Looking to go down from 285/70/17 to 285/75/16

What are the benefits of going down to a 285/75/16 from a 285/70/17? Same wheel and tire package. Is the 16” rim with more sidewall on the tire a better option for off-roading?

 

Not sure what you mean. Only difference is wheel size. Tire specs are the same.

 

Well you gain a little sidewall height but that’s negligible imo.

 

Is there any benefit to having more sidewall while off-roading on the 285/75/16 vs the 17?

 

more tire and less rim, would that be better for off-roading?

 

The 1/2” gained on each side of the rim imo makes no difference.

 

Yes. The extra sidewall is advantageous when airing down.

 

How far down in psi would I have to air down vs a 17” rim?

 

Interesting... I was thinking more sidewall would ride better off-roading

 

I dunno. But the best way I have seen to figure your psi is to park on top of a 3/4 inch square tube and air down until your tire touches the ground. With this technique you can understand how extra sidewall would help.

 

not sure of benefit or not. probably negligible, but I'd always choose less rim and more sidewall. so a 75 instead of a 70, and even better is the 85, just not on a 285

 

like a 265/85/16?

 

I doubt you are changing enough to actually see the benefit. Going from 20s to 16s would be noticeable for the benefit of more sidewall, but there just isn't a lot of difference in the two sizes you are talking about. I would not make the change based on performance only.

 

The tolerable PSI levels have more to do with tire construction than size. A tire with more ply/ heavier rating has the ability to hold a bead better than a lighter weight tire so you’d be able to run a lower PSI with less risk of breaking a bead offroad. That being said, the difference in 1” of wheel size would be negligible for most trucks. You’re not going to notice enough a difference to make a full wheel/tire swap worth it IMO. If a lower PSI is your goal (which would help with tire flex off-road) then you’re probably better off getting full (real) bead locks rather than gaining an inch of sidewall.

 

This. @Dansly56 As a general rule you're right about smaller vs larger sidewall but the difference you're talking about in this specific situation is pretty negligible and you're not likely to notice much of a difference, if any at all. Personally, I'd select which wheel size is better based on the availability of tires for that size wheel and/or if you need a 17" wheel for better brake clearance.

 

so more rubber won’t help with off-roading after airing down? What about gas mpg would that be a difference

 

Yes, it helps, but the change you are talking about is so small as to not really be noticeable. For the money, there are probably better things to spend it on that would make a difference. If you want to change for looks, then go for it, but I doubt you see any real noticeable difference while driving. Also for MPG, any idea the difference in weight between the two packages? I wouldn't think you'd get much of a weight savings one over the other.

 

this does makes sense. I watched a few YouTube video and some recommendations are the smaller rim and more sidewall as most trophy trucks, buggies, dirt bike off road version, quads, baja trucks, etc use a smaller rim and bigger tire id figure this would be the same to building a off road Tacoma truck. Now I know those are all different vehicles and I huge difference in tire sizes but for whatever reason I thought the concept of tires and rims would be the same. I wanted to run it by this forum since most people on here have gone through various wheel packages and wanted to see the benefits and thoughts of the setup I’m inquiring about. What about a 295/75/16 vs a 285/70/17 would that also be the same as you mentioned?

 

this is more a trade package that someone wants to trade with me. Same E rated tires also. Not sure about weight, just a $260 difference in package

 

I would go off looks and tire availability for whichever rims you decide on. As long as the 16s fit and have enough brake clearance, expect same results, just with a slightly different look.