Tread depth and traction on M/T tires

[JW IN VA]

Guess I'm overthinking again. :hide: What's new
It's getting near to time to put the M/T tires on for wood cutting and winter use.
Two of my tires are at 45 to 50 percent tread.Two others are 90 plus.

On a four wheel drive,do you find it's better to run the deeper tread on the back and have 2WD longer or put the good ones on the front and let them be where the most work is done if you need 4WD?
My original thought was to put the deeper two on the back and let them wear down a little faster.Only reason for this was I'm not wanting to buy any more of that size for the truck.They're LT235/85-16.I'd like to switch to LT265/75-16 for a little wider look and a little more flotation.
My "summer treads" have been Lt285/75-16.I like the way they ride over the ground and the way they look.
Also,do you feel like the 265s will cause more suspension wear? I have been somewhat concerned about that with what I'm running.
I feel like I'm asking beginner questions but I like to hear others' experiences.

 

[SmokinM]

Me personally I always put the new/better on the front. As far as size goes you won't see any additional wear with the 265s and will have a more serviceable tire IMO. I have one f250 I put some 285s on and they do make it look good but hasn't made any difference in the go.

 

[Brute 23]

What kind of vehicle are they on?

The front back deal doesnt really matter. I'd focus on rotating them regularly so they dont drive like poop.

I always hear people make comments about oversized m/ts on my trucks but they ride so much better if you dont keep them aired up tight.

You wont have any problems with the 265s.

 

[JMJ Farms]

I don't know what kind of truck you have but 265s should be fine on most any full size truck. On 3/4 ton trucks most everyone around here are running at least 35s (305s) and a bunch of 37s (325s) on stock trucks. You shouldn't have any undue stress on the front end or suspensions with a 265 or even a 285 tire. They do hurt fuel mileage a little bit the gain is worth more than the loss to me.

 

[Atimm693]

Tire shops are adamant about better tires on the rear, the idea being that understeer (loss of traction in the front) results in going for a slide, oversteer (loss of traction on the rear) often results in over corrections, instability, and rollovers. Of course that means next to nothing if it's a farm truck.

265s will not make much of a difference. They're only an inch or so wider. Both are fairly common sizes and tire prices will be about the same either way.

Better tires on the front IMO, the rear axle on an empty truck has far less weight and isn't all that useful off road anyway.

 

[DLD]

235/85's and 265/75's are pretty much the same height. If you don't mind the difference, you could safely run your current better 235/85's on the front and new 265/75's on the back if you're so inclined. If you're concerned you can go online and look up the specs of the particular tires you have and are interested in. Two or three tenths of an inch won't matter - differences in wear and inflation means most matched sets often vary that much. That lets you buy new tires in pairs so you're not spending so much at a time...

With your current tires I'd probably run the better ones up front, but there are valid arguments either way.

 

[sstterry]

Tire shops are adamant about better tires on the rear, the idea being that understeer (loss of traction in the front) results in going for a slide, oversteer (loss of traction on the rear) often results in over corrections, instability, and rollovers. Of course that means next to nothing if it's a farm truck.

Today I learned...

 

[Brute 23]

Tire shops are adamant about better tires on the rear, the idea being that understeer (loss of traction in the front) results in going for a slide, oversteer (loss of traction on the rear) often results in over corrections, instability, and rollovers. Of course that means next to nothing if it's a farm truck.

265s will not make much of a difference. They're only an inch or so wider. Both are fairly common sizes and tire prices will be about the same either way.

Better tires on the front IMO, the rear axle on an empty truck has far less weight and isn't all that useful off road anyway.

I remember when Discount and some of the big tire places started pushing that theory. My dad went in for two new tires and they wanted to put them on the rear. My dad looked that the guy and told him... you have obviously never had a tire blow out on the front going down the highway. The guy just smiled a little, shook his head, and went on.

 

[MurraysMutts]

The understeer/oversteer condition is a real thing. That being said, u really have to be pushing a vehicle pretty hard to make that happen.

On a 4wd truck, stick with the same size all around. Any difference in circumference causes big problems. The most notable being a transfer case that can go ker-blewey. And thatll ruin ur day faster than saving a nickel on 2 tires.

One thing I've noticed.
When I've got a bale of hay on, the fronts dont do a lot to help in sloppier ground.
Kind of a toss up. I think I would put the deeper tread on the rear. Especially if the shorter tread is worn smooth and evenly. Those will be fine on the front. If they are all chopped up and worn unevenly, those would go on the back of my truck.
If u put a tire on that u have to worry about blowing out, u probly shouldnt be putting that tire on any position of the vehicle.

