tire width
07-30-2010 | 01:03 PM
#2
JK Jedi
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,273
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From: Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
tire width
Originally Posted by knight1000
can some of you guys chime in on the pros and cons of wider vs narrower tires? Sand? Mud? Ice? Rain? MPG? Stability?
07-30-2010 | 02:50 PM
#5
Thread Starter
JK Freak
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 712
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From: North East MD
07-30-2010 | 06:03 PM
#6
JK Super Freak
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,271
Likes: 2
From: New Brunswick
Narrow in the mud around here gets you in trouble. There usually isnt a bottom that you can get to with a jeep here. Wide on the snow causes on road issues and makes off road hard with any amount of off camber. I go the other way here, wide for mud and narrow for winter.
07-30-2010 | 08:14 PM
#7
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 304
Likes: 0
From: Baton Rouge, LA
I prefer narrow for my vehicle and its worked perfectly so far. In reality, the width of the tire is not increased as much as most think when airing down. The length is increased more. Narrow tires give you better traction in most off-road conditions, with the exception of soft sand (to a point) and deep, deep snow (think Iceland.) On rocks they allow greater deformity for wrapping of the tire around the surface. In mud, they tend to dig into the more stable parts which can support better traction.
The only major thing keeping me from going to 35s is the lack of a decent tire in a 10" width (maybe u to 11".) If you look at what Land Rover ran on their Camel Trophy trucks you'll see some very skinny tires. Most ran Michelin XZL or XCL in 7R16 and 7.5R16. The closest current sizes are 215/85-16 and 235/85-16. The places they took some of those trucks is amazing.
I'm running the KM2 in 255/85-16 currently and it's been working great. A few months ago we had a trip out with a local club to a property with some decent hills. I had no problems nor did the guy behind me in a TJ with 245/75-16 KM2s. He got stuck once and that was due to bottoming out on a large ledge in a pit. I'm not sure on his, but mine is open diffs front and rear. A CJ-7 on 37" Iroks, a locked YJ on 44" swampers and a locked TJ on wide 35" Boggers were not so well off on the hills. Watching them you could plainly see they did not have enough pressure on the tires to bite into the dirt and gain traction.
The same place a few week ago, only very wet this time, I had no major issues either. I only had to back up a few times and counting I couldn't hardly stand and not slide in those conditions says they did the job. I can't wait to see what its capable of with some lockers.
Expeditions West did a decent white paper on the topic.
The only major thing keeping me from going to 35s is the lack of a decent tire in a 10" width (maybe u to 11".) If you look at what Land Rover ran on their Camel Trophy trucks you'll see some very skinny tires. Most ran Michelin XZL or XCL in 7R16 and 7.5R16. The closest current sizes are 215/85-16 and 235/85-16. The places they took some of those trucks is amazing.
I'm running the KM2 in 255/85-16 currently and it's been working great. A few months ago we had a trip out with a local club to a property with some decent hills. I had no problems nor did the guy behind me in a TJ with 245/75-16 KM2s. He got stuck once and that was due to bottoming out on a large ledge in a pit. I'm not sure on his, but mine is open diffs front and rear. A CJ-7 on 37" Iroks, a locked YJ on 44" swampers and a locked TJ on wide 35" Boggers were not so well off on the hills. Watching them you could plainly see they did not have enough pressure on the tires to bite into the dirt and gain traction.
The same place a few week ago, only very wet this time, I had no major issues either. I only had to back up a few times and counting I couldn't hardly stand and not slide in those conditions says they did the job. I can't wait to see what its capable of with some lockers.
Expeditions West did a decent white paper on the topic.
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07-31-2010 | 04:16 AM
#8
Thread Starter
JK Freak
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 712
Likes: 0
From: North East MD
I prefer narrow for my vehicle and its worked perfectly so far. In reality, the width of the tire is not increased as much as most think when airing down. The length is increased more. Narrow tires give you better traction in most off-road conditions, with the exception of soft sand (to a point) and deep, deep snow (think Iceland.) On rocks they allow greater deformity for wrapping of the tire around the surface. In mud, they tend to dig into the more stable parts which can support better traction.
The only major thing keeping me from going to 35s is the lack of a decent tire in a 10" width (maybe u to 11".) If you look at what Land Rover ran on their Camel Trophy trucks you'll see some very skinny tires. Most ran Michelin XZL or XCL in 7R16 and 7.5R16. The closest current sizes are 215/85-16 and 235/85-16. The places they took some of those trucks is amazing.
I'm running the KM2 in 255/85-16 currently and it's been working great. A few months ago we had a trip out with a local club to a property with some decent hills. I had no problems nor did the guy behind me in a TJ with 245/75-16 KM2s. He got stuck once and that was due to bottoming out on a large ledge in a pit. I'm not sure on his, but mine is open diffs front and rear. A CJ-7 on 37" Iroks, a locked YJ on 44" swampers and a locked TJ on wide 35" Boggers were not so well off on the hills. Watching them you could plainly see they did not have enough pressure on the tires to bite into the dirt and gain traction.
The same place a few week ago, only very wet this time, I had no major issues either. I only had to back up a few times and counting I couldn't hardly stand and not slide in those conditions says they did the job. I can't wait to see what its capable of with some lockers.
Expeditions West did a decent white paper on the topic.
The only major thing keeping me from going to 35s is the lack of a decent tire in a 10" width (maybe u to 11".) If you look at what Land Rover ran on their Camel Trophy trucks you'll see some very skinny tires. Most ran Michelin XZL or XCL in 7R16 and 7.5R16. The closest current sizes are 215/85-16 and 235/85-16. The places they took some of those trucks is amazing.
I'm running the KM2 in 255/85-16 currently and it's been working great. A few months ago we had a trip out with a local club to a property with some decent hills. I had no problems nor did the guy behind me in a TJ with 245/75-16 KM2s. He got stuck once and that was due to bottoming out on a large ledge in a pit. I'm not sure on his, but mine is open diffs front and rear. A CJ-7 on 37" Iroks, a locked YJ on 44" swampers and a locked TJ on wide 35" Boggers were not so well off on the hills. Watching them you could plainly see they did not have enough pressure on the tires to bite into the dirt and gain traction.
The same place a few week ago, only very wet this time, I had no major issues either. I only had to back up a few times and counting I couldn't hardly stand and not slide in those conditions says they did the job. I can't wait to see what its capable of with some lockers.
Expeditions West did a decent white paper on the topic.