Hi Ronny, another point you should have briefly mentioned, and it's mentioned in other videos, is that the larger tyres affects the speedometer. I have a 2006 Hilux and I've kept the standard steel rims but I've upgraded the tyre to the maximum allowable for that rim size, 225x75x16. Even this slight increase in tyre size means that if I'm doing 100 kph, I'm actually doing 104 kph and I coud get booked for speeding. That's something everyone should keep in mind. Keep up the good work because I really enjoy your great videos.

Ronny you forgot one huge issue when choosing Tyre size! GEARING. It’s not a huge issue on modern diesels that have huge amounts of torque but older 4wds and 4wds with less power are seriously effected by this issue. When you go larger tyres you’re gearing becomes a lot taller meaning you lose your low range crawl speed, this makes the 4wd fast and uncontrollable in low range 4wding situations. You have to either run smaller tyres or get reduction gears to regain your gearing. I have a old Suzuki Sierra, they have 26inch tyres stock I put 29inch tyres on, my gearing was so tall I could not use 5th gear on the highway. After I installed transfer case reduction gears I could use my 5th gear again and my low range was 100x better! I think gearing is something that is seriously overlooked!!! You’re van life modified episode is a good example of this issue. 👍

Thanks for this Rhonny. I am in the process of 'saving' for a set of new A/T tyres and greatly appreciate the effort you go to on explanation (including the little cardboard signs:)

Running an older (2004) Hilux that allows me to run 15” rims.. I’m happy on the true 31’ hybrid tyres, increased offset slightly

Thanks Ronny . I’ve got 180,000ks on my 79 now, at least half of that towing a 2.5T off-road van. I am just 10,000ks into my third set of Bridgestone Desert Dueler AT697 LT265/75R16 120/123 E load rating. 70PSI on LC rears when towing, 50PSI in fronts and on single axle van on road, 45PSI on LC rears, 28PSI fronts and 32PSI van on dirt, 35PSI rears , 20PSI fronts and 25PSI van on sharp stones , heavy corrugations and sand. GCR 5 trips, GRR 2 trips with one to Kalumburu, inc EQ lookouts as explosion gorge without van of course, Roper River Savannah Way , Lorella Springs, Oodnadatta, Strzelecki, Stony Desert, Tanami etc etc all towing. Two punctures resulting in one repair and one damaged beyond. I use the standard Toyota GXL alloys on LC and Van. Only time I wished for more tyre is on the beach rear wheelbase correction would be also handy. It’s important to study the load ratings of the exact tyre you propose to use as a slightly different size can drop you down from a LT 10ply to a much weaker 8 ply. Great tyre combo, gets me where I want to go most of the time, quiet, good fuel economy , long life at >80,000ks on each set of 5 (caravan still on first pair with never used spare) Just sharing my combo.

My 2005 Kia Sorento BL 3.5L V6 - built on a ladder frame chassis back when Kia were serious about off-roading. I've had a 2" lift since it was new - currently using Bilstein Shocks with Dobinson Springs. I drove it out of the showroom on a set of Coopers. After 200,000kms I'm on my 3rd set of 245x75xR16 Cooper Discoverer ATs (LT). That's the same height as a 265x70 but with a bigger side wall in a 30.5' tyre. They're rated at over 1000kgs each, holding up a GVM of 2560. They've been brilliant!

70 Series: Best touring size is 255/85R16. Slightly taller than stock (on a Troopy anyway - not sure about the 76 or 79), just enough so the speedo reads accurately. They air down brilliantly.

Don't forget a common size tire. Odd sizes are hard to find. Wreck a tire on a trip and you could have a hard time sourcing a new one. My case I was looking at getting LT285/75R17 for my truck. It's the largest size I can fit without trimming. It also allowed me to use my factory rims. But they were special order/not commonly stocked and a bit pricier. So instead I went with a LT285/70R18. Functionally equivalent, I had to buy rims but the tires were cheaper, very common with more selection. Plus I was able to sell my used tires and rims to help recoup some of the cost.

Thanks for making all of your videos! It’s been immensely helpful for a new off roader like myself. Keep up the good work!

