Wide vs Narrow Off-Road Tires 

I find the black and round types work best for me.

I wish someone would actually get 2 identical vehicles and put wide 35's on one and narrow 35's on the other and follow each other around some differing terrain

For a daily driver with occasional off-road treks. Light rigs, 4k lbs and less do very well on pizza cutters. 235/85r16 is the preferred tire size in Australia, most of Asia and almost every part of Africa. They don’t win beauty contests in the US market, but in the US most of the people you share the public right of way with based their tire/rim combination based on form over function.

Running 255s in my 5thgen 4runner. Seems to be a good width, I never cared for the extremely wide tires some people gravitate to.

It's important to take into account that a taller narrower tire will have a longer contact patch. A longer but narrower tire can have the same amount square inches of contact patch or even more vs a wider shorter tire depending on the diameters. Also a longer contact patch of the same square inches as a wider one will conform to the trail and around rocks better and it will have better: * Mileage due to less frontal area * More contact area when traversing a rock or hard pack wall to the side of the rig. Longer contact patch is better here. * Taller narrower tire clears the inside suspension parts and the fender and bumper better. * It can be lighter therefore less unsprung weight and less rolling inertia, better braking and better handling.

Agreed - Been running 255/80/R17 for years on a Tacoma. Great combo for a lightweight truck. It is a billy goat and has never struggled in the deep sand in Utah or while rock crawling and still has decent road manners. Funny how so many discount them as trash but they work better than the 11.5-wide tires I ran for years previously. Just google some of the old jeeps and even older 1920s cars on crazy skinny tires and the muck they drove through.

Years ago I was out hunting with my dad. I was just sitting there watching two trucks navigate back up a snowy embankment. One truck had wider tires, which did not perform near as well as the other guy with narrower tires. This convinced me that since a priority for me in snowy conditions to go taller and narrower, than wider. I'm not much of an offroader, but when I need to get somewhere in snowy conditions, that's my preference.

Wider tires are heavier. A spinning tire is actually a flywheel. It will require stronger brakes to stop the same as a lighter tire. So it'll require more horsepower to get moving and stronger brakes to stop

FINALLY, somebody who talks some sense on tire widths! Thank you for the great direction in the video. I just wish it had some math in it. Not enough engineering info for me. This isn't rocket science, people, but it DOES involve some very basic physics. If you are not willing to consider the math, then you are shooting in the dark and I will run circles around your rig with my mere grocery-gitter if the surface is any kind of hard-pack with steep inclines. Last August I did Imogene Pass in Colorado no problem with 235/75R15 (29.0" x 9.3", OEM spec, 20psi, vehicle heavily loaded) -- in the RAIN with el cheapo $68 HT tires (Provider Entrada HT, Discount Tire) that had less than 25% tread remaining. 1st-gen Durango (grocery-gitter), 4WD, rear LSD. Wider tires would have spun on the wet rocks. While I was out there, I got strange looks from people in modified Jeeps... "What the hell are you doing out here with that grocery-gitter??" ...meanwhile they were slipping quite a lot on the wet trail and loose gravel due to their wide tires. I had no slippage whatsoever. My highway psi for heavy loads is 45 psi and I was running about 45% of hwy psi. Typically I run 45-50% of hwy psi for mountainous terrain. 60% if I need extra clearance. My tires are now balding, so I am looking to upgrade to 235/85R16 (31.7" x 9.3"). I prefer 255/85R16, 255/80R17, or 33x10.5R15 (i.e. 265/85R15), but those sizes do not fit safely on the Durango (weak front axle, can't use spare tire cubby) and unfortunately too few manufacturers make those sizes in an AT tire. (Why?? Those are highly useful sizes.) I love the design of the Falken Rubitrek, based upon what I see on their website... Why is it so hard to find the Rubitrek in the USA?? I do not want the AT3/W because it does not have a center stripe. Unfortunately, the Milestar Patagonia MT01 does not come in a 235/85R16. I think the ultimate overlanding tire size for my vehicle weight without a trailer (Gen 1 Durango, 2001), would be 235/85R17 (32.7" x 9.3") -- if it actually fit. Unfortunately, no tire manufacturers seem to be making that size for vehicles that drive on the highway. My second choice would be 255/85R16, but that size only seems to be available in an MT tire -- and from only a few manufacturers.

