How to choose tire width - 10.5" vs 11.5" vs 12.5"?

[enrico_pallazzo]

Hi. I'm curious as to the benefit of different tire width for various uses. I'm awaiting my Mojave's delivery late this month and debating swapping out the stock wheels/tires for something different. Given the lift, I lean towards 35s; while I love the look of 37s, I'm not sure I want to have a truck that looks that "big". I run 33x11.5 Toyo Open Country R/Ts on my 81 Scrambler (my around town beach truck) and they are great tires, but for the Mojave I've been considering Toyo Open Country AT3 (probably 35x11.5), Nitto Ridge Grapplers and Kenda Klevers (probably 35x10.5s).

Like most people, I'm on pavement the vast vast vast majority of the time, but I spend a lot of time in the winter in the snow in the Sierras. However, I really bought the Mojave to hit the beach and run Baja's coastline to look for surf, but I'll also be on trails in the Sierras too during summer (lots of overlanding). So mostly untamed trails and open country. I don't plan on lots of mud... unless it's in front of me. Streams and small water features for sure. My Jeep will not be doing any rock climbing (not on purpose).

So I guess I'm trying to understand when/where more surface area from more tire width is an advantage and when it is a disadvantage. How do I choose the right width for what I describe my use will be? In this case, I'm more interested in why I'd choose one over the other for use, not for appearance. Thanks for the help.

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[KurtP]

I was trail driving this weekend and had guys tell me that you needed to air down in the snow and ice in the same conversation they said their tires didnt do well in snow and ice. Took everything in me not to say that was crazy talk.

in general; you want to cut mud and snow; and float sand and rock. So narrower/ wider. But unfortunately people with jeeps and jacked up trucks like big tires; and they thing the bugger the tire the better. Another girl this weekend started making all kinda of white trash size jokes about the fact she managed to fit 13.5 wide tires on. Just stupid.

if 35 or 37 x11.5 were readily available id go that route. They arent, as 12.5 is the standard. And its good enough for multitude of uses. Just got 12.5 and adjust air pressure accoridngly.

 

[Mac]

If you are keeping the stock wheels 11.5” wide is the widest you can go on the stock 7.5” wheels, the 11.5” wide tires will also track better in the wet and snow as well as not not follow grooves on the highway also stay close to inside the fenders.

 

[Blade1668]

I'd prefer a narrow tire over wide for mainly street use, rain snow ect. Now for mud /sand off-road then wide for more floatation. Heck I thought about running 34×10.5×15 on my XJ for better road manors. A big reason I stayed with 31s(10.5 wide) on my LJ until I retired my 90 XJ. Safer wet pavement handling. A buddy of mine ends up driving his wife's car "leaving her with mini van" when it rains due to hydroplaning if he drives his JKU. If I'm going to need a rainy day car I'll skip the wide tire. My MJ would hydroplane if you hit a puddle of spit dang near with one set of stock size AT tires, worse than a set of aggresive MTs I had. So some tires are just crap rubber.

 

[enrico_pallazzo]

I was trail driving this weekend and had guys tell me that you needed to air down in the snow and ice in the same conversation they said their tires didnt do well in snow and ice. Took everything in me not to say that was crazy talk.

in general; you want to cut mud and snow; and float sand and rock. So narrower/ wider. But unfortunately people with jeeps and jacked up trucks like big tires; and they thing the bugger the tire the better. Another girl this weekend started making all kinda of white trash size jokes about the fact she managed to fit 13.5 wide tires on. Just stupid.

if 35 or 37 x11.5 were readily available id go that route. They arent, as 12.5 is the standard. And its good enough for multitude of uses. Just got 12.5 and adjust air pressure accoridngly.

Thanks for explaining that. Unfortunately, it sounds like my need for a bit of float in the sand is at odds with all the rest of my use. I like pizza cutters, like 37x10.5 or 35x10.5 (or even thinner), but perhaps 11.5 is the best width to split the difference.

If anyone has used 10.5s in deep-ish sand and found they work well, I'd love to hear it. I'm not sure I'll be hitting sand dunes, but I don't want to get stuck in the middle of Baja in the sand either. So better safe than sorry.

 

[enrico_pallazzo]

I'd prefer a narrow tire over wide for mainly street use, rain snow ect. Now for mud /sand off-road then wide for more floatation. Heck I thought about running 34×10.5×15 on my XJ for better road manors. A big reason I stayed with 31s(10.5 wide) on my LJ until I retired my 90 XJ. Safer wet pavement handling. A buddy of mine ends up driving his wife's car "leaving her with mini van" when it rains due to hydroplaning if he drives his JKU. If I'm going to need a rainy day car I'll skip the wide tire. My MJ would hydroplane if you hit a puddle of spit dang near with one set of stock size AT tires, worse than a set of aggresive MTs I had. So some tires are just crap rubber.

I prefer narrow over wide as well. I like the Kenda 35x10.5s a lot and the price is right on those when you find a deal. Worried that width might be a problem if I'm in beach sand though.

