a close 4x4 and reptile huting friend of mine here locally told me about this page....

http://www.expeditionswest.com/resea...tion_rev1.html

I'm posting this "as is" in that I haven't read the page yet, but am just going off of what my friend had mentioned and that it got my curiosity stirring. Let me know what some of you "experts" think. Meanwhile I'm going to be reading the article.

 

There's TONS of people that swear by the 33x10.5 tires, but many other people will tell you that it does not "look cool"....but they are also probably the same people running 35+tires on things like Dana 35s......

 

As opposed to your Dana 30 rubicon being better? Hehehe


Narrower tires for one thing are better on snow. Part of it is that with a smaller contact patch mroe pressure is put onto the ground thru each and every lug.

In mud more surface area allows your vehicle to float better, aka not sink into the mud as easily.

I'm not sure what is best for rockcrawling, other than airing tires down allows them to grip rocks better..


Also you might have seen that a certain type of tractor tire fits ranger. with its extremely aggressive tread pattern and narrowness it is very good for offroading. I've only seen one ranger use them before though.

Aaron

 

I can tell you one thing, this is going to be a debate thread once again as all the others are.

 

Bigger is better lol, I agree it probbly will be argued.

 

A tall, narrow tire is a superior choice for all off-highway surface conditions with the exception of deep, soft sand or mud.

^^^^ deep, soft sand and mud is all we have here in Florida

 

Not really after a debate, as I've searched and read plenty of the tire debates on here and ORR. I did find the article interesting though. Couple it with the guy's experience (check out his profile on the home page) and the few physics classes I had to take to obtain my biology degree, I'd say quite a bit of that, if not all of it, made sense. In my setting out here in the desert southwest the fitment of a narrow tire, as per what he discusses in his article, definitely makes valid and credible sense.

Now I just need to see if Discount Tire or Big-O will price match 4wheelparts.com or summitracing.com on 33X10.5X15 BFG Mud-Terrains. 4 wheel wants $655.25 (shipping included) for a 4 set, but that price increases on Monday as their employee pricing sale ends at midnight and summit wants $675.80 shipped. Only reason I'm even thinking about this is because my stock 31s are a tad worn in the teeth.

Something I did find interesting though, through cecking the site out, is that somewhere within the site the guy vaguely mentions something along the lines of needing a 2-3 inch lift to clear 33s (this is in reference to Tacomas, not Rangers). My friend I initially mentioned in my starter post called BS on me a while back (when I got my truck) that I couldn't fit 33x10.5x15s on the Ranger without trimming. I mentioned this over on ORR and 1 or 2 people did say they needed to trim, but most said they didn't experience any rubbing. So what I'm thinking is that my friend called BS because he's running a 2in custom BL to clear his 33X10.5 BFG mud-terrains, yet I don't need a BL or suspension lift to clear 33x10.5s.

Ehh, whatever. Still a neat read.

 

We don't need body lifts cause our stock suspensions are adjustable. That is his loss that his truck isn't as cool as ours.

But if you get narrow tires they will look like "pizza cutters" which basically look kinda dorky. Wider looks better and it has benefits in mud. You don't have to worry about snow.

 

Chris, I just got a price from Discount tire for those same tires mounted and balanced with road hazard for $711.00 out the door.

As for wide tires vs narrow I believe it all depends in the type of offroading you do. In the rocks and sand I prefer a little wider tire but in the mud a narrow tire works better.

Chad

 

I don't have to worry much about mud, but it has been the only time I've gotten stuck and couldn't unstick myself. Snow on the other hand, yes I don't have to worry about it, but we do get it! Not to the amounts you see in Alaska, but we definitely get snow here. The mountains 1.5 hrs away see a few ft each winter. And now that I'm graduated I plan to have a little fun up there, time willing from work.

FWIW though, I don't care if I look like pizza cutters. I have a 4 set of BFG ATs 33x12.5x15s on FX4 alcoas that I got from DeviousFred. Got them and his 3in BL for $250. I just haven't installed either. But that's aside the point. Reason I don't care is because I actually use my truck for practical reasons. I don't just drive around for looks. Hell, if I did that I'd wash all the mud off the sides my truck acquired while I got this pic....

 

$711's not bad for mount, balance, and road haz warranty. Their site was quoting me at $164/tire. I've ALWAYS used Big-O, but the local shop here annoys me with their service more often than not. The original shoip I dealt with in Alamogordo (1 hr east) was great, plus my mom knew the owners.

I'm going to see what Discount will do for me tomorrow, as per leaving Big-O. I don't expect much, but ya never know.

 

That price was over the phone even, I know I could get them cheaper if I went into the store. I wish I could sell my Swampers because I really want these tires.

