Towing on 255/80r17 or 255/85r16’s?

I’ll start off by saying I didn’t tow with my 255’s, but when I first put them on I noticed an immediate loss in power. It wasn’t terrible and I got used to it, but I would have put my 265’s back on if I had planned on towing.

 

I towed a lot with 255/85/16s, no issues whatsoever.

 

I ran 255/85/16 on -12 offset with only minor trimming of fender plastics and a good alignment.

 

I'm sensitive to torque loss, and 33's eat the ratio up. I'd rather have all the torque available.

My vote is 265/75R16 max, 32's or stock.

 

My 245/75r16 pizza cutter tow what I would consider bellow average considering the truck size.

 

Mistake on my part

 

Does this look correct?

 

For the most part yes. Some people have shoehorned the upper part of that list by maxxing out caster on their alignment specs, but yes, from what I've seen, I'd agree with it.

 

No problems on 255/85-16s or 235/80-17s. The 235s came in about 10lb lighter each corner and made a noticeable difference in acceleration/deceleration with a trailer attached.

 

We tow 5k with 265/70r17 E. they are heavy it is slow, but hey, I’m on vacation..

two things to think about- I could feel the stability difference going from OEM sl series tires to these, plus having the psi flexibility to pump them up makes it a lot easier with an E rating.

-you probably won’t notice going from 265 to 255, but talk of 245 and 235 you may feel the stability issues while towing. I want as much rubber on the ground as possible when I’ve got the RV behind me.

 

255/75r17 is a rare size but it’s used on some Jeeps and comes in a 6 ply (c rated)

its a little thinner and a little taller than a 265/70r17. C load is a nice in-between for extra stiffness when towing but not super heavy. Limited choices in tire availability but I think it’s a size you should consider. I ran them in a cooper st maxx and really liked it.