 

[cfpinz]

I've owned a dozen or so trucks with 235/85/16's over the years, and still have one of them. My daily driver is a 97 F350 with 285/75/16's on it, just because that's what the original owner put on it and I have a full set of chains for that size. From my experience, the 235's do better in snow and mud. The only thing I like better about the wider tire is the ride, and to be honest it's not that much of a difference. The wider tires would be better for sand, but that would be hard to find in my area.

I wish all 3/4 and 1 tons still came with 235/85/16's.

 

[JW IN VA]

The truck in question is a 1993 Ford F250 with the 7.3 IDI on the front axle.4.11:1 open differentials,auto trans.

I have some 285s on it now.Only about 1" in OD than the standard LT235s which came on it.One thing I've liked was being able to inflate about 10psi lower on this size and still have the same weight carrying capacity.Should make for a more flexible ride.

cfpinz has a point,though.Only sand we have is a little along the river. Worst we deal with is a a heavy clay type which is sticky and a dark color. I've heard it called "blue marl".Not something you want to get into.

I've heard you want the narrowest tread you can get for snow.Always figured mud would be better with wider but maybe not.
In regard to M/Ts,none seem to clean as well as they did when we had bias tires.Maybe we ask them to do more now.Pickups are used today in a lot of jobs they never saw when I grew up.Used a tractor to get there or walked and carried what you needed.

 

[Brute 23]

Your absolutely right about the weight rating and pressure. That's why a lot of the trucks dont come with the 235s any more. The weight rating wont match up with the trucks tow rating.

In mud wider the better for the surface area to keep you up and more area biting. In sand you want the float factor and too much grip can be a bad thing. Snow and climbing rocks... narrow.

Its splitting hairs between the sizes your listing, though.

With the quality of MTs now days I dont see a big benefit swapping back forth any more for seasons.

 

[JW IN VA]

With the quality of MTs now days I dont see a big benefit swapping back forth any more for seasons.

I'm sure you are probably right.Especially no more miles than I put on in a year and where they are put on.I just happened to have a set of 285s in an all terrain I bought mainly to have a spare set of wheels.Wearing out the rest of the tire life in summer although they have surprised me at their ability in some situations.Makes me wonder if a dedicated M/T is all that necessary.I'm sure ATs are probably better in snow and may be on dry ground.That is until I get into trouble in the mud.Maybe,in those cases,I shouldn't have been there to start with. :hide:

Anyway,as I said,I'm probably overthinking this.Happens when it gets dark sooner or rainy days when you don't have enough to do.Maybe I should be micro analyzing deer cartridges or coyote rounds

 

[Brute 23]

I'm not help in the snow but in mud I have said a good set of ATs will get you thru any thing any MT will it just may require a little more wheel spin. The only exception to that is when you are pulling some thing like a trailer or if you are going up a grade. Then you want that bite of the MT but there better be bottom.

I've been running the Nitto MTs for 10 years or better now and they can get 50-55k miles no problem. The ride good no matter if I'm in down town Houston, rocks in WTX, red sand in STX, or black gumbo on the river bottom. They are very stable when loaded down. They wear nice and square even running them at a lower psi. I do stay on top my truck maintenance and rotations though.

 

[Nesikep]

I keep the best tires on the front... understeer is harder to correct for than oversteer, for one, and the slightly taller profile from being less worn will make it pull into corners a bit better.
I've also given up rotating tires, I wear them down and replace the ones that need replacing... swapping front to back means any spots that were worn on the front are now carrying no load on the back, doubling the wear rate, and vice versa

 

[JW IN VA]

The ATs I have are Nitto Terra Grappler.Tough tires.

 

[Rmc]

The rolling circumference of a 235/86r16 vs 265/75r16 is very minimal and not enough to cause any four wheel drive issues. If you are going to go with two of each size you will want the 265s(widerof the two) on the rear or you will have handling and steerabilty issues with the wider ones up front

 

[MurraysMutts]

We sell a LOT of tires.
The difference in size between brands is astonishing.

 

[Brute 23]

We sell a LOT of tires.
The difference in size between brands is astonishing.

... and weight. Compare a Nitto to a BFG. Nittos will run large. BFGs will run small.

 

[MurraysMutts]

Dont even get me started on the cheaper lines of tires!
Oi!