Availability of tires alone is a good enough reason to not get too excessive.

After 35 years of off road driving, I can tell you he is telling you the way it is. 33 by 10.5 is all you will ever need.

Everything you say is so true , what cured my tyre fetish was seeing what a standard 1950s series one land rover could achieve on little standard rims and tyres . The vast majority do it for the cool factor .

Spend the money on lockers instead, that will make way more difference to off road capability

255/80r17 “Pizza Cutter’s” Unite!!!

Over landing the real world vs on IG.

Hey 40" tires works really well on mall-crawlers!

Everything has its place. 33s are the sweet spot for long distance self-supported trips. Great video as usual!

Thanks for watching! I should have added my experience and this advice is for SUV/4x4 vehicles like Land Cruisers, Land Rovers, Jeeps, Pajeros, Hiluxes, etc. etc. Massive trucks like MAN or Unimogs are obviously a different story - and I know nothing about that so I won't try to make up advice. Next video is about overall wheel and tire choice for international overlanding. Hit the subscribe button so you don't miss it!

The last point is 100% accurate. Even in Mexico, where they tend to have most conveniences we have north of the border, finding big tires isn’t easy. My cousins would have to drive a couple states over to get the right tires because they just weren’t available any where in the state they lived in.

This is the first video I've seen of yours. There was lots of wisdom here. I will watch more of your content and possibly subscribe.

Keeping things simple and practical is always the best advice. The more whistles and bells you have the more chance something is going to break.

31" tyres + winch can go anywhere in Aus with experience

This was a very insightful video! Much of what is discussed in this video is also stuff we are contemplating when in comes to tire size choices. Thanks for making this video!

Skinny 32" tires for life! :) All the advice was sound. But keeping the tires inside the guards really resonates with me. I see these guys go through one puddle at 10MPH and then they cant see out of their side windows or mirrors or touch their truck for the rest of the day and it completely baffles me why that is OK in their eyes. LOL

Very educational video series. Well edited, major points covered and points to think about. Thanks for putting it together and sharing your experiences!

Another important point is that it will be VERY hard to find a replacement for your 37 inch tyre when you are in some country far away. On our 4x4 van (Toyota Hiace) I don't have big tyres, they are only 225/75R16. But they can be found on any tyre shop on the last trip through the Northern half of Asia (Russia/Central Asia/Mongolia) for less than $50. On our Landcruiser we had 235/85R16 which is also a common size. It also becomes hard to fit a same size spare wheel on a lot of vehicles. The rest that you are describing is the typical 4x4 virus. You make one mod that is causing you to need another mod, and then you are down the rabbit hole of spending lots of money. And any standard 4x4 will go to most places in the world. Just spend money on a small lift and go driving.

Some great advice Dan! I personally really liked the tubed mining/military tires like the 7.50R16 Dunlop SPs etc. I know they're not so readily available in North America but they're ubiquitous in many parts of the world for a good reason.

I have 31” tires. I do overlanding not rock crawling Weight is not your friend...

I've gone diff locks over anything bigger than 33" on my 80 series, just have a look at where Graham Cahill puts that Dmax. Although saying that, I've got a set of cheapie muddies in 35" for local trips, it drives like a cow on LSD on-road but.

The Stock Jeep Rubicon Tires are honestly really good. They air down well, great tread and return good MPG.

This video is spot on in every aspect. I've been overlanding for over 15years and never ran bigger than 33s with a good winch I'll get every where I need to and not be stopping for fuel every 300ks. 👍🏻👍🏻

Great informative video ! I’ve always run stock size tires on my 08jkuRubi, which I’ve setup for camping/ living. I keep it all as Light as possible. 🙏🌲❤️🇨🇦

I run 31 KO2s on my Jeep cj5. Diesel and locked rear. 1.5" suspension lift and warn winch. It handles fantastic, gets great fuel economy and is light enough to go nearly everywhere. Great video, thanks!

we have stuck with the stock size on our 4Runner and chose our tires based on weight, material, and tread design. This keeps our budget funds available for other necessities such as fuel. Love this video. Cheers!

perfectly explained. It has been mentioned in off road racing as well, if you want to run a 40" tire, the entire suspension and drive line must be upgraded to handle the 'un-sprung weight' of the hardware. I use 33" with a 4:10 gear. I could go 35", but that is re-gearing off the diff and the potential to break components with the added resistance. thank you

