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Narrow versus wide 33" tires...?

M

mizedog

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Falcon, CO
Unfortunately the search engine won't allow searches for two characters like "vs" so I couldn't find anything on this subject.

Can I get input on using narrow 10.50 33s vs. wide 12.50 33s? I'm in Colorado and drive through snow and ice in the winter. I don't encounter mud much. I currently run 11.50s which get great grip in snow but suck on ice. I'll be going to 33s and want feedback from people with real world experience between the two widths. I know all the tech regarding tread patch pressure, slip angle, etc. But for a daily driver mostly on dry roads, do you regret getting one or the other?

I'm leaning toward the 12.50s because I think the 10.50s would need spacers or look like stork legs.

Thanks!

Mods - Great search engine, but unfortunately we us the heck our of acronyms here which the search engine can't deal with. I know other forums have better (albeit not as precise) engines that will catch things like "vs", "mt", "at", "DB", "OD", "DS", "30", "44", "CV". Rant over.
 
Im running 33/10.5s and i love them i did it mostly becasue of clearence and backspacing but im sure 33/12.0 would do the same on road. In snow 10.5 is better becasue you can cut through and dtay in ruts better.
 
mizedog said:
Mods - Great search engine, but unfortunately we us the heck our of acronyms here which the search engine can't deal with. I know other forums have better (albeit not as precise) engines that will catch things like "vs", "mt", "at", "DB", "OD", "DS", "30", "44", "CV". Rant over.
Click to expand...

Use the google search mentioned in the sticky:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=73349

You do read the stickies, right? :)

I prefer 10.5 on the street, especially in bad weather. I prefer 12.5 on the rocks and sand. For mud and deep snow, it depends on the situation, sometimes you want to float and other times you want to dig down to solid ground.

I have 2 sets of tires, my 10.5 daily drivers and my 12.5 trails.
 
Last edited:
stoneattic said:
Use the google search mentioned in the sticky:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=73349

You do read the stickies, right? :)

I prefer 10.5 on the street, especially in bad weather. I prefer 12.5 on the rocks and sand. For mud and deep snow, it depends on the situation, sometimes you want to float and other times you want to dig down to solid ground.

I have 2 sets of tires, my 10.5 daily drivers and my 12.5 trails.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info. I'll try the Google search. I didn't realize you could narrow the search to this forum.

Thanks from a fellow musician...
 
If anything the wider tire is what needs the spacers so you can steer.

I like the look of narrow tall tires tucked under the body. It makes your truck look like an expedition rig, the exact opposite of those pimped out redneck trucks with the huge lift and short fat tires on low backspacing wheels.
 
For mud and deep snow, it depends on the situation, sometimes you want to float and other times you want to dig down to solid ground.
========================================================
X2
 
I run BFG MT KM2's, 33 / 10.50 / 15 and I really happy with the overall performance. Great on the road, in the rocks they are great, they seem to do well in the sand and I have not run in the mud yet.

Heres a couple of pictures. One of the thir and then one of how they look on the Cherokee. By the way my wheels ar 15 x 8 with 4" back space.

DSCF0014.jpg


DSCF0015.jpg
 
Most of us who live in Florida Flatland Areas where Sand, Mud, Swamp, Clay, or Wet Sandy Loam makes up the trails run with 33x12.50s on a wide 15x10 3.75 BS wheel.

When I lived up north, I never used anything wider than a 33x10.50s on 15x8 3.75 BS wheels. I think on the road and on hard pan trails, 10.50s follow track better, steer much easier, and do not put as much stress on the steering components.

In contrast to all the Jeepers around here, I am presently running on 32" skinnies on a stock rim. Unfortunately, I am always getting stranded sitting on my diffs and spinning tires as I am trying to follow the others down mud ladened trails.
 
SPXJ said:
I run BFG MT KM2's, 33 / 10.50 / 15 and I really happy with the overall performance. Great on the road, in the rocks they are great, they seem to do well in the sand and I have not run in the mud yet.

Heres a couple of pictures. One of the thir and then one of how they look on the Cherokee. By the way my wheels ar 15 x 8 with 4" back space.
Click to expand...

How much lift ya got? I've got some MT KM's ready to go on, just gotta get a lift. Wavering between the RE 3.5 and a RC 4.5, probably going to be the RE.
 
I'm running 33x10.50 BFG A/T on 15x7 ECCO rims on a 98 XJ. I've run them in the snow, sand, rocks and love them!!! I noticed that the Toyo Open Country M/T is now in that size :worship:
 
Jay S. said:
I'm running 33x10.50 BFG A/T on 15x7 ECCO rims on a 98 XJ. I've run them in the snow, sand, rocks and love them!!! I noticed that the Toyo Open Country M/T is now in that size :worship:
Click to expand...

Same set up I'm running except for in the M/T flavor. I've been very happy with mine and will be replacing my 10.5 KM's with 10.5 KM2's in the very near future. I just wish the ECCO's had a little less backspacing. They stuff great but rub the inside of the fenderwells a little much for my liking.

fasteddieyj said:
Here's some interesting reading on the wide versus narrow debate: http://www.expeditionswest.com/research/white_papers/tire_selection_rev1.html
For what it's worth I'm looking at running 33 10.50s on my 3" lift in the near future as I think it will be easier to fit them with the smaller lift.
Click to expand...

That article is an interesting read. Regardless of whether you agree with it or not, it's cool to see an opinion based upon physics rather than popular belief. Thanks for posting!
 
Do you think 33x10.5 would work well on a 3 inch lift with aggressive cutting? What kind of backspacing would be best? I need new tires too and I like the idea of a narrow tire, except for sand of course.
 
I vote for either 10.5 or 12.5 on 33's. I have run both and both have advantages and disadvantages. But either one works for most situations.
 
ncm2005 said:
Do you think 33x10.5 would work well on a 3 inch lift with aggressive cutting? What kind of backspacing would be best? I need new tires too and I like the idea of a narrow tire, except for sand of course.
Click to expand...

I just got back from Silver Lake Sand Dunes in Michigan and ran my 33x10.50s at 7 (yes, seven) psi all the way around and it worked great! I never lost a bead...the 7" rim held it on just fine and I have plenty of rim protection too.
 
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