[canoeman71]

I am about to buy some BFG KM2s but I am having trouble deciding between 33x1050 or 33x 1250. I know most people choose the 1250 and I realize there is more surface area to contact on the trail, but I was thinking the 1050s would be better for highway driving, especially on wet days and I simply prefer my tires not sticking out of the fenders 2-3 inches.
Can some of y'all chime in here and tell me why you prefer one width over another? and what would be the downside(S) to buying the 1050 width.
Thanks.

[2005X]

are you mounting them to your Moabs or a different set of wheels

[canoeman71]

Originally Posted by 2005X

are you mounting them to your Moabs or a different set of wheels

I ordered the Cragar soft 8s yesterday from Summit 15x8 4" backspacing

[dabprice]

Read this. It's an essay on tire width and should help you decide.

http://www.expeditionswest.com/research/white_papers/tire_selection_rev1.html

[2005X]

my 12.5 on cragers "4BS still out of my flare, but to be honest its not bad. ive been caught in the rain with just a safari top and the tires didnt kick any water on me. ive only ran a 10.5 once and i wasnt all that impressed either on or offroad, i guess i like to have a bigger footprint

[canoeman71]

What didn't you like about the 1050s?

[2005X]

Originally Posted by canoeman71

What didn't you like about the 1050s?

i like the wider footprint, wider looking stance, and i like to be able to air down to 5-9psi since it holds a better bead with a 12.5 and "8 rim

[WheelinWV]

I have 10.50s and get a lot more places than the guys with 12.50s (granted they have heavier vehicles) I dig in the mud and go while they float on top and get stuck.

(this being for mud only of course) No rocks here in Wheeling, WV.

[nhpso224]

I have the 33x10.5's. Was running the 11.5's before. The ride is good, braking is better and it doesn't "wander" on worn roads. It took a little to get use to the looks. Here are a few pics:

[canoeman71]

Originally Posted by nhpso224

I have the 33x10.5's. Was running the 11.5's before. The ride is good, braking is better and it doesn't "wander" on worn roads. It took a little to get use to the looks. Here are a few pics:

How is it offroad? would you go back to the 1250s if you could, cost not being an issue? I actually like they way it looks like that. I was wondering, also if the narrower tires would be less likely to hydroplane on wet pavement?
Anyhow, thanks a lot for the pics- that gives me agood visual of how it would look on my LJ- still thinking about it... and would like to hear more about performance related answers to people's choices- especially those whose vehicle is their daily driver and are on the highway a lot. Thanks everyone so far- much appreciated.

[Chris_]

I'm debating the same thing. I have 12.5s, but I like the look of 10.5s. Only problem is I don't want to give up what 12.5s offer. When I'm in ravines where you are doing a lot of tipping, and scraping on the sides (the kind where you have to fold the mirrors in), the tires sticking out just a bit keep the body from rubbing the edges of the ravines. If my tires tucked even with the fenders, then I'd lose that little bit to keep me from rubbing. It's almost like a little safety cushion.

[bunks-tj]

seems like the big issue is going to be terrain. a skinner tire will be better in slop (ie mud) b/c it is going to have an easier time getting to the firm under surface. a fatter tire will do better in terrain where you wanna stay on top, sand for instance...

[nhpso224]

How is it offroad? would you go back to the 1250s if you could, cost not being an issue? I actually like they way it looks like that. I was wondering, also if the narrower tires would be less likely to hydroplane on wet pavement?

So far, I have only done a little climbing on packed dirt and some loose stuff. The KM2's dig like a b**ch. I was very happy. Cost was not an issue. It was more the DD aspect. I wanted the 12.5's but these just made more sense. I have a lot of "feel" back in my steering now. Even with the upgraded tie-rod the wide tires would push on a road that was groved out, like a back country two lane. I have only had them in the rain once and did not notice any hydroplaning. I also like the fact that they don't throw as much mud and stuff up the side of the Jeep.

especially those whose vehicle is their daily driver and are on the highway a lot.

This is my daily driver and I wheel it when ever I can so the tires will see alot of highway.

a fatter tire will do better in terrain where you wanna stay on top, sand for instance...

There is some truth to this but with any tire it's all about airing down. I have seen "street meats" do some neat things when aired down properly.

[CB3]

Actually, I think that in addition to being better onroad, the 10.5" wide tire is better in several offroad situations...

