255 85 16 vs 285 75 16

[rayny1014]

which is better or what do you guys recommend. any have experience with both. anyone have an pics?

255 85 16 vs 285 75 16

thanks in advance.

 

[trd_4runnin]

On a light vehicle such as the 4Runner you probably won't notice much of a difference so its mostly going to be visual preference. There are, however, a few general pros and cons to the wide vs. skinny tires.

Basically wider tires are going to excel in most offroad categories, with the exceptions being a few inches of mud with hard ground underneath, and mild snow. Really deep mud and really deep snow will both favor a wider tire.

Skinnier tires are going to better on road when dealing with rain, snow, and ice. They will also put less stress on your steering components, and being a lighter tire would arguably get better mileage.

Now when you are only dealing with a couple inches on a light vehicle, these may just be moot points, but points nonetheless.

 

[p nut]

Basically wider tires are going to excel in most offroad categories, with the exceptions being a few inches of mud with hard ground underneath, and mild snow. Really deep mud and really deep snow will both favor a wider tire.

Skinnier tires are going to better on road when dealing with rain, snow, and ice. They will also put less stress on your steering components, and being a lighter tire would arguably get better mileage.

http://www.expeditionswest.com/research/white_papers/tire_selection_rev1.html

 

[trd_4runnin]

http://www.expeditionswest.com/research/white_papers/tire_selection_rev1.html

The bold sentence at the top of the article nearly mimics what I said. The difference being that their position is that contact pressure of as skinny tire would excel, rather than surface area of a wider tire. With the two sizes in question only being about 1.5" difference in width I don't personally feel that the difference in contact pressure would even be noticeable.

 

[p nut]

The bold sentence at the top of the article nearly mimics what I said. The difference being that their position is that contact pressure of as skinny tire would excel, rather than surface area of a wider tire. With the two sizes in question only being about 1.5" difference in width I don't personally feel that the difference in contact pressure would even be noticeable.

Position: A tall, narrow tire is a superior choice for all off-highway surface conditions

=/=

Basically wider tires are going to excel in most offroad categories,

With the two given sizes above, you're probably right, you probably won't notice *that* much difference, but I was merely pointing out your generalized statements.

Also, the author of the article used 285's and 255's and settled on the 255's based on the points given in the article. The examples given even states that there were only 2" of difference.

 

[trd_4runnin]

Position: A tall, narrow tire is a superior choice for all off-highway surface conditions

=/=

Basically wider tires are going to excel in most offroad categories,

With the two given sizes above, you're probably right, you probably won't notice *that* much difference, but I was merely pointing out your generalized statements.

Also, the author of the article used 285's and 255's and settled on the 255's based on the points given in the article. The examples given even states that there were only 2" of difference.

Their entire quote:
Position: A tall, narrow tire is a superior choice for all off-highway surface conditions with the exception of deep, soft sand or mud.

My entire quote:
Basically wider tires are going to excel in most offroad categories, with the exceptions being a few inches of mud with hard ground underneath, and mild snow. Really deep mud and really deep snow will both favor a wider tire.

I also added sand in my first post in another paragraph. So when you add the rest of both positions it makes them pretty similar. Also, everyone uses this ExpeditionsWest example and I'm not saying that they are wrong by any means, but many other people in this profession would disagree with them. They both have advantages and disadvantages and I tried to point them both out either way.

I did forget to add that a skinny tire would clear fenders more easily during articulation.

A lot of guys air down their tires when going offroad to INCREASE the contact patch of the tire so obviously increased contact patch is somewhat important.

 

[p nut]

I didn't quote the rest of the quotes, because they were the same. And I do agree with you on those points that were not quoted. I mainly posted the points that I did not agree with.

I'll also add that I am more into the expedition type of stuff, not rock crawling in particular. There are pro's and con's of each different set of tires. You stated that in most off-roading situations, wider tires are better, which is not true. I linked the article to mainly point that out.

 

[trd_4runnin]

I didn't quote the rest of the quotes, because they were the same. And I do agree with you on those points that were not quoted. I mainly posted the points that I did not agree with.

I'll also add that I am more into the expedition type of stuff, not rock crawling in particular. There are pro's and con's of each different set of tires. You stated that in most off-roading situations, wider tires are better, which is not true. I linked the article to mainly point that out.

I guess we will agree to disagree. There are really only a couple of offroad situations where I feel a skinny tire is warranted and I still feel that in most situations a wider tire will excel. I don't think you can really say that its not true because no one has proven anything either way.

I didn't mean to cause any confusion by my post in portraying it as fact, I have just heard and read from many that the wider tire is a better choice for nearly all instances (exceptions noted above).