This was a great video. I have been in the auto industry for 45 years and it’s amazing how many people don’t understand about weight and traction. I have seen these ding dongs put wide ass tires on their vechs and crash with the first rain. One of the funniest things I have ever seen was a mud bog race were someone showed up with skinny tractor tires that could dig down to the hard pack and he blew everybody away.😂😂

I seriously appreciate this video I've been researching modifications for my Tacoma for almost 7 months now. I learned more useful information from this one single video than I have 7 months of watching other Taco building videos

Thank you TBOR for a very informative video. I live in Florida, so my domain features a bunch of sand, mud, steep and sometimes deep ditch/stream fording points. My ranch rig and daily driver is a 2005 Jeep Wrangler 2-door Unlimited. I run 33 x 12.5 R15 BFG KM3s on a 10"wide rim, pressurized to 23-25 PSI for best footprint and ride on the road-which is very smooth. I do not air down unless the rocks get really really craggy, and that's only outside of FL. Airing down is not a factor because the LJ is so light compared to the load range and sidewall width of the tires, that my footprint really does not change. I do not like huge suspension lifts. I installed OME 2.5" coils and shocks to counter the addition of a winch and for carrying cargo or towing. Installed Metal Cloak fenders all the way around for articulation clearance. The rest of the suspension and drive train are stock because I don't need to do anything else, a benefit of the longer wheel base. I keep up with other TJs on 35s and 37s with 4" to 6" inch suspension lifts. Only other mod I'm looking at is cowl air intake kit so I don't choke on water over the hood. Keeping it simple with a low CG.

Kenda 35x10.5r17 on a JK. Ultimate pizza cutter performance. Performs better than a wider tire 99% of the time IMO.

35x10 TSLs on a 94 FZJ80 works great for me. I've ran fat tires, and you're right about the narrow tires having better bite from ground pressure. Great video!

30 x 9.50 R15 (BFG K02's) on my 1968 Jeepster Commando, running a 2" lift. Did great on most of the intermediate trails in Moab, and great manners on the street.

My 83' CJ-7 has 7" of lift and 37x12.5"s and it does all right. I had an 2004 4-door chevy tracker with 5' of lift and 9.5" x 31" BFG all terrains and that was an awesome combo, I could push snow with the front bumper and still keep traction. Got to love them BFG all terrains!

I am running the 9.5-34 16 super swampers on a TJ rubicon with a 4.5” long arm lift. I have been impressed with the traction. If I start to spin, I just back out. It doesn’t have to spin very much to get the axels on the ground. I like this approach much better than the give it hell approach that is used with wide tires. It’s a lot easier on the axels. My next set will be the 35x10 16 swamper I will stick with one of these two sizes.

Formulas and ratios are seemingly rarely discussed when choosing tires. Nice to see some engineering in sales pitches. Great info.

2:34 Thank you for making this point so clearly! So many people just assume that bigger is better while ignoring the basic physics of mass over area. There are realistic limits of course, but when it comes to tires, less is literally more.

2dr JK Rubicon running 316/75r16 with a 3.5” lift. They do very well offroad and on. Currently have BFG K02’s because we really like driving around on snow days. 30psi for pavement and 15psi for rocks.

Roling resistance, especially when aired down is a big consideration typically overlooked from what I've seen. Example: If the contact patch is "X" lbs. per square inch and *identical* between a skinner v. a wide tire, the longer contact patch of the skinny has less rolling resistance and can perform better in sand, etc. As an overlander who travels distance over all types of terrain, I like the performance of the skinny. I'm glad you explained tuning the tire for the vehicle load. This seems often over-looked because everyone just wants the big-fat-tire "look".

In Michigan I run a 255/80-17, basically a 33x10 on my 04 Grand Cherokee with a 4" long arm lift. They seem to work best in the woods of where I run with sand, fire trails and cedar swamp muck. Honestly off road it is hard to tell the difference between the previous 285 wide tires I ran and the 255's however on road the 255's are much more responsive to steering and tend to wander less.

I run 315/70r17 AT on my JLU 3" lift. It's been a great combo for what I do. Mainly, desert, and rocks. My levelled Sierra has 305/55r20 ATs. Mainly cosmetic but works good off road on the rare occasion that it hits the dirt.

