View Poll Results: (Overall) Best tire width?
255 11 7.24%
255
11 7.24%
265 56 36.84%
265
56 36.84%
275 30 19.74%
275
30 19.74%
285 55 36.18%
285
55 36.18%
Voters: 152. You may not vote on this poll

User Tag List

Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 10-02-2011, 09:45 PM #1
Jester4kicks Jester4kicks is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 267
Jester4kicks is on a distinguished road
Jester4kicks Jester4kicks is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 267
Jester4kicks is on a distinguished road
Best overall offroad tire width

Ok, obviously there will be some different opinions on this, so I'm including a poll to keep things at least somewhat to the point. (I'm limiting the poll options to the sizes most common to our runners.)

I'm also going to point out that we're talking about overall offroading performance. If someone was ONLY going to be doing rock-crawling or mudding, this might be a very different conversation.

Finally, for the purposes of this discussion, let's assume the driver is airing down appropriately to get the most out of whatever size they have.

All that said, what is the best tire width for overall, general offroading?
Jester4kicks is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-03-2011, 01:46 AM #2
chayos00's Avatar
chayos00 chayos00 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Desert Southwest
Age: 41
Posts: 507
chayos00 is on a distinguished road
chayos00 chayos00 is offline
Member
chayos00's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Desert Southwest
Age: 41
Posts: 507
chayos00 is on a distinguished road
I would also note, what kind of terrain will you see?
__________________
2008 SR5 4x4 V6 Salsa Red Pearl w/Taupe Interior
Mods: OW 2.0", LR UCA's, 285/70R17 Cooper STT Pro's w/Spidertrax 1.25" Spacer, DirtyDeeds Muffler, SpeedoHealer
Audio: Eclipse HU CD8445, Polk Audio db6501 6.5" Components, Polk Audio db351 3.5" in factory tweeter location, 2 Audiobahn 10" Subs @ 1200W
"I'm an AMERICAN by birth and a VETERAN by choice"
chayos00 is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-03-2011, 10:53 AM #3
Jester4kicks Jester4kicks is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 267
Jester4kicks is on a distinguished road
Jester4kicks Jester4kicks is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 267
Jester4kicks is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by chayos00 View Post
I would also note, what kind of terrain will you see?
I'm really talking about general use. I wanted to avoid application-specific discussions to focus on a width that would be good for diverse use.
Jester4kicks is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-03-2011, 01:23 PM #4
SjamesT4R's Avatar
SjamesT4R SjamesT4R is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Aurora, Colorado
Age: 36
Posts: 150
SjamesT4R is on a distinguished road
SjamesT4R SjamesT4R is offline
Member
SjamesT4R's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Aurora, Colorado
Age: 36
Posts: 150
SjamesT4R is on a distinguished road
I said 265 because its not too big and not to small.. you can get through Sandy areas, snowy areas, and they work just as good as any other size offroad to an extent... Its also a standard size on 60% of trucks in the US..
__________________
95 Toyota 4runner SR5 3.0 Rebuilt Heads -Toy
Lc Coils-Rear.. BJ Spacers-Front.. 20" Extended brake line in rear and Skyjacker shocks..
305/70R16 Dunlop Mud Rovers Crome Steelies W/ Spidertrax wheelspacers

Last edited by SjamesT4R; 10-04-2011 at 08:29 PM.
SjamesT4R is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-03-2011, 01:48 PM #5
J-money$$$'s Avatar
J-money$$$ J-money$$$ is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: California
Posts: 1,898
J-money$$$ is on a distinguished road
J-money$$$ J-money$$$ is offline
Senior Member
J-money$$$'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: California
Posts: 1,898
J-money$$$ is on a distinguished road
The overall diameter of the tire is where you will notice a difference when wheeling. A 15" rock may be hard for a 265-70r16 (30" tire) to get over since its going to contact the tire at its halfway mark. ANd on the same note a 35" tire could easily roll over that since its going to contact on the angled portion of the tire tread. 255's are about the same as 285's etc with the only exception being really soft sand or snow where more width will help you float

