305s or 275s tires?

[benito_suave]

I just saw my two tires side by side (305/55/20 nitto terra grapplers and 275/60/20 cooper ltz). the 305s looked pretty wide and weighed about 15-20 lbs more than the 275s. i like the look, but will i be losing power and lessen my mpg because of the heavier tire?

for those w/ 275s...do you wish you went wider?

the money i'll be saving is $288 if i get 275, so that's a factor too. which ones would you guys choose??? 305s or 275s????

[eddiekidd]

Originally Posted by benito_suave

I just saw my two tires side by side (305/55/20 nitto terra grapplers and 275/60/20 cooper ltz). the 305s looked pretty wide and weighed about 15-20 lbs more than the 275s. i like the look, but will i be losing power and lessen my mpg because of the heavier tire?

for those w/ 275s...do you wish you went wider?

the money i'll be saving is $288 if i get 275, so that's a factor too. which ones would you guys choose??? 305s or 275s????

IMO the wider tire looks better but I've always been partial to a wider tire. However, due to gas prices going up up and away, I went with a 275. The ride should be better compared to the wider tire, the MPG should be better because my 275's weighed only 40lbs, (Michelin Latitude) All Season and were less expensive than most 305's. And yes, the power will suffer with the heavier tire because of the additional unsprung weight. I guess you have to decide if you are going more for looks or all around performance and practicality. I am happy with the 275. Just my 2 cents.

[bartch]

Do you get any rubbing with your 275s?

[eddiekidd]

Originally Posted by bartch

Do you get any rubbing with your 275s?

Me, no. I installed a 2 inch spacer kit before the install. I would imagine you would need it going to a 33" tire.

[ex-chevyguy]

Originally Posted by benito_suave

I just saw my two tires side by side (305/55/20 nitto terra grapplers and 275/60/20 cooper ltz). the 305s looked pretty wide and weighed about 15-20 lbs more than the 275s. i like the look, but will i be losing power and lessen my mpg because of the heavier tire?

for those w/ 275s...do you wish you went wider?

the money i'll be saving is $288 if i get 275, so that's a factor too. which ones would you guys choose??? 305s or 275s????

You wouldn't of happened to have weighed those Coopers? I am looking at the same size and really want to know exactly how much they weigh but no one that sells them has that info. I've been told their shipping weight is 53lbs so I'm guessing they're right around 50 but I'd love to know for sure. I am going with the 275 Coopers because of the weight and the cost. Unsprung weight does nothing but bad things for your' vehicle, it hurts performance, gas mileage, makes it ride worse, handle worse and puts more stress on suspension and drive train components. The wider tire will also be worse in the snow, more likely to hydroplane and of course cost more. They do look great though. Just my 02. and you'll be my hero if you can tell me how much they weigh.

[TUNDRA DAYS]

im thinking about taking off my 305/55/20 tires and 20x9 goliath chrome rims.....lost a lot of power due to unsprung weight and they dont handle as well (although they look great).....i kept my limited 20x8 rims and think im going back to them and the stock 275/55/20 tires.....the combo weighs much less than the after market wheels....ive got only 2000 miles on my toyo 305's and goliath rims.....still like new

[rockcards]

Eddiekidd, I am going with 275/60/20 Copper LTZ. pro comp 6066 My main concern with the wider tires was cleaning the truck all the time because of the side splash. Do you get any with your set up.
Thanks Dave

[eddiekidd]

Originally Posted by rockcards

Eddiekidd, I am going with 275/60/20 Copper LTZ. pro comp 6066 My main concern with the wider tires was cleaning the truck all the time because of the side splash. Do you get any with your set up.
Thanks Dave

Dave, yes. The tire/wheel combo I have (michelin 275/60/20 with the pro comp 6066) does stick out an inch and a half or so further than the stock TRD wheel/tire combo. I would imagine I have 1/2 to 3/4 inch of tire sticking out of the fender. Because of that, I do get more "stuff" on the side of the truck than before. It's not bad to the point I ever regret going to that set up but I do catch myself cleaning a little more than before. Because the tire is an all season tire, it doesn't grab and sling stuff as bad as a more aggressive tire would especially small rocks that would chip the paint. I do have westin side steps that catch a good bit of debris. Eddie

[Wildbill Tundra]

Originally Posted by TUNDRA DAYS

im thinking about taking off my 305/55/20 tires and 20x9 goliath chrome rims.....lost a lot of power due to unsprung weight and they dont handle as well (although they look great).....i kept my limited 20x8 rims and think im going back to them and the stock 275/55/20 tires.....the combo weighs much less than the after market wheels....ive got only 2000 miles on my toyo 305's and goliath rims.....still like new

ya but who cares if you lost some power..look how much better your truck looks now. I would never go back to stock rims

[benito_suave]

Originally Posted by ex-chevyguy

You wouldn't of happened to have weighed those Coopers? I am looking at the same size and really want to know exactly how much they weigh but no one that sells them has that info. I've been told their shipping weight is 53lbs so I'm guessing they're right around 50 but I'd love to know for sure.

hey ex-chev, when i was carrying the 275 coops around (putting it up against my stock tires), they felt a litte bit heavier than a 45-lb plate from the gym. That shipping weight of 53lbs you mentioned sounds about right. I might be going to discount tire today...I'll ask 'em about the weight if I do.

[benito_suave]

thanks so far for everyone's responses. i think the needle is tipping more towards the 275s at this point. man...i thought deciding on rims was hard...choosing tires is a whole nuther beast.

[Brett Pike]

You might not be losing power, a 305/55 is going to be taller than a 275/55 (the 55 is a percentage of width, not an absolute measurement) so you might just have taller gearing than you used to. Heck, you might even get better mileage.

[ex-chevyguy]

Originally Posted by Brett Pike

You might not be losing power, a 305/55 is going to be taller than a 275/55 (the 55 is a percentage of width, not an absolute measurement) so you might just have taller gearing than you used to. Heck, you might even get better mileage.

The extra height changing the final drive ratio is part of it but the extra weight also plays a big part in it. The 305/55=33.42" tall, the 275/55=32.1". Now this will make a difference, but the extra 15-20lbs that each of those 305s carries is going to make a much bigger difference. Unsprung weight is bad in every way. And the myth that a bigger tire that lowers your' gear ratio will give you better gas mileage is just that; a myth. It will lower your' rpms on the highway and once they are rolling, they have more inertia to keep them going, but extra power that it takes to get them rolling will always kill your' mileage.

[benito_suave]

Originally Posted by Brett Pike

You might not be losing power, a 305/55 is going to be taller than a 275/55 (the 55 is a percentage of width, not an absolute measurement) so you might just have taller gearing than you used to. Heck, you might even get better mileage.

oh...forgot to mention these are for 33" tires (305/55R20 and 275/60R20)

[zbfb10]

OH MAN....i was just lookin at the same tires today...they look awesome, i know FIVEPOINTSEVEN has a pair of Coopers, not sure what size tho...i mean the nitto terra grapplers are about 260 a pair and the coopers were just 185 from discounttire.com and look just as good. i think i am gonna go with the 275/60/20 and some moto metal 20x9 inch rims :-) sounds good to me!

the only difference between the 305/55 and the 275/60 is less then half an inch in height, tho the 305 is wider which may cause rubbing plus they are more expensive too.