HAVING 4X4 TRUCKS , JP,S, SUV,S ETC 4X4,S SINCE 1974,, I USE A WHEEL WIDTH NO MORE THAN 8 INCH,S & TIRES ABOUT 10" WIDE.. 255 X 80 X 16 /17 IN.WHEELS .. I GOT OVER THE SHOW & NO GO VEHICLES A LONG TIME AGO !! THANK YOU FOR SOME REALLY PRACTICAL VIDEOS ..

I'm running a 2" procomp lift on a Suzuki Jimny with 215/80/15 Tyres, Car weighs about 1100 Kg. I do prefer the 80 profile for the Jimny as when you air down it seems give a better rectangle footprint and because its so light its quite helpful to have the sidewall deform more easily :)

285/75/17 on my T4R, great all around size. Has gotten me everywhere I've wanted.

Thank you for the confirmation having been picked on for only going 10 1/2 wide!! I've a 2dr JL with 35x10.5 Kenda Klever and a 2.5" lift that's a daily driver that hits the pay-to-play parks at least once a month, and Pennsylvania trails in between that. In addition to the benefits you mentioned for the narrower tire, there's PA law regarding fenders (which, they honestly don't often harass...still), a lighter tire to take on and off, etc. I've been extremely satisfied both on and off road.

Why did it take me so long to find this video so professional and easy to listen too thanks man 🇺🇸🙏 you are years Ahead of every other channels video content very educational and non stimulating

I run 255/75r17 Yoko G003 M/T on my 2021 ZR2 daily driver/trail crawler and find them to be a great balance between off and on road performance, good with road noise, great in all conditions, durable, comfortable, and taller than the stock tire while not requiring any trimming.

2006 Tacoma crew cab short bed stock suspension , I’m running 265/75/16 grabber x3 for the occasional off road camping trips about 3 times a year & they are perfect for everyday driving as well , however I have 2 sets of wheels & mostly run the 265/70/17 all season tires through the summer. Both are perfect for my needs.

My daily driver is a 2003 Ford F150 that drives mostly on city streets and highway back and fourth to work. Then on weekends during fall/winter it gets used for hunting/ice fishing. I drive mostly on picked cornfields, dried/frozen chisel plowed fields, same fields with snow/ice on the paths driven on by land owner and other hunters (Waterflowl/pheasant hunting. In the Winter I drive on frozen lakes that usually have under a foot of snow on top of the ice, lot of the time the snow is packed down a bit, and the most "off roading" I end up doing is at the ramp where it gets chewed up by other drivers. In the winter, I also have to drive to work in snow/ice storms/blizzard conditions. I'm considering a set of pizza cutters for my next set of tires to get an extra inch or so of ground clearance and also be able to dig down into the soild, snow/ice to get more traction. Looking at getting the 235/85r16's...I have the "SX4 off road" package already on my truck, so it comes with a 2" lift right from the factory. Currently have a set of 255/70r16's on that make the wheel wells look sort of empty, lol. I don't like big balloon tires....they look stupid, and are NOT practical in the aforementioned applications....unless I plan on going mudding...which I never would do anyway.

7.50x16 (235/85r16) bias ply mud tire on stock steele wheels with no lift on my 1973 Land Rover Series 3 lightweight diesel. Running at about 12-15 psi gives me the best rock crawling on a vehicle barely over 2000lbs

Living in the Upper Peninsula I've tried most combinations for the harsh winters/spring & have settled on 35x12.50x17/20 (dependent on season) as a minimum ratio. Currently running 375 55 R20 Atturo TB Boss on my Ram. The powdery snow isn't hardly an issue unless your running slicks, but the heavy wet stuff I prefer a taller wider footprint for flotation (yes even on a heavy vehicle). Some of the best tires to date in heavy wet snow were Super Swamper SXII 35x15.50's but the street quality was about -2 on a scale of 1-10. Looking fwd to see if my Atturo's perform similar this coming winter. Street wise they're acceptable as far as ride, but shine in the off-road territory. Great info and to each their own on what works best for individuals and their driving styles/rig set ups.

It cracks me up how it is so commonplace here in the US for people to think that a wider tire is BETTER at most or all things than a narrower tire, which is categorically false. Unless you are constantly driving on hot and loose sand, clay-filled mud, or hardpacked snow, a narrower tire is going to do better than a wider tire every single time. Something else a lot of people don't seem to understand is that your tires actually look a lot bigger when they are narrower. For example, a 35"x10" tire is going to look A LOT bigger than a 35"x12.5" tire. Trimming always makes it look bigger, guys.

