285's vs 265's.....

tyr0981

tyr0981

New member
Well after allot of digging around on here it looks as though 285/75/R16's aren't exactly a bolt on and go like i thought.....

Spacers at minimum are required, and 7.5 rims are the next issue (i have an SR5, so it's equipped with 7" rims) and if i have to put spacers up front, i should at least invest in flares that can cover up the 265's i have on now (which my fenders don't cover by .5 inch or so)

considering how i thought this was going to be an "easy" bolt on and hit the trail kind of mod i'm thinking i may just want to live with the ~1.5 inch shorter tire and buy a better traction tire in the same 265/75R16 flavor of size.....

sell me on the bigger tires guys! is it worth the money and time for non-super duper off roader type, to run the larger rubber?

:dizzy:
 
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tyr0981 said:
is it worth the money and time for non-super duper off roader type, to run the larger rubber?
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Nope. Our '99 has 285/75s right now on an OME lift - even if I invested in wheel spacers to stop the frame rubbing and wider flares to compensate for the wider stance, I'd still need to address the differential gearing to make up for lost power and MPG. I'll be downsizing as soon as I find a good deal.

I wouldn't upsize a tire just for looks, you're opening a can of worms that it sounds like you might not be ready for.
 
i'm not looking at these tires to make a "mall crawler" that's for certain, i go on a lot of deeply rutted abandon logging roads, power line roads, but not rock crawling or swamp thing kind of terrain....

i think these would help with ground clearance issues a little, but you bring up a good point about power loss and my already paltry MPG too....
 
I haven't wheeled a bunch in Oregon, so take this with a grain of salt, but from what I've seen of pics, traction is a much bigger issue than clearance in your terrain.

Have you considered 235/85r16s?
 
IMO, you'll be happy with 265's. Keeps the gearing where it should be. I have conquered some of colorado's more challenging trails with 31's and a lunchbox locker in my mini-truck. You just have to pick easier lines and stack some rocks, but you get there.

I have 285's now, and I'm OK with the gearing, but I do find myself missing it from time to time. I also have to abuse the clutch more off-road, which will certainly shorten it's life.
 
i ran 285s for almost two years on a stock set up... factory tundra wheels, factory height, ect. never had wheel spacers or any need for them. sure you will rub a little, but its going to be very minor, and only at full flex and full lock... both of which are only going to be happening at very slows speeds so it should be of no concern -its not gonna damage a tire. as far as power loss eh... ok sure your gonna lose a little power, but will you be able to tell? i dont think so, i mean maybe at first but drive the truck around for a couple of weeks, and you wont be able to tell anymore. mileage loss ok again sure but its not a huge loss. with my 285s and all moy armor and my winch ect im still able to pull 17-18 on the hwy and 14-15 in town. i say go for it...
 
the kid said:
i ran 285s for almost two years on a stock set up... factory tundra wheels, factory height, ect. never had wheel spacers or any need for them. sure you will rub a little, but its going to be very minor, and only at full flex and full lock... both of which are only going to be happening at very slows speeds so it should be of no concern -its not gonna damage a tire. as far as power loss eh... ok sure your gonna lose a little power, but will you be able to tell? i dont think so, i mean maybe at first but drive the truck around for a couple of weeks, and you wont be able to tell anymore. mileage loss ok again sure but its not a huge loss. with my 285s and all moy armor and my winch ect im still able to pull 17-18 on the hwy and 14-15 in town. i say go for it...
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yeah i agree with this, double check your gearing but a vast majority of us will have very little issues running a 285, i'm there right now with no regear, fitment issues are another thing though, not sure about your states laws on wheel covering and the rest, really i'd suggest in investing in a small lift of some kind to help clear the tires first and just run the 265's you have on there now until you can get the tires you want, better to do that than buy some tires you don;t really want now, decide you want to lift it in 6 months and have to go out and buy the 285's then.....really it comes down to your total build plan...
 
I have a full OME lift, so fitment probably won't be an issue under the chassis, but the front will rub the A-Arms without spacers it looks like, and like has been discussed the wheel width is the bare minimum for a 7" wide wheel for that wide of a tire....

man i wish Duratracs came in a 265/ 80! :croc: . i've been thinking about this since i blurted out the question @ 3am-ish, i really don't want to reduce my MPG even more so than it already is bad....

Buying new wheels and worrying about fitment sounds like more hassel then it's worth too me, since i'm not going over boulders....

still, taller tires would look damn good! :eyebrows: and help get me through the ruts in the snow / mud!
 
285s and stock gearing sucks on the hilly highway. I had a ton of downshifting with the cruise set. I switched back to 265s and I get alot less downshifting while on cruise. I know a regear would fix this, but I don't want to spend that kind of money just for a look since I don't wheel my 4runner hard.

While the 285s do look great on these 4runners, as my DD, I can not justify having to do all the extra mods to clear the tires and loss of power and MPG with stock gearing. Just remember that 285s only give you an extra 1/2" of clearance under the axle.
 
