skinny vs fat?

Silverwulf

Adventurer
Ok guys, once again I call upon the collective wisdom that ExPo.
I have a 1999 montero (winter pkg) and I am getting really close to needing tires. I will have a 2" roger brown lift and cranked the front t-bars 1.75" as well as 2" rear spring spacers.

I cant decide if I should go with 33x10.5 and stock wheels or 33"12.5 with some black steel wheels ( or alu). I f I go wider it opens a whole other question, should I stick with 15" wheels, or 16, 17?

I have looked through the photos on this site. Feel free it inspire me with pictures.:Wow1:

I'm diggin the look of this members rig.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13922&page=87

Thanks, Silverwulf
 

zukrider

Explorer
well, honestly, 33's fit stock, even 12.50's. i would go 35/12.5 and get some 15x8 with 3.5 or 3.75 backspace. alu vs. steel is your choice.

or go 33's with the factory rims. cheaper, and skip the lift. put that money into sliders and a front bumper/winch, or lighting. hope this helps.

about the wheels. if your gonna crawl, steel is king unless you wanna pay for good high dollar forged aluminum. but day to day with typical backroad get aways, aluminum will be lighter, cost more, but stop better and get better fuel mileage.

cheers
 

off-roader

Expedition Leader
IMHO, it's a matter of your wheeling needs.

In my case, I'm building up a rock crawler so fat is where it's at. The added floatation and protection warrant it. Same for sand.

For general trail riding, and the lower rolling resistance and therefore better mileage, the skinnies could be very beneficial.
 

Silverwulf

Adventurer
Thanks for the info so far. That article makes sense.

As for my wheeling needs...
75% commuter/grocery getter
25% going whereever the ****** that thing can go =D

Kidz & dogz live for the 25%

Oh, in the interest of total disclosure, factor in another 50% for posing. Hey, at least i'm being honest ;)

No REAL crawling. Probably nothing more than rugged back roads. Would like more ground clearance and off road traction. I am from the school of thought that " its better to have it and never need it, than not have it and need it)

Who knows, once I start to wheel more, I may upgrade later to more serious equipment.

What drew me to these awesome rigs in the first place was how capable they are right out of the box.

Any suggestions for tires in the 33x10.5x15 range?

It might look cool to paint the stock wheels black. They are not a bad looking wheel.

The $500 for 5 steel wheels can buy a roof rack.

Sorry for the long post, just kinda stoked on my rig right now.:smiley_drive:
 

RttH

Member
BFG all-terrains or KM2's or Wrangler probably would fit the bill. That being said my AT's were actually louder on the highway than my current BFG KM2's at same mileage. I have been so impressed with my KM2's (highway, snow, desert). Not everyone has same experience and that can be from different tire rating, loads, vehicle. It has a slight hum at speed but a lot less than my AT's and definitely the original KM's.

(For me) the 33x10.5x15 has been a perfect size for this rig. Wider and I would notice the steering response, and loss of oomph, and gas mileage. There are other brands too, but this is what has worked well on my Montero.

Oh and they look good too!:clapsmile
 

john101477

Photographer in the Wild
I am a fan of the 33x10.5 as well. as for what brand etc. you gonna get a lot of conflicting info. from toyo MT to KM2 to wrangler Duratrac /at/ats etc. Any of the above are great semi low noise tires awesome in the environments your talking about. I have first hand knowledge of the toyo and love them but hate the price tag as of the last year or so. wheeled with guys that had the KM2 and they are ok imo but not spectacular. I have the ATS on the powerstroke right now and look forward to something different to be honest they have a very odd tread pattern. My next set I am looking at for the powerstroke is the duratrac for the powerstroke so we will see if I replace the toyos on the 4runner down the road or stay with them
 

Silverwulf

Adventurer
Thanks again for the info. I'm pretty sure I will go with the skinnies. Now a toss up between the KM2's or the duratracs. I just read an artical in a jeep mag that kind of bagged on the duratracs saying that sharp rocks off road will take chunks out of them. Hmmm.. I dunno. I understand that there are differing personal experiences.

Anyone got pics of either on their rig?
 

Inyo_man

Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining.
I've been very pleased with the Duratrac blend between the MT and AT tread.
They have chunked a bit during the high speed desert runs. However this is only due to the great sipes they have for snow, ice and wet roads. The traction afforded in winter conditions is a fine trade off IMHO.
 
Wrangler Duratrac 33x12.50x15 on stock wheels
167755_588731924961_62002887_32982817_3955688_n.jpg


Cruises at lower RPM at freeway speeds than stock tires= slightly increased MPG. But, on the other side of the coin, I get lower MPG in town. Averaging about 16mpg city/hwy with heavy foot.

I like the added stability of this tire's width. To me it already feels top heavy, but I am hoping to try 255 85 16s on it soon to get a feel for the skinny.
 

Jeff@QuadShop

Explorer
Wrangler Duratrac 33x12.50x15 on stock wheels
167755_588731924961_62002887_32982817_3955688_n.jpg


Cruises at lower RPM at freeway speeds than stock tires= slightly increased MPG. But, on the other side of the coin, I get lower MPG in town. Averaging about 16mpg city/hwy with heavy foot.

I like the added stability of this tire's width. To me it already feels top heavy, but I am hoping to try 255 85 16s on it soon to get a feel for the skinny.

Are they very noisey going down the road?
 

Silverwulf

Adventurer
Wow, 33x12.5 on stock wheels? I waqs told you couldn't do that. Do they rub anywhere?

I just might go that route because I won't HAVE to buy new rims. AND the 33x12.5 are cheaper than the 33x10.5 because they are more common.

4wheel parts wants $191ea for the 33x10.5 km2's (the only tire they sell in that size). but I can get the duratrac 33x12.5 for 168ea.

Thats almost $115 less for a set of 5.
 
Wow, 33x12.5 on stock wheels? I waqs told you couldn't do that. Do they rub anywhere?

I just might go that route because I won't HAVE to buy new rims. AND the 33x12.5 are cheaper than the 33x10.5 because they are more common.

4wheel parts wants $191ea for the 33x10.5 km2's (the only tire they sell in that size). but I can get the duratrac 33x12.5 for 168ea.

Thats almost $115 less for a set of 5.

Only rub on full lock left turn on sway bar. Acceptable in my book. I've had the truck fully flexed out (with sway bars on) and have had zero rubbing. I bought my set used with less than 4000miles for $400.:chef:
 

off-roader

Expedition Leader
Most shops won't mount a 12" wide tire on a 7" rim (Stock aluminum is 15x7) due to liability concerns especially when the tire manufacturers recommend a minimum 8-8.5" rim width but that doesn't mean someone wouldn't be willing to. ;)

If I were you, I'd closely watch craigslist for tires. I recently bought a set of four lightly used BFG 35x12.5x15 KM2's for $500.:Wow1::smiley_drive:
 

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