Thank you for all the good info in your videos!!!

After watching countless videos of all your recommendations I finally decided on a set of BFG KO2s. 285 75R17 which puts me at 33.9" tall with with a 11.3" footprint. That seems optimal for my daily driver with mild excursions on the weekends. Thanks for all your input, Josh!

I'm running 285/70R17s on my daily driven 5th Gen 4Runner w/ ~2.5" of lift. A little rubbing on the front bumper and was rubbing on the mud flap at full lock only. So far so good on the trails I've been on. We'll see how it does on sand later this year.

Wow, great information. I am running a 37x13.5 inch Cooper STT Pro (Mud terrain) on a 2020 Jeep Gladiator with a 3.5 inch full Metal Cloak Gamechanger lift. Love it! I did notice a sacrifice in on-road driving comfort and efficiency however its not an everyday driver and the benefits off-road are significant. Good Video!

Thank you for this information. Coming for a HP prospective I never realized that a narrower offroad tire is better than a wider one. At the dragstrip the wider the better. But makes perfect since that more ground pressure at slow speeds are better offroad. I have a Rubicon 4 door with an AEV 4.5" lift and has 37x12.5x17 (I do have a 392 installed). My daughter (for graduation) wanted to put on her 2 door Rubicon an AEV 2.5" lift with 35x12.5x17. I will have a discussion with her the negative effects of those wider tires. We live in Phoenix so do not deal with a lot of mud, snow or rain. But to be a little more careful. Thank you again.

2011 jku, 2.5" lift, I'm running 295/70/17. It seems to be a "well rounded" size, I live in Alaska so I see pretty much any road surface/condition out there and this size seems to do well in most conditions, unless it's ice above 10 degrees F, then they slide around a bit

Been running 33/12.50/15s on my single cab for years, lots of street driving and a lot more offroad use then most would ever do. Only thing I’ve noticed is in mud I don’t seem to do as well as I think a slightly narrower tire would be

For offroad usage there was a set of 265/75r16 cooper mt-s and for daily and long asphalt trips I started to use a set of 245/75r16 Yokohama g015 at-s. (Disco 2 with 2"lift)

For snow-wheeling in Iceland we run a Toyota Tacoma, 44x16,5" tires. Only a little less than a 2" bodylift with IFS which has been strengthened along with a 4link air ride in the back. aired with Coil over Fox shocks in the front and bypass Fox shocks in the rear. The aim is to float on top of the snow as much as we can and we routinely run our tire pressure at around 3psi. Weight of the vehicle ready for a weekend away is just below 2,4tons and that is with 260liters of fuel on board. There are rigs here in Iceland designed for snow-wheeling as varied as 33 to 37" Suzuki Jimny to F350's running 54" tires. One F35 is being built for 58"tires. One build is a Chevy Kodiak spliced together with two chevy vans built on top of a MAN truck frame. That beast is running 8 tires all of them 54" in size. All of these trucks are built to be street legal in Iceland but can also traverse glaciers as well.

I’m running 235/85/16 Duratracs on a Nissan frontier with a 2”lift, extended control arms. They’ve required zero trimming or melting. They’ve been great on the trail riding I do and have performed amazingly even when we’ve taken wrong turns that lead us into more technical terrain as well as on pavement. Though the ride on pavement is definitely stiffer than I would like, it’s a trade off to not worry so much on shale logging roads

as someone who daily drives their off-roading vehicle, 265/70/r17’s have done me great down 90% of trails and been very comfortable at high speeds, little noise, and most of the time fit stock rigs

I'm running 32x11.5r15 mud claw tires on my 89 ramcharger and they served me really well they have enough traction to drag a fwd car (in park) around while in gravel while of course using 4 low with 2 open diffs.

I suspected on a light vehicle like a 4Runner, an E-rated sidewall would be more compliant at 255/80 than 285/70 but up until now couldn't find anyone who could put numbers to the decision making. Thanks for this. Love it.