Thanks Ronnie! Early Willys and Kaiser built Jeep CJs - like the CJ2A, CJ3A & 3B, and early CJ5: The biggest issue preventing fitting larger tires is the narrow axle with a comparatively wide frame - there just isn't much room to turn a tire. So the wider you go from the original 6.50-16 tire at about 6 inches wide, the less turning angle you have before you scrub the tire on the springs or frame. The same goes for diameter - the original tires are about 29 inches tall and you can't increase it much before you start scrubbing _well before_ wheel lock. If you're running a stock 16" rim, I wouldn't go larger than 235/85R16. At 32 or 33 inches tall, these are already large enough to compromise the turning radius but provide excellent breakover clearance, especially on long-wheelbase models such as the CJ6, M38 derivative ambulance models, etc. If you're running a 15 inch wheel, I'd stop at a 30x9.5-15. They're about as wide as you can go on manual steering models without making steering nearly impossible while stopped or crawling, and are only a little shorter than the tire above overall. 31x10.5-15s are just a pain in the ass. If you _are_ running stock rims on these older vehicles, remember that you're limited in how low you can drop tire pressure. These rims were designed for tubed bias-ply tires and lack the 'safety rib' just inboard of the bead that was incorporated into tubeless rims. You can mitigate this a bit by using inner tubes in these tires, but this has its own set of drawbacks and still doesn't let you drop pressures as much as you can with a tubeless tire on a proper tubeless rim. The best solution on these trucks is to find stock-size rims _with_ the retention bead for tubeless tires. A more expensive route is to have a new tubeless tire shell fitted to the center disc of your stock rim center, or 'disc'. Remember that these are _very_ light vehicles - as low as 2400 pounds when bone stock. They _don't benefit_ much from crazy wide tires, especially on slick surfaces like snow. Yes, you get flotation, but you need _weight_ to provide traction. Tall skinny tires work great on these old trucks.

My pet peeve here in Canada is the fact car dealers sell 4x4 pickups and SUVs with P rated rather than LT rated tires.

Gen 2 Pajero gets awesome offroad with 285 75r16 (33's) with 0 offset rims. Took yours and a lot of others advice and went with the razr mt's and my swb is basically a little mountain goat! 🐐

I have 265/70r17 tyres on my Hilux on original rim, but next tire choice I am considering will be 255/75r17 which is the best compromise tire I guess, 32.1inch height and you can also get it C rated, less weight, better consumption. Great videos Ronny :)

Snow and ice ratings are every important for many places on the globe...M/T usually have non and are dangerous. Some ATs have.

Thanks for this vid Ronnie. I’ve just been through the tyre choice process, after watching your vids the choice was pretty easy. The tyre choice for my old rodeo ended up being some aggressive A/T’s with a smaller diameter than what was on it. 32 down to 31. My rig is much happier now and suits my purpose of being a daily with the occasional trip to the bush.

Haha! I like that name. A new class tire "Stock Terrain". 🤙

Awesome vid as always! Jammed full of experience and real world knowledge. You’ve saved a lot of people money and embarrassment over the years. Keep up the good work Ronny.

Awesome advice…I watched all of your videos on tires before choosing ATs for my Fortuner with stock 18” wheels. My issue is that where I live, Pakistan, getting quality after markets or steel wheels is a major pain, and very costly. So I split the difference and upgraded to larger tires (265/65/18 KO2s). They run 31.5” and are fine for what I do (85% on road driving), but still give me flexibility and peace of mind when dropping pressures off-road. Ideally I wanted 17s with 265/70/17s, but like I said…wasn’t comfortable with the cheap Chinese knockoff wheels that are prolific here.

Really cool visualisation. I saw a cool feature on a tractor steel wheel, the rim edge was rounded back on it'self.

I have 265/65R17 (31" ) all seasons on my Prado which is what it came with. So far very happy with them, but once I do a bit more challenging stuff will see how they go. Once they wear up I might go for a bit more aggressive a/t but nothing to crazy. As much as off roading with it I use in snow in winter so I also have dedicated winter tyres (studless) at the same size. Plenty of sidewall allows more flex for shaking off the snow out of the treads better than a low sidewall. Its a big reason I bought the TX and not the higher spec model as that comes with 18 or 19" rims with much thinner tyres.

NT-NX Pajero goes great with a 3” Lovells lift, airbags in the rear springs and 17”CSA Bandit rims with 32.7” BFG ATs. The biggest issue with the lift is the geometrical alignment on the rear. You’ll need a professional to get that alignment correct. Pajero has better clearance in all three; approach, ramp over and departure angles than say Prado but has independent rear suspension so the rear drive train could be a bit weaker. Loving my lifted NX though.

