Tire question. 255 -v- 285's

[Lunarphase]

I'm getting ready to get a Toytec ult' lift and I'm trying to decide on a set of tires. I've searched and read through a lot of tire info here and I'm tending towards the 285 75 R16, but I also see a lot of guys wearing the 255's.
My question is why the 255's over the 285's.

It seems everywhere in the world I travel the off-road vehicles have skinny tires. I'm in FL and won't be doing any rock climbing like you guys in Cali and Co. Most of my driving is on-road but need to be able to get through the Sugar sand we have here on most trails, and be able to handle the washed out dirt logging roads of north Florida and GA.
It is my DD so I want it to ride well, and look good on the road also.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

[jgue467]

So what are the 2 sidewalls height you are comparing? I mean width is one thing but you also have to consider what height tradeoffs are being considered.

You'll find closer or the same heights if you compare 265 (stock) to 285. I'd do the 285s, just meaner macho feel & look with that lift 'ya got. :cowboy:

 

[JayRolla]

If it was me I would go with 305/70r16 like I did. They are almost as wide as a 35 but sit 33" tall.

285 vs 305.

 

[KidVermicious]

I'm getting ready to get a Toytec ult' lift and I'm trying to decide on a set of tires. I've searched and read through a lot of tire info here and I'm tending towards the 285 75 R16, but I also see a lot of guys wearing the 255's.
My question is why the 255's over the 285's.

It seems everywhere in the world I travel the off-road vehicles have skinny tires. I'm in FL and won't be doing any rock climbing like you guys in Cali and Co. Most of my driving is on-road but need to be able to get through the Sugar sand we have here on most trails, and be able to handle the washed out dirt logging roads of north Florida and GA.
It is my DD so I want it to ride well, and look good on the road also.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

At a given height (33-ish), 255 tires have less width and less weight. This translates to less rolling resistance, less air resistance, less inertia to overcome during acceleration and deceleration, and less wear and tear on suspension and steering components. Given the same tread pattern and rubber composition, 255 tires are better than 285 for pavement travel.

Once you get off road, it's not as cut and dried. 255s are said to conform easier to rough surfaces because of the greater pressure per square inch caused by their smaller footprint. They're also said to work better in mud and snow because that greater pressure per square inch digs through the slop to find traction. On the flip side, the wider 285s will have a greater tread area to get traction with and I couldn't tell you if smaller traction patch w/higher PSI against the rocks is better than wider traction patch w/correspondingly less PSI. Wider tires may also have an advantage in deep or bottomless snow or mud (or sand!) where they can float better than the skinnier tire.

Given that the majority of your travel is on pavement, I'd say the skinnies are the clear choice. Others will have different opinions . In the end, I suspect that neither tire is superior enough to the other that it will matter in the long run, and we all obsess over tires too much anyway. Pick one and run with it.

 

[NWFLBowhunter]

I'm getting ready to get a Toytec ult' lift and I'm trying to decide on a set of tires. I've searched and read through a lot of tire info here and I'm tending towards the 285 75 R16, but I also see a lot of guys wearing the 255's.
My question is why the 255's over the 285's.

It seems everywhere in the world I travel the off-road vehicles have skinny tires. I'm in FL and won't be doing any rock climbing like you guys in Cali and Co. Most of my driving is on-road but need to be able to get through the Sugar sand we have here on most trails, and be able to handle the washed out dirt logging roads of north Florida and GA.
It is my DD so I want it to ride well, and look good on the road also.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

Not sure where in Florida you are, but here in the panhandle, sand and clay eats the narrow tires up. I run 285s now and will be moving to 305's when these wear out.

 

[Lunarphase]

jgue, I'm looking at getting a tire in the 32"-33" range, whether the 285's or 255's. I think that size would go well with the 3" Toytec ult. lift.

JayRolla, that's a knarly tire, I really like the look but I think it would be too loud on the road for a daily driver.

