265 vs. 285- how much real advantage off road?

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C

Cherry LC

10 Year 15 Year
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Jan 29, 2009
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It's time to replace the stock size highway tires on my 97 LC and, like many folks, I'm having a tough time with the decision.

I'm looking for the compromise of the best on-road handling (and good snow and ice performance) combined with as much capability as possible off-road. I've narrowed it down to the Cooper Discoverer S/T for the tire (the Nitto Terra Grappler was a close second), and 265/75 or 285/75 for the size.

My question is, how great is the off-road advantage of the 285 over the 265 and is it worth the handling penalty for the on-road miles? The main advantage seems to be height, but the 1" difference in total height seems, to me, to translate into a half inch of additional clearance. Does that really make a noticeable difference off road? Any input would be appreciated.

I have OME 861/862 "stock height" springs and OME shocks, and I'll be driving primarily in northern California's Sierra Nevada mountains and a bit in Nevada and southern Utah. Ultimately I would like to explore Mexico and Central America in my Cruiser, but that's not going to happen for a while.
 
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You'll like the Discoverer S/T - great tire I've bought twice. I think the handling penalty will be notable with the wider tire producing some dartiness and steering vagueness, and longer stopping distances. I say 'notable' intentionally as opposed to a stronger term because it will be something only a careful observer would note. If you were able to have each size installed for a month you'd feel the difference, but that's simply not practical. It may get worse as the tire ages. Of course you'll also give up some fuel economy and torque on the larger tire.

The offroad benefit of the wider tire would accrue in conditions where increased floatation with lower pressure tires is desireable and there's risk of pinching the tire, but not much elsewhere unless the 285 is also a higher rated (such as E vs P, etc) tire.

I used the 265/75 size both times and liked it, though certainly the ride onroad was bumpier than the stock P metric Michelins. Why don't you consider the new Michelin A/T? We need someone to act as guinea pig and this is the first redesign of their A/T in many years. It has never been popular simply because it is not styled well. The new one isn't either, unfortunately, but I bet it's a great tire in terms of function. Michelin's no slouch.

DougM
 
I just put the 285 75 BFG AT's on and love them. I use my truck as a daily driver. Everything is stock. I think the ride is better than the stock tires. I live in B'ham Al, and the roads are terrible. They seem to soak up the potholes better. No wander at high speeds. I would definately reccommend the 285. Not to mention, they look great.
 
Ive had both and anyone who tells you the difference is Noteable in a negative way or that its not worth it is overthinking the entire thing.

Its def worth it. You may be talking a gallon less per mile but realisitically if we all cared that much we prob wouldnt drive cruisers right?

285 all the way
 
77cruiser said:
Ive had both and anyone who tells you the difference is Noteable in a negative way or that its not worth it is overthinking the entire thing.

Its def worth it. You may be talking a gallon less per mile but realisitically if we all cared that much we prob wouldnt drive cruisers right?

285 all the way
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How many gallons per mile do you go through?
 
I would say just stick with stock tires. The power loss is not worth it. You don't notice it with an empty rig on the flat. But when you get in the hills with a loaded down rig it makes a difference. If you are going to stay with stock lift I would just keep stock size tires.

Don't overbuild your 80. Build it for what you need it to do. On the last long trip did you need more tires than you have?
 
I struggled with the same decision two years ago (see post below) and I was running 861/862 springs at that time as well. I opted for 285's (Nitto Terra Grapplers) and I have no regrets. Still plenty of power to get me over Washington mountain passes and they perform great off road.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/230063-285s-mountain-passes.html
 
TJ96TLC said:
I just put the 285 75 BFG AT's on and love them. I use my truck as a daily driver. Everything is stock. I think the ride is better than the stock tires. I live in B'ham Al, and the roads are terrible. They seem to soak up the potholes better. No wander at high speeds. I would definately reccommend the 285. Not to mention, they look great.
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I have these tires with the OME stock height suspension and shocks. It's a great combination and the ride is much better.

sprocket3 said:
I would say just stick with stock tires. The power loss is not worth it. You don't notice it with an empty rig on the flat. But when you get in the hills with a loaded down rig it makes a difference. If you are going to stay with stock lift I would just keep stock size tires.

Don't overbuild your 80. Build it for what you need it to do. On the last long trip did you need more tires than you have?
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I admit that I haven't driven fully loaded in the mountains but thus far I've noticed no performance difference between stock and the 285's.
 
