rkntoy
New member
I would make the argument that there are trails where larger tires limit the amount of breakage by reducing component stress with the ability to roll more obstacles.
33s or 35s for Colorado???
- Thread starter Dan.3
- Start date
I would make the argument that there are trails where larger tires limit the amount of breakage by reducing component stress with the ability to roll more obstacles.
Bijan
New member
yea if you're an experienced driver with a rear locker :fear:
2ndhandyotaman
Member
I haven't been to CO yet in my 'Runner, so I have no 1st hand experience to offer you, but after watching numerous vids on YT by
jpetrowich, I'm convinced that small tires would allow you to have a lot of fun. This guy drives with and records a group of flat fender Willys jeeps as they go all over CO, UT and the Rubicon. Most of these jeeps are still running flat head 4 cylinder engines, flat leaf springs and tires no bigger than 33". A few have lockers front and rear, but a few have open diffys and manage to go over the trails, just with a bit more work and some winching.
jpetrowich, I'm convinced that small tires would allow you to have a lot of fun. This guy drives with and records a group of flat fender Willys jeeps as they go all over CO, UT and the Rubicon. Most of these jeeps are still running flat head 4 cylinder engines, flat leaf springs and tires no bigger than 33". A few have lockers front and rear, but a few have open diffys and manage to go over the trails, just with a bit more work and some winching.
04rnr
New member
wheeling in the midwest and wheeling out here are NOT the same thing...
FYI, trails out here are already over crowed.. I stay away on long Holiday weekends, its just crazy.
theesotericone
New member
I just ran the Dusy on 33's and we all know what happened there. Your argument is starting to make a lot of sense to me. lol
I've always been happy with 33's for hardish wheeling. If my diff wasn't rolled at an angle causing the passenger CV's to break I think the tires performed just fine. With that said I went with 5.29 gearing specifically because I knew I'd end up on 35's. Wheeling that trail with that group just made me focus on it sooner. It's the next thing on the list after I fix the current diff issue.
OP:
It really depends on how hard you want to wheel. If you wheel hard you'll break shit on 33's and on 35's. The difference is what's pointed out above. 35's allow your rig to roll over some things that 33's need to be pushed over.
Like others have said though, armor would be a better choose first. I was fully armored before I ever went up in tire size. If you SAS your around town driving pleasure will be less. IFS can hang pretty well in the big stuff. We just had 5 IFS rigs prove it on the Dusy/Ershim. I'm the only one that broke and I was the only one on 33's. Just some food for thought.
Acorn22
Member
You're right, but in high alpine Colorado stuff gets washed out really easily leaving big dips and ravines in the road most of the time exposing boulders or just a big crevasse in the middle of the road. I need every inch of articulation I can get because of all these massive dips in the road. There have been many times where if I had bigger tires I would have flipped since the tire would've bottomed out against my wheel well prematurely causing the body to lean too quickly because all of the suspension wasn't being used.
35s definitely roll most obstacles easier, but Colorado for sure has its own weird type of obstacles to deal with that aren't always technical.
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Black798
New member
You'll want gears if your planning on spending a lot of time in Colorado on 33s. I just spent a week solid wheeling all the iconic high mountain trails and there were a lot of times on the highway my truck just couldn't hang with the newer ones despite being the lightest in the group at 5300lbs loaded. I'm on 33s and 4.30 gears. When I did similar trips with the same setup on 265s I felt fine power wise.
Are the 33s tolerable? Yes. Do they leave something to be desired on the highway? Yes. However my truck on 33s with a rear locker has gotten me into a lot of places that I've seen trucks on 35s struggle to get to. I've always been a firm believer that is 90% driver 10% vehicle. That being said I will be going to 5.29s and 35s by the end of next year.
I think though you should run the tires you have. Focus on armor, lockers, honing your driving skills, and a solid suspension setup that flexes well. That will get you further than tires.