I’m running 315 70 17s (35”) hybrids on my 4 door jeep jk, seems to work pretty well all around. Not too much hydroplaning. No rubbing on turns or off-roading with the 3” lift kit

I have the willys edition 4 door JL with the 255/75r17 MTs and honestly love them. I may eventually get the same tire in 33x10.5 but the daily drivability is outstanding. I have also never been stuck in some thick mud or snow. The 255s seem to be better than most MTs in snow

Excellent video!!

More important even than wide or narrow is tire pressure... A narrow tire with a tall sidewall aired down will have a much longer footprint and more surface area than an aired up wide tire.

You're overlooking one thing: lower pressure across a larger contact patch could result in more grip. It depends on the coefficient of friction. You can't tell anything by the pressure on the footprint alone.

You've explained this perfectly! Great job with your RU-vid channel! Andy McKane, Land Rover owner 1964-1993; Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon owner 2012 to present. We outfitted my wife with a 2014 Grand Cherokee Overland diesel. We sold that as, according to my wife, "there have been too many issues with the exhaust gas recirculaton" that required far too many trips to L.H. Miller Jeep in Provo Utah before moving to the Hawaiian Island of Molokai in 2019. You and your channel give A-1 advice from what I've seen so far. Andy McKane, Maunaloa, Hawaii.

just bought a 2 door Jeep Rubicon..has a 4-in lift with 35x12 and 1/2 in Toyo mud terrain.. it feels sluggish and it guzzles gas. definitely going with a different tire option when these ones wear out. thanks for all the good advice with tires it's going to help with making a decision when the time comes

I run 33x10.5-15 KO2's on Method 7 in rims on my 95 Tacoma XC with 3 in lift front and rear. Works well for my overland set up.

My method is based around the 35x12.50 tire. From there, I add or subtract one inch in width for every two inches of tire diameter (i.e. 34x12.00, 33x11.50, 37x13.50, etc.).

From my experience, most of the off roading i do is towing a 2 axle car carrier trailer over swampy grass that is water filled mud the consistency of cake mix just before it hits the pan underneath the grass as far as you can be bothered to dig. For this on my 60 series landcruiser and 40 series hilux 4wd i run a mud terrain light truck rated 7.50r 16" on the stock split rims. I tried a wider rim with 10.5r 15" tyres and found that it was better when not towing driving over these surfaces (did not break the surface of the grass as easily) but when trying to pull the trailer they didnt have the ability to keep momentum up and i had to be on the governer of the 2H in high 3rd to make progress and i was still barely moving, where with the skinnys i could set the hand throttle to about 2500rpm in low 2 and just plod through it, digging ruts all the way, but achieving a higher rate of travel, the landcruiser weighs 2.3 metric tons with 3/4 of a tank and me in it, the hilux ive not weighed but i assume its about 1600kg or there abouts (3L-T, 4 speed steel case l45 trans, steel tray with sides and no bullbar) it is happy to idle along in low first without a loaded car trailer behind it (technically 850kg trailer and 1300kg car on top exceeds the towing capacity by 950kg) but when loaded i use low 2 and full throttle once the ground speed is up to say 20kmh and can maintain it like that without needing to keep it held flat the whole time once that speed has been reached i tend to modulate the throttle to maintain 3000rpm or so. Hopefully i wont have to do it so often in the future. Going to build a 1 foot deep gravel driveway from the road to my shed/hardstand area. I have no idea why the previous owner thought it ok to build a shed and large gravel hardstand ages from the road without any way to get there 6 months of the year 😂

Thanks for at great video! Here's a perspective from a countryside driver in Sweden 🙂 For about four years now, I've been driving my old 4800 pound Land Rover Defender Td5 110 on a set of skinny Michelin O/R XZL 7.50R16 tires, measuring 31.8 inches in diameter and 8.4 inches wide (thin!). I use them both on and off the road, as a daily driver on the farm and into town. They perform well on "light off-road" surfaces such as wet grass, dirt roads, forest trails, soft soil, dry and wet snow, as well as on tarmac roads. They're excellent all-around tires for versatile vehicles. You can deflate them significantly to increase traction on very soft terrain. I presume the military selects these tires because of their versatility. However, during the coldest parts of winter, I swap them for studded tires, as that's the only thing that works on ice."

33/10.5X15s on my YJ. They seem to work pretty well. No complaints here other than that it is getting difficult finding 15" tires these days.

One thing to consider is the availability of tire sizes. 255/80 are not widely available especially now. If something happens you'll be out of a replacement for a long time.

