LT285/75r16 126/123S vs 285/70r17 116T

Greetings all,

I'm currently running 265/70r16 116t tires on method 16x8 wheels and am trying to determine whether I would be best moving up to 17x8.5 wheels when moving up to 33" tires.

How big of a difference would there be in mileage, handling and general comfort between the following tire specs?

LT285/75r16 126/123S
vs
285/70r17 116T

I'm trying to figure out of the extra ~$1200 for method 17" wheels would be justified enough.
My assumption is that the 17" would be superior in terms of mileage due to reduced weight, soak up bumps better and have better handling due to lower sidewall profile then the 16" equivalent. If so, is it to a degree that warrants spending the extra $1200 for new wheels?

 

285/75/16 and 285/70/17 are the exact same size tire. So no difference between the two on mileage. The 1/2 difference in sidewall you won’t even notice. There are more tire options in the 17”.