Son was super excited going off roading for the 1st time.

OP: That is great that you and your son had fun wheeling. My daughters (although a lot younger 6 and 7) also love to do it and look forward to going out. It is good to get them out of the house to see nature as opposed to sitting around the house.

As for landphil's comment I do not necessarily agree with 18's not being a good offroad size, 20's I do agree with. I believe that depending on the wheeling that you are doing they may be some minor advantages. I do not feel at any disadvantage with my 18' wheels nor do majority of other variations I have wheeled with (jeeps, bronco's, F150's Chevy 1500's) If you are rock crawling there may be an advantage but I would say marginal and you would want to go with a taller tire anyways. there is slightly more sidewall but on an e rated tire as most of the MT's are nowadays a 17 does not flex noticeably more than an 18 especially on our lighter trucks. The contact patch is derived from the width of the tire and there are many variations based on the manufactured true tire size. I have Nitto Trail Grapplers that measure out far larger than the 285/65R18 stamped on the side to be exact mounted they measure 33X12.25. So if you are concerned with contact patch I would be more apt to research actual tire size than rim size. 18's do tend to be more expensive though, that I can agree with. Also with the wider (285 or wider) MT's you will most likely have to CMC and trim the plastic liner etc. That is true with 17" or 18".

 

Increased contact patch when airing down has very little to do with width, rather length of the patch grows substantially, thanks to sidewall flex. The lower the profile of the tire, the less sidewall flex, less contact patch increased when aired down, and the less the tire tread conforms to the surface.

That said, we have no idea if OP will ever even air down his tires, and for what he has depicted in his photos, 18", heck, even 20" rims will probably work just fine on his prerunner on good solid trails like that. Especially with an upgrade in tread.

It really depends on how hard he wants to off-road it.

 

So are you saying that you will have a larger contact patch with a 265 vice a 285 or that a half inch of sidewall height (rim lip to ground) on a 10 ply sidewall will allow the tire to have more flex? In my opinion there are many factors that affect contact patch other than just the sidewall height, as an example tire width and load rating (6ply vs 10ply sidewall). I don't think I am quite understanding what you are saying. I tend to disagree that a larger tire with equal tire pressure will not have more mass in contact with the an object under the same internal pressure. I agree that a 17" tire of equal size in a C rated sidewall will have more area in contact with the ground than an E rated 18". I do not mean to debate just bringing a different perspective. The biggest factor is as you mentioned really what the OP is looking for as far as his personal needs and choosing what will work best for him.

 

http://www.jeepfan.com/tech/air-down-basics/

http://www.backcountry4x4.com/bc4x4ArticleAirDown.html

Maybe these two articles can explain it better than I did as far as the increased length of contact patch goes, and yes, stiffer E-rated tires conform less than a C-rated of the same tire, same with lower profile tires vs. higher profile.

I'm thinking we've successfully hi-jacked OP's thread enough here though, but there's always room for a new thread on the subject, or likely a few going already too.

 

That kind of bonding can not be replaced Have Fun!!

 

I like the TP setup.

 

Landphil, you are correct, sorry OP didn't mean to hijack. Have fun wheeling with your son.

 

Cool that you are having a great time wheeling with you son....just be prepared for the inevitable....I take my nephew wheeling (and created a monster that would fit in right here at TW). He sold his Subaru, bought an 02 4-runner and hasn't looked back...his biggest problem now is finding the funds to do all the mods he has planned! So when you your boy gets old enough, figure on either a second rig, or better yet, giving up the drivers seat! My nephew had been wheeling, but the craze started when I swapped seats with him....

 

Thaks man!

 

If you want OME or bilstein, just call wheelers and explain your needs. They will hook you up. They are one of very few companies that I can say were enjoyable to do business with. Honest and helpful. Hell, they even send you candy. I love candy and I'm guessing your son does too. Good luck!

 

Went with Skyjacker 3", still wanted truck to fit in garage, install wasn't difficult. Good to see someone else in El Paso.