tire sizing question-general

[blujfan9293]

I have 265/70/18 on stock rims. Looking at replacing tires, but not all brands come in this size. I can't go taller, but think I could/should go wider (the 3" lift makes handling a might squirrely). Is 265 my height and 70 my width? is 65 or wider or narrower tire? is 270 a taller or shorter tire?

[Ldub]

I have 265/70/18 on stock rims. Looking at replacing tires, but not all brands come in this size. I can't go taller, but think I could/should go wider (the 3" lift makes handling a might squirrely). Is 265 my height and 70 my width? is 65 or wider or narrower tire? is 270 a taller or shorter tire?

Metric tire sizes are expressed in width (265 mm) x percentage of width (70 = 70% of 265 mm = 185.5mm) x diameter of wheel (18")

The higher the second number, the taller the sidewall.

That's why 50 series tires have a low profile,(50% of tread width = lower sidewall height) & 75 series tires have a higher profile. (75% of tread width = taller sidewall)

[Ldub]

Cue up the general dissertation...:rolleyesg

[Riff Raff]

I have 265/70/18 on stock rims. Looking at replacing tires, but not all brands come in this size. I can't go taller, but think I could/should go wider (the 3" lift makes handling a might squirrely). Is 265 my height and 70 my width? is 65 or wider or narrower tire? is 270 a taller or shorter tire?

BLUJFAN9293--- By now, most fellow VX'ers here on this forum are tired of me voicing my tire advice. Having said that, I highly recommend you visit the following website: www.1010Tires.com

Once at the website, click-on "TECH SECTION" at the upper-right portion of the home webpage. You will then find a wealth of Tire/Wheel information explained in very easy to understand simple terms. They also have an awesome "TIRE CALCULATOR" which will show variances between the stock OEM tires and aftermarket optional tires.:yes:

[Ldub]

Cue up the general dissertation...:rolleyesg


BLUJFAN9293--- By now, most fellow VX'ers here on this forum are tired of me voicing my tire advice. Having said that, I highly recommend you visit the following website: www.1010Tires.com

Once at the website, click-on "TECH SECTION" at the upper-right portion of the home webpage. You will then find a wealth of Tire/Wheel information explained in very easy to understand simple terms. They also have an awesome "TIRE CALCULATOR" which will show variances between the stock OEM tires and aftermarket optional tires.:yes:

:laughing:...You fooled me Riff, thought for sure we were getting the general grabber dissertation...:laughing:

[Riff Raff]

:laughing:...You fooled me Riff, thought for sure we were getting the general grabber dissertation...:laughing:

:yes:, I did fool you!!!:yeso:

[etlsport]

dubs got it right.. the first number is width of the tire in MM, the second is called the "series" and is the distance from the outside of the rim to the outside of the tire as a percentage of the width. the third number is the rim size. if you were trying to figure out a tire height by hand...

tire size 265/60/18
265/25.4 = 10.4 (tire width in inches)


10.4 x 0.6 = 6.2 (size of ONE sidewall)
10.4 x 0.6 = 6.2 (size of other sidewall
18 (size of rim)

add up the heights
6.2+6.2+18 = 30.4 inch tire


here is how everything affects your handling

width (first number) a wider tire will improve cornering ability, more rubber touching the road gives you more traction, but a wider tire is more prone to tracking groves in the road and losing traction in icy or snowy conditions

height (second number) the larger your sidewall, the more body lean you will feel during cornering, a taller side wall will also give a softer feeling ride. sidewalls that are 30-50 are usually considered low profile, 55-70 are pretty standard.. and anything over 75 is usually a pretty tall sidewall

tread pattern, a directional or asymmetrical tread pattern will give you better handling, directional (also called rotational) will give you the best traction, but are also a pain because they have to turn a certain way, so when you go to rotate the tires, they must be rotated front to back, a rotational spare tire will only work on 1/2 of the vehicle (examples, goodyear eagle GT, michelin hydroedge)

asymmetrical just has to be mounted a certain way on the rim, once its properly on the rim, it can go anywhere on the vehicle (example, falken zeix912, goodyear eagle response edge, nitto invo)

speed rating, speed rating is a rating that tells you the tire can go XX speed for 10 minutes continuously without failing.
S -112
T - 118
H - 130
V - 149
Z(or W) - 168
ZR - 186

for a normal person.. the speed isnt what matters, the speed rating will also tell you how well constructed (stiff) the tire is. the higher you go the stiffer the tire, a higher speed rating will give you a stiffer ride, less body lean in turns and generally crisper steering

the generally accepted standard is you can deviate from the factory rating by 1 rating, so in the case of the VX which came factory with H rated tires, anything T or above would work.

