Tires, is wider better?

[Joopin]

I'll be ordering my wheels and tires soon from www.desertrat.com and I am going with the Parnelli Jones Dirt Grip. I originally was going to get 35x12.5" to fit under my soon to be SOA'd YJ. I was looking on the site again yesterday and I noticed for not much more money I could get a set of 36x14.5" My first thought was "The wider tires would look alot meaner than the 12.5s, plus I like the extra 1" in height.

My question is, would a wider tire help me offroad or limit me? I'm a mudder at heart and I thought I heard someone say thinner tires in mud perform better than wider... I have no idea why.
I have regeared to 4.56s already so I would loose a little of 5th and maybe a little gas but nothing I would be concered with.
Any thoughts? Could someone confirm this rumor?

Joopin'

 

[jeepin916]

i think wider tires are a lot more help than thin tires, the wider the tires the more you can float across mud instead of butting into them wiht thin tires

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

I really don't think a 2" in tread width can be proven better or worse. It's whatever works for you. Do you regularly have to squeeze between tight trees on the trail?

Keep in mind that adding 1" in diameter and 2" in width will add a LOT of weight to the each tire, and this weight turns into a lot of rotating mass. It takes HP to move more weight, so it may be a larger performance decreaser than what you think.

I'm a big fan of skinny tires. They push less mud, therefore less resistance to forward travel. They push less air on the road, less resistance to forward travel. They weigh considerably less, so it takes considerably less power to turn them, onroad and off. The contact patch is smaller, so you have more PSI at the contact patch, which equals more traction in many low traction situations.

My next tire will likely be the 34"x9.5", but I like the pizza cutters. It's not a popular choice as many go wider for the 'look'.

Tread Depth: 27/32" :shock:

 

[88WRANGRED]

Bounty, what size wheels do you run?

Joop, did you decide on the driveshaft? i would not go with as wide a tire, for trail purposes like bounty said. that is the good thing about jeeps, they can fit into many places that a full size rig wouldn't. you also need to take into consideration how far the tires will stick out from you flares. i don't know your state regulations, but many frown upon exposed tires to an extent.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

How much flotation do you think you can get under a 3500lb. jeep? Enough to make a difference?

I'm running 15x7", but they are a bit wide. I may have to get a 6" rim but I want to keep the stock 5-spoke wheels. I'll be running wheel spacers to set the wheels out 1" on each side for more stability.

 

[southtj]

The way I understand it, the thinner tires are better for mud because they can get down to the bottom of the mud hole and bite the hard earth easier than a wide tire. The wider ones would be more likely to ride on top of the mud and spin but would probably perform better for rock crawling.

Your thoughts?

 

[TwistedCU]

Rear differential cover

I like the thinner tire for mud. Wider ones will, like you said, float a little
(especially 14.5" balloons) , and the thin ones will dig & bite.

 

[Tug-n-pull]

I agree completly with Bounty Hunter onthis one. I to look to go tall and narrow on my next tire buy. maybe even millatary treads. tug

 

[graewulf]

if all you do is mud, thinner will be better.. but if you are like me and hit a little of everything.. wider is better.. 12.5" wide is plenty though... in sugar sand, wide is definitely needed, and when climbing hills, etc you want the width to keep from digging in. I have found that wide tires do really well in mud unless it is really deep.. most mudholes are about 3" of mud covered with about 2 feet of muddy water.. wider is better in that stuff... if its 2 feet deep mud, especially the slick stuff, the only thing that's gonna help is enough diameter to hit solid bottom.. i dont care what the width, if your axles are under the mud , you probably wont hit bottom and be able to move anyway.

I nearly got stuck in a pit recently wit the stock tires, not because of bad tread, but because they were only 8.5" wide... my truck had 11.5" wide tires and that kind of hill climb never gave me much trouble. I'll find out how my 9.5" tires work in a little over a week at paragon...

