255/75/17 vs 275/70/17, True 32" Tires

[Unner]

I know it's another tire thread, but I searched and searched and couldn't find an answer to my questions. I'm going to be picking up a set of 5th gen Trail edition 17" wheels for my 2001 4Runner here in the near future and I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on these two sizes of tires.

They're both a true 32" tire measuring right at 32"-32.2" depending on the tire from what I've seen. I like that they are a little taller than the 265/70/17 or 265/75/16 equivalent tires that are 31.6". I could always go with the 265's but they seem to be more expensive actually and I like the small increase in height that the others provide.

I am not currently lifted. I may lift it in the future, but nothing over 2" most likely. I have seen a few threads where people say that the 255/75/17 fit on the stock suspension without rubbing.

With the 255/75/17 I can get sets of these tires in the BFG M/T KM's new on craigslist for $450-500 because they are the stock tires on the new Jeep Rubicons and people commonly take them off and replace them with bigger tires. My only concern is with it being a mud tire that it will be super noisy and have bad traction in the rain. It sounds like these are good tires though and I don't think they would put them on the Jeeps stock if they were bad. I think I would get them siped though if I went with these to help with wet traction.

The other ones I'm looking at are 275/70/17 tires, specifically the BFG KO2's. I love the looks of this tire and they come in a white letter which I do like. These are the same height as the 255/75/17 but they are about 10 lbs heavier(55lbs) and wider than the BFG KM's I mentioned. I also have not been able to find out if this size of tire will fit on a stock suspension 3rd gen. I've seen lots of them on 5th gens but nothing on our generation.

Does anyone know if the 275's would fit without rubbing? If they do rub what all would I be trimming/modifying to make them fit properly?

Would I miss the extra contact patch of the 265's or 275's if I went with the 255's? In my area we don't get a whole lot of snow, maybe once or twice a year but everything shuts down. There's not really sand here, and the trails are mostly the nasty Alabama red clay mud. Not much rock crawling cool stuff like you guys out west have. Also, this truck is my daily driver, automatic, 4.10 gears, not supercharged or any engine mods.

Any thoughts or recommendations on what I should do tire wise?

As always, thoughts and input are greatly appreciated.

 

[BrandonF]

Maybe I'm biased, but I don't like skinny tires.

I say go with the 275's and don't look back. You will have to do some minor trimming but it will be worth it in my opinion.

I have 285/75/16's, wheel spacers, and wheels that stick out farther than stock (all make the tires rub more when turning) and I didn't have to cut that much to make them clear at full compression, lock to lock turning.

 

[DizzyDoyle]

[MENTION=116387]Unner[/MENTION], I am running 275s on my 4runner although I am lifted 3". I would suggest possibly doing the 2" lift like you said so that you can minimize your rub. With mine at full turn I have about 1/2" of clearance. They do not rub my UCAs either (and I don't have wheel spacers). I also did not feel too much power loss stepping to these tires from the 31s. I too have stock gears and no engine mods. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I will gladly try to answer them.

 

[Unner]

Maybe I'm biased, but I don't like skinny tires.

I say go with the 275's and don't look back. You will have to do some minor trimming but it will be worth it in my opinion.

I have 285/75/16's, wheel spacers, and wheels that stick out farther than stock (all make the tires rub more when turning) and I didn't have to cut that much to make them clear at full compression, lock to lock turning.

[MENTION=116387]Unner[/MENTION], I am running 275s on my 4runner although I am lifted 3". I would suggest possibly doing the 2" lift like you said so that you can minimize your rub. With mine at full turn I have about 1/2" of clearance. They do not rub my UCAs either (and I don't have wheel spacers). I also did not feel too much power loss stepping to these tires from the 31s. I too have stock gears and no engine mods. If you have any questions feel free to PM me and I will gladly try to answer them.

