bigger tires how bad is driveabilty

[zack89]

I've been reading threw the forums and have come across a few members saying the shifting of the transmission is terrible after they have installed 275/65/20 which is a 34 inch tire. I just was wondering how bad could it be coming from and underpowered jeep with a lift and 33s I can't see it being that bad. Do the dealers do anything when they put on 35s with a lift?

[HondaHawkGT]

What axle ratio do you have?

[smrr1]

i have a ccsb 5.3 4x4 342 and have factory 18s. i swapped them out for 20x9 with 275/65-20 p rated nittos and was very disappointed. lost significant power and needed extra brake effort too. it did not handle rough roads as well either. i went back to 18s with a 275 michelin. much happier. i do not go off road much.

[zack89]

I have 3.42 with the 5.3 and was looking at the bfg ko2 275/65/20LT and I think they are 58 pounds but I wanna make sure I don't waste 1400 on tires that I'm gonna hate

[quail hound]

I have 285/70/17 ko2s on my truck, rcsb, 5.3l, 3.42s. I didn't notice any loss of power or drivabiity, just lost an mpg or two.

[Johnnynovo]

I like mine. 275/65/20 General Grabber AT2 at 61#/tire. It's slightly rougher but only run them at 40psi for normal driving (per Discount Tire). This gives it a softer feel but you still have the strength of a 10ply tire. If you tow or haul, you can pump them up a bit. I have a tuner so I didn't notice much power loss cuz there was already plenty there. IMO, a tire upgrade over stock is the best mod you can do.

[Vic15]

I purchased mine with a 6 inch lift & 35's & it has plenty of power with a 3.23 rear gear, 6.2 & 8 speed. I have no tranny issues at all.

[VinnyZ17]

I purchased mine with a 6 inch lift & 35's & it has plenty of power with a 3.23 rear gear, 6.2 & 8 speed. I have no tranny issues at all.

I'm gunna go out on limb here and say that it was most likely tuned since it's a Black Widow edition.

[crushNchowda]

This is what I have to say regarding this topic, in general. I have had a number of trucks, this is the first one that I have "lifted" (all I did was do bilstein 5100's max setting + 2.25" rear block kit) & after doing so wanted to add a "beefier" AT tire to fill out the wheel wells more, look more aggressive, and ride better/handle better in rough road conditions vs. the craptastic stock SRA's.

While I don't have alot of experience modding/lifting trucks, I have LOTS of experience w/ performance cars/sportbikes. I already knew WELL ahead of going through this mod process what excess unsprung weight can do to a vehicles SOTP feel and overall performance. To see what 20" wheels will do to the 1/4 mile times of a vette vs. 17"s, or the difference magnesium wheels make on a sportsbike, - without having to point out the DRASTIC weight difference between those 2 examples vs. a 6000 lb 1/2 ton pickup - well lets just say I have already voiced my opinion I think its "LOL" that anyone would really try and argue a vehicle is going to perform better offroad if really pushed w/ those heavy ass tires w/o any power adders/additional mods - its a joke. Wow you got big badass looking tires but you literally neutered the power of your vehicle by 15% I mean so what if you got better mud traction you don't have equal power to pull yourself outta iT!!! If you can lose 1/2 a second in the 1/4 from going up 10 lbs on each corner in a 3200 lb vette w/ more HP than your 5800 lbs truck, what the hell do you think will happen w/ the heavy ass less powerful truck when you add nearly 20 lbs to each corner!!!!

 

Everything in life is a Ying and Yang.

 

Unless you're dealing w/ an already porky heavy tire equipped HD diesel that can EASILY makeup the power loss w/ a handheld tuner/more boost (and already has deeper gearing/massive torque), or unless you're committed to actually making the drivetrain match the huge tires you're strapping to the truck (& in the case of these 1/2 tons going from a stock 38 lb tire to a 57-62lb tire that equates to CAI/tune/LT headers min) you may as well relegate yourself to the fact that you're spending the coin and installing the tires for "show" not "go" - and that they are an overall performance detractor not enhancer, well then you're better off just avoiding the P/L rated whatever tires and getting something a tad smaller instead and not adding all that unsprung weight.

For me a perfect compromise was the 275/60r20 Nitto Terra grapplers - weigh like 42 lbs - not a huge difference, now the 275/65 version that weigh in @ 57-60 lbs (depending on what site you look at) - well that's a different story.

 

Food for thought.