One thing that some people don't consider even when they are just driving around town is that the wider tires are more likely to pick up a nail / screw and get a flat than the narrower tires. A 275 width tire is going to have a 12.245% greater chance of getting a flat from a nail or screw than a 245 width tire. More tread on the ground equals a proportional greater chance of running over something that is going to give you a flat. Of course, *my* experience is that nails and screws seems to be particularly attracted to brand new tires, not tires that you already have 30-40K miles on... :(

ADAC in Germany (the equivalent to AAA) recently made a test on different size winter tires. They used a VW Golf with 5 different sized Dunlop Winter Sport 5, a brand and model regarded as not the best but a relatively OK winter tire here in Norway (in the Nordic countries we sometimes use winter tires 1/2 the year and are 110% reliable on optimal performance, hence every year we have thorough tests for make and model). The tires tested by ADAC ranged from 195/65 R15 to 225/40 R18 and showed that the narrowest tires had the overall best performance on snow and ice. One factor was cornering, maybe something you don’t think much about going straight forward, but in those cases you have to maneuver in tight places your may be glad you didn’t go with oversized tires. However, the better performance with narrow tires on snow, ice and slush was because of hydroplaning. ADAC did the test with 7 mm water/slush and the 195 tires lost their grip at 80 km/h while the 225 lost at 70 km/h. Remember that when you go down the highway with your overloaded, top heavy 4x4 rig in a tropical storm and consider if you should (or need to bcs your chased by some hijackers) keep 55 or 60 or 65 m/h. So why mention all this on a 4x4 channel? I don’t have much experience with extensive overlanding, but for a total of 3 years I used my 1967 Willys CJ-3B daily to get to and from my job in the Amazon. The road (or track) conditions were extreme to sever (w/o a winch off-roading was obviously high risk and you might end up sleeping with the snakes when stuck). My struggles really made me convinced that snow and mud conditions is comparable. And from Norway common knowledge told me to stick with narrow tires. So when I had to replace all my tires I stuck with the original 6.00x16 (152 wide NDT military style tires). I was evident for me that the narrow tires needed less power through the mud (less friction/resistance) and absolutely the best choice for the old worn-out engine and overloaded vehicle. Just saying .....

Excellent and sound advice eloquently put. Cheers!

A very intelligent approach to tire size. Thank you for filming this video.

Here in merica alot of people that have jeeps with 35-40s are either mall crawlers or rock crawlers and everyone else with skinny’s is trail go getters or overlanders because of price like you said.

Such a fantastic video, Dan. You covered every detail. Cheers bud!

Thanks for making a video about this topic. It's very informative and your reasoning is logical.

Thanks again for really valuable information from an unpretentious perspective. I know of another well respected African 4x overlander that advocates smaller, skinnier tires. It really is refreshing to get practical advice over appearance and the need to fit in or show off. Keep it up! I'm sure you already have a million video ideas in your head, including what I am about so suggest, but a similar one about the need for a dual battery and/or solar setup would be valuable.

YES, I M THINKING LIKE YOU. Now I have 265//75r16 on my Tacoma Offroad (2019) and this summer I change for 255/85r16... narrow, but a little bit higher.. and not heavier

Excellent tips and points of view....I think the main difference is that you go overlanding (great distances) more than offroading (most people do it, making routes with physical obstacles)....

This is actually a similar scenario I went through when I upgraded my tires to 33s. My job requires me to drive forest roads on private land, and many times I may be going down a road nobody has been down in months or years. I will admit, there has been a couple times where the extra tire size has saved me from getting stuck. However, the hit on gas mileage has had me contemplating if even upgrading from 31s was worth it, let alone the 35s I was considering. I get paid per mile, so the bigger tires means less money in my pocket

I am setting two vehicles up for overlanding though my time off from work tends to keep the trip shorter. Main thing is keep on a very limited budget. One is just adding things to a 2014 Jeep Cherokee to make it do a week long overlanding with nothing more than a 100 miles away from the journey. There is not much room for tier upgrade from the stock 245/65/17 (29 1/2") and found the cost not worth the limited lift. The other is a little more for longer trips, a 1986 Ford Bronco, I was finding the original 15" wheels were hard to find good tire options so I changed to 17" rims 265/75/17 (31.6") so far so good.

Part of the fun is getting stuck , winching and thinking your way through. Always good to get advice from experience thanks.

I am driving with 285/70/R17 on my 2015 JKU. I do lots off off-road travel with the guys who have 37's on their jeeps and Toyota's. I can go anywhere and everywhere that they can go for WAY less money. Cheaper tire, less gas, break wear, gear wear, and the list continues to go on. Thanks for affirming my thoughts. Keep the videos coming!

