Maybe I'm buying 33's instead of new 35's...
 

Found a local guy with 33's which just happen to be my old friends Cooper S/T's. They're a pretty good deal and in very good shape. Nice as 35's are, I'm not married to them. I'm having zero problems I can attribute to the size so this is not downsizing for any reason other than wanting MORE TREAD.

Wharton is not fully conquerable even with 35's and 33's aren't going to be so different. Haven't fully decided, though. Still, I need more traction to make full use of the locker, and I know the Coopers pretty well. They are somewhere between a true mud tire and an A/T.

Anybody have an opinion on this? I can't really make up my mind. If I wheel these BFG's until I can afford new 35's, it'll probably be awhile.

I'm not a "bigger is better" person myself John so my vote is for the smaller, better tire.

Besides, even though you have "enough" room for 35's the 33's will REALLY give you plenty of play to test out that locker!!!

(Oh and I assume the 33's are 33x12.50?) Not that Neil's 33x10.50's are bad its just that you have acres more room and don't need the 10.5!

If 33s are what you can get for the best deal I don't see the problem with that. You always spoke highliy of the Coopers so you know your not getting a crap tire. Hows your truck gonna look with 33s? Are they gonna look too small?

How much more tread do the Coopers have? Is he wanting to trade you for the 35's? If the Coopers have lots of life left in them, I say do it. But now that you have gone bigger (35's) I think its going to be harder to go smaller...
Chris

Yeah, I think so too, Chris. The saving grace (which also answers Jeff's question) is that they are 33x12.5x15 so they are as wide as the BFG's, and have better sidewalls to my mind. The BFG's are 3 ply, but the Coopers are thicker and a harder rubber.

The Coopers are virtually brand new. No visible treadwear at all.

The BFG's I have are really 34's as worn as they are, so it's actually more like 1/2" difference in ride height overall. I don't think they'll look SO different, really.

I definitely don't need no 10.5" wide tire, lol! That's why I put the lift on!

Just go for the 33 coopers.

Your gas fund will thank you for gettin 33's over 35's. We all love bigger is better but it's a shame that gas is really changing the way I do things...

Here's the specs of the Coopers, size wise:

Size: 33X12.50R15LT
Section width: 12.36
Actual Diameter: 32.63
Tread width: 9.80
Tread depth: 20/32

Here's the specs on the 35" BFG's, when new:

Size: 35x12.5x15
Section Width: 12.7
Actual diameter: 34.7
Tread width: not specified
Tread depth: 16/32

The BFG's are down to about 6 to 8/32 or less of tread, so they've worn down 1/2 inch or more in terms of diameter, bringing them down to like 34.2 or so. Figure an inch and a 1/2 difference in diameter between the new Coopers tne the BFG's for more like 3/4" less ground clearance. Not too much to lose (though I begrudge losing it, lol). The tread on the Coopers may actually be wider because of the larger sidebiters, even though the section width is close.

And hard as it is to believe, my gas mileage is the same crappy number, when corrected for the tire size difference, as what I got before I put the 35's on. I think re-gearing helped make that possible, don't know.

If the price is right, do it! .. I'd think it would entirely depend on the price. Are you saving much by going w/ the second hand coopers? If so, and they fit the bill (they sound like they do), then pull the trigger man..

What kind of mileage do you actually see? I've always heard you say it's gotten worse as your modding has gone on, mostly because, as you say, you just drive it harder! But I don't recall you ever mentioning specifics. How's it stack up to my moderately driven 4.0 4x4's numbers of ~16.5 lifetime average across ~24k miles..

I still say the 35's make your truck!!

33's with great tread and some cash in your pocket is worth more than 35s. I think I am one of the few people on any forum that thinks bigger is not always better. Good skill and 33's will get you just about anywhere a set of 35's will, especially with a 2wd. But, if you want to "look cool" then get the 35s.
BTW, don't knock the 10.5 tires, especially for a place like Wharton. Skinny tires are better for mud and muck than wide tires that will float.

want more traction? Get mudders, hands down.

2" less diameter
from your transmission and brakes.... THANK YOU :wink:

if the price is right get the coopers... im most likely gonna get coopers next time around and you have had good luck with yours so i would take them even if they are 33's

Ha ha! Neil, how did you know my truck talks to me?... :crazy:

Colin, I get 16 to 17 mpg pretty consistently on a normal week. A bit more if I do more highway; a bit less if I do a whole lot of "short hops". I get a little over 20 on highway trips.

Still thinking about it. Thanks for the input, everybody.

Honestly the 33's will prob be better for you.. 35's look cool but 33's will suit you just fine. Besides they are your beloved coopers...

Yeah, but if I didn't have to drive it daily, 35" Boggers would be on it!!!

Ok big daddy.... Need some 44's.. LOL
YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE THE BIGGEST TIRES ON THE BLOCK DON'T YOU!!! All though that chevy next door still has you beat....

John,
Since you don't have the front axle to help pull the rear over obstacles, my thinking is that it would be best to place the rear axle as far from the ground as possible to reduce the chance that it will get hung up. If you're talking about deciding between keeping the worn 35" BFGs or the new 33" Coopers, then definitely go with the Coopers but if the choice is between new 35" Coopers and 33" Coopers, then if it were me, I'd go with the 35s.

Tom, I do not think John will have ANY trouble getting over obsticules.... Even if he had 20" tires..... JOHN ES MUY LOCO!!:burnout:

Yeah, man, I'm a LOCO-motive! :crazy:

Tom, I'm thinking along the same lines.

Well, I'm not going to get them. I just checked with my local Cooper dealer, who gives me "extra" discounts and told him what I was thinking. He'll sell me the same tires installed and with a warranty for $600 for four -- mounting and balancing included. There's not enough savings in buying used ones to make it worth my while.

And, since the subject is up: what do you all think of the Dunlop Mud Rovers? The TireRack has a warehouse in Newark, DE, and shipping is DIRT CHEAP since I'm less than 10 miles away (they don't let you pick them up in DE due to "anti-competitive" laws DE has to protect local merchants).

35x12.5x15 are 119.00 and about 12.50 apiece for shipping and another 12.50 to get them mounted making them the same price as the Coopers for four. Any thoughts on this?

The one thing is that I don't think they have particularly strong sidewalls. That's the only thing that worries me about them. They are apparently still American made, though not my favorite brand for sure.

Oh, and my transmission could care less -- don't forget I went to 4.56 gears. It's my brakes that would be the issue, if anything.

so youre now deciding between new 35 coopers for 600 and dunlop mudrovers of the same size for a similar price... i would still go with the coopers

Not quite, Billy: 33" Coopers vs. 35" Dunlops

ive heard good things abotu teh dunlops, i amy go with those if i can afford my MTRs again.