I've run 285/75/16 for years on a half ton pickup. Plenty of utility there. Great off road. Suprising amount of ground clx if you remove boards or steps.

I just jumped from a 285 /70/ 17 to a 315/70/17, I went with the Goodyear territory mt ( tires that come on the bronco ) I love the difference in ride. And the look of those tires .Had death wobble and replaced tie rods, ball joints and upper n lower control arms cause I couldn’t find a bad link to cause it. Tires. It was my old nittos . I love how much better my jk rolls down the road now.

My strategy is getting as tall a tire as will fit, then worry about going wider if it still fits.

Having wider tires also effects handling amongst other pros and cons not mentioned in detail. Having a wide er tire and/or spacers will widen your track. The pros of that are: you will have more stability and many consider it to be aesthetically pleasing. The cons are: a wider turning radius, more stress on the suspension/axle components, and there is more rotating (unsprung weight.) Quite often this will lead to a rougher on road experience. Wider and taller is not always the answer, but try to convince a jeep club of that and be taken seriously;)

I appreciate your informative videos including this one. Thanks! For my needs, I chose narrow. I have a 03'Jeep grand Cherokee with the 4.0 engine, Four-Speed Automatic with Selec-Track Transfer Case, 3.73 diffs. with slightly lifted, (+ 1.5"), and upgraded to OME heavy-duty Coil Springs, etc. It is my Daily Driver so maintaining as much highway mpg as I can was one of the requirements. The vast majority of time and miles I drive it is on pavement. On-road handling and stability is another requirement on the list... ...However, the main reason I got it is for Overlanding adventures to remote locations were 4WD is a necessity and not an option. My WJ already had E rated LT245/75R16 street tires when I got it, but those were in desperate need of replacement because, 1- they were too old and 2- I would also need AT tires for the Overlanding I plan to do. They have to be several notches higher AT quality than 'bare-bones' minimum, good enough, tires. They had to be very good to excellent in different types of road and weather conditions; (I avoid deep-slick-clay and mud, snow & ice, Tall 'steps' and rock crawling). Tires also had to be priced within my budget. I decided to get a set of 5 E Rated LT245/75R16 BFG KO2 Tires. Much to my surprise, the over-all MPG difference on the BFG AT's compared to the street tires has been below 1/2 mpg locally and even less on long highway trips @ 65 - 70 MPH. The E Rating wasn't my 1st choice, (D was), but because, the C rating is a little too low weight rating for me to be comfortable with when Overlanding being loaded close to GVWR; and 2- D Rated LT245/75R16 BFG KO2 Tires were unavailable for the foreseeable future at the time. 3- if I did have to replace one on an Overlanding trip, availability of D would be an issue. I don't want to risk having any mismatched tires of a different weight rating or having to wait a long time for a tire shop to get me a hard to find, matching, replacement D. The LT245/75R16 size has about 1/2 inch higher ground clearance at the diffs over OEM and the width is only 1/10 of an inch narrower than OEM spec size. I did not have to cut fenders or bumpers and so far they have not rubbed any part of the body, but I have not fully flexed it on the trail yet.

I have a 2001 Jeep xj on 2.5 inch lift with 4.10 gears and a rear lunchbox locker. Stock wheels and 30x9.50 r15 hankook dynapro at2 tires. So far it has gone everywhere I wanted it to on the trail and it’ll do 75 mph down the highway very comfortably. I get about 13 mpg around town and I got 17 mpg doing 80 mph on a 4 hour road trip. I ran the trail from union springs to flagpole knob in Virginia and the Jeep did it with ease, everyone else out there had wranglers with at least 33’s. Also it’s a beast in the snow!

Tire width doesn't change the size of the contact patch. The tire's air pressure changes the size of the contact patch. This is right in the name of the unit: Pounds per square inch. Change the psi and change the pounds exerted on each square inch of ground. The SHAPE of the contact patch is altered by the width and diameter of the tire. The construction will change the contact patch too, but if we are comparing like to like then this factor shouldn't be too significant. Further to this the cross section volume of the tire is basically the load carrying capacity of the tire (like construction to like construction: E.g. E to E).