Thanks for the input guys. Right now after doing more reading this morning I'm slightly leaning more towards the 255's. They should be easier on the suspension components being a lighter and slightly narrower tire. They should do better on gas than the 275's as well.
[MENTION=93037]DizzyDoyle[/MENTION], did you have to do any sort of cutting or trimming to fit your 275's even with your lift? If possible I would like to not have to trim anything just because that would be easier.

It sounds like the 255's require no trimming. They may rub slightly according to some people at full lock and compression turning, but that wouldn't bother me too much. As long as it's not like the Chevy I saw last night that literally couldn't park because his tires were too big and stupid for his truck.

I was looking this morning and TireRack has the Pirelli Scorpion ATR for $73 in a P265/70/17. I asked and they said they only have one more in stock at that price. I found the same tire at discount tire so I sent in a request to see if they would price match. This isn't the ideal tire for me, I would prefer to have the slightly taller tires, an LT tire, and a more aggressive tire than those, but if discount will match that price it may be hard to pass up a set of brand new name brand tires for less than $300... I'm not sure though.

 

[Davy180]

I am running the 275/70/17 BFGoodrich KO2 on my 4th gen with a 3in lift and I am rubbing on the control arms when turning in reverse. I am on factory control arms without wheels spacers. I personally like wider tires and love the look of these. I have seen a drop in MPG but it's worth it.

 

[Scramble]

Do the lift first & then get bigger tires. On my truck 265/70R17's rubbed only on full turns with 99 tall springs. If you have a low truck like a 2002 you will not be having fun.

 

[Unner]

The more I read on this the more I think I may be best just going with a 265/70/17 and not worrying about getting the extra .4-.6" of height. These shouldn't rub much if at all. I can get the KO2's in a 265/70/17 in load range C which is ideal weight wise for our 4Runners I think. Plus the KO2's come in white letter tires and I really really like the new design. I think they look super aggressive and they have good reviews.

I've also been happy with my BFG Rugged Terrains, my only complaint is that they are the stock size... And they tend to slip a little in the rain when pulling away from stop lights and such. They are wearing like iron too so you get pretty good life out of the BFGs.

 

[DizzyDoyle]

[MENTION=116387]Unner[/MENTION], I did not do any cutting to fit the 275s. I also have no rub on the frame or the UCAs and I do not have wheel spacers either. I am also running Tundra wheels with the 275s.

 

[Nunyabiz]

I am totally pleased with my 255/75/17's
Goodyear Silent armor

Pretty quiet on the road, good wet grip, good in snow and they wear really well.

 

[Unner]

[MENTION=116387]Unner[/MENTION], I did not do any cutting to fit the 275s. I also have no rub on the frame or the UCAs and I do not have wheel spacers either. I am also running Tundra wheels with the 275s.

That's good to know. I feel like at stock height cutting and trimming would probably be required though.

I am totally pleased with my 255/75/17's
Goodyear Silent armor

Pretty quiet on the road, good wet grip, good in snow and they wear really well.

Are you lifted at all? It kinda looks like it from your sig pic, but it's hard to tell. Any rubbing issues?

 

[DizzyDoyle]

That's good to know. I feel like at stock height cutting and trimming would probably be required though.

I believe you are right on that one. Good luck and I can't wait to see what you decide on.

 

[Nunyabiz]

That's good to know. I feel like at stock height cutting and trimming would probably be required though.



Are you lifted at all? It kinda looks like it from your sig pic, but it's hard to tell. Any rubbing issues?

3" lift and no rubbing of any kind

 

[slides]

i run 255/75/17 and even with stock suspension i have no rubbing. Planing on doing a lift like everyone else on here but need the time.

 

[Unner]

That's good to know. I feel like at stock height cutting and trimming would probably be required though.

I believe you are right on that one. Good luck and I can't wait to see what you decide on.

Yeah I'll keep this thread updated, and maybe if I can sit down for an hour or two and actually get it done I would like to put together a build thread for this truck.

3" lift and no rubbing of any kind

Thanks for the info!

i run 255/75/17 and even with stock suspension i have no rubbing. Planing on doing a lift like everyone else on here but need the time.

