Need advice on tire size. What are the negatives of going smaller?

[Afternoon Spray]

I have a 2024 Rubicon MT that came with the 285/70/17 Falken M/T. The nicest thing I can say about them is that they have been fine, but I certainly haven't loved them. Originally I thought, I'll wait until they wear down and then look into upgrading so I don't waste money. Well, I'm heading into my second winter with them in the PNW and they have been fishtailing like crazy with any amount of rain on an incline. I'm losing traction just trying to maintain 35MPH-40MPH on an uphill. I've lived up here my whole life and have never had a tire perform this bad in the rain.

This leads me to my question. I have been shopping stock size, but also have been considering shedding some additional weight by going smaller (skinnier). I've been looking at either 275/70/17s or 255/75/17s. This would cut about 0.3"-0.6" from the actual diameter depending on the tire, but would make them skinnier (my understanding is skinnier performs better in the rain). Also, depending on the brand I could shave like 15-20lb per tire.

My main question is, what negatives would there possibly be going with these sizes (other than appearance and the hit to my ego)?

Thanks all.

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[Afternoon Spray]

Nothing? lol. I know everyone typically goes bigger but I want to make sure I won't hurt the car in the long run by going a bit smaller.

 

[NC_Overland]

The difference in weight between those tire sizes is negligible. Just going to your average A/T in the same tire size would shed some weight over those heavy M/Ts. I’d do that before going to a smaller tire. Off-road tires vary a lot from tire to tire. Find a lighter one.

 

[DylanM]

There aren't any real negatives IMO, only minor annoyances and compromises. Depending on how much different in diameter you go, you may need to reprogram the PCM with the new tire size. You'll have slightly less ground clearance. Floatation on soft terrain won't be as good. Available selection in the smaller/narrower tires isn't as good and more likely to be load range E if that matters to you.

 

[kb5zcr]

If your problem is driving on wet pavement, I think going to a "street tread" will help more than changing the size. Maybe just look at a "light truck" tire more focused on pavement driving.

 

[Sandman 4x4]

I have a 2024 Rubicon MT that came with the 285/70/17 Falken M/T. The nicest thing I can say about them is that they have been fine, but I certainly haven't loved them. Originally I thought, I'll wait until they wear down and then look into upgrading so I don't waste money. Well, I'm heading into my second winter with them in the PNW and they have been fishtailing like crazy with any amount of rain on an incline. I'm losing traction just trying to maintain 35MPH-40MPH on an uphill. I've lived up here my whole life and have never had a tire perform this bad in the rain.

This leads me to my question. I have been shopping stock size, but also have been considering shedding some additional weight by going smaller (skinnier). I've been looking at either 275/70/17s or 255/75/17s. This would cut about 0.3"-0.6" from the actual diameter depending on the tire, but would make them skinnier (my understanding is skinnier performs better in the rain). Also, depending on the brand I could shave like 15-20lb per tire.

My main question is, what negatives would there possibly be going with these sizes (other than appearance and the hit to my ego)?

Thanks all.

Look into the Micheline Agilis Cross Climate All Season, in size 245/75-17, @31.6”. For increased mileage and rainy traction.

 

[wuykats]

I put a set of Falken 11.50 X 17 X 35 ATW 4's on my Gladiator and have been very pleased with their performance. Spent over a month up in Silverton Colorado this summer and no chunking from the rocks and no visible wear. Better than KO2 BFG's in my opinion.

 

[Afternoon Spray]

The difference in weight between those tire sizes is negligible. Just going to your average A/T in the same tire size would shed some weight over those heavy M/Ts. I’d do that before going to a smaller tire. Off-road tires vary a lot from tire to tire. Find a lighter one.

You're right, there are some stock A/T options that reduce a good bit of weight, and I am considering that. But these two videos have convinced me that skinnier = better both for off-road and for wet road performance.


Plus, my last two camping trips have been flirting with the payload, if not a bit over, so shedding as much weight as possible is a benefit of going slightly smaller/skinnier. Some of these tires I could lose 80 lbs across the 4 tires + the spare.

Here is the breakdown of the tires I'm considering:
255/75R17 BFG KO3 Load C - 49 lbs (13 lb reduction)
255/75R17 BFG KO2 Load C - 47.1 lbs (14.9 lb reduction)
275/70R17 BFG KO3 Load E - 58 lbs (4 lb reduction)
275/70R17 BFG KO2 Load E - 55.4 lbs (6.6 lb reduction)
275/70R17 MT Baja Legend EXP Load E - 55 lb (7 lb reduction)
265/70R17 BFG KO3 Load C - 46 lb (16 lb reduction)
265/70R17 BFG KO2 Load C - 45.7 lb (16.3 lb reduction)
265/70R17 MT Baja Boss Load XL - 44 lbs (18 lb reduction)

Stock Size
285/70R17 MT Baja Boss Load STD- 48 lbs (14 lb reduction)
285/70R17 BFG KO3 Load C - 57 lbs (5 lb reduction)
285/70R17 BFG KO2 Load C - 50.3 lbs (11.7 lb reduction)

