Opinions on tire size after lift?

[LittleBeast]

I have been debating going to Moab this year, and if I do go I would like to bring some 912's and have some help doing a ball joint flip and lift if someone wanted to help. I have already done about 5 turns on the torsion bolts to level out the VX and already have 285/60-18's on the factory wheels, but my question is,

-After lifting would you prefer going to 285/65-18 or 325/60-18?

Here are the specs from Nitto's website on the Terra Grapplers I am debating on:

285/65-18 Inflated Dia.= 32.52 Width= 11.22
325/60-18 Inflated Dia.= 32.99 Width= 12.83

The tires I currently have on the VX are listed as:
285/60-18 Inflated Dia.= 31.50 Width= 11.50

So what do you guys think? Any suggestions or recomendations or thoughts? Thanks.

[JHarris1385]

325 is wide.
285 is wide on the stock rim.

I would go with the 285 if I had to. Your current 31's are fine, there is not much to be gained from a jump to 32.52 from 31.50.....

[ZEUS]

I went from:
285/60-18 Inflated Dia.= 31.50 Width= 11.50
to:
275/65-18 Inflated Dia.= 32.3 Width= 10.5?

I flipped the bj's, cranked the t-bars, and added 912's after having the 285's for awhile. After a few months, I mounted the 275's. I have heard people say over and over that 1" doesn't make a difference - well I totally disagree!!! With the same wheels, but different tires, I lost about 1" in width, but gained 1" in height. Now my antenna hits the garage door opening; it didn't before. My VX also looks much different - I think that 275 height fills out the wheel wells perfectly with the 912's lift, yet I thought the 285's looked a little squatty and small for the mild lift. Going to 33's (yep, one more inch) I would have to do more trimming or add more lift - probably at least an inch...

So I would say if you want to go bigger, just go bigger. If you want to go bigger than that, expect more work and wear and tear. Since you are running 18's, consider how helpful the extra sidewall of the bigger tires would be offroad. Good luck and I hope to see you in Moab!

[LittleBeast]

So the 285/60-18 Nittos I have on the stock rims right now are rated for a 8-9.5" wide rim, however we all know our stock rims are 7" correct? So would the 285/65-18 Nittos that are rated for 8-10" wide rim work on our stock rim just as well as the 60s?

[Ldub]

So the 285/60-18 Nittos I have on the stock rims right now are rated for a 8-9.5" wide rim, however we all know our stock rims are 7" correct? So would the 285/65-18 Nittos that are rated for 8-10" wide rim work on our stock rim just as well as the 60s?

Probably be fine...since there will be more sidewall. The key to understanding tires is in the "aspect ratio", the second number in the equation.
285 is the width in milimeters, 65 is the sidewall height, expressed in percentage of tread width.
The last number is rim diameter.
Keep in mind, the higher sidewall is great for off road applications, but can get a little squirrely in street cornering. (lots of sidewall flex)
I keep mine aired up around 45-50 psi on the street, & use a higher ply rated tire( load range C, preferably D) for more sidewall stiffness.

[etlsport]

heres a handy little site for figuring out what size tires you want

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

[JHarris1385]

I purely think that 325 is ridiculous on a stocker rim.......

285 balloons the stock rim in my mind as well.

[LittleBeast]

I purely think that 325 is ridiculous on a stocker rim.......

285 balloons the stock rim in my mind as well.

So would the 65s be any worse than the 60s I have on there now? The 65s are actually lsted as .28" narrower than the 60s I currently have on the stock rim. Thanks again for the help.

[Ldub]

285 balloons the stock rim in my mind as well.

...You have a stock rim in your mind ???, how's that work ?

[WormGod]

...You have a stock rim in your mind ???, how's that work ?

Agreed, that sounds painful. I'll bet a spinner can so some real damage.

Way back when, I had 285x60 Yokohamas on the stock rim. Mounted 2 of the tires myself. It's a pain in the *** to mount but can be done, though not recommended. Any tech who gets that job will either turn down the job or curse you in his head while he's mounting. Simply put, 7" is too narrow for a 285. I stepped the rims up to 8.5" soon after. Like I said, it can be done, but there are better options *cough*buy some wider wheels*cough*.

[LittleBeast]

Agreed, that sounds painful. I'll bet a spinner can so some real damage.

Way back when, I had 285x60 Yokohamas on the stock rim. Mounted 2 of the tires myself. It's a pain in the *** to mount but can be done, though not recommended. Any tech who gets that job will either turn down the job or curse you in his head while he's mounting. Simply put, 7" is too narrow for a 285. I stepped the rims up to 8.5" soon after. Like I said, it can be done, but there are better options *cough*buy some wider wheels*cough*.

Yeah I totally would but I really really like the stock 18" rims. I feel like I would just be replacing the rim with the closest thing to stock but never really be 100% happy with it. The only thing that I really want to see someone try is a 24" rim with some 305/35-24s..... Or not at all.....