Also don't expect great mileage with 33s and 4.30s. I average 14 to 15 with mine. Occasionally getting 18 if the stars align
We typically stay away from CO during the holidays due to the crowds. Unfortunately, as the kids get older, that will be more difficult to do. We enjoy it while we can now.
And here in the midwest we have this stuff on our trails called mud and these thing called trees that tend to stick up in the middle of our trails. So I can see how it will be different.
Thanks for the input. Armor isnt my issue. Its get IFS lift for 33s or SAS for 35s. the 80 series ride is pretty comparable to IFS the SAS wont be bad at all. So far, it seems like ifs lift and 33s is adequate for most of CO. Im not looking do every every trail and every obstacle.
Thanks for the input. Again, armor, lockers, and driving skills are not the issue. If I decide to run 35s, Ill probably do 5.29s or a crawlbox. Ran 35s on my 1st gen after I did the 3.4 swap with 4.10s. No issues on the road. Averaged 20mpg on the highway (flat) at 70-75mph and calculated for speedo correction with 35s. 33s on the 3rd gen should be about the same but definitely expect MPGs to go down in the mountains but nothing Im concerned about. And yes, I know the first gen is lighter than a 3rd gen. Hill climbs and boulders were a different story with 4.10s. I dont plan on running my Cooper ATPs in CO either because they are due for replacement as well along with my suspension. Basically the whole purpose for this thread.
I have done the whole wheel a stocker and decide what to mod next back in the day. Planning to do all at once this time and only once if I can. I would just like to be able to run a good portion of CO. Not all of it. Im not putting on an exo but at the same time dont want to completely wreck the body. I just dont want to spend money on an IFS lift and 33 and then be restricted to only had handful of trails and at the same time put the money into an SAS and 35s, gears, etc where 33s was good enough. Which based on replies, Ill go with 33s. Im taking all this with a grain of salt. If I decide that I need 35s, then thats on me.
IFS lift depending on the setup can run anywhere from $800 - $1500. SAS will most likely be in the $3k-$4k range. Plus I dont want to buy a set of 33s and then have to buy a set of 35s. Id like to save money if I can but will spend it if I need to. I just dont want to waste it.
Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I appreciate it. Unless more people from CO or who wheel in CO want to chime in, at this point, I consider this thread :closed_2:
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JWaldz
Moderator
[MENTION=83639]Dan.3[/MENTION]
Wheeled with 35's for a long while at sea level and it was nice, no complaints. I'm also geared front/rear to 4.88s.
However, upon moving to Colorado 4(ish) years ago I will say I did notice that it was much more sluggish. Especially traveling in the mountains.
I don't think 35's are really required for most Colorado trails unless you're getting into the harder stuff. There's usually ways around a tougher obstacle or harder sections anyways, but I know it's not always fun to bypass everything.
Like other's have noted, they have their advantages and disadvantages here. You just have to wade out the pros vs cons for yourself.
I will say, that I have a better sense of security having 35's. I know I can typically make it through most harder trails here without too much issue, but I've also been doing this long enough to know what I'm comfortable with doing in my 4Runner.
Wheeled with 35's for a long while at sea level and it was nice, no complaints. I'm also geared front/rear to 4.88s.
However, upon moving to Colorado 4(ish) years ago I will say I did notice that it was much more sluggish. Especially traveling in the mountains.
I don't think 35's are really required for most Colorado trails unless you're getting into the harder stuff. There's usually ways around a tougher obstacle or harder sections anyways, but I know it's not always fun to bypass everything.
Like other's have noted, they have their advantages and disadvantages here. You just have to wade out the pros vs cons for yourself.
