Baby needs new shoes (1 Viewer)

[Tbay LX]

Okay guys, here is my dilemma. I have a 98 LX 470, which I purchased several months ago. The Michelins that it came with are pretty worn out, and it is time to replace them. From what I've read, the Nito Terra Grapplers would be a great option for the type of driving I do, unfortunately, they aren't available in my stock size. I'm wondering how much of an effect going down in tire size to 265/75-16 would have on my vehicles off-road capability. I don't really want to go up in tire size, as ground clearance has never really been an issue for me, and I'd like to maintain gas economy and power as much as possible. It seems that my two stock size options are BFG AT KO or Yokohama Geolander AT-S. Unfortunately, both of these tires seem to have pretty bad reviews for ice and cold temps. Where I live, we get down to -40c and the ground is always covered in snow in the winter. As far as off pavement goes, I'm generally on old logging and access roads and that sort of thing, so my biggest issues are mud and big ruts / erosion. I don't think I want to go with MTs as I understand they are terrible on ice, and fuel economy. There are a few nice mud holes around here that I may want to go play in, but only with guys that can snatch me out. So, what are your thoughts on the 265/75 idea? If I was to go up to 285/75 how much of an impact can I expect on on performance? I don't really understand tire size all that well, in spite of spending a month reading about it... Also, I'm open to other suggestions.
Cheers!

 

[native1]

Look into the Goodyear Duratrac - great in snow and ice as well as all around. I wouldn't downsize. As for power loss stepping up to 285's you will be fine with the v8

 

[Tbay LX]

Look into the Goodyear Duratrac - great in snow and ice as well as all around. I wouldn't downsize. As for power loss stepping up to 285's you will be fine with the v8

It's funny, I just did, and am pretty much sold on them. Not sure how I didn't know about them before. What are the disadvantages of going with the 265 75 16? They'd still be a step up in height, and just a touch down in width. Would the smaller contact patch reduce traction that much?

 

[duke01]

You will surely like the Duratrac's. They provide good grip on wet and dry roads, muds and snow. And they are relatively quiet on the highway despite of having aggressive tread design.

 

[DrivingMissRosey]

It's funny, I just did, and am pretty much sold on them. Not sure how I didn't know about them before. What are the disadvantages of going with the 265 75 16? They'd still be a step up in height, and just a touch down in width. Would the smaller contact patch reduce traction that much?

Going with a skinnier tire will increase in traction on ice and snow as more tire will cut through the white stuff. In mud the skinnier tire will also behave the same, hopefully getting you down to harder material below the goo. I run a tire with a 7 inch wide patch of contact and its awesome in snow and ice. Did I mention that I live at 7k feet?

Wider tires work better in sand. My opinion is that the wider tire craze comes from so many people trying to look like a dune buggy. Hell just air down a skinny tire in the sand and the contact patch gets larger. I personally like skinnier tires for all the reasons I've already mentioned, plus less rolling resistance (ie better gas mileage), and smoother rolling down the road. Duratracs are great in the snow too.

 

[REDrum]

265/75s fit fine on stock truck, its what I ran before 2" lift. IMO skinny is better for everything but sand. Might also want to consider 235/85/16 too. 255/85/16 will fit stock too but may get a tad of rubbing on full lock, might be an option if you are going to lift in the future.

Duratrac is a great tire, I'm on my second set, but not a good 4 season tire. Yes, better than a KM2 but its strengths far short in snow/ice, very over rated for winter conditions. If you get no/low snow they will suffice, but are all seasons no snows. I pull mine off in Dec and add real snow tires for 4 months, I want al the traction threshold I can get in the winter.

Also with Duratrac, careful how low you air-down off road on rocky stuff. They have soft side walls (for winter conditions) and are prone to slicing <18PSI

 

[Tbay LX]

Thanks for all the info, guys. Just ordered a set of 265 75 16 Duratracs. Getting them mounted this weekend! Given the slightly weak sidewalls, what pressures have you found to be safe on trails with lots of roots and rocks (no rock crawling)? I'm still a beginner, so the trails I drive aren't very technical at all, am I best to just leave them at road pressure?

 

[Yukon LX]

I just went from a 285 MT to the 285 Dura trac. What an upgrade. The are soft and as quite as a road tire. You will be very happy, and amazed at how aggressive the tread is in person. I run 12-15PSI offroad with no problem. 18 is fine if you are worried as well.

 

[Tbay LX]

Jut to follow up, I've had my 265 75 16 Duratracs on for about a month now, and have been extremely happy with them. I've done a bit of light wheeling in some mud, wet rocks, etc and haven't even aired down; traction is amazing. I'll let everyone know how they do in the snow, as soon as we have a big storm, which in Thunder Bay, should be in the not so distant future.

 

[mcgaskins]

You bought 265s or 285s?

 

[Tbay LX]

265s just slightly taller and skinnier than stock.