 

[KurtP]

Thanks for explaining that. Unfortunately, it sounds like my need for a bit of float in the sand is at odds with all the rest of my use. I like pizza cutters, like 37x10.5 or 35x10.5 (or even thinner), but perhaps 11.5 is the best width to split the difference.

If anyone has used 10.5s in deep-ish sand and found they work well, I'd love to hear it. I'm not sure I'll be hitting sand dunes, but I don't want to get stuck in the middle of Baja in the sand either. So better safe than sorry.

youll want a wider tire for sand. If i was going solo for baja, and that was my “norm”, i would actually try push to a 13.5. Youll want all the floatation you can get especially at weight. I ran 10.5 on my old 2door 76 land cruiser. It wouldnt be my choice for a modern heavy vehicle.

in africa i ran metric 33x11.5’s and wanted more. Imo when you combine anywhere availability with the most wide use of performance, I stand by 35x12.5 and make sure you have a good alignment. They drive fine and will give enough float when aired down and under weight and if you get a flat you can replace it literally everywhere. If you really want to stick with 11.5 id personally suggest going with metric based on availability.

all that said get other opinions from mine. My experience is in the west of the us sure, but mostly overseas with really really heavy vehicles. I consider the end stops to be just the that- the extreme. 13.5 if you really need to float a big vehicle in sand and maybe with a trailer; 10.5 for lighter vehicles you really want to cut dirt. 11.5-12.5 are the middle ranges and i think best all around for todays modern weight Vehicles.

thats my $.02 anyway

 

[Blade1668]

youll want a wider tire for sand. If i was going solo for baja, and that was my “norm”, i would actually try push to a 13.5. Youll want all the floatation you can get especially at weight. I ran 10.5 on my old 2door 76 land cruiser. It wouldnt be my choice for a modern heavy vehicle.

in africa i ran metric 33x11.5’s and wanted more. Imo when you combine anywhere availability with the most wide use of performance, I stand by 35x12.5 and make sure you have a good alignment. They drive fine and will give enough float when aired down and under weight and if you get a flat you can replace it literally everywhere. If you really want to stick with 11.5 id personally suggest going with metric based on availability
thats my $.02 anyway

I agree with you to metric if not USA and Canada(?)
For sand n mud wide side for floatation. As a "kid" a childhood buddy and I used a 3 wheeler to pull us across a mud flats and was able to due to the wide low pressure tires. If you would try to walk on it you would sink up to your waist or deeper and drown.
Airing down, so many people don't air down then get stuck and don't understand why. I have a ratchet strap "just to help" reseat tire bead. Alot of the time with it you can jack tire off ground put it on to force bead back in place air back up, reseat tire bead.

 

[KurtP]

I agree with you to metric if not USA and Canada(?)
For sand n mud wide side for floatation. As a "kid" a childhood buddy and I used a 3 wheeler to pull us across a mud flats and was able to due to the wide low pressure tires. If you would try to walk on it you would sink up to your waist or deeper and drown.
Airing down, so many people don't air down then get stuck and don't understand why. I have a ratchet strap "just to help" reseat tire bead. Alot of the time with it you can jack tire off ground put it on to force bead back in place air back up, reseat tire bead.

air down a lot for sand and rock; a little for dirt, none for snow and mud. When you want a tire to float and when you want a tire to dig and cut require a different pressure strategy.

ratchet straps work fine to rebead a tire. Wd-40 and a lighter make it super fast and easy. And if you balance with BB’s you dont even need to worry about weights.

thats how I do it, anyway.

 

[Blade1668]

air down a lot for sand and rock; a little for dirt, none for snow and mud. When you want a tire to float and when you want a tire to dig and cut require a different pressure strategy.

ratchet straps work fine to rebead a tire. Wd-40 and a lighter make it super fast and easy. And if you balance with BB’s you dont even need to worry about weights.

I agree on the snow and mud to a limit, depending on the vehicle (weight and power) and depth some you can't "dig down to a base" or deep enough to drive on though. Mud bog comes to mind... 3/4 or 1 ton 4×4 on 44 MT vs light 4 cylinder PU with light weight 33 MT tires or a light vehicle with a lot of flotation which one is likely to get across. I my youth years on 3 wheelers, toyota 4 cyl PU, ect in river bottoms, spring flood plains gave me a different thought process on getting across muddy fields too... and the farmers didn't like having a rutted up fields too. Low air pressure and wide tires. So I could get back to some hunting n fishing places back then.
"Just a different perspective not a set rule"

"gotta love the lighter fluid method too." I might have done that a few times

 

[Blade1668]

I prefer narrow over wide as well. I like the Kenda 35x10.5s a lot and the price is right on those when you find a deal. Worried that width might be a problem if I'm in beach sand though.

I had to talk myself out of jumping on a set of them until I wear out my current set of tires... After I had my JT and LJ parked side by side.
I have used some narrow tread tires in sand and mud in past but not of choice on "my Gov issued" vehicle and a heavy duty one at that... M35A2 2 1/2 ton. I've had to air down to really low pressure to keep from getting stuck in sand and mud in one. The mud was in Germany "CMTC" in 1989 anyone who was there during the "Cold War" knows how nasty it was for mud, snow and crappy conditions.

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