Skinny 35s: Looking for options

Beowulf

Expedition Leader
Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT has a 255/85/17 size which is about a 35x10x17 tire.

This is the size I want to go with. Currently running the 255/85 R 16 Toyo MT. Love it. Would run it again if they made the 255/85R17. This MT BB AT seems like a nice option.
 

rruff

Explorer
If you can, please find examples of tires that are identical except for LR (same mfg, model, tread etc etc) and show me a weight difference.
True, but you can sometimes find a "C", "D", "E" offered by different manufacturers and models in a size, and these may have different weights and durabilities. This for instance is a light, fat, 34.4" tire at 52 lbs. https://tiresize.com/tires/Goodyear/Wrangler-Territory-MT-315-70R17.htm

Regarding ride, a wider tire will allow a lower pressure for the same load, so that is another thing to consider... but we are looking at skinnies here.
 

toddz69

Explorer
What’s wrong with that?
The idea that radial LR E light truck tires “ride stiffer” than the same tire in LR D is IMHO completely incorrect.
Especially when they don’t have steel sidewalls. And in many cases when they do.
Often, the tires are identical, the higher LR version has a lower speed rating and that’s it. That’s straight out of the mouth of a tire engineer I met in person at an exhibition that included his company’s tire.
In most cases, the writing on the sidewalls will show the same number of (polyester) plies, the tread will have the same number of plies; and often (not necessarily always) the weight will be identical.
If you can, please find examples of tires that are identical except for LR (same mfg, model, tread etc etc) and show me a weight difference.
In my long 4x4 experience with light and heavy 4x4s, the tire things that ensure a nice ride are:
1) smallest diameter wheel (and not too wide!!) that won’t interfere with brakes
2) bigger overall diameter
3) 1 + 2 work because air chamber is larger volume
4) lowest pressure that is appropriate for terrain and speed. I OVERinflate on highway, but not off highway. Speed control is critical for this.
5) Yes, a heavy traction tread will cause a bit of high frequency vibration going really slow on a really smooth surface, noise and heat running fast. But last time I checked, this isn’t a mall cruising site.
The Toyo Open Country AT3s in the size I'll try again someday (285/75/17) are 1 lb. different between the C and E rated tires. 59/60 lb. Not a lot of difference but there is a difference.


Currently running 285/70/17 KO2s in load range C (Rubicon takeoffs) and they're definitely softer riding than the AT3 E-rated tires that I had for about 6 years prior. The KO2s are wearing pretty fast (lots of chunking) so I'm anxious to try the load range C AT3s to see how they ride compared to their E-rated brethren.

Todd Z.
 
No skin in the game. Just curious. Remembered BFG KO2 so looked it up.

285/70R17 116S vs 121R
315/70R17 113T vs 121S
37x12.5R17 116S vs 124R

I stopped looking there. Might be a LT vs passenger tire difference. Not clear on the site.
This is basically what I was told by the military tire engineer re 395/85R20 XZLs (at the really big end of the spectrum).
The ones that came with the vehicle were 158K. The NOS ones I have are 168G.
I asked him (I remember his name but he will remain anonymous in this conversation) “what’s the difference between the 2 tires same size and tread with different load & speed ratings”. He answered:”the writing on the sidewall”.
Additionally, I downloaded a copy of a letter from him to DOD in Iraq pertaining to MRAPs in Iraq. There’s a table of decreasing max load capacity as max speed allowable increases.
 
There’s no less than 8 in the catalog below different sizes that have two (2) different load & speed ratings for the unique tire. The secondary rating is in parantheses, the rating after the slash is for duals.
Again, with apologies, at the heavy end of the spectrum.
Michelin even has a name for the phenomenon: “singular point”.
But you’ll see it all over the place in their catalog of over the road tires for heavy trucks. And, for example, in the military catalog, there’s a size or 2 that might even be applicable to things like 350/3500 type pickups.
 
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Todd n Natalie

OverCamper
I'm running 35x11 toyos. But on an F150 and a 20" rim in load range E.... and an LT tire. So not sure if that will help you.

They're okay. I prefer the Duratracs I had before.
 

Zeep

Adventurer
What’s wrong with that?
The O.P. stated he was fitting them on a LJ. That is what I have. Original tires were GY MTR's, E rated, and the thing rode like crap! E rated is fine for 3/4, and 1 ton trucks. But, on something as light as a Wrangler, there are better options. I switched to Cooper Discoverer ST's, in 255/85/16D. I could not be happier, as the ride is so much improved, over factory, without changing anything else.
I'm not even sure if Cooper still makes my tire or not! Might be worth a look.

Edit, Just looked at Coopers site, and apparently, they are no longer offered.
As oringinally stated, I would avoid E rating on a LJ.
 
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tacollie

Glamper
The O.P. stated he was fitting them on a LJ. That is what I have. Original tires were GY MTR's, E rated, and the thing rode like crap! E rated is fine for 3/4, and 1 ton trucks. But, on something as light as a Wrangler, there are better options. I switched to Cooper Discoverer ST's, in 255/85/16D. I could not be happier, as the ride is so much improved, over factory, without changing anything else.
I'm not even sure if Cooper still makes my tire or not! Might be worth a look.

Edit, Just looked at Coopers site, and apparently, they are no longer offered.
As oringinally stated, I would avoid E rating on a LJ.
Tire construction is more important. I had the 255/85r16 Cooper Discoverer ST on my 3rd gen 4runner. The E rated Duratracs that replaced them rode significantly better because the side wall had more give. GY MTRs ride like crap on any vehicle in my experience.
 

rruff

Explorer
Durable offroad tires have thick tread and sidewalls, and tend to have a stiffer ride as a result.

But... a lot of people make the ride worse by over-inflating them. Just because it says 80psi on an E doesn't mean you should be anywhere near it!

Look up the Toyo inflation tables and see what the psi should be for the weight you are carrying. For the weight of my unladen truck with 325/65r18 (35x13") tires, the listed psi was in the 20s for both front and rear... except that <35 psi was not recommended regardless of load. I still run 30 psi in the rear.
 

rruff

Explorer
Tire construction is more important. I had the 255/85r16 Cooper Discoverer ST on my 3rd gen 4runner. The E rated Duratracs that replaced them rode significantly better because the side wall had more give. GY MTRs ride like crap on any vehicle in my experience.
Huge variance in mpg of tires that look similar as well... don't know if there is a correlation with ride, but there could be.
 

Smileyshaun

Observer
Have ran the kenda klever on 2 different rigs in the 35x10.50 . You have to air down more than normal due to their thick sidewalls ( 8-10psi in the snow for me ) surprisingly quiet on the road , never had a lack of traction in the sand ,snow , Ice , rocks ect . Ran kenda tires on my motorcycles and have never had a quality issue with them IMG_7627.jpegDFD87F35-C544-4EC9-AF85-F431FE0D2349.jpegEB35D4AA-BAC3-4B72-8C67-DAA110B79E1E.jpeg
 

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