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Tires

Gruffy
Explorer
Explorer
Any point in swapping out 245/75/16 Wranglers for BFG 235/85/16 TKO??

Bit larger diameter, stiffer sidewall. Would it improve fuel economy or handling? I can live with the spedo off a bit.... my GPS can provide accurate speed.
5 REPLIES 5

wintersun
Explorer II
Explorer II
I swapped out 245/17R for 285/17R tires to get an extra 1100 lbs. of load capacity at the rear. New tires are 1 inch larger in diameter when the truck is unloaded and this results in a 4% error with the odometer/speedometer reading or its being off by about 2 MPH or 1/2 MPG - both lower than actual.

With a 3000 lb. camper load in the bed the tires squat and my odometer and speedometer readings are more accurate with the new tires than with the factory supplied ones. In effect there is little or no change in the overall gearing for the truck.

It is odd how people can ignore the problems with tall 3.55 or 3.33 gears but worry about a 4% change in tire diameter. There is a 25% difference in performance between 3.73 and 4.10 gears in towing capacity and this is significant.

Gruffy
Explorer
Explorer
I retire the older tires to the 5er... anything bigger then a 245 would drag on a shock. Yes I did mean 85 .... fat fingers and bi-focals.

bobndot
Explorer II
Explorer II
I went from the 245's to the 265's as ticki2 mentioned. My mpg lost 1 mpg.
Not a big deal , the extra load carry was worth a lot more to me.

ticki2
Explorer
Explorer
Depends what you are trying to accomplish . BTW I think you meant 235/85/16 . If they are both E rated they will have the same load rating . If you want a taller tire with higher weight rating a 265/75/16 would be a better fit . Same height as the 235 , a little wider than a 245 and 400# more capacity than either .
'68 Avion C-11
'02 GMC DRW D/A flatbed

jimh406
Explorer III
Explorer III
What is the load capacity of each?

'10 Ford F-450, 6.4, 4.30, 4x4, 14,500 GVWR, '06 Host Rainer 950 DS, Torklift Talon tiedowns, Glow Steps, and Fastguns. Bilstein 4600s, Firestone Bags, Toyo M655 Gs, Curt front hitch, Energy Suspension bump stops.

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