sensible shoes

[rockbender]

With winter around the corner I needed to do something to get a bit better traction than the old BFG MT's could put out. I visited two separate tire shops in hopes of getting them siped but their response was the same: the weather cracking on the sidewalls was a bit too suspect for them to want to even deal with them.

I thought about just getting new tires, but unfortunately the narrowest you should go on a 10" rim is a 305, and I really was hoping to get skinnier to improve my economy and snow performance a bit. After keeping an eye on craigslist for a few weeks I finally settled on some decent looking 17x8 wheels that had some decent E-rated all season/light AT treated tires with about 50% tread left that were already siped. They should provide good performance through at least this snow season and give me a chance to compare with the bigger meats. The downside is all visual:

Before with 315/75R16 (about 34.5" tall) BFG MT's:


After with 265/70R17 (about 31.5" tall) all season's:


It is hard to argue against the fact that the mud tires look better... in fact, they just look 'right'. However, it is hard to argue with the MUCH reduced road noise and improved road handling that comes along with the more sensible tread. Another bonus is that I can now fit in the garage with the solar panel mounted up! While I haven't put any real miles on these yet, I'm really hoping for a noticeable 1-2mpg increase in my economy. Down the road I think 285's (33"-ish) will be a good happy-medium. If I don't see any (or much) change in fuel economy I'll likely go to a 305/70R16 so I can use my old rims again as I think they fit the looks of the older rig a bit better.

[twogone]

yep on the rims

[saline]

Being able to park in the garage is worth it for the winter!

[larrie]

Safe and secure winter driving beats looks in my book.


Larrie
89 Ford 2WD penthouse

[Ford_6L_E350]

How are going to adjust for the change in tire size when checking MPG's?

Mike

[rockbender]

My odometer was off even with the 315's. I previously used GPS mileage and compared it to my odometer to get a correction factor so that I didn't always have to use the GPS. I'll just need to do the same comparison on a few trips to establish my new correction factor. Once I decide on the tire size I think I'll keep with the longest I might invest in the $50-$60 for the new speedo gear that goes in the gear vendor.

Great question though - I hate it when people put on big tires and automatically claim horrible mileage. Yes, your mileage likely went down; however you probably slowed your odometer down by 5% too!

You're spot on Larrie - function over fashion (for now). It doesn't help to see Saline's rig with those purty new mud tires!

[accrete]

i'll add a vote with those that gave thumbs up for function over looks. I've been running pizza cutters on all our rigs for many years and they are great in winter conditions and also great off road when aired down.

[rockbender]

Well, do the little tires on chrome wheels look any better while in action?


Yes, a little bit. However they are still not my first choice.

As luck would have it, I happened upon a fellow who wanted to trade my old 315 MT's on 10" rims for some nice 295's on 8" rims. Thus, I now am joining the Mojave bandwagon:


Sorry about the poor quality cell phone pic - I'll try to get something more presentable soon. I'll miss the aggressive stance of the old rims and tires but I didn't see myself in need of having a tire on a 10" rim anytime too soon. I like the look of the Mojave's 100 times better than the chrome's on this rig, and the 33.5" tires fill up the wheel wells pretty well - much better than the 31's.

Other benefits?
The Toyo AT's, like the 31's, are so much quieter than the MT's.
My slider side door no longer hits the tire when opening. I didn't realize how much opening width I was missing!
I still fit in the garage with the solar panel! (BARELY!)
I get back some of my cruising RPM's I lost when I went to the tiny tires (have 4.10 gears)
More clearance to the control arms means I got to adjust the steering stops and tighten up my turning radius.

The 295/75R16 Toyo AT is a load range D tire, but still rated for 3415 pounds at 65 PSI. I'm ok with that, especially since I'm only about 2000-2200#/wheel. I haven't driven with them more than across town, but looking forward to providing more feedback on the performance and hopefully some increased fuel economy as well. These should be a nice happy medium and fit my needs well I hope.

If anybody is interested in the chrome MKW wheels/tires let me know (265/75R17 on 17x8's) - I'd like to recoup the $650 I've got into them. They are really nice and would look great on a newer black or red rig (or pickup). They are 8 on 6.5" so not applicable for Superduty axles.