| Product Reviews
For decades, hot rodders have run big tires in the back to put horsepower to the ground and small tires up front for less weight and easier steering. But hot rodders don’t have a transfer case, so could this same idea be applied to a 4x4?
We wanted to find out, so we rounded up three Toyo Open Country M/Ts of different sizes to test on our ’98 Toyota 4Runner. The Open Country M/T was perfect for our test since Toyo offers them in some unique sizes not offered by most tire manufacturers, including the skinny ones we tested.
We rotated a pair of 255/85R16 (33.5x10.2) Toyos with 285/75R16 (33x11.6) and 265/75R16 (31.8x10.8) Open Country M/Ts at each corner of the 4Runner to test not only width differences but height differences as well.
You can think of the tall and skinny 255/85R16 tires like Paris Hilton. They provide the most ground clearance, but don’t think that they are without “issues.” They won’t burst into tears or anything like that, but you might be crying if they leave you buried in soft terrain where a wider tire would provide more flotation.
The 285/75R16 tires are nearly as tall as the 255/85R16s, but they are wider, more like Beyoncé than Paris. The 265/75R16 tires are the shortest of the group but not the skinniest, kind of like Snooki from Jersey Shore if Snooki came in metric sizing.
Normally, running different-diameter tires on a 4x4 is a bad idea. Something has to give if the front tires aren’t traveling the same speed and distance as the rear tires. That something could be the transfer case, a ring-and-pinion, or traction giving way. Our testing was performed in 4-Hi on sand and mud, where traction was limited and differences in size could be qualified. Different tire sizes when run on high-traction surfaces such as rocks will find the weak links in your drivetrain.
Spoiler alert: We didn’t blow up the transfer case, but we did learn a lot in the process.
Why We Wanted to Run Different-Size Tires
Given the small difference in diameter, we chose to run the tall skinny tires on the front of our 4Runner and the tall wide tires in the rear after completing our testing. Why? The narrower tires up front are lighter and limit traction to the CVs, which have a nasty habit of breaking when the front ARB Air Locker is on and the tires are bound up off-road. In addition, the narrow tires clear our custom front suspension components without protruding excessively outside the fenders. Out back the wider tires provide excellent traction and floatation, particularly in soft terrain like sand. Like Goldilocks, we now have a combination that is just right.
Who Won WWII Anyway?
Refuse to use the metric system? The following information can help you decipher that jumble of numbers and letters found on modern tires.
Let’s take the 265/75R16 Toyo Open Country M/T used in our test. The first number (265) is the tire’s section width in millimeters. The second number (75) is the sidewall height expressed as a ratio of the width (75 percent of 265). The last number is the rim diameter, which thankfully is still listed in inches.
Tire height in inches = 265 mm x 0.75 x 2 (tire above and below rim) / 25.4 mm per inch + 16 inches (rim diameter)
Tire width in inches = 265 mm / 25.4 mm per inch
| Tire Size | Height (in) | Width (in) | Weight (lb) | Rotations Per Mile | Air Pressure to Achieve 15 Inches From Ground to Center of Hub |
| 265/75R16 | 31. 8 |
10.8 | 59.2 | 634 | 20 |
| 255/85R16 | 33.5 | 10.2 | 61.2 | 602 | 10 |
| 285/75R16 | 33 | 11.6 | 65.7 | 611 | 12 |
S. in 2022
Calculate
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In the tire comparison table above, you can see a detailed calculation of the size difference between 255/85 R16 and 295/85 R16 tire. The calculation results are presented in the form of visual infographics, on which tire with size 255/85 R16 is on top, and tire with size 295/85 R16 below. Both in the table and in the graph, the tires are compared according to the following indicators: overall diameter, section width, circumference, sidewall height and clearance. Also, the online application calculates the difference in real speed and speedometer readings if the difference between tire 255/85 R16 and tire 295/85 R16 is significant. Calculate the difference in inches.
If you want to compare other tire sizes, then select their sizes in the drop-down fields and click on the green button. The online wheel calculator will then display the new results.
| Side comparison | Frontal comparison |
|---|---|
Calculate
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In the table above you can see a detailed comparison of the difference in dimensions, parameters and performance between a 255/85 R16 tire and a 265/85 R16 tire. The results of the calculations are also presented in the form of visual models (infographics), on which a tire with a size of 255/85 R16 is on top, and with a size of 265/85 R16, respectively, at the bottom. The visualization was generated in two projections: lateral (left) and frontal (right). The online calculator compares tires according to the following characteristics: diameter, width, circumference, profile height, revolutions per km, ground clearance change. Additionally, a potential deviation between the actual speed and the speed displayed on the speedometer is calculated, which can occur if the difference between tires 255/85 R16 and 265/85 R16 is significant.
