What rim size to choose 17" or 18"

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I like 17's for my use case:
  • More sidewall looks better, IMO
  • Better for airing down off road, even if only marginally so. On road stability of my 17 tire setup was way better than my old 18 setup, though it's an apples to oranges comparison due to tire width (35x12.5x17 vs 285/75r18)
  • 17 tires are cheaper (at least in the US)
  • 17 tire options are 200% more numerous (at least in the US--this is just a guess, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's spot on)
  • Almost all 18" sizes suitable to the 200 are E-rated. I wanted to try a lighter load tire this time around for better ride comfort.
 
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I would vote 17s as well. Only reason I went 18s are the cheap and readily available tundra take offs that can be found locally. So many more options for different load ratings for 17" tires.

I just went from 35x12.5r18 KO2 load E to 35x11.5r18 Wildpeak AT4W load C. Tremendous difference in ride quality.
 
Sajan said:
this is a good point about 275 vs 285 in 18"

Availability: If you ever shred a tire in a remote area, you are significantly more likely to find a 275/65R18 or 275/70R18 at a small-town shop than your stock 285/60R18.
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Point taken and is a factor in the trade space. It's worthwhile to note potentially other more important factors.

The right tire for use case and fitment should address first principles. What is optimal for daily use and will be a differentiator for that use case. I'd wager ride quality, traction, stability, handling, accident avoidance - these can be higher priorities.

The likelihood of a matching brand in even a common size is not likely. Availability of tires today with fast logistics makes it less of a concern unless one is really doing remote travel. Even there, other mitigations including using a stouter type tire, patches, plugs, spares , etc. would come into play first.

I'd focus on getting a great tire/size for the primary use case. 17s are a great size. But do it right, and even 20s can deliver a factory Lexus quality ride just as designed. I think too many turn knobs the wrong way in modifying, then believing only 17s can delivery a great ride. 275s IMO are one of those bad factors. So are KO2s.
 
TeCKis300 said:
Point taken and is a factor in the trade space. It's worthwhile to note potentially other more important factors.

The right tire for use case and fitment should address first principles. What is optimal for daily use and will be a differentiator for that use case. I'd wager ride quality, traction, stability, handling, accident avoidance - these can be higher priorities.

The likelihood of a matching brand in even a common size is not likely. Availability of tires today with fast logistics makes it less of a concern unless one is really doing remote travel. Even there, other mitigations including using a stouter type tire, patches, plugs, spares , etc. would come into play first.

I'd focus on getting a great tire/size for the primary use case. 17s are a great size. But do it right, and even 20s can deliver a factory Lexus quality ride just as designed. I think too many turn knobs the wrong way in modifying, then believing only 17s can delivery a great ride. 275s IMO are one of those bad factors. So are KO2s.
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You make a good point, Road manors and safety are of course an/the important factor when buying a tire and like you mention in case of a punture there are multiple ways of fixing the issue.

My initial post on availability (not something you have respponded to) was mostly aimed at the amount of tire options and brands. Most of the tires in that size are Chinese/2nd rate brands and not a preferance or MT/aggressive AT tires - which For my case are not needed. (which you mention in you post.

Just out of curiosity why do you not think 275 are good? 285 are 10mm wider (and the orignal width) Not trying ot bash or defend a "case" just interested in the opions/stats/know how.
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Having checked various websites and done slightly more research it seems that the tire of choise will be a 285/70-17 BFG Trail-terrain
Reason: Although 285/65-18 is a genuine size it only has KO2 or wildpeak R/Ts available. The trail terrain is a more highway friendly tire for the odd gravel track, The least aggressive terrain tire avialable, and present as a OEM for certain manufactures. It is marketed as 3pmsf meaning i can drive further into the winter before changing to actual winter tires and don't have to worry about bad weather snow during/late spring.
Size wise only MT:s available in 285/65-18 and 70-18 and for 285/75-17 the price difference does not way up the 2cm in height

Now it is a matter of finding a fitting rim...
 
Suomi200 said:
You make a good point, Road manors and safety are of course an/the important factor when buying a tire and like you mention in case of a punture there are multiple ways of fixing the issue.

My initial post on availability (not something you have respponded to) was mostly aimed at the amount of tire options and brands. Most of the tires in that size are Chinese/2nd rate brands and not a preferance or MT/aggressive AT tires - which For my case are not needed. (which you mention in you post.