Chad

 

Try summit Racing, they charge like 11 per tire to ship or something like that, and they will price match.

 

i just hate narrow tires. that is the only reason.

i could care less of the benefits of either.

i got what i like. nuff said.

 

yeah im with Zach^^^^ mine are 37x13.50

 

And THAT, right there, is all that matters. It's not what so-and-so likes, or he likes, or she likes, or he-she likes (must be politically correct). It's what YOU like! All that it boils down to, plain and simple.

 

yep so if narrow tires are what u want and will help you out go for it.

 

The summit price I quoted above in one of my replies includes the $11 shipping per tire. But I don't get them mounted or balanced, nor do I get a road hazard warranty. Quote was $675.80. For roughly $35 more I get the same 4 set mounted, balanced, and a road haz warranty. Of course that's based off of Chad's quote. If I'm already spending $675, what's another $35 to get them with the 3 other options. I'm not even sure how long it'd take to ship them. They'd ship tomorrow, but summit's site didn't give an arrival time. Discount can get them in within 1-2 days. There's multiple aspects to take into consideration. Something I'm all to familiar with when it comes to my other hobby....reptiles. Do I want to wait for a reptile show to purchase what I want, or do I want to order on-line, from a dealer whom I only get to talk to via phone or e-mail, but might have the exact animal I'm after. It's all about options and choices, patience or impulse.

 

you think 44s will help me out? LOL j/king

no seriously, with stock axles?

 

um sure

 

and some big *** gears^^^

 

theres a couple small holes i see in his arguments...

one, the "rough surfaces" picture. ok so one, he doesnt give any proof or real life facts that a narrow tire is more likely to mold to anything.

for two, in the picture the narrow tire is in a lot of contact, whereas the wide tire just touches a little bit. by his physical theory, a smaller contact patch will adhere more, because of vertical load. the wide tire would have more traction by his theory..

three, the train argument. thats quite a stupid analogy, because trains are hooked to the tracks by a little shelf. all but the engine are rolled, not driven by themselves and trains dont experience much traction losing angles or roadways. they are generally very small grade climbs and what not.

four drag racing ideals. drag radials are usually wider than the 12.50 that he is using as comparison. also, there are tread voids on offroad. so the idea that adhesion is for street, vertical load is for offroading kinda loses validity because by his theory both the wide and the narrow use much more "vertical load" by his explanation. the offroad tires dont have nearly as much contact surface due to said voids. and he also says that too narrow is not good because of not being able to sustain the carrying load.

five, he argues rotating mass. well this is an easy kill because the small amount of weith saved on tires will be made up for and more by the increased diameter of the tire that you move to when you went taller and more narrow.

six, he says that a lighter tire/ wheel combo (in advocacy of the narrower taller tire which will weigh very slighty different than a wider tire) will help the suspension work better. now i dont know where the frick this was made up, but tires and wheels dont affect suspension. and definately not in the way he says they will...

in the end many of his arguments I find very VERY hard to prove anything upon just say so. There are areas the wider tires will do better and there are areas where narrow tires will do better. obviously the locals will know the best combos and you should pay attention. I find that 12.50s are a VERY good mix of the "arguments" in colorado areas for most of the wheeling.

a couple things he didnt mention(or emphasize) that i feel are worth mentioning.

a wider tire will be MUCH more stable. off camber wise, this is invaluable.

what happens when the whole tire isnt making contact? he makes the point around the tires being fully planted on flat grounds at all times. what happens when half the tire is on a ledge, or only the shoulder of the tire is on a slant wall setup?

anyway thats my two cents and im not saying which is "better" because I havent experienced enough of both to make a full comparison. im about to move to a narrower tire to try, but who knows how itll work on my truck

 

So I guess the Ranger 8.8 is really a 7.5 then, since they share so much in common?.....

Ah yes, this comment gets so old......first of all, the 30 got UPGRADED in the past with the spicer 760 ujoint, the R&P is a 44, the inner shafts are a 44, the housing is a 44, the only thing the 30 and 44 share is the outer stub, the aforementioned u joint, and the balljoints/unit bearing etc. So how are they the same again.....

 

Oh I'm dieing here...

Just called Big-O, always dealt with them, but the local shop annoys me. Anyhow, price quote for BFG Muds 33x10.50x15 = $817 w/ tax.

Discount...

$732.74 w/ tax

Both places will take 5-7 days to get the tires.
Both price quotes include mount, balance, and warranty.

 

Haha I jus said it cause you dogged on our dana 35s heh.


It doesn't matter that it has many strong parts. As long as one part of it is small, you have the strength of that part. Until you get the upgraded shafts your weakest point is the smallest point, dana 30. So as long as it isn't upgraded, it's not strong as a traditional D44. Once upgraded tho,its tough.

Aaron