If you want to compare other tyres, just select the required parameters in the drop-down fields and click on the green button.
| Side Comparison | Frontal comparison |
|---|---|
Matching tires and rims is an important step towards safety and driving comfort for any driver.
A frivolous attitude to this issue is fraught with serious consequences, both for the technical condition of the vehicle, and for the health and life of drivers and passengers. Consider this problem on SUVs, crossovers or pickup trucks of various classes. Of course, here the size range is not so large, which makes it easier to select discs for tires. To begin with, it is worth recalling what indicators are important when deciding whether tires and wheels match:
Wheel marking R13 4x98 ET35 J5 D58.6
The table below shows almost all off-road vehicle wheel sizes. We remind you that on our website there is also an option for selecting discs by car brand . Also on our website there is similar information regarding passenger cars .
Tire and wheel matching table
| Wheel diameter | Tire size | Wheel rim width (inches) | ||
| Minimum | Recommended | Maximum | ||
| 16" | 7. 50R16 | 5.50 | 6.00 | 6.50 |
| 235/85R16 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 7.5 | |
| 15" | 195/80R15 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 6.5 |
| 215/80R15 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 7.0 | |
| 16" | 205/80R16 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 7.0 |
| 215/80R16 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 7.0 | |
| 15" | 215/75R15 | 5.5 | 6. 0 | 7.0 |
| 225/75R15 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 7.5 | |
| 235/75R15 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 8.0 | |
| 255/75R15 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 8.5 | |
| 16" | 225/75R16 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 7.5 |
| 15" | 195/70R15 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 6.5 |
| 205/70R15 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | |
| 265/70R15 | 7. 0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | |
| 16" | 215/70R16 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 7.0 |
| 225/70R16 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 7.5 | |
| 235/70R16 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | |
| 245/70R16 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 8.0 | |
| 265/70R16 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | |
| 275/70R16 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | |
| 17" | 225/70R17 | 6. 0 | 6.5 | 7.5 |
| 265/70R17 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | |
| 15" | 185/65R15 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 6.5 |
| 16" | 215/65R16 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 7.5 |
| 255/65R16 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 9.0 | |
| 17" | 235/65R17 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 8.5 |
| 245/65R17 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.5 | |
| 265/65R17 | 7. 5 | 8.0 | 9.5 | |
| 275/65R17 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 9.5 | |
| 16" | 215/60R16 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 7.5 |
| 236/60R16 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 8.5 | |
| 18" | 235/60R18 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 8.5 |
| 275/60R18 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 9.5 | |
| 285/60R18 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 10.0 | |
| 17" | 225/55R17 | 6. 0 | 7.0 | 8.0 |
| 235/55R17 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 | |
| 275/55R17 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 9.5 | |
| 18" | 255/55R18 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 |
| 19" | 255/55R19 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 |
| 275/55R19 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 9.5 | |
| 285/55R19 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | |
| 17" | 255/50R17 | 7. 0 | 8.0 | 9.0 |
| 18" | 235/50R18 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 8.5 |
| 285/50R18 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | |
| 19" | 255/50R19 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 |
| 20" | 255/50R20 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 |
| 275/50R20 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 9.5 | |
| 18" | 255/45R18 | 8.0 | 8.5 | 9. 5 |
| 19" | 235/45R19 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 9.0 |
| 275/45R19 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 10.5 | |
| 285/45R19 | 9.0 | 9.5 | 10.5 | |
| 20" | 265/45R20 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 10.0 |
| 19" | 255/40R19 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 10.0 |
| 20" | 275/40R20 | 9.0 | 9.5 | 11.0 |
| 20" | 315/35R20 | 10. 5 | 11.0 | 12.5 |
| 21" | 285/35R21 | 9.5 | 10.0 | 11.0 |
| 22" | 285/35R22 | 9.5 | 10.0 | 11.0 |
| 21" | 325/30R21 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 13.0 |
| 22" | 295/30R22 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 11.5 |
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