Just out of curiosity why do you not think 275 are good? 285 are 10mm wider (and the orignal width) Not trying ot bash or defend a "case" just interested in the opions/stats/know how.
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Having checked various websites and done slightly more research it seems that the tire of choise will be a 285/70-17 BFG Trail-terrain
Reason: Although 285/65-18 is a genuine size it only has KO2 or wildpeak R/Ts available. The trail terrain is a more highway friendly tire for the odd gravel track, The least aggressive terrain tire avialable, and present as a OEM for certain manufactures. It is marketed as 3pmsf meaning i can drive further into the winter before changing to actual winter tires and don't have to worry about bad weather snow during/late spring.
Size wise only MT:s available in 285/65-18 and 70-18 and for 285/75-17 the price difference does not way up the 2cm in height

Now it is a matter of finding a fitting rim...
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275s represents a downgrade relative to stock which certainly will result in compromised handling and traction. When there's win-win sizes like 285s and larger, I don't see a reason to give up handling and safety.

I drive pretty hard on even 37s, and it shouldn't be any surprise when there's significantly more sidewall and narrower fitments, it can give up a lot with more sidewall rollover and decreased traction. Unless more pressure is used to stabilize the sidewalls.

Which gets into the other point - 275s tend to have lower load capacities at equivalent PSI to wider tires. Tire pressure is a major factor to ride quality. With 285s, lower pressures will have a better balance of ride quality, load capacity, and cornering stability, versus 275s requiring something like 3-5 PSI higher with resulting compromises.

Agreed on availability for the size you're looking for.
 
TeCKis300 said:
275s represents a downgrade relative to stock which certainly will result in compromised handling and traction. When there's win-win sizes like 285s and larger, I don't see a reason to give up handling and safety.

I drive pretty hard on even 37s, and it shouldn't be any surprise when there's significantly more sidewall and narrower fitments, it can give up a lot with more sidewall rollover and decreased traction. Unless more pressure is used to stabilize the sidewalls.

Which gets into the other point - 275s tend to have lower load capacities at equivalent PSI to wider tires. Tire pressure is a major factor to ride quality. With 285s, lower pressures will have a better balance of ride quality, load capacity, and cornering stability, versus 275s requiring something like 3-5 PSI higher with resulting compromises.

Agreed on availability for the size you're looking for.
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Thanks you for your answer, all good and valid points, I had not taken the extra tire pressure into consideration.

I have proper skinnies 235/85/16 on my old defender never really thought about the cornering aspect, then again an old defender is not really a vehicle that drives fast or has road manors with flexy suspension so i guess the effect is not noticeable. Compare that to the 200 which is almost 1 ton heavier you do make a good case :)
 
Plenty of folks are completely happy with narrower tires. Over in the tire forum there is even a ‘skinny’ thread. There have been a few ‘traction’ threads and some YouTube videos about contact patch etc, no conclusive stuff I’ve seen says wider or narrower is better, it is hard to test apples to apples. I think a lot of people like how wide tires look. And manufacturers are happy to build what sells.

It largely depends on what exactly you’re doing, and what kind of mods you’re willing to make to fit wider tires.

I wanted to run 35s and wasn’t willing to do any metal mods, no fender rolling, no body mount cutting, etc. Am a happy 7 year user of ‘skinny’ tires in 275/80/18 and 35x10.5x17 (265) that measure “35” in circumference.
i think it still drives sporty with ‘skinny’ tires, but it is also a 7500lb SUv.
I think the tire load index is way more important for performance on and off road than the tread and width. Get a nice soft D load around 118 or 120 and enjoy your truck.
A 265 is already a wide tire. As recently as 15 years ago that was a tire width sold in the rear on Porsches from factory. It’s plenty wide. Movement in tire tech is amazing, and 315s exist, but unless you’re sand bogging, probably not going to make much of a difference.
 
There's examples from these boards where individuals tried skinnies. It might work for the leisure driver. Sometimes it doesn't if expectations are that it performs like stock. Handling traction and safety for accident avoidance is a real thing. At least three in this thread that had symptoms of poor handling, traction control kicking in, and disappointment with skinnies. Only for issues to be resolved when going back to proper width meats.

Don't skip leg day.