Not going to lie, I've gotten to the point where rock crawling/rock hopping = side by side Long distance general purpose 4x4/overlander/touring = something like the Hilux or Tacoma. Main reason is the cost it takes to make a Tacoma/Hilux into a proper hard core off-roader is about the same as just straight up buying a 2021 Kawasaki KRX 1000. And the KRX 1000 will be less to maintain overall for what you're doing. Hard core off-roading must haves>> 20" of suspension travel front/rear 35-40" tires High range/low range/4WD/Lockers Proper balance so if jumped (as a basic example) you don't nose dive etc sliders/bumper/winch/skids etc Having seen someone throw 20,000$ at a Tacoma and then comparing that to what my dad bought for 20,000 (brand new KRX). You can still do more with a side by side that is stock then a super crazy tricked out truck(partially because of the weight). And I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't driven/experienced it lol. Also most people that wheel really hard, trailer their vehicles to the destination due to the fact that rock crawling usually breaks things...at which point a side by side for the fun you get might genuinely make a lot of sense. Though at the end of the day, drive what makes you smile. And I realize I very much got off on a rabbit trail, but food for thought none the less.

Work for a mineral exploration company. Find myself in some really nasty, remote country. Drive a 105 series landcruiser with lift kit, Run 16" x 7.50, 14 ply cross plies as do a lot of prospectors out here. Destroyed quite a few radial at's, muddies etc. Biggest problem is side walls. Just spent a month near Nullagine. No problems at all with the cross plies. Last time, November, destroyed two top rated at's. The nature of my job means I do a lot of bush bashing, no tracks at all. Make my own. Once I have done my bit, the other exploration teams can follow those tracks, or not depending on the advice I give them.

Im running 285/75/16 MT works great

I used to take my infiniti qx80 offroading using 305/45R22 and I found it the best way to keep the ground clearance as high as possible and cool grip

Here in Lebanon my BF Goodrich All Terrains 31.5 on 16 inch stock rims and suspension. Get me through snow and rocks. 15 psi in snow and 28 on road never ever been stuck. Helps having a 91 pajero coupe though!!

200 series with BFG K02 285/70/17. No noticeable fuel economy change and have done plenty of off/on road km's

16:51 actually 20" rims with 40" tires work well. Funny thing is that falls right into your earlier recommendation of not exceeding 9-9.5" of sidewall height.

Prado > 275/70r17 (on +18 offset rim) max legal size. Is very functional off road. Zero scrub or contact on any standard components even in full flex, with a legal 2" lift and bull bar. A little bit of an odd size, but not as uncommon as you may think

Thank you Ronny , always very informative and helpful.. The tables you presented are a good reference to always go back to. Greetings from Bahrain , Middle East.

I don't know why, but I scrolled down real quick to make sure I was SUBBED.

I really feel for you folks. As fantastic as Australia is I’m so happy I live in a country that doesn’t force me to answer to anyone. I can choose to re-gear put 37” tires on and drive it daily plus hit the trail hard on the weekend.

Good point. Toyota and Isuzu are going far too low on tyre profile. I changed my Rav 4 from 19 to 17 inch on purchase date.

It's always funny to see this kind of video when you'r having fun with 135/80 -R15 on 0.5Bar ...

love an info vid from Ronny any day of the week

Extremely informative video Ronny! Best one I have seen yet. Thank you for making these videos.

Thank you. Time well spent!

If it's helpful for anyone with an R50 Nissan Pathfinder most of us in the states are running -19mm offset (to clear front spring perch) 15"-16" wheels and 31"x10.5" or 32"X12.5" tires. 32" requires a good amount of trimming the front bumper/wheel well.

My daily drive tyre on my 79 is a bfg ko2 265/75/16 31” all terrain. But my play or trip tyre is a humho road venture mt71 315/75/16 35” muddy. The difference in off road capability is not even comparable but same goes for the fuel economy. 12L per 100 vs 15L it’s definitely worth having 2 sets of tyres. It will pay for itself in fuel saved

MR Triton running 295/70/R17's, in the Ronny hat zone and they go GREAT in the Victorian High Country where I do most of my off roading. I'll likely go 305/70/r17's next but they're definitely not the easiest things to fit at full flex in a Triton haha

255/75r17 255/85r16 235/85r16 are underated

Hi Ronny, it also depends on the type of vehicle. I drive two different 4x4's - Toyota J95 (daily) and Jeep CJ7. Both have the same amount of minimum clearance (measured under the diffs). The Toyota on its standard 265x70x16 (30,6") and the Jeep on 33x10.5x15. Take this also into consideration - how is your vehicle build and what does it take to get a certain amount of clearance.

I'm running the Toyo open country RT tyre. On a 79 series. Which I believe is a all terrain cross with a mud. Absolutely loving it. Would be interesting to see your review ronny on a tyre of this type

Thank you again Ronny. Always so informative. Come overlanding with us in Botswana. Cheers Mate.

