Tires - Can't decided!

[John7M7]

I noticed that too. I got sort of excited for a moment as I like this design, mostly due to the sidewall better than the Good Year Duratracs. Mind you, I have not had either. I have the KO2s and like them just fine. I have 16 wheels and I don't think that I like them enough to buy five new wheels. LOL.

Tire prices seem to be set on some sort of dynamic algorithm or something. They fluctuate wildly week to week sometimes. Although, I have noticed that the odder the size, and larger the size, it becomes more expensive, by a lot. I am running 265/75/16s at the moment, and they seem to be a reasonable size for availability and price. But, at some point, that might change so that 17" wheels offer more options and better price.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Discount Tire, (usually on eBay) runs pretty good specials during March and October. So if you need tires and can wait to catch a sale, then you might want to consider that.

Same here, changing wheels isn't really on the menu, and if I were to replace them for a cool set of off road ones I'd probably stay with 16".

I might end up waiting until March, for now I can't do much since I want to install my lift first and it is still in transit from the ARB warehouse.

How're the KO2s doing on mud and loose sand?

 

[Co4Fun]

They only start at 17" wheels! That's really too bad, for one minute I thought I had the ones!

I knew you'd like them though when I read what you were after.

They are one of the only true AT/MT aggressive hybrids and of course have that Nitto look to boot...AND you can get them in C's in way more sizes than most.

I liked them so much so that I got 17's...more options that way anyway. But yes there is that wheel investment price for sure. You might consider some of the cheaper flat black alloy wheels from 4 Wheel Parts...not bad quality and can get them well under $100 each.

Look, in the long run 16's are a dying breed. I went through this with my Jeep and just went back to 15's but not an option for us with our Runners. They were a "few year" thing and then they moved to 17's and larger...blame the manufacturers. There are less and less options in 16's and those available are more expensive as manufacturers move away from them based on sales volumes of the other sizes...which is why the Ridges aren't even offered in less than 17's. So again I just saw the need to get out of 16's anyway. Allowed me to get the offset I wanted and 17's were a good compromise for wheeling and all around. More clearance around rotors and all too.

Here's my Ridges on 17's in 285's...C's.

 

[John7M7]

Really nice setup on your rig! Love it!

I might be able to chance the wheels in fact, that will depend on a few things. First I'll need to learn about offsets etc, and pick up the right brand. Something that will allow me to install the Tundra brakes.
I'll do some digging about that today.

What should I look for when looking for new wheels? I'm currently running the factory 16" wheels from my Limited.

EDIT: even if I end up changing the wheels, I'll probably stick to 16", a quick search showed me that LT265-75 aren't offered on 17" wheels, and even if I were to size up, I still have a lot of options with 16".
My wife is pushing for a wheel upgrade, she loves the SCS, so we might just do it... go figure

 

[Co4Fun]

Ah but brother but a 265 70r17 is the exact same as a 265 75r16!

A few years ago I really dug in and figured out how these new sizes work. They are a ratio so whatever rim size you are in you can get the exact or extremely similar size...it's a ratio of sidewall to width so don't let that throw you off. Use the calculator to calculate height and width.

Play here a little bit: https://tiresize.com/comparison/

So if you're going to go new wheels (and especially for the reason of sizing) don't waste your money and stay with the dying 16's. Go 17 and give yourself more future options and yes, both in tires, brake mod options etc.

I'll get you some offset info here too in awhile.

 

[Road Bull]

Really nice setup on your rig! Love it!

I might be able to chance the wheels in fact, that will depend on a few things. First I'll need to learn about offsets etc, and pick up the right brand. Something that will allow me to install the Tundra brakes.
I'll do some digging about that today.

What should I look for when looking for new wheels? I'm currently running the factory 16" wheels from my Limited.

EDIT: even if I end up changing the wheels, I'll probably stick to 16", a quick search showed me that LT265-75 aren't offered on 17" wheels, and even if I were to size up, I still have a lot of options with 16".
My wife is pushing for a wheel upgrade, she loves the SCS, so we might just do it... go figure

Just so you know,

265/75/16 = 265/70/17

So you have the same size tire diameter and overall dimensions, however, you loose an inch of aspect ratio, (distance between the ground and the wheel), and gain an inch in metal wheel).

For wheel size, whatever you choose, you should still be able to find some options. I would say that 17" might be a more "go-forward" tire diameter for the future. We are seeing more and more designs go that way. I would say... pay attention to your backspacing. Read up on that stuff. You will avoid problems down the road. There is a sweet spot where you want your wheels, and tires, to be located. Too far out, tires contact body. Too far in, tires contact the upper control arms and or frame. The bigger the tire you are trying to shoehorn on there, the more you have to pay attention to clearance issues. 4" to 4.5" of backspacing seem to be the sweet spot for our vehicles and lift geometry. Whatever you get, try to think to where you want to end up down the road with your build, so that you can do things in a sort of logical order and not have to redo mods to accommodate a change you want to make.

I was in a similar boat after buying my vehicle. I needed / wanted new tires. I didn't have money for a lift at the time. I settled on the fact that I could go one plus size , (265/75/16), without much or any modification. This was perfect for me. Now, a couple of years later, I have a lift, and different wheels and I am not sure that I will even get larger tires. Maybe I might try it, but just brings up a lot of other issues that I might not want to address, mostly where to put the spare, but also a little power loss, loss of mpg. We'll see.

Those SCS wheels are sweet. The FN wheels are also pretty cool too.

As for how KO2s do in mud or deep sand... I can't really comment too much on mud as I try to avoid deep mud when I can. They seemed to do fine on a beach from the looser sand to the harder pack. I have not been to any dunes or anything like that. Maybe someone else can comment.

 

[John7M7]

Thank you very much for the explanations guys, I definitely made a mistake while looking at the sizing options!

17" could then definitely do it, and I agree on the fact that bigger tires bring some challenges to the table, for example re gearing, excessive wear or where to put the spare.
I'll stick with 32s, either 265-75R16 or the equivalent in 17".

For backspacing, I barely started to research it but people definitely seem to agree that 4.5 is the way to go for us. Will do more research tonight when I'm back home, and I will also check the FN wheels.
Btw, there's a group buy on SCS wheels if anyone is interested.

For the KO2s, thanks for the feedback, I think this will be a strong contender. It's either gonna be the BFG or maybe the DC Fun Country or Mickey Thompson ATZ P3.... or maybe something else if I go 17".

 

[John7M7]

I just ordered a set of five LT265/75R16 Dick Cepek Fun Country, load E!

I'm really excited about them, I should have them mounted on Thursday and will start a build thread this WE.
I chose them over the Falken A/T3W and the KO2 because they fit my bill the best:
- Aggressive tread for great off road performance
- Quiet tires (from what I read), confortable on road, and that seem to last
- 3-ply sidewall

I got the five tires online for $1k OTD.

I'll stick to my current wheels for a while, I honestly like them and will use the money for something else (battery and compressor).

Thank you very much for all your input! You convinced me to go for a load E, and I'm sure I'll be more than happy with my choice. I'll post a review after a couple of months of use.

:thanks: