285 Or A 33x12.50

tyhuck · January 18, 2011

Heres what Im looking at. If money was not a determining factor, what size tire would you run on a leveled 05 Z71? Im debating on either a 285/70/17 or a true 33x12.50/17. I know the 33 would be wider, but is there an advantage to wider over thinner. I want to run a 33" tire, but whatever width I get will determine what width wheels I get. Im gonna get new wheels after the tires probably. I doubt I will be able to afford them all at once. So I need to get a tire that will fit on the factory rim for now.

mhenshaw · January 18, 2011

Heres what Im looking at. If money was not a determining factor, what size tire would you run on a leveled 05 Z71? Im debating on either a 285/70/17 or a true 33x12.50/17. I know the 33 would be wider, but is there an advantage to wider over thinner. I want to run a 33" tire, but whatever width I get will determine what width wheels I get. Im gonna get new wheels after the tires probably. I doubt I will be able to afford them all at once. So I need to get a tire that will fit on the factory rim for now.

I would not be worried about the wheel widths. You factory wheels will fit a 12.50 fine and you should go with a 9" wide wheel when you go aftermarket.

I personally would get a 295 or 305 on a aftermarket wheel (for looks)

There is no advantage to wider tires except you have a bigger footprint offroad. Wider tires weigh more and have more surface area for friction on the road (both equal worse mpg)

tyhuck · January 18, 2011

What eould be the advantage of a 305, if I could even find one. I havent seen many 305 for 17" wheels.

Isnt a 295 gonna be too tall? Im only running a Leveled crank.

oldschool327 · January 18, 2011

BFG sells 305/70/17

295/70/17 is a true 33" tire and should fit in the wheels well of your model year with a TB Crank.

tyhuck · January 18, 2011

Well, i looked and if I was looking at the 305s, ten Ide just get the 33x12.50 since the 305 is an E rated tire and the 33 is a D rated tire.

I think I like the idea of a 295. Im gonna look into that one.

How would that affect the 3.42 gearing? I know its gonna rob me of some power, but will I still be within a workable range for the 3.42? If I cant afford wheels with my tires, then I really cant afford to regear.

mhenshaw · January 18, 2011

Well, i looked and if I was looking at the 305s, ten Ide just get the 33x12.50 since the 305 is an E rated tire and the 33 is a D rated tire.

I think I like the idea of a 295. Im gonna look into that one.

How would that affect the 3.42 gearing? I know its gonna rob me of some power, but will I still be within a workable range for the 3.42? If I cant afford wheels with my tires, then I really cant afford to regear.

33s are nothing, you do not need to regear. If a 4cl toyota can run 33s stock Im sure your truck can handle it.

oldschool327 · January 18, 2011

I have 295's and they are no problem for the 5.3

cparks555 · January 18, 2011

I had 285/70/17 BFG on my 06 Chevy and they looked kind of small, I'd go with the 295.

tyhuck · January 18, 2011

Well, i looked and if I was looking at the 305s, ten Ide just get the 33x12.50 since the 305 is an E rated tire and the 33 is a D rated tire.

I think I like the idea of a 295. Im gonna look into that one.

How would that affect the 3.42 gearing? I know its gonna rob me of some power, but will I still be within a workable range for the 3.42? If I cant afford wheels with my tires, then I really cant afford to regear.

33s are nothing, you do not need to regear. If a 4cl toyota can run 33s stock Im sure your truck can handle it.

Yeah, but the Yotas come stock with 4.10 gears too. I was looking though, the 265 is a 31.5 - 32 depending on the brand, so I feel more confident that the 295 wont be too much of a challenge.

What happens to gas mileage when you go to a 33? I know on my ZR2 (4.3, auto. 3.73) I dropped 2mpg in the city but gained 1 on the highway just by going from a 31 to a 32. Is there that much change with a 5.3?

Big Whiskey · January 18, 2011

Personally, I'd go with the 285's or 295's. The 295's might rub if you get crazy with aftermarket wheels on down the road. The 285's will look good. I had them on my '06 and I have them on my '09 now. They look much better than stock, and you can fit aftermarket wheels easier than 295's. Plus, you won't have to worry about tearing up your inner fenders if you do some offroading. IMO, a true 12.50 tire is too wide for the stock 17x7.5 rims, and will cause fitment problems with only a t-bar crank.

Edit: Expect about a 2-3 mpg loss with the bigger tires. If you drive like a wild man, it will be even more. With my '06...that had the 5.3, 3:42, 4L60E, and 33's...it would downshift to 3rd gear if I sneezed to hard.

tyhuck · January 18, 2011

With my '06...that had the 5.3, 3:42, 4L60E, and 33's...it would downshift to 3rd gear if I sneezed to hard.

Would a tune help that any? If I can get rid of this Hypertech Programmer I have, Ide like to get a Blackbear tune. Is it worth it to get a second PCM and pay for a crank relearn?

oldschool327 · January 19, 2011

The 800 and 900's have different wheel well shaps, a 295 will fit better on a 800 series as the rear portion does not present as much of a problem

Big Whiskey · January 19, 2011

With my '06...that had the 5.3, 3:42, 4L60E, and 33's...it would downshift to 3rd gear if I sneezed to hard.

Would a tune help that any? If I can get rid of this Hypertech Programmer I have, Ide like to get a Blackbear tune. Is it worth it to get a second PCM and pay for a crank relearn?

Not sure about a tune, I've never had one. All I know is that other guys on here have said great things about them. I'm sure someone else will chime in though. I just upgraded to the 367 hp Vortec Max instead.