235/85/16 The Skinny

Any pictures i noticed you went from 265's to 235's any difference in feel, power, handling etc. Looking at them for my next set being 2lbs lighter same height and 1'' less wide as my current tire, hoping to keep the big ol 2TR-FE happy

 

I don't have pictures of them. Sorry.
Nothing noticeable with power really. Handling seems more nimble. I went from having different wheels too. So that made a difference as well.

 

Interesting video comparing wide and narrow tires.
https://youtu.be/6wAJAOxh8LE

 

Old article discussing the benefits of tall skinny tires. Lots of good information with a few unsupported, maybe bullshit, statements.
https://web.archive.org/web/2018010...esearch/white_papers/tire_selection_rev1.html

 

I remember reading this years ago. Added it to the first page along with that video.

 

Just did a longer distance trip last week. Very noticeable gas mileage difference.

 

@DrFunker by very noticeable, do you mean better or worse?

 

I was very happy with the tire's handling and traction in the snow ( I have 215's fwiw). We did a 500 mile one way trip through 5 mountain passes and completely snow bound the entire way. 24.5 mpg was a nice bonus as well. I find the truck is fine in winter as long as it gets looooooooong trips.

 

Here's the question that I have. How would these do in sand? Loose, deep, unpacked stuff. I do a ton of beach driving so i went with 285/75/16s. They're amazing because they're wider than stock, but nuked my mpgs pretty good. I'm probably looking for a new set of tires in the near future, but don't want something that'll cut and sink. I also enjoy not needing to air down most of the time with my fatties. Thoughts?
Thanks

 

Better.

 

I have the same engine. Unless you need the extra 1" of lift, you might consider Destination 215/85r16's. They are within a 10th of an inch of the stock tires, and within a pound weightwise. They're E rated, and quiet.
I have a manual 2nd gen, so 1st gear is already so tall that an extra inch of wheel that 265's or 235/85's added made 1st gear awful, and with a slightly lifted truck, I do not need anymore ground clearance. Super happy with the tires and size. So glad I ditched the BFG KO "boat anchors".
If you didn't notice any problem with the 265's, then the 235's will be great.

 

I went from 265/75/16 to 235/85/16s, no noticeble difference in power. We haven't had too much rain lately, but when I got the tires put on last fall (our cold/wet season) I noticed considerably less slippage. But I also went from worn out duratracs to brand new ATs so I'm sure that had more to do with the tread pattern than anything. They're definitely quieter than the Duratracs lol.

Performance in cornering. I will say I noticed a bit of a decrease in hard cornering which makes sense, typically race cars have wider tires for a reason. I carefully eased into how hard I'd send the truck into a corner but I have not lost confidence in the truck.

I have since lifted the truck and they do look a bit small. Next tire size will likely be 255/85/16 and back to a more aggressive tread (just for looks) but the Coopers have been a pleasant surprise and all around good tire so far. I did get 0.5mpg average back compared to the duratracs, we'll see what the lift does.

 

Thanks i will be getting a set of XT's in 235 a bump in mpg would be great but just waiting for a sale its a want not a need since my cooper at3 4s still have a lot of life left

Thanks for the insight 215/85/16 has to be great for power/mpg but that is too skinny of a tire for my preference at 8.5'' wide thats 1'' less than the stock 245/75/16 which are 9.5''. 265/75/16s are 10.4'' wide and 235/85/16 are 9.3'' wide, i am going for the happy medium between looks and performance. The 1'' in height has not really effected gearing with the 3rd gen double overdrive auto trans its maybe 100 rpms less which is not noticeable. The gearing sucks anyway 100 rpms makes no difference even with the higher 4.30's in the 2.7 than the 3.5 it still needs more, may go 4.88's in the future. What i believe is more noticeable is the jump from 9.5'' wide tire to a 10.4'' with the 265, my hope is with 2lbs less per corner and more the so the width from 10.4 to 9.3 the rolling resistance will be felt.

 

They look good on your truck i agree a tad small especially with a small lift which is what i have, i did not expect the 4.0 or the 3.5 to notice any power difference from 265 to 235's unless you went with a significantly lighter tire. With the 2.7 though we have a lot less power to begin with so small changes are felt, heck i go from a passenger and a little cargo to without and i feel it so i am expecting a little. I am not hoping any speed difference, its a 160 hp 5000+lb 4wd brick in the wind there's no tire that would make it fast or faster. Its all about drive ability if i can get the trans to downshift and lug less thats the goal.

 

235-85-16 Falken AT3W, had them since last fall, switched from 265-75-16 Cooper AT3. Drive well, only noticeable thing is the ride is a little rougher because they are at 42 psi cold/45psi warm based on a chalk test (AT3 where 33/35psi). Added some 1.25 spacers because I didn't like that they sat a little in the wheel wells, now they poke out just a hair.

 

I'm looking at getting some snow tires in 235/85r16 before this winter. I'm looking at the Bridgestone Blizzak W965, and the . Does anyone have any experience with either of these tires in this size? I promise to post up pics when I get them installed.

 

There's not much to make the truck faster (maybe an LCE header if one shows up under the christmas tree), but lots to make it slower. I could not believe the difference going from BFG KO's on the steel wheels (75lbs) to stock 245 tires on sr5 alloys (58.5 lbs). It was like taking off ski boots. The switch to the 215 XT's on alloys (59.4lbs) makes no difference at all. Sadly, I lost my parking /storage space, so have to leave my fiberglass camper shell on, which weighs about 250lbs. Any extra weight is sure noticed on this truck (x5 for rotating mass), you're correct. Your lugging sounds like it is at hwy speeds with the larger dia., whereas with the manual, its in 1st gear.

 

Agree small lift, topper, weight, tires is all working against me, i am not looking for faster just better driveability, i have an lce header already it was a worth while upgrade in my opinion. My wheel and tire setup weight is actually a hair under yours 41lbs for 265/75/16 cooper at3 4s and 17.4 per wheel. My total per corner is 58.4lbs so relatively light. 235/85/16 XT's would knock off 2lbs per corner which i don't think will be noticeable but i think the narrower tire and less rolling resistance will help or so i hope. The gearing is the main issue with the double overdrive trans, lets take 70mph for example, 6th turns 1950 rpm, 5th is 2330 and 4th is 3350. You can see the issue right there 5th and 6th not enough rpm and then the kick down to 4th is too high. 5.29's would put 6th at 2400 and 5th at 2850 to me right where it should be for a 4 banger. The truck either lugs or kicks down to 4th which is too high most of the time. Going to try the intake manifold spacer and the little smaller tire before i re gear. Whats your truck look like with the 215's any pictures?

 

I hear you with the in between gearing, and dang, those are LIGHT wheels. Yeah, I wouldn't want to go any smaller in dia., I think it would look funny. I deal mostly with snow and rain here, so I prefer skinny. I kinda like the look. Drives great, and the gearing just works. Very happy with the tires themselves, regardless of size. The X/T's are E rated, and I do not expect them to be as bombproof as BFG KO's (which are almost solid rubber), but met my requirements when I was hauling a lot of gravel, and I expect them to be at leat as puncture proof as a P rated tire..

 

They look good a little small but fits the 2nd gen, even though they are almost the same size the 3rd gen just looks bigger the 215 would look too small. Love the color and are mid rise seems like good minds think alike. The wheels are FSW 2020 trd pro replicas i liked the wheel, not my favorite but the price was good and the weight was great. Dropped 6lbs from the stock sx alloys i felt a difference, looking forward to 235s i prefer the skinner look