I will say, that I have a better sense of security having 35's. I know I can typically make it through most harder trails here without too much issue, but I've also been doing this long enough to know what I'm comfortable with doing in my 4Runner.
spartacus
Senior Member
most 4runners I know off that do wheeling have a 3 inch lift with 33 and at least rear locker if not front also. sliders, skid protection but i have seen open diff rigs with 31 inch tires do some amazing wheeling the operator experience and ability is a important factor but I have also seen 35 inch tires with regear 4.88 and rear locker make things look really easy even for not so experience drivers on hard terrain.
rkntoy
New member
I have wheeled in CO too and not sure I follow this one. If you are bottoming 35s in to your wheel wheel you did not fit them correctly. Have you wheeled with 35s before? Getting across a wash out in the high alpine regions of CO is no different than certain obstacles in the Sierras, Central Oregon, Moab or anywhere else.
Fishwerks
New member
If you're driving out with the family from Illinois, chances are you won't be running hard trails/hard lines anyways, right? Just a fun family trip to the mountains? Then I'd keep it simple, throw some 33s on it (or keep your 32s) with a decent suspension lift and add armor as you like. You can get through challenging trails with good driving/spotting and not much armor.
SAS seems like a lot of work to stay on 35s.
SAS seems like a lot of work to stay on 35s.
TCMach
New member
Couldn't agree more. Trim to fit.
If you looked at what is actually considered a trail and took into account trails like moody hill that you can do stock but are rated high due to optional obstacles. I bet its even higher than that.
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Acorn22
Member
Yes I have and I agree with you, but I was just saying back in my first post that 35s definitely take some modding to work right. If you're down to spend the time and money to make them fit and make sure everything is structurally sound, then they are awesome, but I was just trying to give him a low cost and easier answer because in reality 33s get the job done pretty well. 35s definitely make everything a hell of a lot easier though, just not something you want to skimp out on with the body modifications and gearing or you won't get the full use out of them.
JayRolla
New member
That's why you want 33s. To do the real trails and not just the overland ones. Hard to.rock crawl on 31s safely.
31s aired down are like bike tires.
absalom
New member
I’ve done Miners Gulch. There just simply aren’t that many difficult trails around us, at least not compared to the offering of sub-5 trails.
What’s holding me back now is my lack of sliders, not my tires.
JayRolla
New member
Okay let's go Chinamans gultch. I have 33s ans no sliders. I know I can complete it taking the hard route. I would have to winch you up the entire trail on 31s.
Black798
New member
[MENTION=50342]JayRolla[/MENTION] I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that one. Last year I ran all the hard lines on wheeler lake, right line on flopper, v notch both up and down, and bowling all hill. 265/70/16s, no lockers,no winch, and full armor. Was it difficult? Yes it was however I did that whole trail on 31s with no body damage or any "unsafe" moments that would have been prevented by larger tires
This year I ran Chinamans Gulch with, full armor, winch, rear locker, and 33s. On the entirely of the trail I only turned the locker on 3 times with 2 of those times being because I wanted to take a much bigger line than I should have. The biggest enabler for me was the rear locker. I don't feel like the additional tire size was the make or break it feature of the truck in that trail. I may have hit my skids marginally more on 31s but with the locker that trail would have still been pretty easy.
The additional sidewall of the 285 is nice over the 265s, I definitely notice a lot less rock rash, however it is totally feasible to do the harder trails on 31s. Just takes the right driver and the right line.
This year I ran Chinamans Gulch with, full armor, winch, rear locker, and 33s. On the entirely of the trail I only turned the locker on 3 times with 2 of those times being because I wanted to take a much bigger line than I should have. The biggest enabler for me was the rear locker. I don't feel like the additional tire size was the make or break it feature of the truck in that trail. I may have hit my skids marginally more on 31s but with the locker that trail would have still been pretty easy.
The additional sidewall of the 285 is nice over the 265s, I definitely notice a lot less rock rash, however it is totally feasible to do the harder trails on 31s. Just takes the right driver and the right line.
JayRolla
New member
Okay yes with full armor and lift 31s mo problem. I agree even novice wheelers could scrape there way up.
I did wheeler's without armor and was a lot of fun. I would not have attempted it on 31s with my light weight build that's for sure.