 

[west747]

i agree with the principle that wider is better. a wider tire is good in the mud and you wont notice That much difference with a fater tire in 4 low in deep mud. plus when you air down it gives you a wider contact patch thus making it easier to crawl over obstacles. youll be alright with 4.88 gears and a wide tire. i do just as well as the rest of the rigs with 4.10's and fat old 36 swampers!!!! (36 x 12.5)...

 

[Joopin]

All good points! But I still am not decided... I definately like the look of the wider tires, and I like the fact that it gives me a wider stance. I certainly don't care about them stickin out of the fender flares, I wanna chuck the mud! Speaking of mud, I can see the positive sides to both the skinny and wide tires... but I'm starting to think that 2 inches isn't really going to effect it that much, but I could be wrong... this is my first time ordering offroad tires. Do you think I would be able to notice a difference with the extra tire width and height on my 4.56s? I got that ratio because I was set on 35s at the time... thanks for the input so far!

oh and 88WRANGRED, I havn't decided on the driveshaft yet...

 

[bryanjeep]

This message is mainly for Bounty Hunter but anybody interested can get in on it too. I am selling those tires( 34 x 9.5 TSL) and rims for $300. The tread is well over 85%. Let me know if you are interested.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

I saw that in the other forum, and it's the tires I'd like to have, but I'm not interested in paying shipping. I'm not in a position right now to buy new tires either.

Are those the radials or the special service swamper?

Thanks.

 

[Snitty]

can you calculate shipping costs to olean, ny.. zip code 14760?... i'm quite interested... and know many more who are interested... what rims

 

[joejeepny]

I run 31 x 13.50's and the wide tire has alot of benefits in all types of offroading but i have found some set backs. In mud they are great especialy in ruts that have been cut buy those guys with tall thin tires. Aired down to 8psi they float well in the thickest of soup. On the rocks they mold to the rocks well but maybe to well. Its very hard to turn fat tires when there wedged between rocks. You have to run more air in the rocks which makes you slip off of them. Just to throw in another thing to think about, I drive my jeep as a daily driver and the fat tires are great for handling on the road but they kill you gas milage.

 

[BakedAlaskan]

I'd personally never go over 12.50. I can see specialty rigs needing them but not an all purpose rig. I have wheeled with those that have 33-9.50 and they do what I can, and have snaked through stuff my 12.5's just simply wouldn't. The look thing, I understand that, although I try so hard not to be sucked into what "others" think is cool. Hehehehehe....Doesn't work all the time. I have also seen two stock willey's go up a snow covered hill with those old old military treads when none of us could. I would vote for general wheeling thinner tends to do better. I guess it all depends on the terrain you wheel in/how much street/ and what makes ya stare at it and say Oooooooo.

I have 10.5 on her now and that keeps me as skinny as the rest of the Jeep for sneaking through the tight stuff. I ride trails, tights trees, logs, rocky terrain but not only rocks.

 

[bryanjeep]

We are more interested in selling the tires alone because it would be way cheaper on shipping. The rims are those black american racing rims. The bolt pattern is 6 x 5.5. We will sell them without the rims if the person pays to have them taken off. Does anybody know the weight of that tire off the rim. It is the Special Service Swamper. I will try to calculate the shipping if someone knows the weight.

 

[bryanjeep]

Ok I got the price to ship them to you. The shipping to area code 14760 is $140 without the rims.

 

[Joopin]

Well I personally thing that wider tires Look friggin sick, same with muscle cars. The other reasons I want to do this is to give me a wider stance, I would feel more comfortable since I will be so much higher. Sounds like the mud factor is a toss up, but I would be concerned about squeezing through tight spots; trees, etc. I could go either way, I probably wont decide until I actually order them!

 

[L33TJ33P]

I am personally going Wider, well, 11.50 but I like the look and I am really not a mud slinger so that isn't an Issue. I am sure that the width will not hinder me too awful much.