255/85/16 or 285/75/16

Spencer

Spencer

New member
What do you guys think?

Im all for saving money on the tires themselfs.150$ difference [edit nm its only a 25$ difference]

Im also interested if I save money on gas.

But what are the likely hoods. Of that?

I remember reading the debate fat v.s. skinny tires.

Im not concerned about offroad performance as either will suit me. Its mostly about ON road.

Will I REALLY see a gas mileage increase? Will the fatter tires last longer?
 
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I kind of like the pizza cutter look, but if there thinner it seems they will wear faster than the 285's no? And there only 25$ cheaper.
 
The 255's will have less rolling resistance therefor you will not loose as much fuel mileage. Of course the difference between a 10" tire and a 11.25" tire probably not as great as going from a 10" to a 12.5"
 
well I think most of the 255's you will find will be an E rated tire designed for a heavier truck so probably wont wear any differently. I have 285's right now and plan on going 255's when these wear out.
 
There is a whole mathematical science (oxymoron?) to tires. I read it in Car and Driver a year or two back, but the jist of it was that you don't have anymore of a contact patch on a wider tire than a more narrow tire because of the PSI involved. I know I'm not a big help and certainly don't claim to be... The rolling resistance is obviously greater because the tire is wider and causes more friction just with the air, let alone the driving surface. If your debate it between those two sizes why not just go with the stock size?

and LINY... 285's will rub without a lift? Is that equivalent to a 32" tire? Whats the fattest, tallest tire I can stuff without a rub?
 
01sr54x4 said:
If your debate it between those two sizes why not just go with the stock size?
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Because the tires we are talking about are 3"-4" bigger diameter than stock size.

01sr54x4 said:
and LINY... 285's will rub without a lift? Is that equivalent to a 32" tire?
Click to expand...

Hell ya, 285s will rub without a lift. 285/75R16s are a 33x11" tire while 255/85R16s are a 33.5x10" tire. Both require about 3" of lift minimum.

01sr54x4 said:
Whats the fattest, tallest tire I can stuff without a rub?
Click to expand...

265/75R16 (31.5x10.5") is the biggest you can go. Stock size is 265/70R16 (30x10.5")
 
I've also tried to do some research on the 255/85/16 size because the KM2's are cheaper than the NTG's i was going to go with in the 285/75/16 size and I wouldnt have to run a spacer to get the tires to fit (stock rims). So the 255's are looking like a good option to me right now. A 255 is only 1.18" smaller than a 285 so i'm not sure why people think these are so "skinny"
 
They are pretty skinny once you see them in person, 10mm skinnier than the stock 265/70R16 tires, but they are also 3.5" taller than stock. I personally think they look great on 4runners though.
 
The fenders on Tacos are different than 4runners, and not only will you need a lift, but you will also have to hammer and cut too on a 4runner (in addition to a lift). BTW, that Taco is lifted (taken from the text of the article):
"I did change the suspension on the truck, which resulted in an increased suspension height of 1.5" in the front and 2" in the rear (vehicle at GVWR). The picture at right shows the tires installed on the vehicle at stock height. As mentioned above, it is necessary to do heavy trimming, relocate the rear axle and use the correct offset wheel."

Sure you can run 255s on a 4runner without a lift, but the amount of hacking you'll need to do on your inner fenders becomes a lot more work and isn't practical at that point. Do you really want to relocate your rear axle and screw with your wheelbase and overall geometry?? A lift is a lot more practical. If you stick 255s under your 4runner w/o a lift, you'll be rubbing in every circumstance except driving perfectly straight unless you want to remove half the inner fenders and mess with relocating axles.

You could dig a hole in the ground or build up the earth around a flat spot, what's easier?
 
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just because it can be done, doesn't mean it should.












I'm 6.5" taller than stock and I can still rub my 285's if I flex enough
 
As mentioned above, it is necessary to do heavy trimming, relocate the rear axle and use the correct offset wheel."



yeah he'd have to be an idiot to relocate the rear axle and do mad trimming instead of just lifting it in the first place....lol


just get a cheap body lift and some spacers if you really want the 285's that bad, sounds like your not going to be doing any wheeling so you should be able to get away with that as long as your not trying to flex or take really sharp turns or anything......
 
LINY4Runner said:
If you're not gonna wheel, why are we even discussing lifts and oversize tires?
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yeah i don't know for a fact he's not going to wheel, it just seems like that since he's caught up on larger tires instead of the other basic things that are needed......

you know what i'm sying most of us here build from teh ground up, getting a lift,diff drops,shocks and other things to accommodate the tires we NEED as opposed to just slamming the tires we WANT straight away with no regards to how they'll perform.... you see what i'm saying here.
 
Like mentioned above, we all strongly suggest that you not go taller than a 70-75 height wise. We cannot prevent you completely so now its up to you. Im at 3 inches of lift with a 1 inch BL on the way and just ordered 285/75R16's and I hope myself they fit under flex. 255/86R16 is a TALL tire and about 1/2 inch narrower than your stock tires, but thats not the issue its the 33.5-.8 inch compared to a 31" diameter.
 
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