Tire and wheel size help?

[Sloan]

I have beat this decision to death in my head, so much so that I have completely paralyzed myself and cannot pull the trigger. The wheels will be on my 1984 FJ 60 and I have decided on the Outback TX-1s, where I'm stuck is wether to go 15x7 or 16x7. The truck is currently lifted with 33-10.5s and I really like the way it looks. What brought about the search for lighter wheels was an attempt to make the truck as mpg friendly as possible and when I discovered the 15x7 Sahara wheels I am currently running weigh 36 pounds each. The reason that I'm leaning toward staying with the 15s is that the wheels and tires are lighter which would maximize the rotating mass weight loss. The upside to the 16 inch tires is that there are a million times more choices in sizes and treads which considering the trouble making this decision might be a bad thing. For reference the 15x7 wheel is 16 pounds, the 16x7 is 20 pounds, the 33-10.5 weighs 47 pounds, 33-9.5 weighs 42 pounds and the 235/85/16 is also 47 pounds. Is there such a thing as making a wheel tire combo that is too light? If I go with the 33s I am going to swap out my third members for 4.11s and when my transmission craps the bed I'll swap in the H55F. I hope this makes sense and any input would be great so I can put this down.

 

[ntsqd]

Analysis Paralysis has set in, has it?

Some random thoughts:

The weight in the tire will have a bigger flywheel effect than will the weight in the wheel since the weight in the tire is distributed further out from the rotational center.

Lower weight overall will help the ride quality.

They don't just give those TX's away, do they? Will that backspacing work on a 60? Seems like it's a bit much since most mud'er's are in the 3.25"-3.5" range. Really depends on the shape of the backside of the wheel's center.

I did not quantify any mileage difference in switching from 33-9.5 BFG A/T's to 33-10.5 BFG M/T's to 33-10.5 BFG A/T's. SOP I'd say that there was a slight mileage penalty in going to the M/T's and that maybe 2/3's of that was gained back in then going to the 10.5 A/T's.
Overall I'd put the net change of the differences in the "mildly noticeable, but not terribly significant" range of things. This was all done with my '84 Xcab mini where I can tell the difference in mileage and power between when I'm going on a solo trip and when my GF is coming along. That loading difference is much more significant than the difference in tires.

 

[Nullifier]

Well for every pound of wheel and tire wieght you add over stock. That is the equivilant to losing one horse power. So your concern about keeping wieght low here is correct. However there are other factors like you have mentioned. Persoanlly I would go ahead and switch to a 16X7 wheel . Most likely in another 10 years finding a quality 15" tire will be like trying to find a quality 14" tire for an older passenger car now.

There are plenty of options for tall narrow tires in the 16 inch size. A 36lb 33" tall tire is super light and probably not the most durable tire for back country travel. So no matter what if you are upgrading wheels you are going to end up with a heavier tire. There is a great 255/85/16 comparison some mods category. It gives you side by side comparisons of specs like wieghts. I have been super happy with my Maxxis Bighorns which were in the middle of that tire size from a weight perspective. I'm sure that will be the case when comparing them in other sizes by brand.

I went from stock 15x7 steel to 16x7 aluminum myself and never looked back.

 

[thecriscokid]

Pound For Pound

A pound of wheel weight is a horse out the door?? That's kind of scary. Making me re-think another set of steel wheels. Maybe worth the extra money for my summer to be alloy (when most longer trips are made) and save a bit in gas and get those horse's back. That's a 52 pony difference with the basic Pro Comp wheel's that I have from Wheeler's. Good to know

 

[hoser]

Sloan, also check out the new Staun wheels, which coincidentally look like the Outback wheels because they are made by the same manufacturer, Performance Wheels.

http://www.staunproducts.com/rims.php

 

[Root Moose]

They're even called TX-1.

 

[Sloan]

Then someone mentioned these to me, they are 1 pound heavier than the TX-1s but they cost $107 each.