Just my 2C
__________________
check out my build thread My Build
J-money$$$ is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-03-2011, 04:49 PM #6
Jester4kicks Jester4kicks is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 267
Jester4kicks is on a distinguished road
Jester4kicks Jester4kicks is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 267
Jester4kicks is on a distinguished road
Well it looked like 285 was going to take it as first... but now it looks like 265 has made a comeback! Would anyone who voted 265 care to explain their reasoning?
Jester4kicks is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-03-2011, 05:13 PM #7
RonMAIDEN's Avatar
RonMAIDEN RonMAIDEN is offline
Super Moderator
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Littleton,CO
Posts: 7,389
RonMAIDEN is on a distinguished road
RonMAIDEN RonMAIDEN is offline
Super Moderator
RonMAIDEN's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Littleton,CO
Posts: 7,389
RonMAIDEN is on a distinguished road
I think for my close to stock 4Runner the 265 works best overall if you include on road use especially with winter driving since they aren't too wide to incur big issues with hydroplaning but not too skinny they comprimise dry grip on the street.
__________________
2010 Lexus RX350
'99 4RUNNER Highlander SR5 4wd *Sold
RonMAIDEN is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-03-2011, 05:32 PM #8
Jester4kicks Jester4kicks is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 267
Jester4kicks is on a distinguished road
Jester4kicks Jester4kicks is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 267
Jester4kicks is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by RonMAIDEN View Post
I think for my close to stock 4Runner the 265 works best overall if you include on road use especially with winter driving since they aren't too wide to incur big issues with hydroplaning but not too skinny they comprimise dry grip on the street.
Good point, if we're talking about overall use, we certainly should take water and snow into the equation... both on AND off road.

To that end, wouldn't a wider tire be better for off-road snow? If a 285 is a little too wide for wet or snowy highway conditions (and 285 owners feel free to chime in here if it's now), would 275 be a good compromise?
Jester4kicks is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-04-2011, 12:02 AM #9
J-money$$$'s Avatar
J-money$$$ J-money$$$ is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: California
Posts: 1,898
J-money$$$ is on a distinguished road
J-money$$$ J-money$$$ is offline
Senior Member
J-money$$$'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: California
Posts: 1,898
J-money$$$ is on a distinguished road
you talking about 1 cm (.39 inches) of difference in width. THis width is measured at the widest point of the tire, Which happens to be the sidewall. Some tires have a wider tread than others in the same size. I would say there is about an inch of actual tread width variation between different brands on models in the same size.

You wont notice 1 cm of difference in snow or sand or what ever. You may notice a 3 cm (EDIT: thanks blcktpgsr) difference 255 to 285

You need to check the treadwidth on the tires before you buy
__________________
check out my build thread My Build

Last edited by J-money$$$; 10-04-2011 at 01:12 AM.
J-money$$$ is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-04-2011, 01:04 AM #10
blcktpgsr's Avatar
blcktpgsr blcktpgsr is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Burnaby, BC
Posts: 2,019
Real Name: Ervin
blcktpgsr will become famous soon enough
blcktpgsr blcktpgsr is offline
Senior Member
blcktpgsr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Burnaby, BC
Posts: 2,019
Real Name: Ervin
blcktpgsr will become famous soon enough
Quote:
Originally Posted by J-money$$$ View Post

You wont notice 1 cm of difference in snow or sand or what ever. You may notice a 30 cm difference 255 to 285
Not to worry,,J-money meant 3 cm
__________________
97 4Runner SR5 TRDSC URD Yukon Camburg Toytec Trekmaster 4Crawler SonoranSteel Level8 Nitto SavageOff-Road ARB Smittybilt MasterPull Powertank SpiderTrax B&M Jaos Gobi Flowmaster Cobra Firestik Alpine CompuStar Hella PIAA RigidIndustries WeatherTech
my build
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-ge...formation.html
July 2012 T4RoTM / 2012 T4RoTY
blcktpgsr is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-04-2011, 01:11 AM #11
J-money$$$'s Avatar
J-money$$$ J-money$$$ is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: California
Posts: 1,898
J-money$$$ is on a distinguished road
J-money$$$ J-money$$$ is offline
Senior Member
J-money$$$'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: California
Posts: 1,898
J-money$$$ is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by blcktpgsr View Post
Not to worry,,J-money meant 3 cm
Yeah i did LOL Im fried on math at the moment. Too much physics & calculus in my life right now.
__________________
check out my build thread My Build
J-money$$$ is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-04-2011, 10:41 AM #12
Jester4kicks Jester4kicks is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 267
Jester4kicks is on a distinguished road
Jester4kicks Jester4kicks is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 267
Jester4kicks is on a distinguished road
Well I was worried that the poll results might suggest there is no consensus... but maybe the consensus simply is that, as long as it's within a general range (265-285), the exact width doesn't matter. Perhaps it's more about finding a tire in that range for a good price, that gets you the height and tread that you want.

