"Skinny" tires on a Full-Size?

[Townsend]

Coming from Land Cruisers, I've read thread after thread about the benefits of running taller, skinny tires. At least in the Toyota realm, I hear particular praise for 255's and tall 33's in general. Among these benefits, the snow performance and possible (albeit small) help in mpg are perfect for my weekly trips from Denver up into the mountain passes.

Now that I'm in a 2004 Tahoe Z71, I'm wondering how these would look and perform on a domestic full size rig. Would love to hear feedback, as well as see photos of your full-size rigs running tall, skinny tires.


255/85/16's on a 2500:



Been following this thread regarding new Coopers closely, but most input is from Jeep and Toyota guys:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...s-coming-soon?highlight=for+those+considering

 

[TooTall'sTruck]

I run 235/85-16 E rated on my 1997 Yukon and will replace them again and again...they work great and are taller and skinnier than the stock 265/75-16 the GM used for that class of truck. The wider tire handles the weight differently so that they can use a lesser quality tire and still retain the capacity. That is my opinion gathered from hours and hours of research on the subject.

My final goal for my 1992 F250 diesel and my 1986 F250 service truck is a 255/70-22.5 in a 16 ply!! The rim/tire combo would be around $4500 for a set of 5 but that ain't too bad if you ask me, considering that the tires should rot before I wear the tread out.

Taller and skinnier is tough to find because most uneducated people think that a wider tire equates more traction, and let's face it...most consumers are truly under educated when it comes to vehicles, they just replace what the factory put on, and most times the factories use the most profitable products available, not the most effective.

My Yukon came from the dealer with 285/50-18 IIRC...and my math showed that my 235/85-16 was the exact same OD and I did not need to re-calibrate the speedo, you may have a hard time turning at full lock if you go any bigger than 235 wide...the 255 was intended for commercial vehicles and as suck they have large wheel wells and very little plastic trim to be ripped off, but with the correct rim you could do anything.

The 255 is dwindeling in selection but the 235 is never going away IMO...just too many stock vehicles came with that size.

 

[gsanders]

2001 Dodge Ram 2500 with 255/85/16 tires

Backstory: I purchased the truck around 18 months ago and it came with 285/75/16 Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs on Hutchinson beadlock rims. The rims were US Border Patrol surplus but they were similar to the Hutchinson Rock Monsters in design and specifications. I did not like the Duratracs as they did not wear well in a hot climate with lots of pavement pounding. I also did not like the wide tire handling, the extended offset of the wheels, and the weight of the tires and wheels.

Decision: I researched for months looking at new wheels, different tires, etc. Ultimately, I decided to buy OEM steel stock Dodge Ram wheels and powder coat them. This would bring the wheels back in to a normal stance and I could get them cheap. I also decided on the Cooper Discoverer STs in 255/85/16. There are some people on Cummins Forum with 225/85/16s and all of them said good things.

Feedback: If I had the time, I would have waited for the Discoverer ST Maxx tires to come out in the 255/85/16 as we just purchased a cabover camper. I think the ST Maxxs would handle the weight of the camper better, but the STs are rated for 3,000 lbs and we have driven with the camper on it and it handles well. There is a subtle flex or roll when cornering, but I don't know if that is the softer sidewall of the tire or just the weight of the camper since I have never driven with it on any other tires. Without the camper on, the tires are fantastic. I purchased them about a month ago, and since then I have driven on pavement in rain, dry, ice, packed snow, and deep snow. I have been off road a bit in gravel and some soft sand and they are superb in all conditions. Last weekend, we received 20" of snow in 2 days, 13" overnight. The city did not plow most of the streets during the storm. I was driving easily in 4wd, with some periods of 4 low to drive through packed snow berms of 18"+. The tires cut down through the snow easily. I did about 40 miles on the highway after the storm in packed snow and they handled great. I do not do much mud traveling, so I think these tires will be great for me. I purchased the tires for $880 out the door for four of them, and I got the wheels from LKQ, a used auto parts supplier for $45 each and I had them powder coated at Les Schwab for $25 each. I highly recommend Les Schwab for wheel powder coating -- the price is fantastic, the turnaround was 2 days, and they quality is good (there are a couple of small knicks that I probably could have hassled them over but for what they are, I am very happy). Les Schwab does powder coating as part of their OTR truck services, so they do a huge volume which lets them do it for a super low price. So, all in all I got 5 new wheels and 4 tires for $1,230.

Hope this helps you out. Also, so far I think I am getting about a 1 mpg bump with the new tires. It is somewhat hard to say since I haven't really driven a full tank without using 4wd or hauling the camper, which makes for a tough comparison. With the new tires and wheels, I was able to shed about 35 lbs. per wheel (35*5= 175 lbs. total) and the narrower profile should reduce friction and resistance. I have definitely noticed that the truck is quicker to stop under hard breaking with the decreased rolling weight.

Photos:

Before



After



Profile

 

[java]

Not really tall but skinny.

