34s vs 35s on the 200

[dubaicruiser]

Great thread. Helped a lot, I am planning to get 295/70R18 (on stock wheels) as soon as they are available with the cooper dealer here. But still figuring out as someone said they'll rub the kdss which I might want to avoid. So also checking the 285/70R18 availability. Both of these sizes are pretty hard to source here in Dubai.

 

[thammer62]

Funny... About an hour ago I rolled one of my 35's next to my mounted 34's (285/75/17) and snapped a photo.

This height comparison is a visually off since my mounted 34's are squatting a bit under the weight of my fat pig truck...but the WIDTH difference is striking.
View attachment 2011932

One more...
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Bottom line... Everything works better with 34's. Got rid of my KDSS relocation...replaced my very bent end-links/bushings.Truck is MUCH happier this way...even if it will never look quite as beautiful as it did on the fat 35's.

What an amazing comparison post. Bravo. Glad this was bumped & kept alive.

Question - it seems we’re talking ab 18” wheels the whole time until this post at the end of the original set of posts that says 17”. Am I reading it correctly? Probably just my poor reading comprehension lol

 

[linuxgod]

What an amazing comparison post. Bravo. Glad this was bumped & kept alive.

Question - it seems we’re talking ab 18” wheels the whole time until this post at the end of the original set of posts that says 17”. Am I reading it correctly? Probably just my poor reading comprehension lol

You can get 34s or 35s in either 17" or 18". There are more options in 17" though. For instance for a 34" tire:

285/75R17 = 33.8" and 14 options on discount tire
285/70R18 = 33.7" but only 5 options on discount tire

 

[tbisaacs]

You can get 34s or 35s in either 17" or 18". There are more options in 17" though. For instance for a 34" tire:

285/75R17 = 33.8" and 14 options on discount tire
285/70R18 = 33.7" but only 5 options on discount tire

I would consider 295/70/18 a “true” 34 as well. Lots of options in this size and most measure just a hair over 34”. Bonus, it fits in spare.

 

[Fisher23]

Had the 285/70/18 Ridge Grapplers put on today and they just touch the KDSS bar. Maybe when the 0.75" bora spacers arrive in several weeks it will then clear... or if I wear off about 1/16" of tread then they will fit without touching.

That means a true 34 will hit, these are Nitto Ridge Grappler LT285/70/R18 127/124Q and spec at 33.98"
The 295/70R18 spec is at 34.29 for these tires.

 

[TCM]

Had the 285/70/18 Ridge Grapplers put on today and they just touch the KDSS bar. Maybe when the 0.75" bora spacers arrive in several weeks it will then clear... or if I wear off about 1/16" of tread then they will fit without touching.

That means a true 34 will hit, these are Nitto Ridge Grappler LT285/70/R18 127/124Q and spec at 33.98"
The 295/70R18 spec is at 34.29 for these tires.

This is good feedback on 295/70R18 tires. There is limited discussion of this size here on Mud. I wonder if they would clear the KDSS bar when mounted to stock wheels (60mm offset) combined with 1.25" Spidertrax spacers.

 

[Fisher23]

This is good feedback on 295/70R18 tires. There is limited discussion of this size here on Mud. I wonder if they would clear the KDSS bar when mounted to stock wheels (60mm offset) combined with 1.25" Spidertrax spacers.

I'm not sure ... what happens is as you space out the tire it does clear the KDSS .. but then comes closer at the rear of the tire near the body mount. So there is a spacing balance.

It is the Front Left tire that needs the clearance.

 

[FerrisBueller]

Had the 285/70/18 Ridge Grapplers put on today and they just touch the KDSS bar. Maybe when the 0.75" bora spacers arrive in several weeks it will then clear... or if I wear off about 1/16" of tread then they will fit without touching.

That means a true 34 will hit, these are Nitto Ridge Grappler LT285/70/R18 127/124Q and spec at 33.98"
The 295/70R18 spec is at 34.29 for these tires.

I'm not in the market for tires right now, but was curious about this size so I looked it up on both DiscoutTire and NTB websites. It seems that the Nitto Ridge Grappler is no longer available in LT285/70R18 E where I live. I wonder if that specific size is going to be discontinued nationwide or if it's just a local thing...

 

[Tex68w]

I'm not in the market for tires right now, but was curious about this size so I looked it up on both DiscoutTire and NTB websites. It seems that the Nitto Ridge Grappler is no longer available in LT285/70R18 E where I live. I wonder if that specific size is going to be discontinued nationwide or if it's just a local thing...

View attachment 2566011

They show to be available at my store as soon as Thursday for $330ea. If I can get them then certainly you can get them in ATX as well, hell my BFG's I had put on Monday came from a San Antonio store.

 

[TeCKis300]

I'm not sure ... what happens is as you space out the tire it does clear the KDSS .. but then comes closer at the rear of the tire near the body mount. So there is a spacing balance.

It is the Front Left tire that needs the clearance.

Having done the BMC, it's not as crazy as it sounds. More of us should be using this as a tool in our wheelhouse to fit bigger tires. Tundra/4Rs/Tacos do these mods all day long to fit 35s on a smaller body vehicles.

