Its going to be a very difficult decision, tires........

[GOOSE]

I have a set of 245 75 16s I believe they are, they are shorter than a set of 235 85-16 i have been dreaming about lately I see your looking for a larger foot print tire I see them like bricks in the wind and a ball and chain to drag along !

I see you do need a good tire, the Transforce is the replacement Firestone from the older mold design it replaced that I really liked! 80,000 miles out of a tire that sold for $100 a pop, last I seen now for the same tire was cheapest I could find $185 out the door.

I always prefer fuel mileage when picking tires, the old Firestone was great performer! I am not sure on the Transforce yet.

I like the 3.55 and C-6 OD I have now so the sweet spot for me is the skinny 85 series tire rather than a wider taller tire.

I bet the 4.10 and 1st gear in your truck is fun when towing, I would imagine it will yank a load from a dead stop at idle without touching the pedal doing a little clutch fanning

I document most every tank of fuel for mileage and calculate for different size tires in the equation. So far I have ran

-Toyo M55 235-85-16's on 16x7 steel rims
-Nitto Terra Grappled AT 305-70-16's on 16x9 aluminum rims
-Mickey Thompson muds, 305-70-16 on the same aluminum rims
-Cooper Discoverer AT3 285-75-16 on the same aluminum rims.

The Mickey Thompson Muds gave the worst mileage between 12-13mpg. Every other tire got very close to the same mileage, about 14.5mpg around town. The Mickeys were loud and not too impressive for what I do.

The Toyo's wore like iron but the tire size wasn't that impressive. They only hold 3100lbs @ 100psi and rode like a BRICK!

The 305 Nittos rode well, held almost 3800lbs at only 65 psi allowing for a much smoother ride.

The Coopers have been the best size yet, holding about the same weight @ 65lbs and giving a good ride. The narrow 285mm width allowed for much tighter turning for the overall win at this point.

The only reason I'm contemplating a different size is because I have a company truck now and work keeps me so busy that I'm not doing as much side work now. This basically allows a little wiggle room to play with the truck and go down a more 'toyish' route. If I didn't have a company truck, the 285's would be a no brainer!

 

[dunk]

Also beware cheap tires, they usually have thin and weak sidewalls. More flex when loaded as you noted and I had trouble with sidewalls getting cut open in the woods with General Grabber tires. Haven't had that issue since switching to BFG.

 

[Black dawg]

I used to always want bigger tires on my truck, but came back to the old 235/85/16. The bigger tires might have a higher load number on them, but heavily loaded, sway and general unstable feeling on curvy roads, made me finally go back to small tires. With 80psi (max psi) in my m55s, truck is always real stable feeling and power is good. I have also used the 255/85/16, with good results, but the change in gear ratio was not ideal for my truck.

 

[jim_22]

I too always come back to choosing the 235/85/16. It is the sidewall height, the "85" that defines the ride. 255/85/16 is 4% higher gearing, a noticeable change. Anything wider than 255 will want a lower sidewall to keep the gearing reasonable and significantly change the ride (maybe some will like it better, each to his own but I like the 85s).

 

[GOOSE]

The 285 sides are 14mm taller than the 235/85 tires, less than 9/16 of an inch. Thats not all that much difference. The 50mm difference in width is definitely more of a factor, almost 2 inches. I got a feeling I may lean towards the 285/75-16 Toyo M55 tires......

 

[Black dawg]

I should add that my comment about the extra height and gear ratio was only a problem for me on a pass that is local. The difference was just enough that I didnt have the right gear for off of the corners. Now with a manual and gear splitter, it doesnt even feel like a hill. What do those 285 m55s run you over there?

 

[tanman_2006]

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305/55 R 20 cooper s/t maxx

 

[jim_22]

The 285 sides are 14mm taller than the 235/85 tires, less than 9/16 of an inch. Thats not all that much difference. The 50mm difference in width is definitely more of a factor, almost 2 inches. I got a feeling I may lean towards the 285/75-16 Toyo M55 tires......

Hmm... The 285/75 are 0.56 in higher on sidewall (maybe good, I like higher sidewall) 1.97 in wider (does essentially nothing, may worse for breaking and fuel economy) and 3.46 larger circumference, meaning corresponding higher gearing. Not obviously a better tire than the truck was designed for.

 

[jim_22]

If you drive in snow, a narrow tire is better, more pressure. May be counter intuitive. Big tires suck and are an expensive hard-on. Look great, though, I'll give you that.

 

[tanman_2006]

Imo I'd keep w/ the 285/75. Can't say I like how wide of a wheel you have it on, I prefer a 7-8" wheel my self. I have issues w/ getting the foot print I want when loaded, too much shoulder wear.

 

[GOOSE]

I got the rims with a decent set of Nitto Terra Grapplers for $225, I couldn't pass the deal up at the time and really haven't had a reason to get rid of them nor have I had the money to buy a new replacement set.

 

[tanman_2006]

I hear ya. I got the 20's for $500 had nasty 90's steelies on my 06 dmax when I got it. Wish I would have went w/ 16's but I have gotten good life out of 20" tires surprisingly.

 

[GOOSE]

Memories of 235/85-16's

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[Black dawg]

but.... 285s wont be enough to cure that little issue. If you are gonna try to float a crummy, you will need atleast 35s imo.

It is crazy what the little 235/85s will do, aired down. Makes the foot print much longer.

 

[tanman_2006]

Aired down 285's would work but the cure would be, keep the lead brick away from soft spots lol.

A 305/70R16 (33x12.5) would look best w/ those wheels IMO. Problem is they cost more, weigh more, wider, and all of that has to figure in to the bottom line w/ slight mpg drop and higher cost.