Tire decisions.

[MrSmithsTB]

Cat's out of the bag. I am lifting again(and keeping it that way). Now the hunt is on for tires. I re-purposed the money I was saving for my new mudders, so now I have to start from scratch. Unfortunately, I traded my 33" BFG ATs for the tires I am currently running, which are Goodyear Wrangler RT/S 255/70/16. I traded with a used tire dealer. Called him up today, and he has gotten rid of my old tires, but has a couple of sets of Wrangler ATs in the 33" size and a large variety of different sizes/brands/treads. The ATs have decent reviews, but are no more than a glorified street tire. Unless they are the extremes or silent armors, in which case I can make a hell of a good deal.

Anyway, I am pretty much forced to go used right now, because I can't afford the new tires I want and I am not going to drop excessive cash on something that is not exactly what I want. So my question is this: Should I get spacers now and go for a larger diameter tire and risk a less aggressive tread, or should I go for a size that will fit without spacers so I can get a more aggressive tread? If i get the spacers and larger tire all I will need to do is put on the new tires when I can get them, but I may have to give up some off road performance. If I go with the smaller tire I can have a more ideal tread, but I will miss out on ground clearance and I will still have to order spacers before i can order new tires.

What would you do?

[Mooseknuckle]

Bob I'm gonna look around maybe we can get ya some cheap 17" stock rims or do you want to stay 16"?

[KE7WOX]

Hmmm the Wrangler AT is still a decent A/T tire. The tread pattern is quite similar to the SA or AT/S Extreme. We ran the AT/S in our Land Cruiser and that's also what the USFS and the Border Patrol run in most of their Tahoes, Suburbans, and the few TB's owned by the USFS

[MrSmithsTB]

Upgrading to 17" is something I am considering for the new tires, but I am not sure what sense it makes right now. Decent used off road tires in your area for a 17" rim or something? I do have Brendan's stock 17s sitting in my garage right now. They are pretty worn, so I'm sure he'd give me a killer deal.

The ATs seem like a decent everyday tire, and a decent tire for sand/gravel or any kind of dry off roading. It's the jersey mud that concerns me. Although it may not be too bad with others there to pull me out. There are also a few sets of 245/75/16 MT/Rs floating around here, but I think they will look too puny with the lift.

[Mooseknuckle]

nah I was just curious cause I thought you had said you wanted a 17" rim I thought if we looked around we might be able to find rims and tires kinda affordable then when you had more cash go with the new tires and you already have the rims.. otherwise we just find some affordable tires on the 16" rim

[Philberto]

16" tires are as a rule gonna be cheaper than 17" tires any day of the week... just search craigslist or ebay for 265 75 16... those are popular and standard on the h3 iirc.

And of course go the ebay spacer route to save more dough. Overall, maybe 300-400 for spacers + tires depending on tire cost...besides... all us cool kids are running 16's.

[MrSmithsTB]

nah I was just curious cause I thought you had said you wanted a 17" rim I thought if we looked around we might be able to find rims and tires kinda affordable then when you had more cash go with the new tires and you already have the rims.. otherwise we just find some affordable tires on the 16" rim

That is something I am thinking about doing when I go all out and get everything new. I might even upgrade to the fullsize chevy bolt pattern to open up the wheel options. But for now, I am just looking to go with the best upgrade from my current setup. Something that functions adequately and looks good doing it.


I had the ebay spacers before and those are what I'll go with again. Plenty of 16's to choose from, the benefit of this dealer is that he will take my tires in partial trade which means I don't have to bother with trying to sell them off. That also limits my choices, but essentially gives me more room to play with for a better quality.

[Mooseknuckle]

Well for now 16 might be the way to go and you can be like everyone else. Then you can upgrade to the 17's when you get the cash. It also depends on the tire you get and size. I have 17's and I could have gotten brand new BFG KM's 255/75R17 for 177.00 a tire and if you went the 16" route 255/70R16 that same tire would have cost 201.00 a tire from tire rack. But that is brand new. Anyway I know a place that I just got my alignment done and I saw a set of 17" rims for the TB sitting out there I can call them and see how much for the rims if ya want. Just trying to help

[Mooseknuckle]

ok I posted the last post and you beat me to the reply.

[MrSmithsTB]

No need to call em, but I do appreciate it. If for any reason I end up with 17" tires, it's something to keep in mind. For now, I'm going to try and limit my confusion to tire size and spacer usage.

[Mooseknuckle]

try this guy 609-713-9402 he is in manahawkin NJ which is....SOUTH Jersey LOL.. Allusedtires.com Also you can try tires tires in Brick they have used tires. 732-451-6402 it's worth a shot otherwise I have two other places I have to call my Dad to get the number for one and the other I will call myself and get back to you.(All For the 16")

[MrSmithsTB]

Good looking out. If you do happen to talk to anyone, 285/75/16 is the magic number. And no puny-ass tread. Go big or go home, you know?

[Mooseknuckle]

Ok Got it. I will check it out and get back to you.

[KE7WOX]

Ohh I forgot you guys don't live in the desert.

[Trail X]

I imagine you can still find some BFG TA KM 255/75/17s for around $100 per tire. It's been a really solid tire for many of us... although it's not exactly unique anymore.

Back when I put mine on, I never figured I'd get over 50k miles on them... and I'm knocking on that now with lots of tread left.

Just a thought.

[MrSmithsTB]

I imagine you can still find some BFG TA KM 255/75/17s for around $100 per tire. It's been a really solid tire for many of us... although it's not exactly unique anymore.

Back when I put mine on, I never figured I'd get over 50k miles on them... and I'm knocking on that now with lots of tread left.

Just a thought.

And a good thought. Unique isn't always good, I prefer something with a good reputation.

Waiting on a email back about a set of dynapro MTs in 265/70/17 w/ lots of tread .

[HARDTRAILZ]

I wish I had 16s for more sidewall to flex when aired down, I dont see 17's as an upgrade for offroading. My rims just happened to not come smaller than 17 or i would have gotten 16s.

Glad to are coming back up for some fresher air.

[MrSmithsTB]

Glad to be coming back up.

As far as my original question goes..... With the knowledge that I WILL be buying new within the next year and sparing no expense,which option would prove most beneficial now?

[The Roadie]

I wish I had 16s for more sidewall to flex when aired down, I dont see 17's as an upgrade for offroading.

Comrade! Anybody want a set of polished 17" Envoy alloys - cheap? Thinking about 15's for Roadiemobile rev 5. (you probably know I went to 16" Mojave Teflons for rev 3)

[HARDTRAILZ]

Glad to be coming back up.

As far as my original question goes..... With the knowledge that I WILL be buying new within the next year and sparing no expense,which option would prove most beneficial now?

IMO--You should get adaptors and and find some cheap 265's with wheels off a fullsize. If i was closer I could give you my spare set of 285 destination mt on 17 inch silverardo wheels for 150 or less. That is what they are on Craigslist for.

If you do something like that...you get the 1/2 ton pattern for more option in the future, you wont have a spacer expense and finding some stock 1/2 tom takeoffs is usually easy.

then you are ready, when you want new, to pick from a larger variety of wheels and tires.

If you dont want to switch patterns now...get what fits cheap and hold off on spacers until you decide which pattern you want with your new tires. Do you want 6x5 or 6x5.5? That is the key issue I see right now.