Informed common sense, the foundation of all good decisions. Well done.

Some really good points! Thank you for sharing...

There’s so many people I come across that want to lift way too high and put big tires on or add wheel spacers *disgusting*. Then they wonder why they have trouble with hubs, ball joints, and the drivetrain

You are spot on. I have a Jeep Rubicon, many Jeepers in Colorado upgrade to huge 35-37" tires. I did a 1.75" lift upgrade and run 255/80/17 BFG KM2s. (these measure 33.3") These work great with my 4.10 gearing towing an Aliner trailer. I leave off top roof racks and keep my Jeep light as if it were a backpack. Keeping these tires inside the guards is important to me too, I was tired of cleaning my Jeep off everytime I drove on a wet dirt road.

Lots of really good points Dan. My Jeep has 35's and I got a flat in Atlanta, GA. Do you think any dealers had a replacement? Absolutely not, special order everywhere in a huge city like Atlanta! Also, changing a big, heavy tire is a real pain!!!

33” falken wildpeak a/t on my 12 Xterra pro4x I go through the same places as those with the napoleon complex.

I suggest that you use the spare wheel as well before it goes stale, seeming it is still brand new. When you rotate your tyres, include your spare wheel as well and rotate all 5 at the same time. I usually rotate mine in a anti-clockwise direction about every 7500kms

Hi from South Africa. My wife and I really enjoy your video clips and helpful information. Thank you very much. Blessings Andre & Daphne

The weight and space issue is compounded when you start carrying two spares.

Great video. I had always run 35's, max. Never had a issue where I could not eventually get out. So now I have gone with 33's max. I love them, less weight in the tire, less cost, easier to man handle should I have a blow out and easier to use the smaller tire as a anchor as its smaller to dig into the ground. I did regear to 4.88, however i was fortunate to be able to do it myself. Made all the difference on my little 4 cylinder Jeep.

I've got 35"x12.5" tires on my FJ80, they're still good but definitely considering "downgrading" to 33ish"x10.5" wide. Never considered how the contact patch changes shape for skinny vs narrow until I saw a video about it. Also getting bucked around on the highway because your tires have such a long lever arm every time you partially hit a bump or pothole isn't great for enjoyment or steering components. Good stuff, thanks for the tips.

Great points and content. I've talked to Baja racers that said anything beyond 33 or 35 is not needed in most situations. Keep in mind... in the States... the most popular vehicle is the truck. Only about 1% are used as intended. The other 99% are used to get plants and pine straw from Home Depot in the Spring. Thus, people are setting up their vehicles for Looks....

Larger tires also raise the center of gravity of your vehicle, making it more likely to have a rollover accident. The money that tires would end up costing is much better spent on a winch, lockers, an external cage and extraction gear like a shovel and MaxTraxx..

Lol I have 37” tires but I’m a weekend warrior in the Pacific Northwest but I still get 19mpg in my 86 4runner geared and update engine 2rz but with what you’ve said definitely seems like it really would not make any sense for any kind of expedition also the center of gravity is way higher and you have to climb up the dirty vehicles to access anything on top👍👍

so many great points, makes me feel better about not going bigger. goood info thanks

Now that was a great video. I have a Ford F150 with 275/65R18s. Taking your advice I need almost nothing more. I agree, 99% of the time AT tires and this stock size is more then enough for all I will be doing. Just want to be able to travel down a dirt road and see beautiful things. Never plan to go "wheeling" or rock crawling. Car camping and hiking are for me. Thanks for the insight!!

Extremely useful information. Just what I had been wondering about.

While I don't travel long international distances as you, these are all the same points I used when selecting my own Jeep tires. Ya sure, sometimes when I'm with the Jeep crowd and see all these Big Jeeps mine looks a little boring next to them. But then I remember I don't hate driving it on road and it will still go 99% of they places they take theirs.

Wow!!!! Thank you for this video!! You brought up some great points that I never even thought about!!

I totally agree Dan. Huge tires get attention at a show. Ideally if you’re going somewhere remote you want a size that gives you a chance of having it replaced wherever you are going. Huge tires decrease fuel economy (which means range) and increase wear and tear. Staying near stock size on my Tacoma off road.

Well said - I've taken bog standard vehicles to numerous countries including into the Arctic and across Siberia several times, both summer and winter, and there's always a way forward using skill - vehicle skills and people skills: Like the man says - keep the cash to get out on an adventure - and meet more wonderful people of the world. Even better if you can save weight to take gear/people along to help local people who need a boost in fantastically remote areas.

