Tall & skinny or wide tires?

[NKlekas]

I was having a discussion with my father in-law the other night about tire sizes and I was curious to see what you guys think. Or mainly if what he said was accurate and would make sense with TJ’s
He has a 2022 Gladiator and has the stock 33’s on them. We started talking about tires and how we both want to jump up to 35’s at one point. He started talking about Tall and Skinny tires and how they are better for off-roading. He said they avoided obstacles better and ride better. He also mentioned how they have more Pounds per square inch on the ground.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this. I have met/know quite a few people who LOVE skinny tires on their hunting rigs. Especially mid size trucks like Tacoma’s.
I’ve only ever ran 12.5 and have enjoyed the size of the 12.5. I do pretty mild off roading/camping so maybe it just depends on what you use your rig for. But after hearing a decent amount of people mention skinny is “better” I was curious for the consensus on here.

 

[inkedrose]

I saw this couple years ago, pretty cool info but I'm still running 12.5's

 

[lBasket]

I saw this couple years ago, pretty cool info but I'm still running 12.5's

We just had this discussion in another thread and this video came up. I think it's nonsense TBH.

Go look at what professionals run in competition and see if you want to assume they're all doing the wrong thing or not IMO. I don't think anyone runs pizza cutters in KOH do they?

 

[srimes]

Look around and you'll see capable vehicles with both. Just like with tractors. It depends on the application.

 

[inkedrose]

We just had this discussion in another thread and this video came up. I think it's nonsense TBH.

Go look at what professionals run in competition and see if you want to assume they're all doing the wrong thing or not IMO. I don't think anyone runs pizza cutters in KOH do they?

like I said, I'm still on wider tires but I'm a big fan of testing theories. Just because everyone is doing it doesn't always mean it best. I've been around snow sports for a few decades, watched what everyone thought was right about snowboard tech flip on it's head more than once. I think questioning norms is a good thing

 

[topfuel83]

It all depends on what you are using your jeep for the majority of the time. If you spend most of your time on the road, especially in snowy conditions, skinny tires handle a lot better. Skinny tires also work well off road when you are needing to cut down through softer mud or snow to a harder layer underneath for traction. Wider tires work much better on the rocks when aired down to wrap the tire around the rock. Wide tires also work great for deep mud, sand, and snow where you are trying to "float" on top as much as possible.

 

[Rut Row]

It all depends on what you are using your jeep for the majority of the time. If you spend most of your time on the road, especially in snowy conditions, skinny tires handle a lot better. Skinny tires also work well off road when you are needing to cut down through softer mud or snow to a harder layer underneath for traction. Wider tires work much better on the rocks when aired down to wrap the tire around the rock. Wide tires also work great for deep mud, sand, and snow where you are trying to "float" on top as much as possible.

that video above certain cast doubt about this long held theory.

I went from 12.5x33R15 to 10.5x33R1315 and won't go back. It handles better and I've seen no difference in the rocks or mud. Our here in the neglected East we have lots of rocks and mud too! I don't drive it in the snow.

 

[TheBoogieman]

 

[TheBoogieman]

I went from 12.5x33R15 to 10.5x33R13 and won't go back.

How are those 13" wheels working out for you?

 

[glowell222]

I'm running 33x9.5s. Perfect for my requirements.

 

[imahnu]

that video above certain cast doubt about this long held theory.

I went from 12.5x33R15 to 10.5x33R15 and won't go back. It handles better and I've seen no difference in the rocks or mud. Our here in the neglected East we have lots of rocks and mud too! I don't drive it in the snow.

Idk how much of a difference I felt between those same two sizes with my experience as well but I definitely noticed a difference when I went to some 38x15.5r15s. Obviously the diameter is gonna play a big role in that but once they are aired down I can cruise over terrain I used to just cut right through.

My go to off-road spot in Houston has tons of very deep soft mud and water crossings. The extra lift I get from the tires definitely helps me not drag and get hung up on my diffs but it’s noticeably better at not digging new/deeper ruts than people on 33/35x12.50s or my old 33x10.50s.

 

[freedom_in_4low]

I'm not sure a narrow tire provides any more grip but I don't think it provides any less, either, and there are other benefits I'm interested in, like reduced weight and the ability to tuck them in a little tighter for better steering behavior.

