265 or 285 tires for 1999 TJ Wrangler?

285 would look better I think but last time I checked finding less than a D or E load rating was pretty slim pickins. Assuming you have 16” wheels? Are you wanting to keep those wheels?

I'm planning either 295/75-16 or 285/75-16 on 4.10 gears.

I find myself using this site more often lately as I consider different tire sizes and correct backspacing.

RichAdults said:

Bought a 1999 TJ Wrangler 4.0 6cyl

Currently it has 3" suspension lift and 1" body lift. It has 35" KO2's. Speedometer is fine.

Thinking about downgrading the size, would 265mm be better with the lift kits or should 285mm be the standard as i already run 35's just fine on 3.73 gears?

Below is a picture with 35" tires on. Would 265mm look too small?

View attachment 600138

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285mm - 265mm = 20mm or about 7/8" difference in tread width. Is that what you are concerned about?

If you're worried about looks I think you've got bigger fish to fry than worrying about 7/8" of tire width..........

RichAdults said:

Would it make a major difference in looks though with our its already lifted or only when compared side by side?

the difference between 285 and 265 is $200 in savings

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I would be more concerned about overall tire performance than a 7/8" difference in tread width.

The Cooper At3 is a great tire for all terrain use . I've run it in both E and C ratings and they performed well both in ride and traction . It is a good all around tire and handles water on the road great without hydroplaning. I ran that tire for over 20 years on one vehicle or another . No complaints other than some of the tires I've had didn't balance out as well as they should have . The earliest one seem to have balanced better than the more recent ones .

I would probably go with the 285 over the 265 with your setup .

You can get a 285/70r17 in a Falken at4w in a load range C . We are running The Falken at4w in a 255/85r16 in a load range C . It rides well and performs great off-road . Doesn't hydroplane easily , which was very important to us .

RichAdults said:

Bought a 1999 TJ Wrangler 4.0 6cyl

Currently it has 3" suspension lift and 1" body lift. It has 35" KO2's. Speedometer is fine.

Dana 44 Read End with locker
Dana 30 Front
Front disk, rear drum brakes.

Thinking about downgrading the size, would 265mm be better with the lift kits or should 285mm be the standard as i already run 35's just fine on 3.73 gears?

Below is a picture with 35" tires on. Would 265mm look too small?

View attachment 600138

Click to expand...

With 4" of total lift - and those flat fenders - 265 tires would look too small. If you are going to keep the lifts and the flat fenders, the 285 tires would look better.

Your current 3.73 gears would work better with 285 (33") tires than with the 35" tires, but still not as good as with 265 (32") tires. With 285 tires, 4.10 gears would be better with your transmission.


For comparison, here is what my own Jeep looks like (all cleaned up!) with a 2.5" suspension lift and 265/75R 16" tires. I am running 4.10 gears with this setup, and I have great power:

RichAdults said:

Would it make a major difference in looks though with our its already lifted or only when compared side by side?

the difference between 285 and 265 is $200 in savings

Click to expand...

265/70-17 is a 32" tire (or usually 31.5") and a 285/70-17 would be considered a 33" tire (also usually 32.5" in reality). Either will probably look ok on your jeep but the smaller tire is probably getting close to not quite right.

Here is mine on the 29" tires and metalcloak fenders for lols and with 285s after regear/lockers on a 2.5" lift.