235/85/15 tire options- Is this a bad idea?

[gofalls]

My first post, will be putting up photos and an intro as soon as I get my camera back. Love this forum.

I just purchased a 92 4runner with 4.88 gears, 4" lift, and Procomp MT 33x 11.5x15. These tires are way to loud for my taste so I am thinking of a new setup. This is what I had in mind.

16 x 6.5 cheapo steel wheels
with
235/85/16 AT or MT tires.
and 1 or 2 inch wheel spacers for a wider stance.

Has anyone ran this size tire? Seems like the way to go b/c of the many choices and the lower prices compared to the 255/85/16 size. Any suggustions?

 

[sami]

I love my 235/85-16s.. I kinda wish they were 255s, but overall I really like this tiresize.. Mine are MT's, 10 ply

 

[Fergie]

I've ran 235/85/16 BFG ATs on my WJ, on stock 16x6.5 wheels, and loved them. On a trip to snow country last year(when I was still in CA), my WJ only had 2WD due to a front driveshaft failure. With snow chains, these tires were able to cut through 3' of snow, and get me into where I needed.

I am currently running 235/85/16 MTs(Treadwright retreads) on my FJ80. I went with some Tundra wheels, 16x7, and repainted them, with no issues as far as stance goes. Mind you, I have no lift, and all my steering items clear; these tires are actually narrower than the previous ones. I just had returned from a trip to MX with LC, and was extremely pleased. We'll see how they do in the ice and snow this winter.

Now, they are MTs, and they are louder than ATs, but not a big deal to me.

I will most likely run this size tire as often as I can.

EDIT: Mine are/were E load rated, and the stiffness was never an issue in the lighter WJ.

Also, skip the spacers. Not over safety, or anything like that, but just the hassle of having to check twice as many lug nuts. I ran spacers on the WJ with these tires, and ended up taking them off because I did not like the extra maintenance required to keep them safe. Buy different wheels, or live with the stance.

 

[Redline]

235/85 are great but with 4.88s and the lift you might want to consider 255/85R16. They will still be much narrower than 11.5.

 

[gofalls]

Ended up going with the 15x8 black steel wheels that came with the truck. Purchased 5 new BFG AT 33x9.5x15 b/c they were the closest to the 235/85/16 without having to buy a new set of 16 inch wheels.



New shoes

Found a deal on stock alloy 15x7 wheels. Should I go with the Alloys? Will this give me better fuel mileage? I am not worried about cracking Alloys b/c I dont wheel hard enough but I am looking to improve my 14mpg.