I have 215/85/16's on my RV. Its heavy and they cut thru slush like butter. Went over the pass this weekend that was chains required on all non 4x4 vehicles. And they did great! Changing lanes thru deep piles of slush was SO much better than my Toyota on 275's. Not sure if that was the weight and skinny, but it was so nice.


Untitled by Java_230, on Flickr

 

[Darwin]

Another options is Toyo mt/ or atII in a 285/75//18. They are 35 inches tall and fairly narrow, they also come with a 4000 lb. load range.

 

[BCHauler]

I had 315/75/16's on my 01 f250 crewcab Super Duty and hated them. Hard to steer, truck wandered in ruts on the highway. Replaced them with 255/85/16's on stock rims and it as miles better. Road manners, steering effort, traction in snow, all of it a big improvement. I also hauled a slide-in camper and many heavy loads with that size with zero issues. I would look hard at the new ST Maxx in that size.

 

[crawler#976]

Guess it depends on where you go frequently, but for me, tall skinny equals being stuck more frequently. Part of it's weight - at 8K in the Power Wagon, sand or other soft terrain doesn't go well on skinny tires. I like the flotation a 35/12.5-17 provides at 10 PSI. Our typically wet heavy snow or caliche clay mud also cause problems for me on skinny tires.

We tow a 4000 Lb StarCraft RT10 camper, and having the width helps with that in sand too. The additional tongue weight and drag really causes problems in desert terrain.

 

[TooTall'sTruck]

Guess it depends on where you go frequently, but for me, tall skinny equals being stuck more frequently. Part of it's weight - at 8K in the Power Wagon, sand or other soft terrain doesn't go well on skinny tires. I like the flotation a 35/12.5-17 provides at 10 PSI. Our typically wet heavy snow or caliche clay mud also cause problems for me on skinny tires.

We tow a 4000 Lb StarCraft RT10 camper, and having the width helps with that in sand too. The additional tongue weight and drag really causes problems in desert terrain.

That is contradictory to most people's experience, not doubting your experience. Just most testing and information I have uncovered showed that the skinnier tire gained in footprint when aired down (front to back increased) where as a wide tire did the same but they generally were past the point of return in added traction (being wider shows more surface, and more surface equals more resistance). But I can see the reason that a wider tire would aid in sand and loose traction, just like an excavator that has Low Ground Pressure track pads, they are only wider to disperse the weight over more ground therefor aiding in available traction (ie: less destructive to the surface while maintaining the same amount of traction).

But in the world we live in the tests and theories don't always prove out in the field.....a 12.5" tire isn't very wide really!!!! Sort of the minimum for a 35" tire, but Boggers did come in 35/10.5-16 with a 3400# load rating...unsure if they still do, but I chose and AT tire and chains versus Boggers all the time.

 

[XRrider]

I had 315/75/16's on my 01 f250 crewcab Super Duty and hated them. Hard to steer, truck wandered in ruts on the highway. Replaced them with 255/85/16's on stock rims and it as miles better. Road manners, steering effort, traction in snow, all of it a big improvement. I also hauled a slide-in camper and many heavy loads with that size with zero issues. I would look hard at the new ST Maxx in that size.

I needed to see this...I've been debating these 2 sizes too. On a 01 f350.

 

[98dango]

Hear is my 2000 super duty no lift 255 on front 315 out back

 

[98dango]

Yes the steering is a touch better on 255 lost 1" of ground clearance but I split a 315 and that's what I have. I will not be buying 255 of 315 next I'm going to 37s

 

[looper]

Here are some 255/85r16 KM2s on a 99.5 F250. The truck has UA springs, for now. I briefly had a set of 315/75r16s mounted, but it rubbed at full lock. I really like this size, at least for the type of terrain I drive in. They are much better on gravel/dirt roads than the wider 315s and track much better on the highway. They do dig in, though, in the mud and in sand.

 

[aardvarcus]

I have run the “tall skinnys” on two full sizes now, 255/85R16 Cooper Discoverers. I originally had these on my 2001 2500HD 496/Allison. I did not care for how these handled on road under the weight of this big 7000lb-ish truck as it felt uneasy in corners. No complaints off-road, but let’s face it most of my driving is on road. I experimented with tire pressures to no avail. I bought different tires for my big truck (285/70R17 Michelins, love them on road) and the 255/85’s got handed down to my smaller 1991 2500LD which is probably only 4000lbs-ish. I have had none of the same issues on this truck, I love how they handle on and off the road, even in corners.

 

[Buliwyf]

Pizza cutters just cut through the wet grass to the super slick mud underneath. Then I have to jack the truck up and put the tire chains on. Useless to me, if they can't float across soft terrain. I can only dig down about 6" before I should back up and try another line.
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Also going too tall and skinny make the truck "wiggley" when towing or hauling. I prefer a 34x11.5"ish sized tire for most of my weekends. Like a 295/75 r17.
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Kinda depends on the truck. A 1 ton CC workhorse doesn't compare to a 1/2ton.

 

[Mark Harley]

Happy with my 3rd set of 235-85-16 tires on my 2002 Sierra 2500HD CCSB.
I like the BFG Commercial traction for winter in Pittsburgh.