Bowhunter, yea the sugar sand is a big concern for me. I run into some deep powdery stuff in the ONF and getting stuck out there with no cell service sucks. I thought the 255's would be better in the clay though.

KidV, great info, that's what I need to take into account, thanks

 

[Doc2012]

A buddy of mine runs the 255's, and while I jumped from 265/70s to 37 HMMWV tires, then back down to 35's, I can tell you that the "pizza cutters" are very nice tires.

As KidV said, there's all that info to take into consideration. Location, air pressures, pavement time, ect ect.

I can tell you that my buddy to the 255's to Uhwarrie, where it's mostly rock crawling, with some mud patches, and did great. This video is of me, but he went through the same spot, and had no issues.

http://youtu.be/f39A_o2B9Mg


That being said, you need to look at what other gear you have in the 4Runner.

What's your driving style? Careful, or balls to the wall?

Do you have a locker, or are you Open/Open?

Do you have a winch?

Do you have bumpers?

what do you have for recovery gear?

I ask these questions, because, believe it or not, they can/will have an impact on what you plan on buying.

Locker(s) are the main thing here, because, if you have one or both ends locked the odds of getting stuck in something like you're describing are small. NOT NONEXSISTANT, but small. If you notice yourself digging, then you could engage the locker and MIGHT be able to claw your way to a good patch of dirt, where you could then keep driving.

Gear in the 4Runner:
Do you have traction pads, Hi-Lift, carry a piece of wood that might be utilized?

Bumpers: Weight on the back and front end helps with traction, but can also burry you in you're not careful.

Winch: Will get you out of just about anything, but you need a Pull-Pal or something like that to go with it to get out of beaches where there's no trees or anything around to hook to.



In the end, look at what you've got, what you're going to have, and what you're going to be doing.

BUT, don't count out the skinnys. They're a great tire, and more true to size than the 285s.

 

[JayRolla]

The tires are not too loud at all. What usually makes mud tires loud is bad tire wear as in cupping. When you run too high air pressure in your muds they will start to cup and they get super loud. People get there new D/E load tires and think they need 40-80psi since they are rated at that.

But in reality you need less air pressure because the tire wall is so stiff. Im running about 24psi in all 4 tires with perfect tread wear and tire footprint. No cupping and they sound fine on the road. Little loud with windows down but wife has never complained and that says a lot.

 

[Lunarphase]

To through in another variable, is there any advantage to going to a larger wheel from my stock 16R like a 17, 18, or 20"?

 

[BrandonF]

The tires are not too loud at all. What usually makes mud tires loud is bad tire wear as in cupping. When you run too high air pressure in your muds they will start to cup and they get super loud. People get there new D/E load tires and think they need 40-80psi since they are rated at that.

But in reality you need less air pressure because the tire wall is so stiff. Im running about 24psi in all 4 tires with perfect tread wear and tire footprint. No cupping and they sound fine on the road. Little loud with windows down but wife has never complained and that says a lot.

Wow 24 psi is crazy low for street driving, even for a tire as wide as the 305. I find 35-40 is the sweet spot for my D-rated 285's. Any lower and the side knobs start wearing down faster than the middle.

 

[JayRolla]

Wow 24 psi is crazy low for street driving, even for a tire as wide as the 305. I find 35-40 is the sweet spot for my D-rated 285's. Any lower and the side knobs start wearing down faster than the middle.

No its not. I have ran that psi on 285's and experienced middle tire wear from over inflation, but it was an e load. Width has nothing to do with it, the load rating does. 24psi is not low for this tire at all. E load tires can run very low. Anything under 20psi not safe for the street. If you do the chalk test you will find out. Even on the chalk test for these tires the outside knobs barely touch the ground. In your situation you can get to the point where just the inside of the tire is worn which causes them to wear out way faster if you are running an e load. Lower load tires can have more psi. In my situation they will last longer. It also gives a softer ride on the road because they are so stiff. Here are some links.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojGsavK0Uwc

Tire pressure / Chalk test - JeepForum.com

 

[Fishwerks]

To through in another variable, is there any advantage to going to a larger wheel from my stock 16R like a 17, 18, or 20"?