[JAMAS]

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=16017

[WormGod]

Still my fave tire/wheel calculator. This should not only answer some questions but give you a better idea of what you are looking for.

http://www.rims-n-tires.com/rt_specs.jsp

[newthings]

And one more choice -
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalcold.html

Roy

[Riff Raff]

Still my fave tire/wheel calculator. This should not only answer some questions but give you a better idea of what you are looking for.

http://www.rims-n-tires.com/rt_specs.jsp

WormGod--- I really like the www.1010Tires.com TIRE CALCULATOR because it will allow a total of 5 tire (1-OEM + 4-Opt) comparisons at the same time on a chart. This is great when trying to compare multiple tire sizes instead of just the tedious one-at-a-time.

For Example, you could compare various VX tires side-by-side at the same time:

OEM:
245/60R18

OPT:
285/60R18
275/65R18
275/70R18
285/65R18

Thus; once the specific optional tire size is selected, you can further analyze it in a 2 tire (1-OEM + 1-Opt) side-by-side comparison at the Tire Calculator "link" you provided for additional information. I must admit; I really like your Tire Calculator for the "finalization" of comparing just two(2) tires, but it becomes a real hassle if there are initially multiple (>1) tire sizes within the equation on the outset of the tire search.:bgwb:

[Gussie2000]

:yes:, I did fool you!!!:yeso:


I felt dissapointed :(

Thought RIFF RAFF will give me some more of the general grabbers
blah blah blah :bla:

Sorry,can't help my self RIFF :flower:

[Riff Raff]

I felt dissapointed :(

Thought RIFF RAFF will give me some more of the general grabbers
blah blah blah :bla:

Sorry,can't help my self RIFF :flower:

GUSSIE 2000--- LOL, that's OK. Just when you think you've got me all figured out, I'll deliberately change on your happy-@ss!!!:laughing:

[Gussie2000]

GUSSIE 2000--- LOL, that's OK. Just when you think you've got me all figured out, I'll deliberately change on your happy-@ss!!!:laughing:

Upsss !

I better get those grabbers my self soon :whiteflag:

[Riff Raff]

Upsss !

I better get those grabbers my self soon :whiteflag:

:yes:

[blujfan9293]

a great calculator RiffRaff--I like the mulitple side by side, but mostly the speedometer offset. I am trading in my Wranglers for Grabber HTs.

[Riff Raff]

a great calculator RiffRaff--I like the mulitple side by side, but mostly the speedometer offset. I am trading in my Wranglers for Grabber HTs.

BLUJFAN9293--- Your most very welcome!!! I'm glad I could be of some assistance.:yeso:

[Ldub]

GUSSIE 2000--- LOL, that's OK. Just when you think you've got me all figured out, I'll deliberately change on your happy-@ss!!!:laughing:

You certainly are a clever boy...:yes:

[l.ectric]

Um,... biggest you can REALLY run are 31x11.5x16 (292/65/16)... I know cause I just put on a set of tsl's... Oh, come on! they arent that bad! besides, i only paid $100 a piece for 'em.... Though, i have noticed a slight decrease in gas mileage... damn.

[mrtew]

285/60/18 is the biggest you can put on the 18" wheels and they look GREAT! It's like a new car but you're speed is off by 7mph at 70! Saves your odometer a little tho.

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/2861/sept6.jpg

[tom4bren]

HMMM. My 33's put my speedo/odo off by 10% (measured on speedo with GPS). I would have thought that 285/60/18's would have been less.

[Riff Raff]

285/60/18 is the biggest you can put on the 18" wheels and they look GREAT!

Nice lookin' Proton Mr. Tew, but there is still too much available space within your wheel-wells for more additional tire. A 100% "NON-LIFTED" stock OEM-VX is easily capable of mounting 32" -- 33" O.D. tires with only minor trimming and/or hammering within the front wheel-wells.