I don't think the KDSS is as big of a deal either as there's a couple good strategies documented - KDSS relocation bracket and tie rod relocation to outside the LCA cradle.

Just want to see more LC's on bigguns!

 

[Tex68w]

I agree, I have never understood being hesitant about a BMC.

 

[supercarrera]

It's not too difficult. I did my BMC myself with help from my friend for the welding part. I heard 4 Wheel Parts will do it though for $200.

 

[Tex68w]

Most shops charge $150-200.

 

[Fisher23]

I'm not in the market for tires right now, but was curious about this size so I looked it up on both DiscoutTire and NTB websites. It seems that the Nitto Ridge Grappler is no longer available in LT285/70R18 E where I live. I wonder if that specific size is going to be discontinued nationwide or if it's just a local thing...

It is just not a very common size in general, so the supply is just a little low now. I had to wait a day and they had to order them trucked from Miami.
It is just a local thing "at the moment".

 

[dubaicruiser]

Had the 285/70/18 Ridge Grapplers put on today and they just touch the KDSS bar. Maybe when the 0.75" bora spacers arrive in several weeks it will then clear... or if I wear off about 1/16" of tread then they will fit without touching.

That means a true 34 will hit, these are Nitto Ridge Grappler LT285/70/R18 127/124Q and spec at 33.98"
The 295/70R18 spec is at 34.29 for these tires.

Oh no. The tire size chart here didn't have kdss rub on some other similar sizes so I was about to get any of those (285/70 or 295/70 on the stock R18) sizes. But you are saying both will rub kdss? back to square one!

 

[Fisher23]

Oh no. The tire size chart here didn't have kdss rub on some other similar sizes so I was about to get any of those (285/70 or 295/70 on the stock R18) sizes. But you are saying both will rub kdss? back to square one!

I think it depends on what tire model you use in 285/70/18. The Grappler at 33.98" just barley touches, and I think after 1000 miles of tire wear it will clear. and it only touches at full turn.
Other tire makes and models have different diameters even though they are called 285/70/18.

 

[TeCKis300]

Having run 35’s for two years...I agree that 35’s look good...but I’ve also concluded that my 34’s look nicely balanced too... And the performance improvement over my 35’s has been super clear—especially given the exact same tire design—Ridge Grapplers), with width/height being the only change.

I think there's a caveat here.

It's one thing to slap 35s on, and a whole other thing to build for 35s to make them work and work well. I do agree 34s are about the boundary on the 200-series to which slapping on works best, as I've had tons of satisfying miles on 33.2" tires and towing heavy.

There's a number of things that are greatly impacted with 35s. Gearing, braking, steering, suspension geometry, clearance. Things that need addressing, particularly if performance and payload capacity are to be preserved.

Gearing in particular. The 5.7L is a torque monster and able to lug some big wheels, but with 35s, gives up some 10% in overall gearing. A huge difference. Re-gearing to 4.3s along with 35s, puts gearing right back at factory stock. Can confirm this combination handles weight well, and lugs my 15k combined rig with authority, like stock. Even better, engine braking is hugely improved, with and without trailer in tow. Shift points, drivability, all back to exactly as Yota intended.

Brakes are another big one. Stock felt fine, albeit with a bit more effort with larger tires. Easily addressed with more aggressive pads. IMO, going to 35s is best done with a BBK kit of some sort. 35s, with Tundra calipers and rotors, feel on point as the braking leverage is regained. With added thermal capacity with the larger rotors.

Steering/geometry/clearance - This is an area all intertwined. Characteristics as a result of mild offset liberties, too much weight, moving tires in the wheel well for clearance, alignment, all get exacerbated with bigger tires. Durability as well. With the right recipe, this can be made to work, feeling like 35s from the factory.

2016+ 200-series get some nice benefits to handle 35s and up with much broader gearing and Tundra sized brakes to begin with.

Here's to wishing for more 35" tire 200-series builds. Especially with all these Tacos/4Rs/GXs flexing 35s. And the wave of new off-roaders like the Bronco, TRX, Bronco, etc.

 

[Fisher23]

When I test fit the 35's it seemed like just the front left tire had the issue with the KDSS and possibly the body mount.
I will look more into how to fix/mod that for my next set of tires.
Ideally I would like to run 35 x 12.5's

For now I have a set of lockers and diff's on a bench, which is my next mod. BTW thanks for those !!

These 34's have not hit driving around town and some mild dirt trails this week.

It looks like these 34's fit nice.

 

[grinchy]

10.5" to pumpkin. The tape measure yellow part is a bit thicker than the 3" baseplate. Stock on my year LX570 is 8.9"

 

[TeCKis300]

10.5" to pumpkin. The tape measure yellow part is a bit thicker than the 3" baseplate. Stock on my year LX570 is 8.9"

On point. Nothing lifts the diff but larger diameter tires. It can determine how deep a rut, or how much standing mud, snow, or sand the rear axle will clear before dragging.

Not often mentioned but approach, breakover, and departure angle also improve with large diameter tires as the face of the tires are pushed further forward and aft. Combine that with a suspension lift, and angles can increase appreciably.