295/70/17 Much Worse Than 285/70/17?

I feel like at this point the ridge grap is an older tire, and even some of other Nitto offerings are better. Sometimes it's tough though, finding the tire that you want in the size and load range that you want.

 

I really like the RGs and I will likely stick with them when I move to 295s. They are very tough tires. I've folded these C load range tires up pretty bad on the rocks and they held up great. They are quiet enough on the road. They are easy to balance and have retained their balance well. Overall I'm very pleased with them.

Since they are a hybrid terrain (All terrain/ and Mud Terrain) they work very well off road are impressive in the mud (although I do try to avoid mud when I can.)

My only critique for them is their performance in light rain or ice. I'd say if you lived in further north you would probably be better suited with a different tire. In Texas though, these things rock.

 

Sounds like a winner then. Good to know about the strength, that's a great review. I'm in the Northeast, that's why they're not a very attractive option to me, I've heard bad things about them in winter weather.

 

Yea there is not a lot of siping in the design. It does clear standing water well enough and is fairly resistant to hydroplaning in my experience.
But a slick road + light rain or ice? Pretty lack luster performance.

If I lived in the northeast it would not be my first choice. Switching out tires with the seasons like @Thatbassguy described is probably one of the best options.

Texas weather is like taco bell hot sauce. Hot, Mild, or Fire.
It doesn't get cold and rainy enough to dictate a tire change.

 

Those are very good points and solid feedback.
Absolutely do them again then.
I will say that that sounds exactly like Mickey Thompson Baja boss including being a hybrid, except they actually do rock in snow and rain.
Can I ask you this have you ever ran another all-terrain tire to compare with tho

 

I'm only asking because it drives me nuts when people tell me they love for instance ko2s and are going to stick with ko2's and their ko2s are great but all they ever had is ko2s

 

I love the Nitto ridge grapplers look. And had them on my 20 AG Pro. Did not like them in the rain and snow. So far my Mickey tires been great in the rain and snow.

 

Never as a daily. I’ve driven a few vehicles with all terrains but never got to see how they performed in different conditions throughout the year.

 

Gotcha, hell I don't have a lot of experience with a variety of A/T's either

 

But but but I really do love my K02s! And they really are the best tire ever. So good in fact, I don’t need to try anything else ever! I’m just kidding……










although it’s true

 

Just go skinnies. You will have every problem in the world if you don't

 

Hmmmm.. I don't run skinnies, and I don't have problems. I definitely don't have "every problem in the world."

 

@HazOpRed pizza cutters!

 

Oh right you do have ko2's dont you?!!! Hah
But you don't live in British Columbia so I'll relax

 

Which brand comes in that size?

 

Same could be said for me.....but Falken Wildepeaks instead of KO2's.

 

Oops must have been a typo. I meant 285/75/17.

I stand by my mistake and refuse to edit it out

 

Oh man! you had me intrigued. I was thinking "275/75, a 33in tire that is not as wide as a 285/70 but with more side wall, that seems interesting"

in between a 285/70 and a 255/80 in terms of width/sidewall and slightly taller than both yet not as big as a 34in tire. I wonder if it exists?

 

Only one I can think of is the Toyo AT3 in 34x10.5R17.
It's 33.5" tall, 10.6" wide.

It's kind of a goldilocks tire size for a lot of IFS vehicles.
My problem is I like my 285 tires and don't really want to lose an inch of tire width.

If I was sticking with my 7" wide TRD wheels a 255/80/17 or Toyo's 34x10.5 would be ideal.

Personally I'll go with 295s and add a power steering cooler before I run pizza cutters xD
But I definitely understand the argument for them and they make a lot of sense for many rigs out there.

 

pizza cutters definitely don't look as cool as wide tires but they have a lot of usable benefits from being lighter to having a better deformation profile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wAJAOxh8LE

 

^ Correct.

But I believer the Tinkerer himself said he'd be sticking with wider tires

 

I think the deformation has a lot to do with the specific tire brand and style, as well. I posted this awhile ago on Tacomaworld:


"I was a little curious so I did my own little test with two 2x4's stacked. This is significantly taller and wider than his 2.5 inch tube. I didn't take any actual measurements though. Just took some pictures.

At 32 PSI, which I am running on the street:



15 PSI, which is where I usually start out off-road.



12 PSI, which I typically run if I know I'm going to be doing technical stuff.



10 PSI, which I generally don't run, but might drop to if I was stuck, or trying to get extra traction for an obstacle.



8 PSI, which it was as low as I felt comfortable going. I don't think I would ever run this low without beadlocks, but I have heard of people running 8 psi.



I don't know if it is due to the smaller tire, or the fact that this is MT, but, even without measuring, It's obvious that my 295/70/17 deformed much more than the 315 AT he was testing. Even at 15 PSI, my tire began to wrap around the 2x4.

 

I think it also depends on the tire brand and model as well. When he compared his wide personal tire to the skinny from his testing they were similar. What I like is that when he compared both sizes he used the exact same tire brand and model. So in that case the skinny had better deformation that its counterpart

 

You missed the point and I know you know lol

 

When I read this I kind of laughed and thought to myself he's not wrong who is pulling their hair out to accommodate tall skinnies, I don't hear much of that

 

I took it as sarcasm, but I don't disagree that skinnies make much more sense on this platform.

 

I can never tell when people are joking around here.

 

True. I'd like to see a comparison between wide and skinny MT's, or different AT's, though. Plus, bigger tires are going to react differently, so I'd like to see a comparison of tire sizes that are more common. The fact that the 35's didn't even wrap around the pipe at 0 PSI makes me think that those tires are just too stiff for a good comparison.

I'm not saying that there aren't advantages to skinnies. I just don't think you can base everything on a comparison of one specific tire, in a size that very few of us will ever use.

 

Yes I agree with you. I would really like a direct comparison with a smaller size and maybe different type of tire like an MT as you said. I still believe skinnies are underrated mainly because of the look factor. We almost always see older rigs like older land rovers and land cruisers with skinnies. They are tried and true and I believe are the best for most scenarios (Swiss army knife of tires). Wide tires will perform better in certain extreme environment that require flotation like mud or deep snow (like in Iceland for example, although these tires are FAT). However most people in the southwest will benefit from skinnies based on the terrain.

I also think that the “need” for big tires has gone a bit over board mainly in the jeep community. 31 to 33s use to be plenty fine. Then 35s became the new 33s, then 37s are the new 35s, and now it’s almost 40s minimum lol

don’t get me wrong big tires look good, but is it really necessary for 99% of what people do? 33s are a perfect balance IMO between on and off road for most obstacles other than hard core rock crawling

 

I agree with most of what you've said, except that skinnies are underrated.

Half of the people on this forum and Tacomaworld gush over skinny tires, so I really don't think they're getting a lack of credit. Pretty much anyone who knows what they're talking about considers them an ideal choice for most types of off-roading.