I went with 35" KO2s. It's a great balance of looks and performance without having to upgrade too much of the suspension components. I think on the JL/JLU, its ready for 35". All points made in this video is spot on.

Great video and discussion about the hindrances of big tires for long-distance remote travel! There are a few points to add to this discussion, purely about tire/vehicle performance: Big tire advantages: - The larger diameter helps them climb and roll over obstacles more easily (the obstacle is smaller relative to a bigger tire) - The sidewall is taller which gives it more ability to compress and absorb bumps rather than transmitting harsh impacts to the suspension Big tire disadvantages: - the additional width is a hindrance in deep mud or snow where you are not experiencing floatation over the material but are sunk in; a wider tire needs to push more material out of its way to make it through - Raising the vehicle by two inches raises the center of gravity by two inches which decreases available traction on uneven ground and increases the chance of a rollover

Funny this video just showed up on my feed. I'm going to be regearing my Jeep soon because we just bought a small camper and I briefly considered regearing for 37's instead of my 35's. I'll be sticking with 35's.

Funny thing. I had a Suzuki Samurai that was bone stock. It never stopped me from keeping up with the Jeeps and Bronco's with the large tires and lifts. In fact, my Sammy could get into MORE places BECAUSE it was smaller. (and fewer paint scratches too)

I once saw a land cruiser troopy that has completed global circumnavigation in 2013 in Colorado, it's on steel wheel and skinny tires.

33 10.50s are all I run on my yj and xj. I had 33 12.50s on my cj7 and it would hydroplane like crazy. Tire width should be based on vehicle weight. The wider the tire, the less vehicle psi it puts to the ground.

Good video. I would also add that log distance expeditions require a lot of time on road and therefore you need a vehicle that is capable of long distance road travel as well as having off road capability. Large tyres are not designed for long distance road use, and vehicles modified to fit large tyres usually lose some on road handling in favour of off road capability. It’s always a compromise but I agree with most of what you said.

Very instructive video, thank you very much !

You said it. 35, 37 or more look cool. Perfect for rock crawling or trails but now place for longer distance travelling

Well said, Mate. The 35" and up tires have become more of a "look" or "fad", if you will. This was very thorough and informative and hopefully people will listen to this before spending big bucks for something as minute as an inch or two of ground clearance. Thank you!

Very true it's funny when I run 37s To Rock crawler and 33s for touring and everyone asked me why I don't run the 37s on big trips like Victorian high country or Cape York. good content keep it up👍

I couldn’t imagine driving 40k+ miles in some of the builds I’ve seen in Moab, lol. But I think that’s the main difference between your vehicle vs majority of off-roaders in the US. I think when people build a vehicle in the US, the vision leans more towards crawling, mudding, or technical off-roading. Not necessarily over landing. Plus I don’t think majority of people here in the US are planning such long distance or international trips. Not that there’s anything wrong with building or planning a proper/strictly overland build or trip. Again, I think when people hear “Jeep/off-road” in the US, they tend to think Moab, the Rubicon Trail, etc where clearance is a major consideration. (Just wanted to note I’m not criticizing you, just trying to add a constructive counter-point to your argument to bolster discussion!)

Thank you! You talked me out of a few expensive upgrades.

Totally agree mate. Great video. Keep hem coming !

We bought our troopy with 35 on it. Now we changed it to 255/85r16. They look nice too. Although we consider the 285/75r16 Ann good option to due the weight of the car. 3400kg

Back in 1968 I and 2 others came overland from the UK to Australia via South Africa in a standard 1962 LWB diesel Land Rover. We had standard 750x16 wheels and tyres, plus a few spares. At no time did we need anything else. Our vehicle had a PTO capstan winch and an ex British Army Tirfor winch. In 1978 while in Wyndham, WA, I was reunited that same Land Rover, still going strong....

I never comment on anything and this video is very informative for someone looking into overlandind building my rig at the moment and this showed me se good points I haven't thought of

I like seeing old model t’s and such driving on muddy roads and they did fine with really skinny tires . That helped me get off the big fat tire addiction.

wow, this video has given me much to think about. I am revamping a bus for travel et wanted massive tires. Mainly because I think they look really neat et because I am petite et like to be further off the ground but now... am reconsidering crazy big tires as I certainly don’t want to draw attention to myself.. thanks, 💕💕💕💕💕

31" KO2s with a locker is all I've needed. I pull my little trailer (also on 31s) through everything. If the rut it too deep I pull winch line. The cost to go to bigger tires including suspension paid for my warn winch and I dont destroy the driveline getting places.

