RobD

Did someone say boobies?

I run 33s because it's a bit more clearance without having to resort to more extreme measures. There is a bit of a power loss compared to the 31s, but hey, I've got a 3.4 now.

Jay1

I have a 99 tacoma with 3'' lift and running 32x11.5 and they just barley stick out past the flares.

PISTOL1000

i second that!! but i used a plasma no lift and big tires! i love hittin curbs and not even noticing them... every weekend i find a VW crushed up under the bumper RAAAAUUGHG UGH UGH UGH HOOHOOHOO AGHAAGHAAGH!!!

tc

Taller tires give more ground clearance under the axle, especially when aired down offroad.

Skinny tires allow you to fit a taller tire.

Skinny tires have the SAME traction as wider tires. The Formula is Friction force = coefficient of friction * weight. The coefficient of friction is determined almost solely by the materials.

In most offroad applications, skinny tires may actually have MORE traction than wider tires.
http://www.expeditionswest.com/resea...tion_rev1.html

255/85-16 is more like 34" tall

berzerkrobot

TC, that statement definitely perplexes me..... I instantly think of how wide racing tires are, esp on f1, indaycar, nascar. Theres no way a tire 1/3 the width of those tires would provide the same grip/traction, or am I missunderstanding something?

xcmountain80

No a 285 Interco SSR is more like 34" tall at 33.9" where as a Maxxix bighorn is a mere 33.3" in the 255. While I realize most other 285's are far smaller than the interco it is the outlier. Though at the same time wer were talking about the difference btwn a 35 and a 31 not skinny vs wide. And while ExpWest has a valid argument and well written article cornering an on ramp at 60 with 255's isn't going to give you the same results as with say my 295's. I realize lateral force is at play here and I don't believe that was covered in the ExpoWest article.

Aaron

toyota-erik

damn it! I should have known that would be used against me. Oh well, glad I could help

dirtoyboy

Seems to me that the amount of traction would depend on the conditions...

here is an interesting article for your reading pleasure

http://www.expeditionswest.com/resea...tion_rev1.html

saitotiktmdog

Has to be the dumbest question I hav ever heard in an offrad forum. Should go int he dumbest things you have ever heard about cars thread.

littledipper

superswamper has some 32 10.50 some of the toyotas you have to lift for bigger tires

dirtoyboy

huh


This is not a dumb question, either saito...its been a hot topic among wheelers for years



Maybe you have the correct answer?

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

.....

tc

See the formula - there is no factor for area - just coefficient of friction and force. The coefficient of friction for rubber on asphalt or concrete is about 0.8.

The reason they have wide tires is often more for stability and heat dissipation, not traction. Look at how F1 tires have the big grooves - the tires may be wide, but there's not that much rubber actually in contact with the ground!

saitotiktmdog

The point of big tires seems pretty obvouse to me. Exactly how big to go is different. I guess i just find it obvious that larger tires are put on the increase the ground clearance between the axle, springs, a arms etc in order to better negotiate obstacles of larger size. And yes in a lot of cases a lift is necessary to clear the tires.

nv4runner

From what I've heard and read, wider tires are good for "floating" over terrain, whereas skinnier tires "Cut" into the terrain. Skinnier is better on ice and snow (how deep depends on how much clearance you have) cause the pressure per square inch is higher giving better traction. The skinnies cut through the snow to what is hopefully solid ground.
Go here to see what i mean by floating over the terrain. Particularly the second video and the snow scene in the first video. Wider tires spread the down force over a larger area, which reduces the pressure per square inch.

Taller allows you to go over larger objects or through deeper water, snow, mud, etc without bottoming out.

algranger

yeah thats definitely goin in my sig now everone will know about your penis hehehe..

as for the tires mainly you will have a much easier time climbing over obsticles, going through ruts or anything you will have more clearance for your diffs and they grip better basically it depends on what kind and how much wheelin youll be doin id say a rear locker sounds like it may be what you want before larger tires

toyota-erik

Sorry people, Im going to have to agree here. It would be like going to a drag racing forum and asking "whats the point of having a lot of horsepower?" If your not going to wheel it then there IS no point in having large tires unless you're just a poser.

Depends on what type of snow and how deep it is. A skinny tire wont help you in 5' of snow

nv4runner

A skinny tire might not even help in 4' of snow, but just about anything below the body of your truck they should be able to handle, which is why i added the part about depending on your clearance. The only times I've been stuck is in snow up to my bumper with the 31's without chains.

berzerkrobot

Tc - the actual reason they started putting the groves on f1 tires was to reduce the amount of traction because f1 cars were corning so fast that is was becoming a safety issue. seems ironic.. but thats how the f1 sanctioning body works. Im fairly certain the did the same thing by making the brakes smaller. and then finally cutting the engine size from v10's to v8's. Your'e right about the heat dissipation though.

Another example: Drag cars.

TC4RNR

next question, please....

credit to 01rnrgirl, see trail report section.