Predictions: Bigger Tires?

[FJBen]

People get too worked up over what someone does to their rig with their money…

Who cares, maybe they just like big tires and how it looks and don’t go off-road?

That said, 33s of some brands are like 31s or less. BFG at 37s I’ve measured at less than 35”.

Personally I like the taller skinny’s, still
Handle good on road, good off-road in almost all conditions compared to 12.50s.

 

[Jetboy]

People get too worked up over what someone does to their rig with their money…

Who cares, maybe they just like big tires and how it looks and don’t go off-road?

That said, 33s of some brands are like 31s or less. BFG at 37s I’ve measured at less than 35”.

Personally I like the taller skinny’s, still
Handle good on road, good off-road in almost all conditions compared to 12.50s.

Width is also quite variable even within the same brand. The three tires below are all inflated on wheels that I had at the same time. From left to right: 285/70/17 Toyo AT2, 285/75/17 Cooper AT3, And Cooper 275/60/20 HT+. Interestingly the 275 width HT+ is actually the widest of the 3, the 285/75/17 is about an inch narrower when it should by the nominal size be wider.

Side note - the Cooper HT+ is a pretty great all around tire that would be pretty popular I think if it were offered in more sizes. It's much lighter than the AT3. I used them as street tires and the AT3s swap on for adventure trips. The Toyo AT2s were pretty terrible in that they couldn't balance them - Toyo replaced a few and then finally just refunded my money and Discount tire swapped me out for the Cooper AT3s. 2 of the replacement set of Toyo's took over 16+ ounces of weight on the balancer. Coopers on the same wheels took no more than maybe 2 ounces. Actual road balance was night and day.

 

[Corbet]

I had separation issues with my Toyo M/T's as well, and had to return 2 of my 5 on my 80-series. No hurry to buy more Toyo's.

 

[GTV]

I simply don’t understand this obsession with huge tires. I put 33” K02s on my 200. How many of you have actually changed 33” tires? Do you understand just how damn heavy they are and how much effort it takes to rotate 4 or 5 of them? Mounted my 33” K02s are something like 65 lbs.

And you want even BIGGER and HEAVIER tires? Why? Is there really someplace you need to go that you can’t get to with 33” tires?

34” or 35” tires? No thank you very much. They are a huge pain in the back and that is without even getting into the fact that 1) you’ll need to regear, 2) your acceleration will take a hit, 3) your braking distance will be much longer, 4) your fuel economy will decline, 5) your ride will be worse due to the increased unsprung weight, 6) you will need an aftermarket rear bumper because you can’t fit the spare underneath, 7) getting into the rear hatch will be a pain because you have to swing the spare out of the way each time. You want all of those negatives for what, exactly?

Well then, let me help you understand.

I recently went from 33's to 35's even though the 33's were plenty capable for my [current] needs. Why did I do that then? Because I wanted to improve ride quality- more on that later. I knew they would come with some sacrifices so I did everything possible to mitigate those sacrifices. Top of that list is weight. Per corner my 35's (with wheels) weigh about the same as your average set of 33's.

Regearing is 100% subjective. A lot of people don't find it necessary. I didn't find the acceleration to be problematic but I do a lot of engine braking and I'm finding myself needing to be a gear lower than I would like to be. I will regear the transfer case.

These aren't the vehicles to buy if you're concerned about fuel economy. I've ordered a 40g LRA tank to improve my range.

I removed my rear hitch, installed a receiver in the rear crossmember for my bike rack and a 35 fits up there easier than the 33 did with the hitch in place. I have a Tundra for tow duties.

My ride quality is drastically improved. I use C load tires because of the softer sidewalls and lighter weight (I get away with C's because I'm not a rock crawler). The larger diameter and tall sidewalls float over smaller bumps. The larger diameter also slows down the action of the shock allowing it to work better. Even though I gained some unsprung weight the tires are now doing a lot more of the dampening. When aired down I float over everything. I can comfortably drive washboard roads all day long. For pavement pounding I'm at 40psi and I can just crank the AHC knob over towards sport so it's not a wallowy mess on the street.

I've been modifying cars my whole life and I've never made a single change that was as drastic as going to 35's. All of the sudden my LC actually became fun to drive and I absolutely love it. Yeah, I spend some money on it to fix those negatives. It's my car, my money my hobby and I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Corbet]

Wait until you try 37’s but good luck on finding a “C” load rating.

 

[GTV]

Wait until you try 37’s but good luck on finding a “C” load rating.

I already have. Only 2lbs more than my 35’s.

 

[Pura Vida]

I simply don’t understand this obsession with huge tires. I put 33” K02s on my 200. How many of you have actually changed 33” tires? Do you understand just how damn heavy they are and how much effort it takes to rotate 4 or 5 of them? Mounted my 33” K02s are something like 65 lbs.

And you want even BIGGER and HEAVIER tires? Why? Is there really someplace you need to go that you can’t get to with 33” tires?

34” or 35” tires? No thank you very much. They are a huge pain in the back and that is without even getting into the fact that 1) you’ll need to regear, 2) your acceleration will take a hit, 3) your braking distance will be much longer, 4) your fuel economy will decline, 5) your ride will be worse due to the increased unsprung weight, 6) you will need an aftermarket rear bumper because you can’t fit the spare underneath, 7) getting into the rear hatch will be a pain because you have to swing the spare out of the way each time. You want all of those negatives for what, exactly?

if i wanted a car that made sense in american roads, i would buy a corolla. Thats why lol

 

[bugsnbikes]

i will start a posting some pics of 250s on larger tires: gimme a sec 33s 34s 35s and 37s....