It's also important to note that wider and/or taller tires add considerably to the stress on all steering components, wheel bearings, and suspension as well as the driveline. To that end, I have a set each of on-road (31x10.50-15) and off-road (33x10.50-15) tires. This also extends the life of the more expensive off-road tires.

Excellent info. Really enjoyed this video.

I have a 1999 Toyota 4Runner with a 3” lift and 285/75r16 bf Goodrich ko2 tires and was pretty impressed with most driving/wheeling situations except they did struggle a little in deep soft sand out on the beach.

37x12.5x17 on my JKU Rubicon with about 3.5-4” total lift (between the Falcon 3.3 shocks, 3” lift kit and proper set up), great combo. I see a lot of 35 & 37 x13.5” out there and couldn’t imagine having that much more wide rotating mass and road rut pull from the wider tire. I drive my Jeep (5 hours) to and from Moab often so it has to be happy on the Highway for hours while also able to handle up to 6-8 difficulty trails. I also currently run an AT (Falcon Wildpeak AT3W) instead of a more aggressive MT for that same road compromise. For me it’s been a fantastic set up, if I ran in mud more I’d probably move to an RT tread or maybe one of the moderately meaty MT options.

My Truck is stock and I used my stock rims. I run 265/65R18 BFG K02 AT TA tires. My truck is on Pavement 75% of the time. And when I do go off roading I go with no worries. Thanks for the Videos.

I have the BFGoodrich KO2 on my JK LT 255/70R18 8ply, same size as the cheap Bridgestones 4 ply, that came on it! I don’t climb malls or mountains but they go any where I want to go and are not loud driving down the road, work good in snow, rain, etc! Decent fuel mileage too!

I mostly wheeled in the coast range with an FJ 40. I ran 33. 9.50 15s and mostly had no problems. The truck had pretty good highway manners too.

I guess Im on the fence with my 265/75r16s. Probably my favorite all around tire sizes.

31x10.5x15 on my TJ. Good price point and I've always been surprised at where it will go. Taller isn't always better when you're making your own trails through the woods. I don't do a ton of crawling and I never really needed larger tires for mud. Had 11.5 wide ltb's one time and I could ride the top layers if I hit it hard enough. The 10.5's the like to dig down and gain traction on the bottom.

My trail rigs consisted of a couple of OBS Fords and a Jeep xj cherokee. In every case, I found that performance on a variety of different terrains average out best on 235/85 r16. I always bought retread tires that used e-rated casings. It makes for a rougher ride so off-road I usually want to be around 20 psi. But my trucks were always out at slick Southern clay Lake bottoms with lots of hidden prickly hazards. The last thing you want is a flat in the middle of a swamp. So a half ton or lighter vehicle with big thick 1 ton Tire casings just isn't going to get a puncture serious enough to cause a flat unless you hit something at freeway speeds lol. My wider tires did much better over the Sandy Beach because they rode on top, but with the mud, while they had better flotation and less of a chance of high centering, I found myself getting stuck more often from lack of traction. The key thing to remember with skinny off-road tires, is absolutely, positively do not spin your wheels. They will dig straight down and you will get high centered. That being said, I was able to go more places with fewer problems the minute that tire size became my standard.

My experience is the wider the tire, the sketchier it is to drive on the road when its raining. They act like skis. Most of us will never use the tires for its intended purpose. I like the Falken AT3w cuz they grab well in the rain. Other tires are like ice skates from my experience. Sadly they dont last long.

The world needs more 35/10.50's

Another informative and useful video. Something I always wondered about but was afraid 😢to ask

I feel that a way to bring people together on this debate is to realize that those who talk about rolling resistance in the sand regarding a fat tire are probably discussing vehicles with far less horsepower to overcome rolling resistance because I think that wider and taller is better if you have much more power and the vehicle is heavy but if the vehicle is lighter and very underpowered like an old Willys Jeep or a Land Rover Series then Pizza Cutters are fine because they are so light and they are so underpowered they help them roll and their lightweight makes them not want to sink. Maybe this can help people understand that both sides are right in context to the vehicle weight and the amount of power it produces this is my personal Theory.

Skinny every time on 4x4 . Better mileage, Move maneuverability on narrow trails and rock climbing ,better traction less hydroplaneing and when aired down do fine in sand and best with studs in snow

Im on team wide. 12.5 is a good standard. I like low ground pressure for where i wheel. Mostly mud. I have been some pretty amazing places on a 285 75 16 back in the day but 33 12.5 and 35 12.5 is a noticeable change off road.