I'm running Maxxis 980 Bravo A/T in 285x70R17 (roughly a 33) on an '08 200 series. According to my calculations, it's in your hat - which is good. IMO it actually almost looks stock once you up the tyre size like this - makes me wonder if it was originally designed for this size and they were overruled for some other reason like marginally improved fuel economy or better handling... They're pretty chunky for an A/T tyre but don't go as far as being a full-on mud tyre, a bit noisy at highway speeds. With all the gear in, the old suspension was about 1.5-2" lower than stock, it occasionally rubbed a little at the front under full lock - but only in reverse, and only when full lock right. After it's raised 2" it's fine and there's clearance to spare (I did the suspension last - to ensure it was suitable for the added weight from the rest of the gear), so I could go up a bit for the next set. Stock is around 31.5, so I can go up to about 33.5 and it'd still be legal, too.

I use the all terrain version of your Maxxis tyre on my Forester (225/60/17). At sharp turns I can feel very slight body running but it’s no biggie. It’s quite capable. W/ that said, it’s RIP to my fuel economy. I go through Shell V-Power like water. And there’s more wear on the vehicle as well. I also had to sacrifice a bit of a celebration too due to the slightly extra unsprung weight. Other than that, I *love* the tyres & will keep them for the next few years. And the ride is softer = slightly more ride comfort. My rims don’t get bent as much anymore as well.

Let's just all agree that skinny tyres are way better

Obviously a much older video, but perhaps some quick shorts from this would be great like the ideal sidewall height!

Thanks for the shoutout Ronny 🙌

You brought up a very good point in that the availability of different size tires varies greatly depending on where you are traveling. Here in the US 35 inch and now more and more 37 inch tires are very common and widely available. I suspect trying to find those tires during international travel could prove very problematic so where you travel will have a big impact on your choice. Great video and thanks for the insight!

The goal for my little nissan d21 was to keep it cheap so the tires I have are smaller winter tires that came on a set of wheels I got. I went from a 30" tire that was a little wider to about a 27" tire. I didn't like how they looked at first but tbh it drives way better. I was curious how much weight i would save so i weighed both sets. I saved about 9 lbs per wheel when I switched over to the winter tires. The bigger ones look much better but the longer gearing and heavier rotating weight just don't make sense. I think my next set of tires will be a nice set of all terrains on the smaller side because it drives so much better how it currently is.

Another great video with tons of information! I’m in the US and off-road with a Tacoma TRD off-road, it was impressive testing it with the stock 30.5” tires and I’m upgrading to 31.5” all terrains. Wish we had the hilux and many other rigs you have here in the US

Tyre size and factory gearing is also something to think about the swap from say 245/70/16 to 285/75/16 could need the diff gears replaced to restore drivability

Great video. Lots of info to digest. I love seeing your vehicles with tires fitted without tire poke out. Not a look a like at all.

295/65r20 Perfect Only 11.6 wide instead of 12.5, so mint for sand And I believe just under 8" sidewall. And looks in proportion

Recently took delivery of a new Prado Kakadu fitted with 19 inch rims and highway tyres, totally useless off road. I bought a second set of 17 inch rims with a slightly wider offset and fitted BF Goodrich KO2’s. I swap between the two sets when I want to go off-road. Regularly driving the vehicle with two separate sets of tyres and being able to compare has given me a good insight of how crap off-road tyres are on road.

Very informative R.D. much appreciated the time put into this video.. I've experienced Scorpion tyres on my 07 100 series 1HDFTE. Never again .. not a strong enough tyre in the sidewall .. in my opinion ,for this vehicle. This comment is based on Hwy travel not off road.

My favorite tire right now is the 255/85 r16 coopers hybrids on my Nissan Frontier d40

I'm only gonna do touring and plan to get BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 265/70 R 17 121S Already have 17" rims. Stock is 265/65-17.

Nothing gets 4x4 folks into conversation more than which tires are best. For me Cooper Discovery ST Maxx in 255/85x16 for my 2005 Tundra.

Great advice as always Ronny 👌🏻 Looking jacked 💪🏻

W460 g wagon on 32x11.5x15 BFG K02. But i ran 31x10.5x15 for last set all around Australia. Only gone up in size because I've ditched the camper trailer & want to go down slightly more remote & harder tracks!

R/D. Basic touches on this topic are a great way to introduce new 4wd users ! Thought about including qualified tyre industry 'reptiles' in the presentation ? V.

ronny. all. i’ve got an old school. 105. solid axel. NA diesel. i’m debating between 285/75/16. and 265/75/16. it’s already slow. can definitely fit both. some friends saying. 265. others saying 285. i’m struggling to choose.