 

[bugsnbikes]

 

[bugsnbikes]

Whats amazing to me is this: such a HUGE difference in size to the 200 series. The 250 really comes in at a waaaaaay more trailworthy size- especially width and getting through narrow trails/ obstacles. I think for the bolt on roof ladder-need to carry your espresso machine and entire home solar setup to the $60campsite and firerings/toilets/shower crowd.......this will not be as sought after as the Seqoiia, Tundra. But for offroaders who are gonna be figuring out front locker / lift and cutting and ripping out fender plastics crowd....these are going to be the perfect size platform to build a very capable offroader.

 

[M1911]

Whats amazing to me is this: such a HUGE difference in size to the 200 series. The 250 really comes in at a waaaaaay more trailworthy size- especially width and getting through narrow trails/ obstacles. I think for the bolt on roof ladder-need to carry your espresso machine and entire home solar setup to the $60campsite and firerings/toilets/shower crowd.......this will not be as sought after as the Seqoiia, Tundra. But for offroaders who are gonna be figuring out front locker / lift and cutting and ripping out fender plastics crowd....these are going to be the perfect size platform to build a very capable offroader.

View attachment 3471048

I’m not sure it is really that much smaller.

 

[Corbet]

It’s not that much smaller. The footprint is the same. But the body is clearly smaller in a good way. I bet if you parked one next to an 80-series that would be near identical size wise for all practical purposes. A couple inches here and there is night a day when you start wheeling it hard.

 

[Pura Vida]

I’m not sure it is really that much smaller.

Same wheelbase, significantly narrower, but it looks about just as tall as the 200

 

[M1911]

Same wheelbase, significantly narrower, but it looks about just as tall as the 200

I’m not sure it is actually narrower at the mirrors. Most of the body might be narrower but it has flared fenders that stick out a couple inches on each side, and then there are the huge mirrors.

 

[hoser]

That said, 33s of some brands are like 31s or less. BFG at 37s I’ve measured at less than 35”.

Width is also quite variable even within the same brand. The three tires below are all inflated on wheels that I had at the same time. From left to right: 285/70/17 Toyo AT2, 285/75/17 Cooper AT3, And Cooper 275/60/20 HT+. Interestingly the 275 width HT+ is actually the widest of the 3, the 285/75/17 is about an inch narrower when it should by the nominal size be wider.

The size listed on the sidewall is more like a category. But the manufacturers specifications are quite accurate. They all measure in accordance with the Tire and Rim Association.... which is not how you two are measuring it. I don't remember all the conditions but I believe the tire has to be inflated to max pressure for 24 or 48 hours. The diameter is derived from the circumference, measured at the center of the tread. The tires' width is the section width.... measured at the sidewall, not the treadwidth. The measured rim width is also listed in the specs... while the tire is approved for a range of wheel widths. So, there is no way the sidewall "size" can be accurate for both a 7" wheel and a 9" wheel.

 

[Jetboy]

The size listed on the sidewall is more like a category. But the manufacturers specifications are quite accurate. They all measure in accordance with the Tire and Rim Association.... which is not how you two are measuring it. I don't remember all the conditions but I believe the tire has to be inflated to max pressure for 24 or 48 hours. The diameter is derived from the circumference, measured at the center of the tread. The tires' width is the section width.... measured at the sidewall, not the treadwidth. The measured rim width is also listed in the specs... while the tire is approved for a range of wheel widths. So, there is no way the sidewall "size" can be accurate for both a 7" wheel and a 9" wheel.

Im with you on the nominal sizing. But even so the first number is the nominal section width. And the actual tire can vary a lot from the nominal size even within a brand. As shown above. The 275mm width tire is wider than the 285 width by about 20 mm.

It would be unusual to see a 33x11.50x17 be wider by an inch than a 35x12.50x17. also nominal sizing. This is the equivalent of that.

FWIW the two 17" wheels in those pictures are on the same 7.5" OEM TRD or wheels and the 20" one is on a narrower 7" wide OEM Toyota wheel. All have about 35psi.

 

[hoser]

Please clarify, you're saying the tire on the right is 20mm wider than the tire in the middle. I can see the difference in tread width but the section width is not obvious from the pictures. Are you we referring to the same section width?

When I look up the specs of the two tires. The right tire (275/60R2) has a section width of 11" and the middle tire, 285/75R17 has a section width of 11.4"

The difference of 0.4" is equal to 10mm.

Are you saying the specs are wrong?

285/70R17 AT3 XLT

 

[Jstawgn]

35x10.50 with +25 offset would be easy to fit

 

[Jetboy]

Please clarify, you're saying the tire on the right is 20mm wider than the tire in the middle. I can see the difference in tread width but the section width is not obvious from the pictures. Are you we referring to the same section width?

When I look up the specs of the two tires. The right tire (275/60R2) has a section width of 11" and the middle tire, 285/75R17 has a section width of 11.4"

The difference of 0.4" is equal to 10mm.

Are you saying the specs are wrong?

View attachment 3473436
285/70R17 AT3 XLT
View attachment 3473437

I don't have them anymore to measure. But, yes I think the 275/60/20 coopers would have a wider section width than the 285/75/17s on the same width wheel.

 

[hoser]

Well, you think it's more. I think it is less. Nobody can measure. Manufacturers have little incentive to imply their tire is wider than it really is.