It makes your tires more expensive usually.

 

[Nunyabiz]

I have 255/75R 17 Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor on mine, I like them, whenever they wear out which looks like it will be several more years I will buy the same size and type again.

 

[Climber]

It makes your tires more expensive usually.

they sure are, and sometimes offered in different ratings. I plan to go to 17in rims because they offer the duratracs in D rating while they only have them in E for 16in.

 

[Link12]

Toytec Ultimate with 891's. 255/80r17 BFG KM2's and I love them. Drives great.

 

[MandAtaco]

I've been running through this same debate in my head. I want 255's, but am worried about availability. It almost seems like an odd ball tire size anymore as there aren't that many manufactures making it. I like the 285's because there are a ton of manufactures making it, which would make availability easier.

I keep running through the scenario in my head of being stuck in small town Nevada somewhere needing a tire. Seems I'd have a much better chance of getting a 285 than a 255.

This is all in reference to a 16" rim of course.

 

[K-Tanz]

Just stumbled upon a pretty fantastic article regarding this very issue.

Expeditions West: Tire Selection for Expedition Travel

 

[KidVermicious]

Just stumbled upon a pretty fantastic article regarding this very issue.

Expeditions West: Tire Selection for Expedition Travel

That is the article that skinny-tire afficionados everywhere have seized upon to support their love for the 255. Everybody fails to understand that that is a position paper, nothing more. All the author is doing is presenting and supporting a position. WAY more data is needed to authoritatively state that the skinnies are better, and he's pretty clear about that.

I'm an unapologetic skinny-lover and to be honest, I'm ambivalent about whether skinny or fat is better when driving offroad. I've breezed through terrain that my fat tire friends struggle in, and they've had to strap me up stuff that they didn't even spin rubber on. I think it depends on so many variables, including truck setup and driving style and terrain surface, that the only sane conclusion is for each driver to experiment and use what works best for them.

 

[thebrandon]

On my runner I have had 255, 285 and 305.

255 was a BFG KM2. Great tire that handled everything exceptionally well except snow and ice, it was horrible in the snow. It was very loud on the road and wasn't the best for anything other than driving in a straight line. That doesn't have anything to do with the width though...

285 is my current size, and is a Cooper A/T Maxx, an aggressive all terrain tire with nice road manners. Handles the elements well too and you don't get that jerky feeling when traveling through small puddles or mud holes at speed on or off road, and still maintains it street-ability. Weight is a little closer to the 255 depending on the tire you get.

305 was a Goodyear Duratrac, another aggressive all terrain tire. This width was my least favorite. Lots of drag on the road and felt a bit more sluggish. Did ok off road but seemed to be too wide for the 4runner. Cruising at any speed above 10 mph and you can expect the tire to grab every puddle and mud hole and rock and whip you in that direction rather than cut through it like the other sizes. It may be ok for snow and deep sand or mud, but everything else I didn't like, and the other tires were more than capable of handling.

Overall my favorite size so far is the 285. For our vehicles it seems to be the perfect compromise for road manners, off road ability, and weight, while still keeping a common tire size with great availability and options. Pretty much everyone makes a 285 tire in every style and flavor you could want.

Just my opinion. If they had more options and affordability for 255 tires I would probably have 255 tires right now, but seeing as options are limited and can be pricey, 285 is my current favorite.

 

[hour]

I have 255/75R 17 Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor on mine, I like them, whenever they wear out which looks like it will be several more years I will buy the same size and type again.

I believe they discontinued the silent armors in favor of their new offering that looks similar but sadly less aggressive. I had them and loved them, but P rated lead me to sidewall damage on a trail.

Anyway OP, I like my 285s... and I liked having tons of tires to choose from, not the case with the narrow offerings from discount tire at least.