Cool, thanks for the info as well. We are both on the same 01-02 suspension height so that is good to hear.

I'm about 99% certain that I am going to be going with the 255/75/17 combo. I found a set of 5 BFG KM Mud-Terrain tires for sale not too far from me with 200 miles on them for $450 with brand new wheels off a Jeep too. I figure once I sell the wheels I'll only be like $250 into 5 brand new BFG tires and that's a steal. The KO2s I was looking at would have run me $1000+ for a set of 5.

I should be picking them up this week.

 

[slides]

Yeah I'll keep this thread updated, and maybe if I can sit down for an hour or two and actually get it done I would like to put together a build thread for this truck.



Thanks for the info!



Cool, thanks for the info as well. We are both on the same 01-02 suspension height so that is good to hear.

I'm about 99% certain that I am going to be going with the 255/75/17 combo. I found a set of 5 BFG KM Mud-Terrain tires for sale not too far from me with 200 miles on them for $450 with brand new wheels off a Jeep too. I figure once I sell the wheels I'll only be like $250 into 5 brand new BFG tires and that's a steal. The KO2s I was looking at would have run me $1000+ for a set of 5.

I should be picking them up this week.

Nice, i look forward to the pic's

 

[Unner]

Well I picked up the tires. 5 literally brand new 255/75/17 BFG M/T tires with new jeep wheels for $450. If I can get a little money for the wheels I'll be happy. I have no clue what they're worth. I stole them from the guy at that price. He even said so as he helped me load them into the 4Runner haha. I unfortunately can't test them until I get my new wheels sometime this weekend hopefully because the jeep wheels are 5 lug. I'm super excited. I keep going into the garage just to look at the tires!

 

[Unner]

Well I picked up my 2015 Trail Edition 4Runner rims yesterday from a member on here, and wasted no time getting them mounted onto the tires. I got them mounted as soon as I got back from my short road trip to pick up the wheels and then drove home to mount them. They fit! The only thing I had to trim was the aftermarket mudflaps, and I trimmed about a centimeter off of the inside edge of my sport flares just incase. I went and completely flexed the 4Runner out and nothing rubs at all now. I completley stuffed all 4 wheels and I couldn't get anything to touch. So you can fit a 255/75/17 mud tire on stock suspension, even the lower ones like my 2001.

They look so good. I need to figure out what I'm going to do about a spare, I don't think the 255/75/17 will fit. I'll try and get some decent pictures today, it was too dark by the time I got done putting them on yesterday.

 

[JohnJMonroe]

They look so good. I need to figure out what I'm going to do about a spare, I don't think the 255/75/17 will fit. I'll try and get some decent pictures today, it was too dark by the time I got done putting them on yesterday.

Should be pretty easy to pull off a tire and test fit to see if it fits in the spare location. Report back.

 

[KidVermicious]

Maybe I'm biased, but I don't like skinny tires.

That's because your mother dressed you funny. Skinnies rule.

 

[Unner]

Should be pretty easy to pull off a tire and test fit to see if it fits in the spare location. Report back.

I started to do that when I was putting them on but the metal piece that pulls the wheel up started to scratch my new wheels so I put it down and decided I would mess with it later. I'll tape up one of the wheels and try it again, but I'm 99% sure it won't fit on mine. The panhard bar is already very close to my stock size spare and the new tires are a good bit bigger.

If I would get a flat and have to run a smaller spare for a little while I get a new tire or get it patched would I hurt anything by running a tire smaller than my others? Most likely I wouldn't be in 4WD and I have MultiMode even if I was so I think it would be OK to run it like that if I had to so I could get home or so. I know it wouldn't be ideal but is doable I think.

That's because your mother dressed you funny. Skinnies rule.

I sure do like the way mine looks. Everything I've read says skinnys are great off road too. 255's aren't even noticeable skinnier than stock really. .4" I believe...

Pics are uploading right now!