Are KM2's skinnier than other 285s?

Just got new shoes on the FJ, 285/75/16 BFG KM2 Mud Terrains. They are awesome looking and performing tires, but I noticed they look skinner than my 285/60/18 terra grapplers on my Taco. Is this just an optical illusion due to the rounded sidewalls of the BFGs?

 

Were both of the wheels the exact same width? Or was the 18 9" wide and the 16 is 8" wide?

 

The 18's are 9 inchs wide and the FJ has the stock Trail Team wheel which is a 7.5 i believe. Does that make the tires "ballon out" more?

 

Tire section width is determined by wheel width. Every 1" of tire width = 1/4 to 1/2 of tire section width.

This means your 285s on your 9" wide tire may well have 1/2 to 1" more width than those on your 7.5s.

Tread design affects it as well. Very aggressive shoulder lugs can make a tire look wider, and KM2 shoulders, while a very good design, are relatively low profile.

In my experience, narrower wheels (7.5 to 8") help to keep from losing beads offroad.

 

Interesting. Looks like I made the right call keeping the TRD wheels on the FJ. I don't even appear to have any clearance issues with the tires. I'm considering doing a Rough Country 3 inch lift on it but now i'm not sure its necessary even.

 

The 285 number is the width of the tire in millimeters. It will "look" different depending on what size the rim width is that the 285 tire is mounted on. In the end it is still a 285 mm wide tire.

 

I got no first hand experience, but just wanted to say, both your Toy's kick ass bro.

 

Depends on what you define as "width". Distance sidewall to sidewall changes with different wheel configurations. They all come out of the same mold, but remember that rubber is flexible...

 

First, your TerraGrappler was 11.5" wide and the KM2 is 11.3" wide.

Second, not all tires are the same size even though the metric size is the same. You'll find some 32.9" tall and some 33.3" tall, width varies as well. So when checking sizes go to the manufactures page and verify the size specs. Also as jandrews said wheel width plays a factor in section width.

Third, good choice in FJ color. I'd love for my Taco to have that paint.

 

That is a great looking FJ. I love the color.

 

why dont you measure them and let us know.