BFG 285 vs 275 - quick report

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Oct 1, 2007
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For anyone considering new tires for your 18" wheels and no lift...
I just installed a set of BFG AT KO 285/65/18 a week ago. These replaced a new set of BFG AT KO 275/65/18 which I bought when I bought the truck a month or so ago. Although the actual specs do not show a significant size difference, it is VERY noticeable installed. The 285s appear a fair amount wider and taller than the actual .5-1" differences. Purely going on looks, these are a 10. They are a great proportion with the 18" wheels and look great without lift and I think good with a couple inch lift as well (put up AHC to HIGH to see what it would look like).
There is also, however, a noticeable difference in ride quality. Whether it's just the weight difference, or the size difference as well, the truck absolutely handles more sluggishly on the road than it did with the 275s. I've had many sets of these BFGs on various LCs - on my 2000, and on my two FJ62s, so while my opinion is obviously subjective, for what it's worth, it's not my first time with this heavy AT tire. Can't say I dislike the handling difference, but it is there. I'm running about 40# all around, so I will be paying with slight increases and decreases to see what I like best. I feel these are also noticeably stiffer/harsher in the same pressure than the 275s did (both are E load, which is all that's available in this tire/sizes)
Haven't taken it off road yet, but I am confident that the 285s will shine.
Of course, it's light years from a set of regular road tires for road use. When I bought the truck, it had some all-season somethings and the handling was incredibly light and easy to maneuver in comparison. I personally like the feel of the heavier tire and like the extra size it gives, so I would do it this way again. I am going to wait to buy a front and rear bumper though and get used to this feel for a while. My SliderSteps are going in next week so that will add some serious weight as well and I'd like to see how it affects handling.

I thought this might be helpful to post for anyone torn between sizes so that you can make the most informed decision. NOTE: both sizes fit a 2006 AHC-equiped LC with no lift with no problems - no rubbing, no nothing.

Photos to come.
 
I went from 285 to 265 and the truck steers and turns much better I think.
 
Bigger tire equals more weight, more sidewall to flex, less braking power, etc. The differences are common and expected.
 
is there a tire that is the same height as the 265's but wider?
 
I've noticed a few differences. Mainly in quick lane change, or heavy braking. I feel like it takes alot longer to stop.
 
I've noticed a few differences. Mainly in quick lane change, or heavy braking. I feel like it takes alot longer to stop.

Yup, larger diameter and more importantly increased rotating mass with cause a loss in braking power. I noticed the exact same thing.
 
Yup, larger diameter and more importantly increased rotating mass with cause a loss in braking power. I noticed the exact same thing.

Took a few "quick" stops to get used to. I always had a braking piont on my exit ramp, so I could hit the corner perfectly, nail the apex and shoot on out :cool: . First time going home I thought I would see how the 295's handled, same speed (:doh:) hit the brakes and went in a little too fast... there just wasn't enough room to slow out (it was already a short exit) and wasn't used to hitting the brakes that hard.
 
yep - agreed on all fronts. Takes a more fulsome input to initiate steering changes. Acceleration slightly worse and braking slightly worse. Would be interesting to see how 275/65/18 BFGs compare to 285/65/18 Michelin AT2 - would the better road manners of the Michelin offset the size difference?
I was surprised that the very small incremental size difference between the 275 vs 285 in the otherwise exact same tire translated to such a noticeable difference on the road. Maybe I should've stayed with the 275s since they would've handled everything I need, but I do like the extra height and the overall tank-like feel of the current combination.
 
Maybe I should've stayed with the 275s

Would you be tempted to have a set of city/hwy tires (275) and keep the bigger tire on a separate set of wheels for offroad trips or a particular season? I'm curious because I bought my 01 with 285s and am evaluating it for a daily driver... so far it is a far cry from a GTi :crybaby:
 
Would you be tempted to have a set of city/hwy tires (275) and keep the bigger tire on a separate set of wheels for offroad trips or a particular season? I'm curious because I bought my 01 with 285s and am evaluating it for a daily driver... so far it is a far cry from a GTi :crybaby:

Nope. Dont want to deal with an extra set around - storage space already at a premium. But more importantly, I think these or the 275s are both great for my uses, which are mostly road and the offroad is usually fireroad-like. I will stick with the 285 and get used to the feel BUT anyone considering the two sizes might think hard about whether the extra bit of size is worth the handling on-road trade-off.
I'll do pics this weekend - was stalling so I could take them once I install the slider-steps and FR load bars.
 
Would you be tempted to have a set of city/hwy tires (275) and keep the bigger tire on a separate set of wheels for offroad trips or a particular season? I'm curious because I bought my 01 with 285s and am evaluating it for a daily driver... so far it is a far cry from a GTi :crybaby:

I'm running 285's on mine and swapping out the stock suspension for OME made a WORLD of difference in how my LC handles. Now I feel stupid for hesitating and not doing it earlier.
 
I have a 99' and I'm still torn between going with 285/75/16 and the stock tire 275/70/16. I live in Wisconsin and their isn't really any offroading here unfortunately. I usually tow a 17 foot bass boat weighing around 2000#s. I do get myself into some icy and treacherous boat launches in the fall and need a tire that will handle the extremely brutal Wisconsin winters.

I would like to have the bigger size as my stock tires look a bit small. I don't plan on doing a lift anytime soon except maybe a 3/4 inch lift to the front. Will I lose mileage? I was thinking I would go with a Michelin AT or something similiar. 90% of my driving is on the road. The Michelin cross terrains on it now have been good but it just doesn't look beefy enough.

I was planning on getting some Bilstein's or the stock OEM shocks for it. I want to keep the ride smooth.
Will I get the same results as ZaZoo62 even though I have the 16 inch rim?

Thanks for any advice.
 
I had already bought 265/75/16 for my tundra and then put them on the lc before I sold it. IIRC they are a little taller but narrower than stock. Im hoping that if they weight less, I could get better gas mileage and greater wear on the brakes? Hopefully some benefite since they don't look quite as good.
 
If you’re not going to off-road, I see no reason to go 285’s. Obviously, a taller tire will have its drawbacks, but for those that do off-road, the benefits outweigh this. However, if you’re just going to be on-road and the only off-road you’ll see is fireroads, then I see no reason to deviate from the stock size.
 
Based on my experience with the two sizes in BFGs, the road tires that were on there, my prior 100 with 16" wheels and stock size BFGs, etc., in my opinion:
1. The 285s look better
2. The 285s perform worse on the road in terms of acceleration, braking and turning
3. The 285s give me more confidence for more offroad situations, but i defer to others here with much more offroad experience (all of whom seem to agree that the larger is better).

Taller and skinnier will likely make handling worse on road, not better. Offroad better in certain conditions, worse in others.

I am interested in comparing 285s in the Michelin AT2 vs 285s in the BFGs. If road handling is much better in this tire in the same size, i'd consider it. Otherwise, the 275/65/18 is a good compromise, as I did not have any road handling "complaints" in that size.
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guess what we want to see.
ThisThreadIsWorthless.webp
 
I parked next to a dodge ram yesterday with 275/60/20 Cooper Zeon LTZ's. It was a great visual how a tire can look so different as my 275/70/18 Toyo Open Country which is the same diameter tire as the Cooper, looked like "the small doughnut in the box" next to it.

zeon compare.webp
zeon compare.webp
 
yes, it was washed yesterday...
here is another with AHC on HIGH to give a sense of how it would look with about 2" lift.

L1030228.webp
L1030228.webp
 

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