255/85 R16 Owners Experience

How did the S/T do in wet weather and mud? Can't decide on the S/T, ST Maxx, or Goodyear wrangler authorities, I drive a lot on road but quite a few of our job sites are back in the woods with terrible or no roads.
Of the three options the coopers are the only ones in 255/85 ( which I think I prefer)

 

The goodyears are not comparable to either of the coopers in any way. Forget about them if you want good tires.


I ran st maxx and now run st, the st are a softer smoother riding tire. Theyre both decent all around, theyre not mud tires but do just fine for most situations imo. The st is taller but has a narrower tread, so the maxx might look a little better.

 

I just picked up the st maxx today and have to say I really like them so far. I came from 265/75/16 Firestone Destination AT and the looks are totally different. The st maxx are definitely more aggressive looking. I noticed no loss in power or torque, but only drove them about 50 miles today. Should get some more miles this weekend. I'll be tracking mpgs so I'll be able to report on that for anyone interested. With the 265/75s I was averaging right about 19 mpg. Pics to come once daylight gets here tomorrow.

 

Have you ever ran the Goodyear's? Or are you just basing that on them being "Walmart" tires? Just curious.

 

The Goodyear compound likes to be warmer, with the Firestone and Bridgestone not as needy. The Cooper and a associated brands like Mastercraft are a softer compound that performs better, especially in cooler temps or when aired down. I think the Dick Cepek are also a Cooper brand.

 

Guess I didn't have the same experience. I ran the 265 Goodyear's for about 45,000 miles and they performed flawlessly. Then sold the for $250 to put towards my first set of 255's. They may not be perfect tires, but for the price, they are definitely not junk tires.

 

Most likely going with the goodyears, thanks.

 

This has still been a great size tire for everything I have thrown at them.

 

Snapped a pic of the new tires today. Liking them a lot so far, low road noise and love how they fill out the wheel wells.

 

looks real good!

 

Load E sidewall Flex @ 15 PSI and 40° angle. F'ing love them even more. Like riding on clouds.

 

Those things are gnarly! (in a good way of course)

 

Great photos guys! I always liked the aggressive look of the Toyo M/T's, they have a pretty wide tread for the 255/85.

I am currently running 255/85 Cooper S/T which are a pretty mild looking tread but they work superb in rocks when aired down to 18 or 20 PSI. And as you guys say, that tall sidewall makes them ride like a Cadillac on a cloud (well sort of...).

 

I drove thru a few washes with 4 to 8" of running water, all sand. I was in 4Hi and no spinning or any issues. I have no experience with these tires at the dunes.

 

Do you need a full 3" to run 255's? How much rubbing do you think there would be with a 1.75"-2"? Bearable on the trail?

 

Lift does not change the upper tire travel limit as in full stuffed. So with proper backspace wheels these tires don't rub regardless of no lift or full 3" lift. Remember if you buy extended travel shocks / coilovers AND the required upper control arms to allow this extended travel you are allowing your suspension to travel down further. If you set up the preload for 3" lift over stock you are about out of down travel and it will ride horrible. I have mine at 2" and it does all things well.

 

I'm running about 2-2.5" over stock and truck is great, using 885 coils and Bilstein 5100. Despite numerous reports about 255 not rubbing, it does, at least on my truck. But it's very minor and easy to take care of. Your alignment, specifically castor value will determine where your wheel sits in the wheel well, and what will rub.

Short tips from my experience thus far.

• My tire rubbed the plastic fender liner near the bumper, I used a heat gun to heat it up and a hammer to gently push it back, worked great.
• My tire rubbed my OEM trimmed mud flaps. I drilled a hole in mud flap and used a zip tie to pull it back towards the body mount.
• Under full compression my tire still rubs the mud flap, but it's minor...
  
• I also rub the frame and the LCA,
  
• I also rub the stock UCA at full lock
• I also had to relocate the spare tire carrier back 1" to avoid the diff hitting the 255 spare under compression.

 

Recently saw some pics of the ST Maxx in this size and it looked noticeably wider then the BFG KM2's in the same size. Anybody else able to chime in on this?

 

I've noticed the same thing. So the coopers are a tad shorter and a tad wider than KM2s in this size.
The ST MAXX is 10.20" wide and 32.8" tall while the KM2 is 10.04" wide and 33.30" tall