Another great video with excellent advice 👍

Interesting video, I think your missing a fair bit of vital information though. If your Hilux has 265/65/17 as standard, and your now running a 33(12.5 at a guess) then unless you leave it standard ride height, your vehicle will be illegal in WA as it's now 31mm higher due to the sidewall difference. Add a 25/50mm lift, and you have increased your roof heigh by more than the 50mm allowed(unless you do a lane change test, get a mod plate) And the generalisation that only solid axle vehicles can do "real offroad" is complete garbage

Good video ronny good to see you doing ur old intro and like the subscribe thing. Good info as well

Great information. Thank you Ronny!

D22 Nav running 285/70/16 AT,s. I wanted 75 profile but was scared it would rub as the suspension is sagging. I would have got away with 75,s but need to fix the suspension. This is a good all round combo as the majority of my off road driving is sand and it's fine on road. The bigger profile will put me in a better rev range at highway speeds but I would need low range off road a lot more as I lack bottom end torque.

HT - on road wet weather safety and braking distance, fuel economy and minimum road noise are the key benefits. One of the magazines did a brilliant AT comparison maybe 12-15 years ago and the Pirelli Scorpion AT performed as well as any of them off road and puncture resistance, and had a great load rating for a ute - but also had by far the best wet weather breaking distance… Goldilocks. Then Pirelli totally changed this tyre. Unfortunate.

where all this gets more confusing is that the tyre profile is affected by tyre width. ie 265/65R18 are 31.6" diameter 285/60R18 are 31.5" diameter. This then effects width and length of foot print.

I love you and your content

Brilliant info mate, cheers.

I run 37" tires on 17" rims. Sidewall is king.

Excellent as always

A taller tire than stock will reduce your tork and horse power and the more weight you carry will also reduce your performance so you need to find the right balance for your driving needs

Great educational and informative video (as always). This really makes so much sense and be smarter about it... I was thinking going with 235/75R15 on the new Suzuki Jimny... Just for aesthetics ( as I don't do much off roading) .. Now I think the more sensible choice should be 215/75R15 for day to day and then occasional off road/beach should be sufficient.

Thanks for the info. I'm looking at ordering a new VX Prado. Toyota have seen fit to upgrade the rims from the previous 18" to 19" for the current series. I've sought advice and will be keeping my 18" rims for the new car.

Another factor to consider that was not mentioned in this video is the legality of tyre/wheel sizes for your vehicle. All fine to say fit 33 inch or 35 inch tyres but legally in many cases you're not able to go beyond 25mm extra in width or height. Just something to be aware of in addition to the wealth of information in this video.

Rims rated to 1500 kg each , add it all up , 4.5 tonne , 😂😂, does it only have 3 wheels mate ???

Re tyre weight loads, the two figures are whether it is a single or a dual tyre axle, nothing to do with PSI other than it is the weight that the tyre can take AT maximum psi, which is also stated on the tyre. Do not exceed either of these figures.

Fantastic explanation.

you forgot about running bald 750/16 truck tyres if you want to go straight through the scrub. ive seen station owners collection old bald tyres for this

Using 235/85/16 BFG K02 on our Prado LJ78G.

You should come n visit Egypt do some off road here u will enjoy

Man my valve stem ripped one day while i was at work i get off at 11 at night so nothing i could do then but my m/t even at 1 psi still didn't go fully flat i still had 3-4 inches till my rim hit the road drove home with out a problem (back roads and desert very slowly)

The problem with the luxury/performance SUVs is that they make the brakes so massive that you sometimes can’t fit a smaller wheel to gain sidewall.

Tyre brands that are good for All terrain

Great editing!

Great video! Everything depends.

Toyo m/t 285/75 17 have them on my truck 124 000 miles on them lots of life left

DuraTracs 285/75/16s here on a FJ Cruiser

Unless you go with a big brake kit you can go with a 15 inch wheel and a taller sidewall on your tire

Do you have any advice on gearing ratios, change the ratios in the diffs or transfer box to compensate for the taller tyre?

I would love to hear about the Nissan Patrol Small Brother - Nissan Terrano , I have 2005 . and in Israel / Europe it is a very cheap & very veryy Good off road, but I never saw no one talks about it ... or the Isuzu trooper .

Great vid, helps me out alot

Thanks

Nothing said about the width of the wheel (rim) and tire compatibility. This is important.

instant subscribed! 👍👍👍

I love my maxxis is razr mt’s. They perform awesome offroad, wear well and they are the best looking mud terrain tyre out there imo.