Anyone else conclude differently?
Jester4kicks is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-04-2011, 04:51 PM #13
Mr. Leary's Avatar
Mr. Leary Mr. Leary is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: DFW
Posts: 858
Mr. Leary is on a distinguished road
Mr. Leary Mr. Leary is offline
Member
Mr. Leary's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: DFW
Posts: 858
Mr. Leary is on a distinguished road
The more appropriate question should be:

"What is the best aspect ratio for general off roading?"

The answer is 75. It is the best overall mix, and performs adequately in all categories.

So if you want 33-ish tall tires, then go for 285/75/R16. If you want a tall 31 / short 32 go for 265/75/R16.

Personally, I run 255/85/R16s on my 4Runner. I love the tire size, but I picked it to suit my driving habits.

You want to make your "requirements" based on what you drive most often, then develop coping strategies for the stuff that you drive less often.

What types of terrain do you plan to traverse regularly?

Last edited by Mr. Leary; 10-04-2011 at 05:08 PM.
Mr. Leary is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-04-2011, 07:37 PM #14
Jester4kicks Jester4kicks is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 267
Jester4kicks is on a distinguished road
Jester4kicks Jester4kicks is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Irvine, CA
Posts: 267
Jester4kicks is on a distinguished road
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Leary View Post
The more appropriate question should be:

"What is the best aspect ratio for general off roading?"

The answer is 75. It is the best overall mix, and performs adequately in all categories.

So if you want 33-ish tall tires, then go for 285/75/R16. If you want a tall 31 / short 32 go for 265/75/R16.

Personally, I run 255/85/R16s on my 4Runner. I love the tire size, but I picked it to suit my driving habits.

You want to make your "requirements" based on what you drive most often, then develop coping strategies for the stuff that you drive less often.

What types of terrain do you plan to traverse regularly?
Isn't that a 30" tire?

Anyway, the rockies offer a little bit of everything, although my #1 priority is to get through most trails, even if it means skipping some of the harder obstacles. That means being able to handle climbs over moderate rock and loose gravel. Of course, it's Colorado, so I'm also concerned about snow and ice, both on and off road.
Jester4kicks is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 10-04-2011, 11:45 PM #15
J-money$$$'s Avatar
J-money$$$ J-money$$$ is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: California
Posts: 1,898
J-money$$$ is on a distinguished road
J-money$$$ J-money$$$ is offline
Senior Member
J-money$$$'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: California
Posts: 1,898
J-money$$$ is on a distinguished road
A 285/75r16 is a 33

Do the math if you want . 285mm wide. (75% of 285)(x2)+16" Its technically 32.8"
__________________
check out my build thread My Build
J-money$$$ is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Limited Rim maximum tire width? jaybird93000 4th Gen T4Rs 18 02-05-2012 10:13 PM
Addicted Offroad bumper/tire carrier AddictedOffroad 5th gen T4Rs 14 08-04-2011 01:25 PM
Addicted Offroad's 5th gen tire carrier AddictedOffroad Addicted Offroad 5 06-15-2011 07:44 AM
tire width Run'n'Gun Off-Roading 0 07-26-2007 07:04 PM
20's-22's Rim width/Tire selection question? The Razor Engines / Suspension / Wheels / Tires / Audio / Accessories 9 03-16-2005 07:43 PM

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.2

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 08:23 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Search Engine Optimisation provided by DragonByte SEO (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
***This site is an unofficial Toyota site, and is not officially endorsed, supported, authorized by or affiliated with Toyota. All company, product, or service names references in this web site are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Toyota name, marks, designs and logos, as well as Toyota model names, are registered trademarks of Toyota Motor Corporation***Ad Management plugin by RedTyger
 
Copyright © 2020