Tire Width - Which is Better?

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Interesting video.

 

[57Pan]

Just so happens when I replaced my tires recently, that I went with 235/85r16 from previous 265/75r16 on my Toyota Tacoma. Same diameter, lighter and cheaper.

 

[CPT Davenport]

I went down a size on my Toyo AT3s and am very happy. Lowered my GVWR and got me better MPG.

 

[buckland]

Thanks for the video. I don't do much rock crawling (ok none) but some roads we were on in BBRSP TX were rougher than anything I went through in AK, Yukon or Labrador. Being in snow country tread is important. I actually don't like fat tires and this seems to say pizza cutters do the job. I have run Cooper AT3's (three sets now) and though I really like the traction they seem to get a bit noisier as they age. Not thrilled with the lifespan so starting to look around. Toyo AT3's look interesting. I like quiet ride. I currently have the 245-75-17.

 

[craig333]

Nothing new there. Narrow tires are easier on suspension components. Wide tires have a place in certain mud and snow conditions where flotation is important but most of us are better off with a narrower tire.

It would be interesting if he did the same tests but with a heavier vehicle.

 

[Beach]

Interesting. Will stick with wider section tires for the beach though.

 

[bajaphile]

The video clearly shows that the contact patch area is actually larger with a narrower tire... talk about counter intuitive. I was just watching this video yesterday myself. Pretty mind boggling...

 

[rubberlegs]

I wonder if the wider tire is supposed to have lower pressure.

Anyway, it’s getting close to new tires time. I met a guy other day who had 265/75R16 instead of 265/70R16. So I’m thinking about whether an increase of 1” diameter is a good idea (about 3.5%). Hmmm.

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

I wonder if the wider tire is supposed to have lower pressure.

Anyway, it’s getting close to new tires time. I met a guy other day who had 265/75R16 instead of 265/70R16. So I’m thinking about whether an increase of 1” diameter is a good idea (about 3.5%). Hmmm.

When I purchased my 2002 Tundra used it came with GoodYear 265/75R16 Wrangler tires.
A few years ago I needed to replace them and went with the brand Hercules in the same size but a quieter tread design.
That size is only one larger then stock 265/65R16.

I am happy with them they are stable and quiet.

Frank

 

[JHanson]

We crossed the entire Abu Moharek dune chain in Egypt in 70-Series Land Cruisers riding on 235/85x16 BFG/AT tires. They do just fine in sand if you air them down. We run this size on our own Troopy and FJ40 as well.

 

[rubberlegs]

I'd been wondering if a larger diameter tire would work on our truck, and found many instances where an inch higher would fit no problem. We do a lot of pretty nasty roads. We ran into a guy while out camping who had done that on the same kind of truck. It bothered me that they were even heavier than our too-heavy E-rated tires, but a little more clearance sure is attractive.

Then this post opened my eyes to "pizza cutter" tires. This and some other anecdotes from off road enthusiasts got us talked into it. We'll report back in a couple years if it was a good idea for a truck camper! We went from 265/70R16 to 235/85R16 (1" more diameter, 1.25" less width), which are just a bit lighter.

We'll get quite a hit on "gas mileage" as reported through the odometer, just based on tire diameter. Our worn tires lost 11/32, so that's a little over 2% "improvement". The new tires will have a 3.6% "hit", so all of a sudden it'll look like a 6% "hit" in gas mileage. Then there's the weight of an old vs. new tire...

By the way, our KO2 tires wore down to 4/32 after 56,000 miles. Can't complain about that.

 

[rubberlegs]

Just so happens when I replaced my tires recently, that I went with 235/85r16 from previous 265/75r16 on my Toyota Tacoma. Same diameter, lighter and cheaper.

How do you like the new tire size so far? My first impression was the steering seemed easier. But that might be all in my mind. I noticed there's quite a crown on the tires, and the middle was 15/32 but the outside tread was several 32nds less. The installers used 42 psi all around (and the truck was empty).

 

[Beach]

Most times a crown in the middle of the tread would indicate, running to low a pressure.

 

[buckland]

Time to replace tires.... nothing stays the same.... I researched tires last year and wouldn't ya know the tire companies changed things up again. I have always had Cooper AT3's and liked them but not impressed with wear. Tire companies seems to be saying 60 K and I do not get anywhere near that. I was all set to move over and try Toyo AT3 Open Country but sizes aren't matching up (for E rated). They do have what I have now 245 75 17 Which is larger than the 255 65 17 that is OEM. I have been convinced to try a narrower tire (less weight) and wanted to try the 225 75 17 but Toyo doesn't make that size (E). Coopers does have it. It matches up well with RPM of original tires. (the 245 is a 2 mph difference on speedometer).
I have been using this calculator site: Tire Size Calculator
So has the consensus stayed the same and 'pizza cutters' still perform well/better? Any shared experiences would be appreciated. I would like the idea of less weight and my speedo would be back to almost normal.

The three charts below are:
1) The Original tire to what I have now.
2) The tire I have now to the new.
3) The Original to the new.

 

[rubberlegs]

I like that tire calculator website too. We went with narrow, taller tires after much wringing of hands and calculations. So far I can’t feel a difference. We use KO2 from Goodrich.

The narrow ones were less expensive and lighter and an inch more diameter. They kinda look funny compared to the norm these days but they perform well on pavement, dirt, gravel, washboard, reasonable mud, rocks, slick rock. We’ve not been in much sand yet (the only conditions we’ve been stuck so far, my biggest concern) or real slick mud. So the jury is out for deep sand but I’m guessing it’s ok. We don’t drive in snow.

For some reason the taller tires made the speedometer match GPS speed. I was expecting it to be off.

I’ll be curious how our pizza cutters wear. The rear tires have a lot of load so you’d think they’d wear quickly but we got 56,000 mi on the stock size. However we use higher pressure back there than most folks.

 

[craig333]

My buddy recently put new tires on his Jeep. Found out BFG no longer makes them in a 9:50-15. Had to go with a 10:50-15. The KO3s look good though. I need to put them on the CJ soon. Its tires have some serious sidewall cracking. I was kind of shocked when I found out how old they are. Seems like just yesterday I put tires on it. Where does the time go? My truck tires are fine for the summer but I'll have to make a decision on whether I want to run them next winter. Maybe a touch narrower when I do replace them.