75's? The tire calculators seem to think not. I don't know, perhaps I should just leave it where it's at...:snorkel:
 
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R_Lefebvre

Expedition Leader
every 255 has been larger in diameter than any 285's that are out. usually 285 actually measure out to be just bellow or right at 33 inches tall whereas a 255 is closer to 33.4 most of the time, not much difference but there is some. also the ssr comes in a 35 10.5 16 not only 15, but are expensive and hard to come by.

So you're suggesting a 255/50/16 is bigger than a 285/75/16?
 
S

stu454

Guest
Yes, 255/85R16 is taller than 265/75R16.

Please just look up the tire you like and see what the manufacturer says the height is. The calculators are useful on an academic level but they are not gospel; again, go to the manufacturer's website.

It's not rocket science and the earth won't collapse in on itself if your tires end up being 32.9" tall vs 33.2".

So you're suggesting a 255/50/16 is bigger than a 285/75/16?

Rob,

I took that to mean "255/85R16", not every 255 tire, period.
 
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S

stu454

Guest
It's good!

All of these numbers can make your eyes cross and your head hurt.:costumed-smiley-007
 

SeaRubi

Explorer
I ran 255's - it's a nice size, but 3.54 gears were too high for my taste. I never got around to 4.11's, and 4.75's were too much for a rig that sees highway.

gatsby.gif


235/85 are almost exclusively in load range E and are much easier to come by, as this is a very popular size for medium duty dually trucks and a common size for fleets of light pickups. Also, if you're in a rural town and happen to find 7.50x16, it will match up fine with a 235/85 metric.

the skinnies do hook up well.

ledge.jpg
 

SeaRubi

Explorer
x2 SeaRubi! Those 255's look huge on your truck. 2" or 3" lift? Are you part of the NCLR?

thanks fellas. they felt huge, too! That truck, named Gatsby, is long gone. I think the pic is about 5 years old, now. that was the final incarnation before I parted it out after buying an 06 rubicon.

It was sitting on an 1st generation RTE 3" lift, which netted close to 4" on the front. Absolutely hated those springs. I'll save it for another thread. Bilstein 7100's in 10" travel, 24" stainless braided brake lines finished up the suspension. Detroit / Truetrack combo, Rovertracks rear axles, stock rear shaft (no vibes!) . The front end was a curious mix of ex-MOD and other stuff. Ashcroft 23/24 spline chromo inners, and from the swivel-ball out was all 1-ton 110 MOD stuff. AEU2522 CV's, HD hubs, and the thick drive flanges. At the time the choices for HD cv's were extremely limited, and the race for aftermarket stuff was hot. I decided not to wait, and just run the 110 CV's. They're not perfect, but they're a lot better than the wimpy ABS spec CV's that came in my '91.

The wheels were standard NATO with BFG 255/85. I ran a DII front drive-shaft and never had any vibes. I also ran a DII LT230 that I had to convert the rear-output back to D1 to get the VSS to hook up.

I had originally sourced offset 15" steelies and 35x12.50 Goodyear MT/R's. I figured the front axle would hold with the AEU2522 CV joints if I used a truetrack and didn't lock it all the way with an ARB. After several weeks of rolling those 35's up next to the truck while it was on jackstands, I lost my nerve. They were going to take hacking ... and a lot of it. Explaining my situation to a fella in PCRC turned up a set of 255's on NATO's, ready to go. Made it an easy decision.

All in all it was quite a monster, when it ran ... the heads were in a bad need of a rebuild, and I never could get it to pass smog, even after replacing every sensor on the thing with new genuine stuff from britpac. It died one day while idling - I'm pretty sure it was the ignition amp, which I had a GM 4-prong replacement for but had never fitted. After 6 years of hacking, wheeling, and modding I got pissed at it and bought a Rubi about a month later. I was ready to focus on taking trips and forget about being in the shop all the time. This was all while I was in Seattle. Suffice it to say, I've moved cross country twice, and gone through two jeeps to arrive here in San Francisco without a rig.

When I get another RRC here in the next few months, I'd love to hook up with you folks in NCLR for some trips. I'm pretty active still with folks in the Pacific NW, through Northwest Overland Society. I've haunted LRO and the Mendo list for nearly 10 years and know of the usual suspects but haven't been able to meet very many of them.

Now that I have this choice to make again, I'm going to be sourcing either 215/85's or 235/85's for another set of NATO's. If you're at a cross-roads I'd suggest sticking to 235's. That extra inch of tire just isn't worth all the headaches unless you're prepared to spend a lot of money sorting everything out.

cheers
-ike
 

michaels

Explorer
i like my 255/85s. i plan to keep this size as my DD size in some allterrains when i move up to 35s for the trail.
 

SeaRubi

Explorer
i like my 255/85s. i plan to keep this size as my DD size in some allterrains when i move up to 35s for the trail.

don't get me wrong, the clearance is great! but let me ask you this ... is your rig locked front and rear? after seeing what my jeep was capable of locked front and rear with a 73:1 crawl, 4" less ground clearance, and 2" less tire I was shocked. Keeping the tire size down sure helps on fuel mileage, and I don't know of any rover sitting on 35's that I'd want to spend much time inside of on the highway. Depends on your goal for the truck. If it's a short commute to work and weekend trail work, sure. If you're planning on logging serious miles I think it's more of a hindrance than a help.

food for thought!

cheers
-ike
 

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