265/75/R16 vs 285/75/R16

About to order up some new BFG KO2's but wondering if I should put on 265's or 285's. I have a 3" lift. I used the Tire Size Calculator to see what the differences are I like that the 285's would be a little taller in addition to width.

Most of my driving is highway and / or pulling camper and about 5% light offroad.

Opinions?

 

Depends on the aspect ratio. 265 and 285 are the widths. The 2nd number and the rim dia determine the overall diameter. 265/70r16 is the stock size 31. 265/75r16 is almost a 32.

Based on your use, I would stick with the stock size, or maybe a 265/75. 33's are heavier, and will raise your overall gear ratio, which will make your MPGs and power even worse (especially noticeable when towing!) unless you re-gear.

 

x2 what this one said

 

V6?
Life is short, get the 33’s

 

hahhaha, you're like the devil on my shoulder! I want that 33 look!!

.....but I know I'll be hating my life mid-Kansas pulling my 4,000lbs trailer with those evil Kansas winds and wishing I had a little more power.

 

Ah, right I forgot about gear ratio with a taller tire...it would be nice to have as much power as possible when towing. Hmmmmmm

 

Do lifted first gens have to cmc to fit 33’s?
Just curious

 

A lot of guys are perfectly happy with 265’s. 285’s are completely unnecessary and overkill.

 

he’s Totally right, my truck is the 3.4 V6 with 4.10 gears and I literally have no weight added and even minor hills on the highway it’s a dog. Stick w the 265 unless you have to have the look like I did

 

I ran 275/70/R16 KO's for a few years. I really liked the look! They are noticeably wider than the 265's and noticeably shorter than the 285's. Measuring with a tape measure the tread width of the 275's was damn close to the 285's on my dad's truck. BFGoodrich used to have a tire size chart that compared actual differences in the tire sizes measured at different points. That being said, the only reason I'm not running the 275's now is because a set of 4 was over $100.00 more expensive than the same tire in a 265. They are not as popular, so they are priced higher, and many tire stores will not carry them, they will need to be ordered. Here's a pic of the 275's with 1.25" spidertrax wheel spacers.

 

Came here for the overkill

 

285s look great. And I'm still getting 18mpg with them on my 03. Doesnt feel a whole lot different power wise from my 265s. But I also dont tow with my truck. That's what the diesel is for.

 

Big tires are like a full beard. Once yo get over the initial discomfort, you question why you didn’t do it sooner.

 

Nice rig !!

 

If I had to have 33" tires I'd go 235/85/16's. You get a 33" tire without the negatives of the wider tires.

But to be honest 265/75/16's are where I'm at and I'm happy. Even that size effectively changes the gear ratio some. It isn't enough to worry about, but it is there. Even with much heavier E rated tires I lost no fuel mileage going up. To go 285's you have a lot of negatives including a much more expensive tire. You gain 1/2" of ground clearance.

 

Had a full big beard for the past 12 years.

 

@wesb1023 Do you have a side view of the truck with those 275's? LOVE your truck btw!

 

I think you are thinking 255/80r16. 33x10

 

I don't have a good one. It was taken on the shadow side of the truck and you really can't make out the tires. You can check my profile media, but the pics with the t-100 wheels are 265's.
I've got to get up here and update my profile, my truck looks nothing like this anymore...

 

I have a 3" lift and I am running 285/75R16 BFGs on the stock rims (why won't Slealth Series offer a 5-spoke rim with a center cap?). In fact, I just bought a new set of tires last week. I did re-gear (4.56) many years ago. Get about 19 mpg. However, your speedo and odometer will be slightly off, so you when start comparing mpgs, you have to correct due to that error in order to compare apples to apples.