P-rated 265/70/17 vs 285/70/17 look and experience w 3 inch lift

Hey all!
Going to give my experience and opinion about P265/70/17 and 285/70/17 tires. All lot of people (including myself) are looking for side by side pics of the two on a 3 inch lifted truck.
The reason I got 265's for the winter, is that I was limited to what sizes top tier tire manufacturers made in a P rating, dedicated snow tire, nowadays. My Blizzak DMV-1s were 285's. The DMV-2's are no longer made in a 285. The Hakkapeliitta LT3 comes in a 285/70/17 and 275/70/17 and 265/70/17. The issue, for me, was the D or E load rating and the 8 or 10 ply sidewalls. The weights were the same as my Blizzaks, but the PSI inflation was recommended at 44 minimum to not cause excessive heat in the tire. Minimum inflation was 35 PSI. So, for me, 6 to 8 more plys and minimum 5 more PSI was going to be too stiff a ride for me, personally.

Yes, there are AllTerrains that are "snow rated". But, if you have never driven on dedicated snow tires, you will not understand the difference they make and I would/will not make that compromise.

2009 Double Cab Short Box 6 speed V6

P285/70/17---(Previously)Toyo Open Country AT (46 pounds) and currently Firestone Destination AT2 (42 pounds) in summer and Blizzak DMV-1 (44 pounds) in winter

P265/70/17--- Currently new Hakkapeliitta 10 studded (36 pounds) for winter

Rims

XD Revolver, 17X9, 4.5 backspacing, negative 12(-12) offset
Separate set for summer tires and winter tires

Lift

I, originally, had a ReadyLift 2.75 in spacer lift in front and a 1 inch block in back with stock Upper Control Arms with the 285's. I had (what I thought was) balancing issues for YEARS. I took the tires to 4 different shops, had them Hunter Road Force balanced and took the rims to a straightening shop to check for out of round. I even got rid of the Toyo tires, that had TONS of tread on them, because I was told there must be a separation. Turns out; it was the stock UCA's. The truck did not have enough adjustments with the stock UCA's and would shake at highways speeds.

I got Light Racing adjustable UCA's installed and a custom alignment. With stock UCA's max caster was 1.2 degrees. The custom alignment was put at 4.2 degrees and totally fixed the problem with steering wheel shake and drives straight as an arrow.

I had Bilstein 5100's (set at 0 lift) and Old Man Emu 886 springs (using the spring for the lift instead of spacer) installed and got a little over 3 inches in the front.

I had RideRite air bags installed in the rear and adjusted them to sit slightly higher than the fronts.

Either way; in my experience the UCA's were necessary.

The second set up rides better and has more articulation than the first. However, I never used the truck in any off-road situations where the spacers would be put to the test.

Rubbing/trimming

285's---I did have to heat and "mold" the front plastic piece that sits in front of the tire and remove the mud flaps and trim plastic behind where mud flaps were with the 285's AND the tires still rub on the cab mount behind the tire on FULL LOCK in REVERSE with the proper alignment.

265's---there is no rubbing at all

Inflation (PSI)

285's---I did extensive PSI variants (including the chalk test) and found that the best ride was achieved at 26 PSI. The chalk test yielded 27 PSI and the tire calculators and and load indexes both warned not to go below 26 PSI. At this inflation, I did see wearing on the outside of the tires, as the sidewalls would roll over in turns. We have really bad pothole and frost heaves here in Edmonton, Canada and this PSI mitigated the shock of hitting those. Airing up to 30 PSI caused the truck to be stiffer and the highway inputs were too "twitchy" for me. I like a heavy steering feel. The 285's looked way wider, especially, because at this low PSI, the tire had a more noticeable bulge where the tire and road met.

265's---I have the PSI set to 29 in the front and 27 in the rear, currently, and love it. I read that the offsetting of PSI in the rear "plants" the rear a little more and causes less over steer, while the fronts (with more PSI) continue to have a responsive feel. I am finding that to be true. The 265's do look narrower (because they are) and this is compounded with the lack of "bulge" where the tire and road meet.

Looks

I was, pleasantly, surprised when I came around the corner at the tire shop and saw the truck with the 265's on. I was expecting to have a sick feeling in my stomach. My concerns were that the wheel wells were going to be too open with the smaller tire. One thing that, I think, makes a difference, is that the 265's are aired up to closer to proper inflation and the 285's were not, so you lose some height with the amount of "bulge" in the tire.
From behind is where you see the difference in size the most. From the side it isn't so bad.

Road manners

Remembering that I run my 285's at lower pressure to gain some comfort, I ASSUME that at a higher PSI the road manners wouldn't be as vague.
The 285's are definitely more "wallowy" or "floaty" than the 265's. The 285's also grab more of the ruts in the road and pull more than the 265's. Remember, I'm also running -12 offset as well. Compared to the 285's, the 265's feel "sporty" and the truck feels more composed. The suspension is under less stress and the flexing of the sidewall is less apparent, making the truck feel more precise and the suspension isn't adding to (or fighting) the bounce/flex of the sidewall. The truck does feel more responsive and comfortable on the road.

MPG's

Too soon to comment for a few reasons;
1) I JUST got the 265's less than a week ago
2) winter gas additives have recently been added and drop MPG's
3) I just had the exhaust cams swapped out with the -3 degree retarded ones
Each of these will affect MPG's. I'm not even through a tank of gas since the cams and the ECU is still recalibrating, I'd imagine.

285 summer pics and 265 winter pics


Any questions, please ask! These are MY opinions and experiences with the two sizes.

Barrett

 

285 better lighting. And, this is with the spacer lift, before the coil overs.

 

I was really confused here...

Ah, there it is. Thank you for spelling that out.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I've altered that sentence. It was confusing.

Barrett

 

No worries; it's not something we deal with down here so was unexpected, but the rest of your post makes sense and seems fine.

 

I love the leer cap with the solid windows, looks great.