I went straight from 265s to 315s and never regretted it.:meh:

1" makes a huge difference in the southwest, your diffs and axles will thank you.:cheers::steer:
 
77cruiser said:
Its def worth it. You may be talking a gallon less per mile but realisitically if we all cared that much we prob wouldnt drive cruisers right?
Click to expand...

I just put on 285s 3 weeks ago and my average mileage has actually increased 1 mpg.
 
I went from factory 275s to 295s and didn't notice any difference. Even in mpg. :meh:
 
Cherry LC said:
... a half inch of additional clearance. Does that really make a noticeable difference off road? Any input would be appreciated.
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A half inch is all this guy would have needed.

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So the answer is yes, the additional clearance will make a noticeable difference off road.

-B-
 
sprocket3 said:
I would say just stick with stock tires. The power loss is not worth it. You don't notice it with an empty rig on the flat. But when you get in the hills with a loaded down rig it makes a difference. If you are going to stay with stock lift I would just keep stock size tires.

Don't overbuild your 80. Build it for what you need it to do. On the last long trip did you need more tires than you have?
Click to expand...

The last time I went off road it was not very challenging- the stock highway tires were fine- until the trail was blocked by snow. Then the issue was lateral traction and I think chains on all four wheels would have been the ticket.

Generally, I like that the Land Cruiser is comfortable, capable, and reliable. I'd like to increase the off-road capability without sacrificing the other two virtues.
 
honestly, if you don't already know the answer, then your off-road driving needs are pretty mild. the 265 should get you better mileage on-road due to being more narrow.

for the potential future trip you describe... 265 are much more widely available worldwide than 285.
 
IdahoDoug said:
The offroad benefit of the wider tire would accrue in conditions where increased floatation with lower pressure tires is desireable and there's risk of pinching the tire, but not much elsewhere unless the 285 is also a higher rated (such as E vs P, etc) tire.

I used the 265/75 size both times and liked it, though certainly the ride onroad was bumpier than the stock P metric Michelins. Why don't you consider the new Michelin A/T? We need someone to act as guinea pig and this is the first redesign of their A/T in many years. It has never been popular simply because it is not styled well. The new one isn't either, unfortunately, but I bet it's a great tire in terms of function. Michelin's no slouch.

DougM
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Thanks for your feedback.

I think the 285 is an 8 ply, D rated tire, while (as far as I can tell) the 265 seems to come in a 6 ply C rating or a 10 ply E rating. If I end up going with the 265 size, I'd probably go with the E rated tire for durability so I'd end up with a higher rating in a smaller tire. Not sure how an E rated 265 would ride.

Did you find the S/T to be particularly (or annoyingly) noisy? Noise is something that has been mentioned in some of the threads I've read.

I do like Michelins and I'll look into the new Michelin A/T. Although no one likes to be the guinea pig...
 
Great thread! I would like to ask a similar question so I will do it here (sorry O.P.!) rather than starting a new thread.

I am in the market for a new set of M/T tires to go with an OME 2" lift.

My dilema is 285/75-16 vs 305/70-16. There are plenty of good M/T tire choices in both sizes and they are both 33" tall.

Since I am a newbie off-roader I have to ask - Does the extra 20mm of tire width help or hurt in most off-road situations? I paln to do lots of trail driving but no extreme mud bogging or major rock bashing, i.e. I don't want to kill my 80 :D Will the 285s get me through anything that a lightly modified 80 should attempt out in the wild?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

P.S. 315/75-16 tires (35") seem popular but I can't imagine how slow my 80 would be with 75lb, 35" tall tires! Lots of guys use 315s....are they really the hot ticket?
 
sandcruiser said:
for the potential future trip you describe... 265 are much more widely available worldwide than 285.
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Interesting - in the states, I've found 265 tires were more limited in availability. That was one of the reasons I went to 285's in the beginning.
 
Lots of apples to oranges comparisons going on here. New tires almost always feel better than old. New OME springs and shocks will be better than the old stock ones. Putting on a larger diameter tire effectively gives you higher gearing, which is why folks tend to regear when they go as large as a 35 inch tire. Speedo correction also makes a difference in performance because the shift points are effected. Some of the performance issues people experience might have to do with uncorrected trucks, nobody mentioned that issue. My gas mileage went up with 285s and speedo correction; I check it every fill up. I went from stock size 275-70 16 BFG A/T to 285-75 16 Cooper Discoverer STT. The difference in the two tires was quite noticeable, but the size only subtly so. The truck felt taller. The STTs are a lot more tire than the BFG A/T and that is noticeable for sure.

fwiw
 
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