 

Yes it'll ,make a difference, yes you'll lose power/performance, yes you'll lose MPG's, yes you'll notice it immediately, yes it'll shift "different". Jeep wranglers are a bit different - weigh MUCH less to begin w/, are geared MUCH more aggressively from the factory to begin w/, are solid rear axle front/rear, have heavier wheel/tire setups from the factory to begin w/, & are slow as sh*t to begin w/ anyhow - less of factor...I also assume (slash hope) that the Jeep you reference was a stick....also makes a difference in how it'll feel when adding unsprung weight.

If you're OK w/ all that and are going to make up for it w/ some power adders to even it out, or are just OK w/ the fact you neutered your truck a bit for the sake of aesthetics, more power to you.

Otherwise fully understand what I am saying is true and go for the lighter 1/2 ton version - hankook dynapro or toyo open country and nitto terras all come in a much lighter 275/60 version I believe.

 

People may try and convince you otherwise, but its physics. It is proven in dragslips. It's racing 101.

 

So ask yourself - are you a poser or a performance guy?

[Jon A]

What a bunch of B.S. Please tell us, crushNchowda, exactly how many times have you been stuck--I mean really stuck--offroad because 350+ HP just wasn't enough POWER to get you out? Getting over/through obstacles offroad has exactly nothing to do with drag racing. Ground clearance and traction are everything. Telling people that more ground clearance and better traction are "for looks only" is not supported by any facts or the experience of anybody who has ever driven offroad.

 

Talking about what works offroad when you clearly never leave pavement, makes you the poser. Now, there's nothing wrong with being a pavement oriented guy and giving advice based upon that. But when you decide to start name-calling you had better know what you're talking about. Since the OP was coming from a lifted Jeep with 33's, it's highly unlikely he cares all that much about et's at the strip.

[MMC]

This^ If you need more power off road to get someplace there is this thing included in most 4x4's it's called low range.

[Vic15]

I'm gunna go out on limb here and say that it was most likely tuned since it's a Black Widow edition.

 

SCA Performance did modify the exhaust and corrected the speedometer for the larger tires. There was no mention of additional computer tuning.

[robvas]

It will be more sluggish when stopping/starting. The steering will feel a little heavier. It will ride harsher. You will lose at least a mpg or two. It will feel more like a 'truck' and less like a car.

[HondaHawkGT]

Yep, it'll be a little more sluggish and you won't win at the drag strip. BUT your offroad performance will be fine. You definitely feel the unsprung weight. The truck feels like it's a truck.

 

To some degree, wheel choice can help offset added tire weight. I wish I had gone with the lighter, more expensive version of my current wheels.

[crushNchowda]

What a bunch of B.S. Please tell us, crushNchowda, exactly how many times have you been stuck--I mean really stuck--offroad because 350+ HP just wasn't enough POWER to get you out? Getting over/through obstacles offroad has exactly nothing to do with drag racing. Ground clearance and traction are everything. Telling people that more ground clearance and better traction are "for looks only" is not supported by any facts or the experience of anybody who has ever driven offroad.

 

Talking about what works offroad when you clearly never leave pavement, makes you the poser. Now, there's nothing wrong with being a pavement oriented guy and giving advice based upon that. But when you decide to start name-calling you had better know what you're talking about. Since the OP was coming from a lifted Jeep with 33's, it's highly unlikely he cares all that much about et's at the strip.

Typing & talking always interpreted differently - I was busting chops a bit w/ the poser comment so relax, but what I said is 100% true - & obviously other replies support that. You're 100% correct ground clearance and tire grip are bigger factors than power for sure when it comes to legit offroading - no disputing that (although when you start going bigger power must be addressed no?) In fact, part of the reason I installed the 5100's/block kit was because I got stuck offroading in a huge snow covered field (and ironically was pulled out by a jeep on 35"s LOL) - if I had an extra 2" wouldn't have gotten stuck.

 

But - I assumed based on the fact we're just talking about a level & 34"s that we're not really discussing legitimate "off-roading" capabilities, or modding the truck into a more purpose-built vehicle. My since the OP specifically states "DRIVEABILITY" in the subject that he's mainly on pavement and doing a little bit of offroading/playing around similar to my own experience above.

 

If that is the case - if you're spending 90% (hell even 70%) of the time on paved roads it is my recommendation that the very slight increased in height you gain from using 275/65 vs. 275/60 is entirely not worth the drop in MPG, "driveability", or loss in power...and how/why would you argue otherwise? "Off road traction" should be equal between the 2 sizes given the same model and tread, he's already gaining 2-2.5" of clearance from the level, so 275/65 is 7.04" of sidewall vs. 275/60 @ 6.5" - you're telling me that 1/2" is worth the negative impact of an additional 15-20 lbs per corner over the same exact tire in 275/60???