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Thread: Skinny Tires on a Full-Size

utherjorge

utherjorge

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I'm going to have get new tires this year, and I was planning on either 33x10.5.15 or 12.5's.

I saw this thread also on Expedition Portal and wanted to link it here:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/122740-quot-Skinny-quot-tires-on-a-Full-Size

Are any of you running skinnier tires like those?

Also, is there any benefit to using the Metric sizes vs. the standards? I haven't seen a price difference that would jump out at me.

Thank you in advance!
 
I got 255/85/16s on my Truck,this is the second set of that size I have but on. I went through to sets of 285/75/16s before these.

I think the 255s wear better on the factory rims "6.5 wide" also the truck drives better, goes through snow better, looks better IMO and tows with these tires great.

Mine are Toyo M55 e rated.


 
I ran a set of 235/85/16's on my 97 for a couple years.

Looked Funny, but it snow they were tits. Truck would go anywhere my k20 would go on 38s.
 
i Ran the stock 235/85's on my burb for a while.

Super smooth on the freeway, good mileage.

Besides that, they looked small and kinda goofy.

Didnt' take it in the snow much, but narrow tires do way better in snow on the road.
 
For a long time I had a set of 33x9.50 Dean SXT MT's on the Blazer, looked goofy as hell but it would go anywhere. The only downside other than looks was highway manners, a corner I could usually take at 55 or 60 in anything else, I would have to drop down to about 35 or so just so it wouldn't lean and roll to a point I ruined my pants. I have my 31x10.50 Bias swampers on it now, and the manners have improved dramatically.
 
I'm not sure if it was just a weird coincidence, but the only time I ever ran pizza cutters (33x9.50 BFG AT) I had a rock tear through the tread (yeah, you read that correctly) on a brand new one. I'd just put them on for the trip to Baja, and then tore through on said trip.

I've never, never, never done that before or since with 33x12.50's or 315/75R16 (each with lots of desert miles).

For a given weight of truck, there will be more pressure on the the contact patch of a narrower tire. Was it enough to make the difference between a punched-thru tread in that case? I can't say for sure...
 
Depends on the lift IMO. These 35x10.5's look cool on my CUCV with no lift, but I think they look weird on my K5. I'm going to at least 12.5 soon.

20140125_141350.jpg
 
83, they look way better on yours then they did on mine, Probably due to you having factory rallys, and I have the factory steel wheels.

Although I do really want wider wheels with some offset, either factory rallys or CUCV wheels.
 
Stock base tire (at least for the years I'm familiar with) on 1/2 ton 4WD was 9.25" wide, optional being 10.5" wide.

Unless you turn or flex the suspension (as shown above) you don't even really notice the height vs. width. They look no different from stock straight on.

I don't think there are any tall/skinny metrics in 15".

The 33x10.5R15 BFG AT's are rough riding IMO, airing down is pretty much a must IMO if you are going offroad. Perhaps the 12.5's aren't as stiff in the sidewall, that I don't know.
 
max 02 said:
I got 255/85/16s on my Truck,this is the second set of that size I have but on. I went through to sets of 285/75/16s before these.

I think the 255s wear better on the factory rims "6.5 wide" also the truck drives better, goes through snow better, looks better IMO and tows with these tires great.

Mine are Toyo M55 e rated.


Click to expand...

Good looking nbs brother.
 
Just did this dance today, getting harder and harder to find a (good) selection of 15" rim tires over 32" (or metric equivalent). Everyone is going up to 16" rims.
 
I run 235/85s on my burb. Like the others say, awesome on snow and ice. quiet on the road. No wheeling experience with these tires, but that's not really what my rig is set up for.

I think they look good on a stock height rig. Mine is maybe 1" taller than stock. Only negative is these tires on stock wheels really accentuates the narrow rear axle our rigs have. So it looks weird from the rear IMO.

Otherwise, they are as tall as a 33. I'm sure in a mud terrain a guy could do just fine in em off road
 
So far my favorite tire has been 34x10.5r15 super swampr TSL Bias ply.
they were good on the road and great on the trails!

Also have ran:
31x10.5 15 Dunlop mud rovers (worked good) drove well
33x12.5 r15 BFG Mud Terains (Hated them sucked in the woods and on road)
34x10.5r15 TSL Bias ply (favorite so far great on the trails and on road)
35x14.5 r15 Gateway Gumbo Monster Mudders Too wide steering felt heavy and they found every rock on the trail. also got me stuck in the mud twice.
37x12.5 r16.5 Goodyeasrs (No wheeling yet but I like the fact that they are skinnier for a 37)

All depends on how and where you wheel and how you use your truck. I am definatly a fan of skinny tires.

 
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I've always been a fan of skinnier tires but I tend to stay away from deep mud.

I had 255/85R16 Interco TrXus MT's on my '96 Ranger with very little lift. I loved them. Drove like stock, great in the snow, and got me all over the place offroad. Only issue I ever had was when I went playing in the sand with friends. I just couldn't keep up with all the people running wider tires or tires that were "wider/height" than mine were. One guy in a Grand Cherokee went everywhere on 31x10.5R15's without trouble while I had a smoking clutch with my 33x10.5R16's until I aired down to about 15psi.

That said, I generally prefer narrower tires. Gets you through reasonable offroading better, tires are lighter than similar height but wider tires, usually easier to fit to the truck and usually fit your factory rims, drive better onroad, and it seems like you can fit a taller, narrower tire with less lift than a wider tire.


Speaking from experience with GM square bodies I had 38x11R16 Michelin XL radials on my '86 1 ton with 1" of front lift and some trimming. Stock rims. Great combination and the truck drove great with them. Offroading was awesome. I would have had to lift it and do a bunch of other stuff to it if I had gone with wider tires.

Similarly with my last K5 I put 265/75R16's on 16x8 rims without any rubbing and trimming. Drove exactly like stock on 235's or 31's. I stepped up to 33x12.5's and sorta regretted it. You could tell the tires were heavier, they rubbed when turning and compressing the suspension, and it drove more "sluggish". Looking back I would have gone for either a 285/75R16 (33x11.25R16) or a 255/85R16 (33x10R16) and been much happier.
 
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