An example of BFG A/T's in LT285/65R18 (32.4" O.D.) on a stock "NON-LIFTED" VX, please visit the photo gallery of fellow VX member "LITTLE LAURIE".:freek:

[mrtew]

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/1/Picture_638.jpg

I don't think that counts.... she mentions something about cranking her front torsion bars and the front is clearly riding a LOT higher than the rear which is TOTALLY the opposite of my actual stock VX. Look how tight my front fenders are to my tires compared to hers. I love those tires though so maybe I'll give it a try.

[Riff Raff]

MR. TEW--- I agree with you 100% that Little Laurie has her Front Torsion Bars cranked (there is no way those big LT285/65R18 (32.4" O.D./60 lbs) tires would possibly fit otherwise). Although, I do believe she is using the stock OEM rear springs (only mod was the front T/B crank). If you read about Little Laurie's "history", you'll quickly discover she made numerous changes with multiple tire sets and originally had her VX "lifted" and then later on went back to "non-lifted" status.

I truly love the BFG - A/T and I currently have them on my FJ-40. When I first bought my VX, I wanted only the BFG - A/T on it. However, the BFG - A/T in LT285/65R18 (32.4" O.D.) weighs frickin' 60 lbs, when compared to the stocker's of only 34 lbs (see "specs" at www.TireRack.com). If you install these very heavy tires; you should also upgrade the stock OEM brakes, as the VX will be very difficult to stop during an emergency panic stop in traffic and may result in you causing a rear-end collision (extremely dangerous).

A better (and much safer) choice for you may be to do exactly what I did. I installed the lightweight P275/65R18 General - Grabber AT2 (32" O.D./44 lbs) in P-series (aka "P-Metric") and they sell them on TireRack for only $150 each (a true bargain). The Grabber AT2 is a look-alike "clone" copy of the BFG - A/T. The Grabber AT2 is absolutely bolt-on perfect ("NO" T/B cranks) on a 100% stock OEM "non-lifted" VX. However, they are only bolt-on perfect "IF" the tires are mounted on the stock OEM 18x7 rims (any aftermarket wheel will result in severe rubbing issues). No front Torsion Bar cranks of any kind, and using OEM rear springs. They will totally "fill-up" the huge VX wheelwells with PURE TIRE (no gaps). Only very minor front trimming is required (as normal), and they just barely miss the famous inner fender "bolt" located on the bottom-rear of the driver-side front wheelwell.

You can see pictures of the Grabber AT2 in P275/65R18 (32" O.D./44 lbs) installed on my "non-lifted" Proton by visiting the thread entitled "P.N.W. 14 June" (my Proton is the only one in the pictures without roof accessories and has the vanity plate of "V-X"). I hope this info helps you in some way.:bgwb:

FYI-- It is also possible to mount 33" O.D. tires in the 275/70R18 size using the stock OEM 18x7 rims on a "non-lifted" VX without cranking the front T/B's. However, the back of the front fenderwells will need to be hammered-in a bit to provide additional clearance during the tires taller swing-arc. A great example of a lightweight P275/70R18 (33" O.D./46 lbs) tire is the BFG - Rugged Trail T/A. Generally speaking, it is easier to go taller O.D. in the narrower 275 series width without lifting. The wider 285 series tire has a wider "swing-arc" that likes to rub within the VX front wheelwells; consequently, the stubbier 285/60R18 (31.3" O.D.) is normally the widest size tire to be comfortably mounted on a "non-lifted" VX.:yeso:

[mrtew]

I got some 18 x 9 rims today for my Coopers because my stock wheels were peeling and leaking so bad. They fit the 285 width so much better and get rid of the puffy sidewall look you get with the 7" stock rims. They stick out a lot more from the car too for that toy truck look. I had to trim and hammer the cladding so I can turn the wheels but it was pretty easy and you can't even tell. I love them. They are KMC Enduros.

http://img573.imageshack.us/img573/6176/img1356.jpg

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/4844/img1352i.jpg

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/2882/img1386i.jpg

http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/9241/img1360o.jpg

[blacksambo]

Just for commernt. Just bought a set of Michelin 255x70x16 LTX MS2's for my '99. Had OEM Bridgestone Duelers before. Boy what a positive change (No off roading , of course).