Tire Width - Which is Better?

Interesting video.

Just so happens when I replaced my tires recently, that I went with 235/85r16 from previous 265/75r16 on my Toyota Tacoma. Same diameter, lighter and cheaper.

I went down a size on my Toyo AT3s and am very happy. Lowered my GVWR and got me better MPG.

Thanks for the video. I don't do much rock crawling (ok none) but some roads we were on in BBRSP TX were rougher than anything I went through in AK, Yukon or Labrador. Being in snow country tread is important. I actually don't like fat tires and this seems to say pizza cutters do the job. I have run Cooper AT3's (three sets now) and though I really like the traction they seem to get a bit noisier as they age. Not thrilled with the lifespan so starting to look around. Toyo AT3's look interesting. I like quiet ride. I currently have the 245-75-17.

Nothing new there. Narrow tires are easier on suspension components. Wide tires have a place in certain mud and snow conditions where flotation is important but most of us are better off with a narrower tire.

It would be interesting if he did the same tests but with a heavier vehicle.

Interesting. Will stick with wider section tires for the beach though.

The video clearly shows that the contact patch area is actually larger with a narrower tire... talk about counter intuitive. I was just watching this video yesterday myself. Pretty mind boggling...

I wonder if the wider tire is supposed to have lower pressure.

Anyway, it’s getting close to new tires time. I met a guy other day who had 265/75R16 instead of 265/70R16. So I’m thinking about whether an increase of 1” diameter is a good idea (about 3.5%). Hmmm.

rubberlegs said:

I wonder if the wider tire is supposed to have lower pressure.

Anyway, it’s getting close to new tires time. I met a guy other day who had 265/75R16 instead of 265/70R16. So I’m thinking about whether an increase of 1” diameter is a good idea (about 3.5%). Hmmm.

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When I purchased my 2002 Tundra used it came with GoodYear 265/75R16 Wrangler tires.
A few years ago I needed to replace them and went with the brand Hercules in the same size but a quieter tread design.
That size is only one larger then stock 265/65R16.

I am happy with them they are stable and quiet.

Frank

We crossed the entire Abu Moharek dune chain in Egypt in 70-Series Land Cruisers riding on 235/85x16 BFG/AT tires. They do just fine in sand if you air them down. We run this size on our own Troopy and FJ40 as well.

I'd been wondering if a larger diameter tire would work on our truck, and found many instances where an inch higher would fit no problem. We do a lot of pretty nasty roads. We ran into a guy while out camping who had done that on the same kind of truck. It bothered me that they were even heavier than our too-heavy E-rated tires, but a little more clearance sure is attractive.

Then this post opened my eyes to "pizza cutter" tires. This and some other anecdotes from off road enthusiasts got us talked into it. We'll report back in a couple years if it was a good idea for a truck camper! We went from 265/70R16 to 235/85R16 (1" more diameter, 1.25" less width), which are just a bit lighter.

We'll get quite a hit on "gas mileage" as reported through the odometer, just based on tire diameter. Our worn tires lost 11/32, so that's a little over 2% "improvement". The new tires will have a 3.6% "hit", so all of a sudden it'll look like a 6% "hit" in gas mileage. Then there's the weight of an old vs. new tire...

By the way, our KO2 tires wore down to 4/32 after 56,000 miles. Can't complain about that.

57Pan said:

Just so happens when I replaced my tires recently, that I went with 235/85r16 from previous 265/75r16 on my Toyota Tacoma. Same diameter, lighter and cheaper.

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How do you like the new tire size so far? My first impression was the steering seemed easier. But that might be all in my mind. I noticed there's quite a crown on the tires, and the middle was 15/32 but the outside tread was several 32nds less. The installers used 42 psi all around (and the truck was empty).

Most times a crown in the middle of the tread would indicate, running to low a pressure.