I have a 2012 Suburban. I run a 30x12.5 tire. It's my daily and I use it on the beach. I'm able to run the beach without having to air down. I still carry the gear I need for adjusting the pressure in case I have an issue. But so far 3 beach/surf fishing seasons with no issues. I run the tires between 35 and 40 psi.

Love the informative video

Narrow tires are so much better in snow, sand and mud. I learned that personally.

Interesting topic! I went from a 35x12.50 on one of my trucks (6,500lbs vehicle) to a 36x15.50 tire. On road was way more sketchy, would actually slide adound on dry pavement with the wider tire. Offroad, it performed a lot better in the sloppy mud and really soft sand.

I had 315/70/17, then 315/75/16 before going with 265/75/16 on my '09 Wrangler JKU. I don't like the look near as much, but my Jeep sure does like the change! Gas mileage, handling, road noise, comfort, peppiness all improved dramatically - it was like taking ankle weights off each corner. I don't offroad as much as I'd like to so it's mostly a DD. Function over look at this moment for me.

Running 255/80/17 on my 1st gen sequoia. Love the look and ride.

Just like everything else it comes down to the terrain you'll be on. Personally I'm a big fan of skinnier tires, they cut through mud, snow and ice (if there is a hard surface underneath) for better traction. For deep snow, sand, and bottomless mud pits wide tires obviously provide better floatation. There aren't a ton of options for 34"-35" tires that are 10.5 inches wide or narrower though.

I think a 255mm wide (10 inches) is the perfect all round width for daily drivers with some weekend off road use. These would be ideal for vehicles such as the Land Rover Defender, Lexus GX460, Jeep Wrangler, Toyota 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser 70 series and Tacoma. There’s a good variety of options now too - 255/85R16, 255/75R17, 255/80R17 and the newly released 255/85R17.

Great info! Love the footage coming down Black Bear Pass!

305/70//16 MT's on my first gen Tacoma single cab 4 banger. Its my Daily and also overlanding rig several times a year with a fully loaded 1500lb four wheel pop up camper. Looks great, works great. I run about 25psi for Daily work and about 35psi fully loaded with camper for highway work and drop down to 15-18psi when offorading with camper weight. There is always a compromise somewhere. 33x10.50 would probably be fine as well, but not a lot of choices out there in 16". 33x12 - 305/70 is much more common.

I've always preferred narrow. Better all around for my use

Kenda Klever RT 35x10.5x17 on a Jeep Gladiator with a 2” Mopar lift. Running factory wheels. Love the set up. Looks old school military in the stance. Handles the snow, sand, and mud in Michigan.

Two door JK with 2.5 inch suspension. 35x10.50 RTs and have had good performance on and off road. Sure I miss the cool kid look but I appreciate how much better this width is working.

Running 31x10.5 on my Cherokee xj. Really seems ideal, any bigger or wider and you start breaking stuff and losing road manners.

Your vehicles' stock tires were the outcome of countless factors by several engineers based on your vehicle. The farther you venture from the original design, the weirder everything gets. With that said, I like slightly taller tires of the same width from the factory.

I would have to think that the engineers picked the wheel & tire size on my 5th gen 4Runner TRD Pro for a reason. In fact, a guy on YT (The Road Chose Me) who's travelled over 400K miles around N. America and Australia commented how people in the USA tend to go for bigger tires and wheels while the rest of the world is fine with stock set ups. As you mentioned, bigger tires can require wider wheels. Wider wheels and bigger tires add more weight. With everything that can be added to an "Overlanding Package" there is considerable weight to take into account. That increase in weight not only decreases gas mileage but might require replacing the front brakes with something that offers more braking power to deal with all that weight. Can you imagine how much more money in fuel alone will have to be spent to travel 400K miles if you lose 8 mpg because of all the weight? Going from 20 mpg to 12 mpg, you are increasing fuel costs by 33%. Ouch!

Haven't watched the video yet but I wanted to comment first. My dad always said taller skinnier tires were better in almost all off-road scenarios other than mud. He said especially when aired down you actually have more surface traction with a skinny tall tire. There was even a whitepaper study he showed me that explained everything and it made perfect sense. So I've always opted for taller skinnier. Curious to see what this video shows.