33" tire owners, what is your wheel size/offset?

255 guys are the only fellas in this whole forum that felt the need to create a thread to validate themselves. Do not listen to their lies and miss-information. You want MPGs and silly looks go 255, you want traction and SPGs, get you 285+!

 

You are trying to validate with form over function with subjective comments not backed by anything, but your “Bro-ness”dude. Most of the world puts skinnies on offroad rigs stock for a reason.

Practicality over glamor

Google Africa or Australia safari vehicles. Both of which are made by Toyota and Land Rover.

Also, this case study validates the practicality part (they also spell “tires” differently do to the English variation “tyres”):

https://www.tuckstruck.net/truck-and-kit/the-truck-technical-stuff/tyres-and-wheels/


The other side of the planet offroad in gnarly stuff all day on crazy hunting trips and what not on super skinny tires. Just sayin...



And if you REALLY want to do a crazy comparison: Trophy truck tires are often considerably thin in width when compared to their diameter for better steering when going 100+mph because they steer better through sand. This example is a 40” tire with a 12.5” width. A Tacoma tire such as a 32 or 33 has a 10.5-11.5” width typically.(example:https://www.bfgoodrichracing.com/category/race-tires/off-road-race-tires/desert-racing/)

There’s nothing more badass than a trophy truck (which is usually 2WD btw) so with a 1” different in width, who are we kidding here?

 

Hey man, clicked the thread photo because it looked weird and was directed to your post. Thanks for read, and good valuable information.

 

Nice. You get A for effort. Even busted out safari vehicles and trophy trucks.

I’m about to hit you with a simple fact that will change your life forever... ready?

The more tire/thread you put on the road, the more traction you will get. Obviously there is a point of diminishing returns, but that sure as shit ain’t at 255mm width tires. Do you have any idea why people air down when off roading (on mud, sand or snow)? That’s right... WIDER contact patch!

Now, I’m not saying that 255 are useless. What I am saying is that if you don’t care about MPGs, there are much better options.

oh, and here is a picture for you... lol

 

Ok...cute. I can see this is a moot point over 1” difference in width when you post a Bronco with massive unpractical 44” tires (which makes sense in a mud hole). Mud is mud and you need those big knobs just to get grab, or similarly, paddle tires in dunes and soft sand. Tire type selection is important for the terrain. In mud, mud tires work best of course, but the conversation is around practicality of 33” tires on a Tacoma.

Wider tire does NOT equal more traction...if you have more weight pushing downward on a skinnier surface you get more pounds per square inch applied which increases as weight is applied (You get an F for physics). This also applies to other factors such as rubber composition and tread pattern again for the environment. Airing a tire down does give you more patch but the man reason to do this is the tire wraps more around the object it is contacting because the rubber is more flexible to the terrain. A simple example for practical/normal tires. Next time Meade the traction patch between a 255 and a 285 not including the sidewalk...you may be surprised how little the difference is.
Whatever, the Bro-ness is heavy.
I concede.

 

This is hilarious.

 

Do you still have the tires and how's the mpg?

 

I would prefer 255 by all of my research but I can get sets of 285s for half the price of 255s. (I work in a parts department for Honda and have multiple tire distributors to get wholesale prices on stuff) but even though them I can't get 255s for less than 170 each. Also a tire such as 255 80 17 is a taller tire than a 285 75 but has a smaller side wall. By what I understand more the sidewall the better. Plus that means I'd have to to buy a heavier and more expensive 17 inch wheel so any money savings on mpg would be gone. If it existed I'd choose a 265 80 16. And it would be nice if someone made any 33 or 34 in a SL tire. If wheeled some falken at3w in a sl on lots of sharp rocks and drive 100 miles a day for work and never had a flat. Our trucks do not need LT's.

