dedicated offroad tires

[etlsport]

Just picked up a crappy set of 15" toyota wheels to use for offroading in the VX, they are going to stick out a bit but thats ok because they will only be on for offroad trips... now I need to decide on my tires..

I would like to go with 32x11.5x15... but from what i read i will need to do a lot of modding to get them to fit.. which i would like to avoid since these tires wont be on the vx more than 3-4 weeks a year

so my question is.. how big an advantage offroad would a 32x11.5 tire be as compared to say.. a 31x10.5 tire? would a thinner tire help with ground clearance and not mess with the wheel well? (like a 32x10.5) pretty sure i saw a couple of those in my search

any input would help!
heres a photo of one of the wheels and offset ... and dont worry.. already talking to the powder coater.. torn between a flat black or color matched to the kaiser... hmm

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/medium/rim_002.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10527)

[Ascinder]

Wider tire=more contact patch for the ground=better for offroad. Drawbacks are wheel well clearance, and possibly coming off the rim easier if it's a 10.5 rim with 12.5 tires, and possibly cost. For the sizes you are looking at, there should be no noticeable difference. I haven't ever heard of anyone clearing an obstacle or not getting stuck due to tires being an inch taller or wider all else being equal.

[etlsport]

hmm that is a good point, made me realize a 31" tire is only gonna add 1/2" more ground clearance than a 32".. ill be getting 2" from spring spacers more than likely.. guess itll probably come down to what kind of deal i find

i should probably find a shop to test fit a couple for me to see how each size works i guess

[ZEUS]

Check out Todd Adams VX. He is running stock Amigo rims with 33x9.50 BFG's. As for narrow versus wide, it really depends on your terrain. Sidehilling on muddy trails is much safer with a narrow tire whereas bogging is better with wider tires. On rocks, I would recommend wider tires but obviously Todd is getting by just fine with his narrows.

Take into account also when you air down you are losing ground clearance so that 1/2" might seem more important and that 1" extra height can also mean a bigger deal in articulation. How much a difference? :_confused But your an engineer, so I am sure you love to think about all this stuff!

[JHarris1385]

Your going to school for engineering?

[etlsport]

yep, architectural (hvac) engineer.. although ive taken more mechanical/structural classes than anything else

thanks for the info zeus.. terrain out here is all wooded.. so small rocks, trees, and dirt/grass/mud hills mostly, no slickrock like in moab.. some light rock crawling.. but im not confident enough in my abilities to get into any major rock crawling..... yet

[etlsport]

found some 31x10.5 Firestone A/Ts for $150 that seem to be in pretty good shape, so we'll see if that works out..

also got a quote to powdercoat the wheels.. $48 per wheel color matched to the vx.. not sure that i was expecting less, but I was certainly hoping for less