Going bigger
255/85R17 MT Baja Boss Load E - 64 lbs (2 lb increase)
255/80R17 Falken Wild Peak A/T4 Load E - 58.1 lbs (3.9lb reduction)

I'm not going to be crawling the most difficult obstacles so I'm not worried about the small hit to clearance. My finalists are here:

255/75R17 BFG KO3 Load C - 49 lbs (13 lb reduction)
265/70R17 BFG KO3 Load C - 46 lb (16 lb reduction)
265/70R17 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss Load XL - 44 lbs (18 lb reduction)
275/70R17 MT Baja Legend EXP Load E - 55 lb (7 lb reduction)
285/70R17 MT Baja Boss Load STD- 48 lbs (14 lb reduction)
255/85R17 MT Baja Boss Load E - 64 lbs (2 lb increase) [not practical for my use case but have heard great things if I wanted to go taller for looks/clearance]

 

[bill61]

Are the stock tires load range C, or load range E?
I wonder if the slipping is caused by stiffer sidewalls as I’ve heard the stock are load range E (I thought they were load range C, but I’m not sure).

 

[Afternoon Spray]

Stock is load C. I just think they are more geared toward off road. I wish I would've asked the dealer to swap them to the A/Ts. And the second thing is that they're heavy as all hell. 62 lb per tire so even with my 4.10 gearing they are constantly lugging up the hills I'm driving in the PNW. Add a little bit of water and its just not fun.

 

[Afternoon Spray]

I was pretty set on 265/70R17 Mickey Thompson Baja Boss Load XL at 44 lbs, but people have talked me into a load C tire, so I'm leaning towards the 255/75R17 BFG KO3 Load C at 49 lbs.

 

[MT1]

If you need less likelihood of hydroplaning instead of more flotation, go with the 255s. If you like how load C feels, stay with C. If you want a firmer ride, or less sidewall lean, or less bounce, go to D or E.

Wider may = more likely to hydroplane, since there is more area, and more water to evacuate. The stock WildPeaks definitely hydroplaned more that I expected. The Yoko AT xDs that replaced the WPs have wider channels, which I think will help reduce hydroplaning.

But, you mentioned fishtailing. I do not think size or width will matter for fishtailing.

Fishtailing in light rain, in my experience, is due to the tire's tread being hard from heat cycles. The tread had a glazed or satin appearance. The tread was slippery.

When selecting tires a couple months ago, I stayed wide since I expected to need more flotation. Mud, snow, and loose sand are more likely than deep puddles, here anyway.

 

[Afternoon Spray]

If you need less likelihood of hydroplaning instead of more flotation, go with the 255s. If you like how load C feels, stay with C. If you want a firmer ride, or less sidewall lean, or less bounce, go to D or E.

Wider may = more likely to hydroplane, since there is more area, and more water to evacuate. The stock WildPeaks definitely hydroplaned more that I expected. The Yoko AT xDs that replaced the WPs have wider channels, which I think will help reduce hydroplaning.

But, you mentioned fishtailing. I do not think size or width will matter for fishtailing.

Fishtailing in light rain, in my experience, is due to the tire's tread being hard from heat cycles. The tread had a glazed or satin appearance. The tread was slippery.

When selecting tires a couple months ago, I stayed wide since I expected to need more flotation. Mud, snow, and loose sand are more likely than deep puddles, here anyway.

I guess that I was conflating fishtailing with hydroplaning. What I was experiencing was loss of traction from hydroplaning. I'm pretty sold on going skinny. Originally wanted the 255/85R17 Baja Boss (load E), but its just added size and weight, less efficiency, and my use wouldn't benefit from the added height. So I'm leaning toward the 255/75R17 BFG KO3 Load C.

 

[Splenda]

I have a 2024 Rubicon MT that came with the 285/70/17 Falken M/T. The nicest thing I can say about them is that they have been fine, but I certainly haven't loved them. Originally I thought, I'll wait until they wear down and then look into upgrading so I don't waste money. Well, I'm heading into my second winter with them in the PNW and they have been fishtailing like crazy with any amount of rain on an incline. I'm losing traction just trying to maintain 35MPH-40MPH on an uphill. I've lived up here my whole life and have never had a tire perform this bad in the rain.

This leads me to my question. I have been shopping stock size, but also have been considering shedding some additional weight by going smaller (skinnier). I've been looking at either 275/70/17s or 255/75/17s. This would cut about 0.3"-0.6" from the actual diameter depending on the tire, but would make them skinnier (my understanding is skinnier performs better in the rain). Also, depending on the brand I could shave like 15-20lb per tire.

My main question is, what negatives would there possibly be going with these sizes (other than appearance and the hit to my ego)?

Thanks all.

Do you rotate them regularly? (Every 5k miles of less) Rotating them can help with traction.

 

[Afternoon Spray]

Do you rotate them regularly? (Every 5k miles of less) Rotating them can help with traction.

Yep. I'm at 7500 miles and have done two oil changes and tire rotations (every 6 months).

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