C

Post in thread 'LX570-Tire type/size/ride and overall useablity recommendations'

Ive been running Kenda Klever RTs in theb35x10.50r17 size on multiple rigs (gx470/460) without issues. Awesome tire. When I got my 14 LX 2 years ago, I was exited to install these too. So I did, on icon vector 5 wheels which have +25 offset. However, they never been as trouble-free as they were on the two other rigs. I get vibration at higher speeds around 70, and slightly uneven tire wear. Ive had them road forced several times and each time they've needed minimal balancing with low force numbers, which is supposed to be a good sign. Suspension components that matter have all been...
 
My 2c is I’d personally try to stay 285 wide or wider with tires. I’ve run 285/65/18, 275/70/18, 295/70/18, 35/12.5/18, and now 35/11.5/18. I personally felt that on road handling on windy mountain roads was negatively affected with the 275s. Day to day I did not notice a difference. Nor in the off pavement driving I did. So for some I can see that 275 would be just fine. But I’m in the mountains almost weekly in all seasons.

For me, the meaty 12.5” looked absolutely killer, but 11.5” or 295 seems to be the sweet spot.
 
There is a whole thread about that video, lol. Interesting observations, but testing one tire by one manufacturer on one (much lighter than ours) rig can hardly be considered conclusive. I do have personal first hand experience with ride and handling problems that I was unable to address via tire pressure with skinny 35's that all disappeared when I went to fat 35's. I air down into the low/mid teens, so fat tire on a medium width rim is also beneficial for bead retention. Again, hardly conclusive, just one guy's experience.
 
Heckraiser said:
There is a whole thread about that video, lol. Interesting observations, but testing one tire by one manufacturer on one (much lighter than ours) rig can hardly be considered conclusive. I do have personal first hand experience with ride and handling problems that I was unable to address via tire pressure with skinny 35's that all disappeared when I went to fat 35's. I air down into the low/mid teens, so fat tire on a medium width rim is also beneficial for bead retention. Again, hardly conclusive, just one guy's experience.
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oh ok lol
I know sht about fk when it comes to the intricacies of tire sizes...the video popped up on my feed the other day, I guess because google is aware i've been searching tire related stuff in Chrome..
 
Taco Supremo said:
Outdoor Auto did another follow up video after Tinkerer that showed a significant increase in contact patch with wider tires when aired down...good watch.

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Wide VS Narrow Tires, SHOCKED BY CONCLUSIVE RESULTS - Questions Answered w/ Scientific Experiments

WIN a Badlands 1.5 ton Jack AND one of our Off-Road Jack Mounts - Each dollar spent on www.Outdoorauto.com gives you an entry to win until Oct 20th. No Purc...
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Quick summary..

Wider Tires perform best for:
  • Deep snow, powder, deep mud, and sand: They offer superior flotation when there is no hard bottom surface to cut through (20:54 - 21:05).
  • Rock crawling: Testing showed that wider tires provide a significantly larger contact patch (up to 19.49% larger) when aired down to very low pressures (e.g., 8 PSI) (14:00 - 14:15, 21:06 - 21:13).
  • Lateral grip: They provide better stability for cornering and side-to-side handling (19:54 - 20:00).
Key Takeaways for Choosing:
  • Wheel size matters: The relationship between tire width and wheel width follows a bell curve. Using a wheel that is too wide or too narrow for a specific tire can hinder its ability to deform and reduce the contact patch (15:26 - 16:10).
  • Sidewall impact: More sidewall (often achieved with a smaller diameter wheel) allows for easier deformation and a better contact patch at low pressures (17:55 - 18:00, 23:30 - 24:00).
  • Tire Design: Ultimately, the intended purpose of the tire (towing/load-bearing vs. rock crawling) and its operating temperature range are often more critical factors for traction than the width itself (25:35 - 27:50).

  • Narrow tires excel in conditions where you need to cut through debris to reach a hard bottom, such as wet roads, shallow snow, slush, or shallow mud (20:27 - 20:42).
  • Wide tires are superior for deep snow, powder, deep mud, and sand, where flotation is required because there is no hard bottom to cut through (20:54 - 21:05).
 
Sajan said:
anyone agree with this..?

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I usually find his videos great. This is not one of them. The foundational premise is wrong and it isn't apples to apples as he implies. He's comparing tires with hugely different sidewall/load/air pressure characteristics. In this case, the narrow needs 80PSI versus the wide at 65PSI, to have equivalent load capacities. The narrows might as well be deflated compared to the wides at the same pressure.
 
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