I would look into the 255-85-16s then. There wouldn't be nearly as many issues fitting them, as they are taller, but skinner then the stock, whereas the 285's are both taller and wider. I think people are running them on stock wheels and without front spacer's.

There is a really good thread floating around that I think is called why not 255-85-16s?
 
shiftmx said:
Just remember that 285s only give you an extra 1/2" of clearance under the axle.
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my little calculation gave 3/4 of an inch thank you! :flame:

yeah you're probably right though, i just hate getting stuck in some other monster trucks ruts (happened to me a couple of times)

:ohwell:
 
shiftmx said:
285s and stock gearing sucks on the hilly highway. I had a ton of downshifting with the cruise set. I switched back to 265s and I get alot less downshifting while on cruise. I know a regear would fix this, but I don't want to spend that kind of money just for a look since I don't wheel my 4runner hard.

While the 285s do look great on these 4runners, as my DD, I can not justify having to do all the extra mods to clear the tires and loss of power and MPG with stock gearing. Just remember that 285s only give you an extra 1/2" of clearance under the axle.
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hills, dallas tx!?!? please give me a break... i will guarantee that i have close to a 1000lbs on you, and much larger and more "hills" than you. what "hills" do you have in dallas tx? do you have anything thats even over 500' elevation change?

285s will not affect your gearing that much trust me. im running 4:10s and 285s (e rated mind you) and i can still pull a 3000lb trailler up a long grade and do 60mph... i go skiing on mt hood, drive over mt passes almost daily. the difference is miniscule. the only time your really going to notice a difference is when you are crawling in 4low and you have the compounding affects of the lower gears in the tcase, its the exponentiality(yes i make up my own words) of that where the gearing really comes into play.


tyr0981, if you want to check out my rig some time let me know, ill be back in town on monday and you can have a look at the clearance of things and how much and were rubbing actually happens -mind you i have the tundra wheels, and they have a less desirable offset than the 4runner wheels.
 
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i just might take you up on that "Kid", main concern is compounding problems that i've found on here, upper A-Arm clearance, gear ratio's, ect......

So what other problems are added in 4Lo? just a taller gear ratio? please be more specific.
 
the kid said:
hills, dallas tx!?!? please give me a break... i will guarantee that i have close to a 1000lbs on you, and much larger and more "hills" than you. what "hills" do you have in dallas tx? do you have anything thats even over 500' elevation change?

285s will not affect your gearing that much trust me. im running 4:10s and 285s (e rated mind you) and i can still pull a 3000lb trailler up a long grade and do 60mph... i go skiing on mt hood, drive over mt passes almost daily. the difference is miniscule. the only time your really going to notice a difference is when you are crawling in 4low and you have the compounding affects of the lower gears in the tcase, its the exponentiality(yes i make up my own words) of that where the gearing really comes into play.


tyr0981, if you want to check out my rig some time let me know, ill be back in town on monday and you can have a look at the clearance of things and how much and were rubbing actually happens -mind you i have the tundra wheels, and they have a less desirable offset than the 4runner wheels.
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Yes, Mr. Dallas, TX area expert, we do have some hills here. Please put your wang back in your pants, this is not a pee-pee contest :) Notice I didn't say mountains. And yes, while this isn't the rocky mountains and the great north west...the drive on I-20 can be a little "hilly" between Dallas and Shreveport. I am assuming you have driven this stretch to know about the terrain right?

Also, I never said that the 4runner didn't have the power to tow uphill...I simply stated that 285s with stock gearing will simply have the 4runner down shifting alot more with cruise control than will 265s with same stock gearing. I am just giving my personal experience between the two tire sizes.
 
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Keep in mind the load rating of the tire too. That is going to effect mpg's as well as power loss.
 
I had this same debate and went with 265's. I don't regret my decision, but I wish I would have just went with 285's from the start. It's easier to downgrade to a 265 than upgrade to a 285 if you ever change your mind. More people would be willing to trade their 265's for 285's than the other way around. I haven't put 33's on yet so I can comment on the power differences, but from what I've read it isn't the worst thing.

Which tire you choose has a factor if you need spacers. It's going to be close, but some tires clear the UCA's much better.
 
I've had it all - 265's when stock, up to 285 BFG AT's (while in montana at 5000ft), then added supercharger, then bought 35's, then re-geared.

If I didn't have a commuter car, I would have left it at 285's, stock gears, and supercharged.

285's, and 4.10's, was amazing on the freeway. A tad sluggish off the line, sure, but it all averages out. Offroad, in my own opinion, even with the tad tall gearing was fine considering I could still cruise there with decent gas mileage. I ran 285's on the stock 5 stars no problem, and didn't need spacers or UCA's. With a 1 inch body lift, minor trimming in the front, no pounding, and the SS 1.2 kit, it was flawless.
 
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