The fact that wide tires are popular doesn't mean they're better. It just means the tire companies think that's what will sell.

 

[Harold&Cat]

For a daily driver I prefer the narrow tire , less likely to hydroplane . They both have their places . I've run 7.00x15 all the way up to 44x18.5 and it just depends on the terrain and vehicle. For our trail riding that we do now I prefer the narrow tire . Mostly running Forrest service roads in the mountains of Arkansas .

 

[ColoJeep]

At some point , size stops mattering. Have some of both in your group and have fun!

 

[JMT]

Just get beadlocks!

The video tests one tire in both widths and then another tire in one of the widths. The other tire made a bigger difference than the width difference between the two, so who knows what other tires would do?! Could be more important to have a particular tire. What about the load? Doesn’t that affect sidewall stiffness. The two were load E. I don’t know what the one other tire was. He didn’t say.

 

[jjvw]

Just get beadlocks!

The video tests one tire in both widths and then another tire in one of the widths. The other tire made a bigger difference than the width difference between the two, so who knows what other tires would do?! Could be more important to have a particular tire. What about the load? Doesn’t that affect sidewall stiffness. The two were load E. I don’t know what the one other tire was. He didn’t say.

Agreed. If the tests are not using the same model tire, it is invalid. I know from experience that three different 35x12.5 aggressive tire brand/models will perform dramatically different in the same terrain.

My strong instinct is that most of the time for off-road use, I would want the higher performing tire with the larger footprint, both in diameter and width. This increases the tire's ability to put traction down and bridge gaps.

There is also a wide range of use where none of this matters and all tires will be sufficient.

 

[TheBoogieman]

I guess I'll go with some 35x10.50 tires when mine wear out. I doubt they're any lighter.

 

[srimes]

Here's the thing, we all love the look of bigger tires, but there are a lot of advantages to smaller tires, too. That's why everything comes with different sized tires.

You can make a tire bigger by increasing height OR width, or of course both. So when you say "tall and skinny," what is it compared to? The same height but wider tire, which is a bigger tire? Or a shorter and wider tire of similar overall volume? And on what vehicle and in what situation? It gets very specific very quickly, and these details matter.

There's a lot to like about tall and skinny, but lately it's turned into silly dogma. Cars started as motorized wagons, which were the ultimate tall and skinny setup. And they've gotten MUCH wider over the years. There are very good reasons for that.

The whole "more contact pressure is better" argument is simply an argument for SMALLER tires. Skinny tires are smaller, and if they're the same height as fatter tires you maintain the advantage of tall tires making obstacles "smaller" while running a smaller tire.

And as for the whole "higher contact pressure grips better" claim, tell that these guys running very fat rubber on ultralight cars.

Or for those who insist on an offroad example:

I've wanted to run Q78s (35.5x10) for a really long time (still do!), and I know they'd be fantastic where I grew up in Northwest Arkansas. But now I'm in Oregon and almost all of my challenging wheeling is deep snow, where the main thing that stops me is sinking in too deep. I'd love to run taller tires, but that drastically increases stress on the axles and I'm already pushing them about as far as I dare. So my best option for bigger tires was to go wider, not taller. That's why I picked 35x15s for deep snow. So I can do silly stuff like this:

I also have 33" ATs for cruising around in the summer. They drive SO MUCH BETTER on road.

 

[JEEPSTEVENANAIMO]

growing up on a farm and having a parent who owned a goodyear shop i got to mess with all sorts of tire sizes.

i found that skinny and tall worked the best in mud, muskeg was large and wide low pressure. rocks was large and wide low pressure.

 

[alittleoff]

In my experience, I've wheeled with 31" tires on my old FJ-40, then to 33" and 34" tires. The 34's were a 9.50 Super Swamper that tucked into the rear fender wells nicely. But when aired down to 8 psi, the axles and belly skid dragged on the same rocks as the 31's did at street psi.
Now with my TJ's, the Blue one with 35-12.50's wanders side to side with the "W" profile of the highway and the White one with 33-10.50's tracks better in the "W" profile of the highway.
But when it comes down to it, I'll wheel the 12.50's over the 10.50's any day, all day. Whether it's dirt, rocks, mud or snow.