what is the performance differance with wide and narrow tires. which is better. i have 10 in wide rims. do u suggest i get narrower ones or can i still get good tires on them. also im doing a SoA and was wonder if anyone had problesm with haveing 7 inches of lift, not sure if i want to add 2 in leaf springs to brong the 5 from the soa to around 7 inches
Is there anything taller and skinnier then a 235/75R15? I wanted to try a 225/80R15, but they don't sell them in the USA.
The extra 2" will make setting up your steering that much harder, and you will have problems with the drag link not wanting to clear the spring on the passenger side.
For the trail and on road snow traction I need, I believe tall skinny rules. The folks like loggers that work in the bush use tall skinny. GI's with the old light Jeeps used tall skinny to get their asses out of a shooting zone.
When I went from a mud tread that measured 10.5" to the same mud tread that measures 7.5" on my 'light' 'glass CJ7 I got a Radical increase in traction with no need to compromise clearance or sidewall safety by airing down.
When we went 1" wider on our AT's in the XJ we were 'really' disappointed in the loss of traction. It was a noticeable loss.
If you want to go wide for flotation, then go 'wide' but be aware that they will spin way easier and up here if you spin, you dig holes and stop....
Here is an article link Billy Ray sent me the other day that goes over it:
J>
i talked to some people and they say that its all about the foot print. wider tires are better cuz they have bigger foot print, also that ..lol.. the people that say tall n skinny are people that are too cheap to upgrade to bigger tires. seems with evrthing in life everone one has thier own opion.. just gotta find out what one is the truth
The 'footprint' is the issue as well as the PSI between the tire and ground.
My tall skinny BFG muds were 'far' from cheap eh....
So figure it this way. On a 33x9.5" tire, my footprint is 7.5" wide. Now figure 'say' a really big 15" wide 33" tire is there with a 15" tread width for easy numbers.
The 15" tire is going to have about half of the PSI on the ground that my 7.5" of width have.
This means they will spin really easy. You go nowhere fast when you spin tires, you dig holes or you stay stopped.
Fat tire on the street in the snow get up on top so you lose steering control at fairly low speed.
With 10.5's on my CJ7, I lost steering control about 45-50 mph in 4" of snow on the highway. This is a serious piss off when the transports are running 55+ mph...
So far with my 33x9.5's that measure 7.5" at the tread, I haven't found the speed they lose control in the snow. I can run at 60 mph with no issues so I can keep up with the trucks.
My 33x9.5's just plain don't spin. When I run up sand pit walls, I leave this very distinctive tread mark all the way up. When the Jeep with the 12.5-15's goes up, it leaves rooster tail marks until he digs holes and stops.
Mud running almost isn't any fun any more, I don't get the top of my Jeep muddy because my tires don't spin it up. If I have to clean all the underneath, I want to look muddy on top too dammit!
There is a downside to having too much traction. LOL! ;-( I tear engine mounts to shreds and even shattered the metal plates in the last one and I blow out locking hubs all the time because I use Jeep ones, not Warn heavy ones yet. Well, on one side I have a Warn, the other side is still a 'fuse'.
If you have ever browsed my photo albums, note where I am at taking the photos of folks trying to make it... The other side or the top eh. ;-)
Just my 0.02 for ya...
Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >
Mike likes to recommend tires that went out of production years ago.
33x9.5" BFG Muds haven't been made since the last century. I'm thinking his tread is wearing mighty thin these days.He does have the right idea though. You'll get better traction & gas mileage with the pizza cutters. They just don't look very exciting.
I went with 32x10.5" Goodyear MTR's myself and really like them but then my jeep is parked for the winter. They are great in fresh powder but icy roads on wide muds is a scary experience I can do without.
I would suggest you find a new place to get tire advice from. If they are saying things like 'tall n skinny are people that are too cheap..' they really don't know what they are talking about and are just trying to sell you a product they are trying to move rather then what you need to move.
JJ
The best foot print depends on anticipated use. You are not going to find a single tire that is "the best" for rock crawling, sand, mud, freeway commuting, and white knuckle ice covered mountain passes. You are going to have to do some research, and to make some compromises. This is true in general.
Earle
Well said, Earle. It doesn't get any 'plainer' that that. Many people have 'street sets' and 'trail sets' for the terrain they wheel in. If you've got the storage space, that is the way to go. Plus, you can get the bling wheels for the street and steel ugliness for the trail. ;)
tw _____________________________________________________________________
2003 TJ Rubicon * 2001 XJ Sport * 1971 Bill Stroppe Baja Bronco"There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'."
Pronunciation: 'jEp Function: noun Date: 1940
Etymology: from g. p. (G= 'Government' P= '80 inch wheelbase') A small general-purpose motor vehicle with 80" wheelbase, 1/4-ton capacity and four-wheel drive used by the U.S. army in World War II. _____________________________________________________________________
Earle Hort> The best foot print depends on anticipated use. You are not going to find a
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