Nothing but common sense. Bravo! 👏🙂

I agree with you. i have a 2 door jeep wrangler and run 33s

All very good points. Horses for courses. For a pure tourer with light to moderate offroad challenges, I'd never install substantially larger tyres for the reasons mentioned. For me personally, I do hard tracks first, touring second, so my Jeep has been built around 37" tyres.

Big wheels and tires add a lot of unsprung weight too, which in turn effects your braking.

Depending on the weight, dimensions and center of gravity on your jeep fully loaded, I'm sure you already know wider footprint does not necessarily translate to better grip but it does help when airing down.

Sensible overlanding👍 great video Dan.

Read your book, "Work Less to Live Your Dreams", and ONLY watched to the end in case you had an answer to the question other than, as expected, "plain common sense". Anything is justifiable and marketing will convince you need things you NEVER thought you needed or need! And once again you hit the nail on the head with "plain common sense". Thanks once again for sharing.

A lot of people use larger tires here in the US because they go offroading/rock crawling with their rig and need the larger tire size. The largest you'd ever really need for overlanding is 35s and that's considering you're going to be doing some crazy rock crawling at some point in your journey hehe. All your points are so true and that's why I don't want to go bigger - I do just fine with my 33s it's the perfect size for what I use them for

I was waiting for you to mention fuel economy. I don’t remember if you mentioned weight of the bigger tires and the wear and tear on your vehicle. I should’ve just waited for you to get to weight and wear and tear You brought up many excellent points that I didn’t know about. Just subscribed too, glad YT recommended your video. 😃

He speaking facts, on the other hand the only time I use bigger tires with bigger suspension, is only when I do extreme off-road within my state’s nearest trails and not long distance. But definitely, for the long range roads 33” are ideal.

When I used to go off roading in high school my truck had 35 super swampers tsl I would always break something. When I went to some all terrains that were 33s I stopped breaking stuff. I weighed the tires the swampers weighed 80lbs each where the all terrains weighed like 30 lbs.

I love my 31's on a 2.5" lift. It doesn't look to bad on my '96 Regular cab Tacoma

Totally right man, great info!

Excellent knowledge, thank your sharing.

I was seriously considering upgrading the stock tyres and wheels on my JLR to 35'', if I'm honest, mainly for the looks. However, I'm far more interested in overlanding so you've convinced me to spend the money elsewhere. Great advice from someone who has been there and done it!

Excellent video. So many people simply don't understand that there is nothing worse than getting stuck due to a breakdown that could've been so easily avoided. Several years ago (before COVID hit), I was overlanding up at Cape York (North of Australia). A bunch of guys rocked up with 40+ -inch tyres, clearing obstacles, making big ruts in the mud and just in general being an arse. The rest of us in 28 - 321 inch tyres were also able to clear the same obstacles, albeit a bit slower. Long story short, one of the douches ate a big bite of humble pie and had to get their car towed on a rollback because their drivetrain completely blew up due to shock loading.

I'm in the US and with you. 33 is more than enough even with a 2 inch lift.

U-joints and axle breakage in stock front and rear ends becomes an issue. They're so much heavier and harder to turn. A motor with some power will break wheel joints.

I agree with everything you said. I didn't put much lift on my jeep - about 2.5 inches and I went to a 33 inch KO2. I don't do serious offroading, I tow a small camping trailer to remote locations to have a nice time. Sure, you have a few water crossings or mudholes, but none of that requires large tires or a massive amount of ground clearance. I think in the US it's really a combination of factors: trucks need to be jacked up, it's a visual thing (or dare I say it has to do with size of genitals). Then there's people in this country who buy a 50k Jeep, invest another 50k to upgrade everything and then go out on weekends to break as many drivetrain and suspension parts as they possibly can - oh, wait, they call it rock-crawling. While that may be a fun sport, you really have to have the cash to do it. I never had the desire to drive up a 3 foot rock. There's also the belief that you need a massive truck to go places or tow things. If Americans saw how people from the UK or Netherlands tow camping trailers with their small honda or subaru they wouldn't believe it. Over here you need some kind of monster truck for a 2000lbs trailer - apparently... As others have said, if you spend a lot of time in rough terrain going remote places, lockers, a winch and traction boards of any kind will give you more bang for the buck. If you just head out on forest roads and the occasional desert or mountain trail you don't need that much - a Jeep or other 4x4 is already capable enough. All you really need is a tire with good traction and a small compressor to air back up for the road.