Seeking tire size recommendations

[Uncaged]

New tires will be purchased soon and I am considering the possibility/benefit of changing the size of the tires. I live in Florida (a.k.a the Sandbox), drive 90-95% on the street (Daily Driver) and only about 5-10% on the sandy trails around where I live. My TJ is mostly stock (@Chris and @CodaMan 2" spring and shock lift), 4.0L, 3-speed automatic, 3.07 gearing and 15x8 Canyon wheels. Although I have not checked the gearing by turning the wheels, my TJ was stock in every other way when I took ownership and it does seem a little anemic.

My thinking is to go with wider tires of the same height to aid in flotation in the sand but the same height to combat the 3.07 gearing. I don't know what size to get, 265/70R15? These are hard to find as LT and not passenger tires. Or are all AT tires LT even if not advertised as such? I would consider a 31x10.50-15 but have concerns about the 3.07 gearing and no budget to change it. Would I be best sticking with the stock 30x9.5-15? They have been okay so far in the sand but I read that wider is better. I know wider would look better.

I will mount these myself, lots of experience with motorcycle tires including stiff side-walled adventure bike and touring bike tires. My research indicates that the 15" TJ tires will be easy in comparison.

BTW, not interested in wheel spacers simply to make it look wider. I'm thinking of flotation... if that little bit of extra width helps.

Thank you in advance for your two cents.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Performance wise, 31x10.50 tires won't be significantly worse than your 30x9.50 tires are. That'll give you an extra 1" of width for the sand, remember to air down too, you can safely go down to 12 psi without problem. Remember to air them back up fully before getting onto the highway, high speeds on aired down tires will get them hot which can result in a blowout.

 

[TheBoogieman]

Jerry B said it all.

 

[tr21triton]

are you all feeling ok ? yall aint got the china flu do you ? he should be running atleast 40's if not 44's and it doesn't matter if he doesn't have enough money to feed the kids he needs to do a full regear and add lockers. i mean factory sized tires if he even hits a piece of sand on the road he will get stuck and high center on a curb without atleast 10in of lift and shit if he aint got lockers he wont even be able to move if it ever snows in FLA. damn yall better get some Viagra, you done got soft in your old age !!!!!

 

[AndyG]

are you all feeling ok ? yall aint got the china flu do you ? he should be running atleast 40's if not 44's and it doesn't matter if he doesn't have enough money to feed the kids he needs to do a full regear and add lockers. i mean factory sized tires if he even hits a piece of sand on the road he will get stuck and high center on a curb without atleast 10in of lift and shit if he aint got lockers he wont even be able to move if it ever snows in FLA. damn yall better get some Viagra, you done got soft in your old age !!!!!

Here is the voice of reason. Chris, please give him double points.

 

[Uncaged]

Performance wise, 31x10.50 tires won't be significantly worse than your 30x9.50 tires are. That'll give you an extra 1" of width for the sand, remember to air down too, you can safely go down to 12 psi without problem. Remember to air them back up fully before getting onto the highway, high speeds on aired down tires will get them hot which can result in a blowout.

Jerry, thank you for the information. Every other thread I could find about running 31x10.50s the Wrangler already had at least 3.73 gearing. One day I will likely change out the gearing, but the vehicle maintenance fund doesn't even have enough for the tires. Better selection in 31s than 30s too.

 

[Moab]

I am running about the same set up. 4.0, 32rh at, and probably the same stock gears. No lift. I moved up to falken wildpeak at3w 265/70r17's. Which are around 32.5 inch. And i barely notice any reduction in pick up. And what minor reduction there is is handled by the passing gear. If i really punch it. So i would not worry about 31s slowing you down.

Jerry is right too. Air pressure can make a big difference in ride quality. Dont run the psi on the side of the tire. Run around 28psi around town. That seems to be the sweet spot.

Also this site is very helpful. Www.tiresize.com it will show u a pic of tires you compare. And it will convert tire size to inches. So u can see pretty much what your looking at to buy.

Also pay attention to c, d, and e ratings. E are pretty hard riding. D is ok. But C is what most prefer. Although my tires are below that even. But mine is my daily driver.

Alot of opinions on this. But if your on a budget try Walmart. I bought mine on the site. Had them sent to my local walmart. They mount and balance for like 10 or 15 bucks a tire. With lifetime rotation. I also got the best price on my tires this way. Its an easy, cheap way to get tires. Some have shitty walmart auto centers. But mine is in the hood and does great work. So ymmv.

 

[Uncaged]

I am running about the same set up. 4.0, 32rh at, and probably the same stock gears. No lift. I moved up to falken wildpeak at3w 265/70r17's. Which are around 32.5 inch. And i barely notice any reduction in pick up. And what minor reduction there is is handled by the passing gear. If i really punch it. So i would not worry about 31s slowing you down.

Jerry is right too. Air pressure can make a big difference in ride quality. Dont run the psi on the side of the tire. Run around 28psi around town. That seems to be the sweet spot.

Also this site is very helpful. Www.tiresize.com it will show u a pic of tires you compare. And it will convert tire size to inches. So u can see pretty much what your looking at to buy.

Also pay attention to c, d, and e ratings. E are pretty hard riding. D is ok. But C is what most prefer. Although my tires are below that even. But mine is my daily driver.

Alot of opinions on this. But if your on a budget try Walmart. I bought mine on the site. Had them sent to my local walmart. They mount and balance for like 10 or 15 bucks a tire. With lifetime rotation. I also got the best price on my tires this way. Its an easy, cheap way to get tires. Some have shitty walmart auto centers. But mine is in the hood and does great work. So ymmv.

Glad to hear your experience, thank you. I have been to tiresize.com, good resource, even lets you know comparable size tires.

I wonder if Walmart would sell the tires without mounting them. Mounting would have to save me more than buying the tires elsewhere as I'd have to break at least one bead on each to add the balancing beads. There is no way I am going to add 4 oz. of beads through the valve stems of all five tires.

 

[TheBoogieman]

I wonder if Walmart would sell the tires without mounting them.

Yes they do. You have to order them online (Walmart.com) to get the tire deals. I order tires for my cars from them all the time because no tire place around me can match their prices. They ship to the nearest store or directly to your house for free. I drive for a living and go through 2 sets of tires a year.

 

[Fishtaco]

So does weight of tires affect usage on sand? Going by the chart given there is a fair bit of weight added by just going 1/2" higher and an inch wider.

 

[Uncaged]

Yes they do. You have to order them online (Walmart.com) to get the tire deals. I order tires for my cars from them all the time because no tire place around me can match their prices. They ship to the nearest store or directly to your house for free. I drive for a living and go through 2 sets of tires a year.

Good information. Thank you!

 

[Uncaged]

So does weight of tires affect usage on sand? Going by the chart given there is a fair bit of weight added by just going 1/2" higher and an inch wider.

I cannot answer for sure, but my guess is that the psi reduction by adding 10% to the width would exceed the psi added by the heavier tires. However, that is theory based on math, not actual application. I would like to hear from someone who might know for sure.