The cost of big tires - Is it worth it?

[pappawheely]

The bigger the rig, the bigger the tire you need. For those of you who spend a majority of time on pavement, it's probably not worth it. When you are in the boonies on two tracks and worse, you need a bigger contact patch and some lift. There is no way I could get to where I go with pizza cutters and no articulation. Expensive mods but much needed.

 

[chet6.7]

You have to pay to play...decide where you want to play...then pay.
I started on in the 70's with a 1/2T Chevy, the stock tires were probably L78 15.I could not go anywhere on the sand,or in the mud.I put some Armstrong Rhino 12/32/15's on that truck and could go many more places with ease.
You do not have to go real big to make a big difference.
I have no doubt that 40's on my current 2500 would do good things in the sand,but it would require a lift, and new wheels to run that big of a tire. Toyo MT 315's are a good compromise for me,they fit the stock wheels,I do get some rubbing but it is manageable,so no lift required.
Find a compromise that will work for you.

 

[silvrcummns]

I have 35x12.5 r17 on my 04 ram 2500 diesel. I also have a 3" lift kit and would love to run 37's but the list to "do it right" is a lot. The 35's work very well for what I do which is mostly pavement and some Colorado trails which can be rocky and narrow for my full size. You may be surprised with what your truck can do with 35's. If you know someday you'll want 37's the over time you can upgrade for that. Wheel offsets that work on 35's may not do so well wrapped in 37's. Research your 37's too. Some don't measure to a full 37 inches and a 12.5 can be quite a lot narrower then a 13.5 . Load ranges can mostly be d range on 12.5's with 13.5's being e range fairly often.

You can definantly build it the way you want in stages and not be doing it wrong. Just fully understand the what you need versus want.

 

[kraven]

Find a compromise that will work for you.

Yep. We all have to do what works for us individually.

 

[pawleyk]

Like many above, I'm a big fan of larger tires under the smallest lift possible.

If you want to do much moderate to serious off road in a big American truck, you'll probably need tires big enough to get you some extra clearance and with enough capacity to air down comfortably.

Most full size trucks today, especially the Fords and Dodges seem to be able to run 35" tires with minimal to no lift.

I run 35's on my 05 Silverado and they've been great. Aired down to 20lbs the thing will go basically anywhere it'll fit. When I add the camper it's definitely nice to have a bit of extra floatation.

My truck is gas, so I did shell out the dough for a regear to 4.88. $2200, but I got a shiny new Detroit at the same time.

I actually plan to downsize just a hair before we set off for a trip to South America to help with fuel economy and wear and tear. Neither of those things is noticeably worse than stock, but I just don't anticipate wheeling the truck the same way on the trip that I do home.

 

[kojackJKU]

The bigger the rig, the bigger the tire you need. For those of you who spend a majority of time on pavement, it's probably not worth it. When you are in the boonies on two tracks and worse, you need a bigger contact patch and some lift. There is no way I could get to where I go with pizza cutters and no articulation. Expensive mods but much needed.

That ford is the you know what! I love it. I have a soft spot for the old ford box style trucks. One saved my life in a head on collision on the highway here.

 

[mccustomize]

I built my suspension around a 40" tire for several reasons, I wanted a true dual purpose-go anywhere it fits- vehicle. I know it's hard to daily anything on 40s but I wanted to do the same trails I was doing with IFS, except not struggle. SFA and 37s fit that bill, but once those trails are easy with 37s, 40s are the next step so I prepared for it.

In texas we are very limited with regards to public land so offroad parks are the majority of the fun we can have. Figure out where you will be hitting the dirt and that will dictate your needs.

 

[Scoutn79]

I think the first question you need to ask is what do you intend to do with your truck? That would be the first question to answer, and relay that to us so we can help.
Can your axles handle the extra tire size with your loaded weight during your intended use? Even relatively small 33" tires can break a D44 axle with enough torque, and NOT hammering on it. Torquey engines, low gears and rough trails can break parts. This probably isn't applicable to most on this forum but something to consider.
Are you brakes up to the task with the extra leverage?
For most circumstances one or two sizes up from stock will make a world of difference without radically altering factory handling/stability.
When I am in the boulders/deep snow/deep mud I would like taller tires when on a very tippy section of a trail I may wish for a smaller tire....
It all depends on your intended use....

Darrell

 

[shimniok]

Speaking more generally than just tire size...

When choosing upgrades I believe in "wheel first, upgrade later, if necessary"

--- whether you are thinking about tires, lift, recovery gear, or even what tools to bring.

Personal experience with your rig eliminates the guesswork that leads to over spending, under building, or ineffective spending.

Especially when weighed against advice from others and observations of what works for rigs similar to yours.

So, in other words, if you haven't wheeled much and haven't reached your limit or the vehicle's limit, don't rush the upgrades.

Go wheel then, as you hit limits, do what is most effective, one at a time, informed by experience.

Sent from my XT1096 using Tapatalk

 

[jkilgore11]

I have a 2008 F250 6.4l 4x4. A couple of years ago, the same question was presented to me. My decision was to go with 305 BFG KO's on my stock wheels, take some trips, and explore that option again when those wore out. The time came to replace them again. Because that setup did not hinder anything I threw at it, I purchased the new KO2's in the same size. I have not been disappointed. The truck still drives the same and has a lower center of gravity. If I go bigger in the future, it will be with fender cutouts and flares to keep it low.

 

[JJEH]

Really depends on the purpose of the vehicle. I would check with Carli and then decide on the wheel size.

 

[Korben]

Ya know we're all talking to ourselves apparently, 5 days and 41 posts later the OP can't be bothered to reply to his thread.

 

[adam88]

Ya know we're all talking to ourselves apparently, 5 days and 41 posts later the OP can't be bothered to reply to his thread.

There's been a lot of great suggestions and really good advice. I do think the intention was lost (possibly my fault). I wanted to create an open forum/discussion about the feasibility of tire sizes, pros, cons, etc. It seems, however, that it turned into more of a people trying to help me figure out what tires are best for my specific truck. In retrospect, I wish I had not posted my story/my situation in the title. Instead I wish I had posted something such as: "Let's create a thread to discuss tire sizes. What is your experience with tire sizes? Discuss" or something along those lines.

But I am grateful for all the feedback... but the thread just kind of went the wrong way

 

[glock7018]

Okay So i just got my Carli 2.5" level pintop kit done on my 08 F250. I went with 35 X 12.5 R 17 toyo M/T. I cannot say enough good things about this set up. Just today I was driving down roads where before I could only do about 30 mph before the rear end would bounce and wonder. Now I can do 55+ mph and feel safe doing so. I do not regret the choice one bit. Yeah it was a lot of coin, but the comfort was worth it. If you are not comfortable you will not be out there exploring like you want to.

 

[pappawheely]

I have a soft spot for the old ford box style trucks. One saved my life in a head on collision on the highway here.

Glad to hear that.