How capable are stock 245/75R16 size tires off-road?

GorillaBiscuit

GorillaBiscuit

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Well, I was tire shopping for the Jeep, and I've really been considering going with the stock 245/75/16 size tires.
I currently have 265/75/16 size tires on the Jeep, but the spare is still the stock 245/75/16.
I don't know why, but the 265's appear to be about an inch taller than the 245's which makes no sense at all because 245 vs 265 is supposed to be the width and not the height. The height, which is 75, is the same on both tires. They should both be the same height, but they aren't.

But anyway, the question is, does anyone here on the forum stick with the stock 245/75/16 tires? And if so, how do they perform offroad? I'm not planning on trying to crawl over big rocks, or drive thru giant mud holes. I'm just taking about being on a trail that's maybe a little softer than normal from some rain, maybe some ruts here and there. Nothing too extreme, but I would hate to get stuck. Lol
 
Cedar128 said:
245/265 is the width, 75 is the percentage of that width in sidewall. 265’s are about an inch larger than 245’s.
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Yes.
So the the first number is the tread width in mm so a 245 is roughly 9.5 inches wide. Where as a 265 is roughly 10.5 inches wide (depending on brand). The second number is the percentage of the tread width from the rim to the edge. So a "75" would be 75% of the first number (tread width) from the rim to the edge of the tire.
The last number is the rim (wheel) diameter. The online tire stores have computers that give real numbers
 
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Ahhhhhh! Thank you! I'm really getting out of touch with things in my old age! I always thought the first number was the width in mm, and the second was the height in mm. It's only been about 22 years since I took those classes to become a Honda tech, you think I would have remembered this stuff. Oh well, it's a good thing I'm retired now! Lol 🤣
 
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onoffroad said:
Any decent at or mt tire should be fine. If you get stuck it won't because your tires are stock size. lol
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That's actually what I was hoping, as long as I wasn't going out and doing anything stupid I think I should be fine. I don't see myself doing anything crazy, I'm trying to keep Big Red as clean and as stock as possible, but I do want to do some mild off roading with her.
 
Any 245 is as good as a 265, 285 as long as axle clearance isn't the issue. It all depends on the tread pattern and sidewall flex. So unless you are hitting rocks, logs, etc. You should be fine. And you should gain about an inch more up-travel too.
 
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Goatman said:
Any 245 is as good as a 265, 285 as long as axle clearance isn't the issue. It all depends on the tread pattern and sidewall flex. So unless you are hitting rocks, logs, etc. You should be fine. And you should gain about an inch more up-travel too.
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Awesome. I'm really wanting to try out the 245s and see how they do. 98% of all of my driving will be on the road, so I'd like to see how the 245s drive on road too. I'd definitely love to do a little mild off roading with it and get it dirty every once and a while, it is a Jeep Rubicon after all! 🤣
 
Well, it's been a while, but I got some stock size 245/75/16 tires on Big Red. I might have to call her Lil' Red now! 🤣

The only reason I put these particular tires on is because they were completely free! My buddy bought a brand new Tacoma a couple of months ago and it came with 245/75/16 tires on it. We were looking at the wheels and tires, and I mentioned that those were the stock size tires that came on the Jeep and I was thinking about going back to them to see how they drive. Yesterday he pulled in my driveway with brand new AT looking tires on his Tacoma and the stock ones in the bed of his truck. He said, well, "I wanted better looking off-road tires, so I went and got them today. I remember you said that you wanted the stock ones, so here ya go!" The tires only have about 3k miles on them, so I gladly took them. Lol

I went to see one of my other friends today where I used to work and he mounted and balanced them for me for a 12 pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ales! Lol!
I still have the GoodYear 265/75/16's that were originally on Big Red in my garage. There was no way I was getting rid of those. I'll drive around on the stock tires for a little while and see how I like it. So far, I have to say that the Jeep rides so much better on the road. Damn thing drives like a Cadillac actually. At 70 mph on the highway it felt almost like I was just sitting in my driveway.

I'm not planning on doing any Serious off-roading, I know these are not really off-road type tires, but I just figured since they were free I put them on for gits and shiggles. Lol
I'll do some light off-roading and report back.
Here's what the stock tires look like on Big Red.
20200723_154159.jpg
20200723_154225.jpg
 
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GorillaBiscuit said:
Well, it's been a while, but I got some stock size 245/75/16 tires on Big Red. I might have to call her Lil' Red now! 🤣

The only reason I put these particular tires on is because they were completely free! My buddy bought a brand new Tacoma a couple of months ago and it came with 245/75/16 tires on it. We were looking at the wheels and tires, and I mentioned that those were the stock size tires that came on the Jeep and I was thinking about going back to them to see how they drive. Yesterday he pulled in my driveway with brand new AT looking tires on his Tacoma and the stock ones in the bed of his truck. He said, well, "I wanted better looking off-road tires, so I went and got them today. I remember you said that you wanted the stock ones, so here ya go!" The tires only have about 3k miles on them, so I gladly took them. Lol

I went to see one of my other friends today where I used to work and he mounted and balanced them for me for a 12 pack of Sierra Nevada Pale Ales! Lol!
I still have the GoodYear 265/75/16's that were originally on Big Red in my garage. There was no way I was getting rid of those. I'll drive around on the stock tires for a little while and see how I like it. So far, I have to say that the Jeep rides so much better on the road. Damn thing drives like a Cadillac actually. At 70 mph on the highway it felt almost like I was just sitting in my driveway.

I'm not planning on doing any Serious off-roading, I know these are not really off-road type tires, but I just figured since they were free I put them on for gits and shiggles. Lol
I'll do some light off-roading and report back.
Here's what the stock tires look like on Big Red.
View attachment 179005View attachment 179004
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Do you have a lift on your car?
 
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Well, I'd like to jump on and give an update, but I still haven't taken the Jeep off road yet. Lol
I don't really drive the Jeep a whole lot, maybe 3 or 4 tanks of gas in a year, and 99.6% of that is just on road around town driving. I have all the hopes and dreams of doing some mild off the road driving, and actually using the Jeep for its intended purpose, but it just doesn't end up happening.
I can say though, for on road driving, the stock size non aggressive tread tires are pretty great! The Jeep drives so smooth, and the steering is light and responsive. I'm not kidding when I say the Jeep drives as well as my Prius, or my Civic which to me is kind of crazy.
The real down side is the little stock tires just don't have that great tough look that the Jeep needs. I really do prefer the look of the larger all terrain tires on the Jeep. What I'm going to do at some point is try and buy another set of the stock Rubicon wheels so that I can have my larger all terrain tires ready to bolt up and switch whenever I want to have the tougher Jeep look, and the better off road capabilities if the situation presents itself. It will be nice to have the option available to switch wheels and have the best of both worlds.
Right now I've got to get the hard top back on. The soft top was great for the summer, but I perfer the hard top much more and I can't wait to get it back on the Jeep.
 
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