 

Actually... taller tires like a 255/85/r16 do provide an exceptionally wider contact patch when properly inflated to the terrain...in the tire industry contact patch width is measured front to back..or the distance between where contact starts on front (tread facing front bumper) and where it ends in the rear (tread facing back bumper). This is called "width" because it assumes one is looking at the tire/vehicle from the side, as opposed to being in front of or behind the vehicle. Now that youre corrected, it can be clarified traction comparisons are terrain/condition dependent and both skinny/wide tires have their respective places to shine.

I am moving up to 33'' tires next week (Cooper ST Maxx 255/85/16) and chose it specifically based on minimizing weight, keeping stock 16x7 rims, no desire for CMC, and no desire for rubbing. A wider 33'' tire would require I buy new rims, chop, and potentially regear to compensate for power loss.

 

Thank you for this info! I think you sold me on 255s. I know i'm 2 years late on this thread, but quick question about wheel offset with 255s:

- my stock wheels are 16in - 25mm positive offset
- I'm trying to avoid spacers
- with 255s do you think i'll run into problems with 255s on a stock SR5 wheel with 25mm offset, or should I go down to wheels with 13mm or closer to zero?

 

255/85/r16, -12mm offset with a 4" backspace iirc

 

I wouldn’t imagine you would have an issue because I’m using the TRD PRO 4Runner SEMA wheels and I still have about an inch or so at full turn before contact with the vehicle, but I’m using 255/75/17 (32”) tires now. The 4Runner Sema wheels are a 7” wide wheel that stick out about 0.4” wider than the stock 16” TRD OR wheels. I suck with the whole backspace concept so I can’t confirm and I do have 1.5” of lift

 

Thanks for the detail. After looking at some other threads, it looks like I should be fine running 255s with my 16” wheels without running into problems.

Last question - which you sorta touched on. How high of a lift should I go? Just read on a diff thread to be cautious going up to a 3” and I was looking at the King 2.5s for a 3” lift because I thought the OME BP-51s would be too small to fit 255/85/16s with a 2” lift.

 

3” is like the absolute highest you could go. I can’t recommend anything over 2” because the CV axle and boots suffer and that gets very costly if replacement is needed plus timely...chances are it will happen if you do offroad where debris will chew the rubbing fins on the CV boots and then if dirt gets inside the whole axle may need replacement.

I run 1.5” in the front and 2.5” in the rear. The key here is 3.2-4 degrees of caster with aftermarket UCAs (a must), such as SPC or JBA.
Note: I run 255/75/17, not 255/80/17 (so 32” vs 33” due to the massive weight difference per tire depending on the load range chosen and without much visual difference) I still have 1” of space from the tire contacting the truck at full turn.

You don’t need to go Kings and would be fine with the OME BP-51’s I imagine. Check out ADS shocks as well, they make a stellar product with a TON of R&D if you are going to spend what you would on Kings and I personally think they are a better product without the big brand blue BS. They have amazing coatings, very stout hoses, and very good valving, especially if you get adjustable resis. Another option that would be very nice is the Bilstein 8100 series, they have some pretty smart technology behind them, but $$$. I would stay away from Icon, except for their leaf pack (customer service has a bad rep from many people’s testimonies on TW). I run the Icon RXT leaf pack and enjoy it much more over my previous Dakars, especially at speed on the trails. Disclaimer: this is my opinion from research.

Choosing a shock all depends on your needs and what you intend to use them for so consider that when choosing. The BP-51’s have internal bypass which is neat, but max at 2” of lift. Consider digressive vs progressive valving in shocks and then if a hybrid would work for your needs as well.

IMPORTANT: If you run any weight (bumper, winch, etc...) do not go less than 650lb coils (unless you do long travel, which I have no idea about). You will experience sagging and lose lift if you do over time. Many will argue I’m wrong, but I’ve tested different coils on the 3rd gen and the data doesn’t lie.

 

Dang dude, you're a life saver. Good call on CV axle angles. I won't be running any extra front weight (for now) so should be good there. I'll likely go with the complete BP-51 kit which come with OME upper control arms that go up to 3.5 degrees, plus I like that they have rubber ball covers to keep dirt out. I'll report back once I pull the trigger and get this all installed. Final consensus is:

- Old Man Emu BP-51 2" complete suspension kit (including new upper control arms from OME)
- 255/85/16 - still deciding between KM3s and S/T Maxx (i'm never on mud terrain, mostly mountains but i love BFG)

 

Is there any reason you need to run an E-load 33” tire vs a (255/75/17) 32” tire in C-load or something else? Reason I ask is because this is my next tire and you get the offroad capability and quality without all the weight:
https://www.discounttire.com/buy-tires/yokohama-geolandar-m-t-g003/p/36149

just trying to help...Not sure why other people seem to hate so much. The world is too small for that, as we have seen, especially after the last 13 months.

 

Going up to 17s is a whole other pandora's box for me haha. Just pretend i'm a kindergarten level Tacoma noob. Since I have 16' wheels stock, i'm not sure what goes "into" sizing up to a 17". I like the look of my current wheels and want to focus more on the suspension and tires without also have to buy new wheels. This thread (despite most of the replies consisting of "i just like the look of 16s") makes me think keeping my 16s would be beneficial since you get "more tire" https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/16-vs-17-wheels.406867/

But, like most people on that thread have mentioned, selection is sparse for 16". Love my Ko2s and wish they came in 255. The Geolanders - wow 10lbs lighter than KM3 and C/Ts. I haven't added any weight (caps, racks or bumper) to my rear yet, and assume that once i get that config all figured out that i'll likely need to regear to 4.88s depending on how much weight i add and how much mileage decreases. Since i have an SR5 and like to think I'm building my own version of the TRD Off Road, I'll be adding diff lockers at some point next year and might as well regear if my tires and rear weight require. Good point tho! That tire weight adds up.

 

I see, my mistake, not sure how I read 17’s when you clearly stated 16’s. I run my stock 16’s with 265/75/16’s as a backup for different seasons/terrain due to selection, but they definitely aren’t a 33” tire.

I am tuned with 4.88’s and the truck is very fun to drive now with power to boot.
I hope you get it all dialed in man. Good luck!

 

Following up on this. I finally upgraded to 255/85/16s. Went with Coopers ST Maxx (yikes heavy) but since I live in WA and always drive on hilly, wet pavement the Coopers were the only all terrains that fit my 16in wheels and had decent wet weather reviews - the mud terrain tires i was considering weren't as convincing. To answer OP, I installed my pizza cutters without any additional backspacing and I'm using stock wheels for the 2019 SR5 (25mm positive offset). I made a YouTube vid to document my the setup which was primarily guided by this and another TW thread about 255/85/16. I wish there was more variety in the 255/85/16 which is why I'm guessing some folks switch out their 16s for 17 inch wheels. Ideally, I'd like to see more all terrain tires in the 16" pizza cutter size at C load (less weight) I can really feel my truck huffin n puffin at 3K rpm when I'm going uphill. Def gonna need a regear.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8JQGWZoKCI

 

Also follow-up here, sry i know it's a little off topic ... well, it's topic adjacent. So you talked me back from the 3" ledge haha. After installing the 255/85/16s I have about a half inch of clearance at full wheel turn, and since i'm going to add a bed rack (95lbs) and an ikamper (130lbs) as static weight, upgrading suspension is my next immediate project. I watched a bunch of suspension reviews and figured OME BP-51s and Kings are prob way outta my league for the time being. I'm not traveling on long washboarding roads in the desert (yet), most of my terrain is slower forest trails/moderate rock climbs so I don't think I'd be generating enough heat to warrant those big league shocks just yet.

I bought the Bilstein 6112s (front) and 5160s (rear) with an Icon 1.5" add a leaf. I plan on raising the front by 1.5 and the rear 1.5 to maintain some rake. Did you go with 2.5" in the rear because you're running a lot of weight back there?