Mud... I think that for a Jeep weight vehicle, a narrower mud tire works better in mud. Look at the most aggressive mud tires there are: Simex and Interco, and both of those offer many narrow (9.5") and medium widths (10.5", 11", and 11.5"), but few wide (12.5"+) tires. Why? Because for most types of mud, narrower is better. Though for some very soft muds, wider can be better. For the best all around mud performance for a variety of mud types, I prefer a medium width 10.5" to 11.5" wide tire.

For sand, wider (12.5"+) is better, but a 10.5" is wide enough to do OK for me on sand.

For winter roads, narrower is best. The narrower the better. Ideally a 9.5", but a 10.5" is narrow enough to do well on winter roads.

For rocks, wider is better, I'm told. However, I know many guys who sometimes crawl rocks with 10.5" wide tires and say they work OK. However, I'm not a rock crawler. So I can only say what others have told me about rock crawling.

I do have plenty of experience in/on mud, sand, and winter roads. I've owned 9.5, 11.5, and now 10.5 wide tires. I can tell you that my 9.5" wide were a lacking in sand performance due to sinking to much. My 11.5" wide were lacking in winter performance. My 10.5" wide have been the best all around tires because they work on all things. As for mud, all 3 of those widths have worked well for me, but I think the 10.5 and 11.5 have been the best for me in that regard.

For on highway use, all 3 of those widths have been good for me on dry pavement. However, on wet pavement, the 9.5 were the best, the 10.5 the second best and good enough. The 11.5 were not very good IMO on wet pavement.

As for gas mileage (tire weight and width), acceleration (mostly tire weight, but possibly also width), and suspension function (tire weight), the 9.5 were clearly the best, but my 10.5 are good. The 11.5 were miserable in these areas.

I'd recommend a 9.5 if you aren't going to do much offroading, but if you are, then I'd recommend a 10.5.

I really don't see any reason to consider a 12.5, unless sand or boulders are your main things. For the rest of us, I think a 10.5 is the best all around performer for a Jeep weight vehicle.

Based on my personal experiences with 9.5, 10.5, and 11.5 wide tires.

[CB3]

I'll add this, at the local county fair, every year, we have a mud bogging event. The guys with skinny mud tires (9.5 or 10.5) make it more than half the time through the very deep and muddy course. The guys with fat mud tires (12.5") never make it through. I've never once seen a fat mud tire get through the course. I think that's pretty definitive right there of which is better in mud, and explains why Simex and Interco make mostly skinny (9.5" to 10.5")) and medium (10.5" to 11.5") width mud tires.

I've personally had the best luck in mud with 10.5" and 11.5" tires. I personally have experienced that 9.5" is to narrow for deep mud and sinks to much (unless a really tall tire, like a 34 X 9.5" tire, which can afford to sink a lot), and 12.5" is to wide and doesn't sink enough.

For winter road conditions I've experienced that 9.5 are best, and 10.5 are good enough.

For sand, the best I've owned are 11.5, but the 10.5 are good enough. The 9.5 are not good in sand. I've never owned a 12.5, but I went any place on sand with my 11.5 that the guys with 12.5 were going.

For rocks, I think wider is better, but a 10.5 or 11.5 is good enough. The 11.5 would certainly be better for rocks than the 10.5.

Point being, I think the choice is between 10.5 and 11.5 wide tires, if you're looking for all around, all terrain, and street performance. I don't think the 9.5 or 12.5 are even in contention for all around use.

So ask yourself which is your preference, the 10.5 or the 11.5? If street and highway performance is important to you (say for a DD), then the 10.5 is the better choice. For one thing, I get way better gas mileage, acceleration, and braking with my 10.5 than I did with my 11.5.

Also, with my 33 X 10.5 R15 tires on 15 X 8 with 4.5 BS, I have full turning radius with no rubbing, and my tires do not stick out past my flares, though I have 7" Warn flares. Actually, my 7" flares stick out 2" past my tires and I think it looks cool and unique among modified Jeeps. A stock Rubicon flare or 5" aftermarket flare would cover my 10.5" tires just fine.

One advantage of a 9.5" tire is that you can put a 33 X 9.5" R15 tire on a stock Ravine or Canyon rim and get a good fit with no rubbing LCA or swaybar, have full turning radius, and not have to buy wheels. With the 33 X 10.5 R15 tires I have, I get those same advantages, except that I had to buy aftermarket wheels that are 15 X 8 with 4.5 BS to accomplish it.

The largest tires you can have without fitment or steering issues, and retain full turning radius is a 33 X 10.5 R15 and 34 X 9.5 R15. This assumes you have an appropriate amount of lift, 15 X 8 wheels with 4.5 BS, and regear. I think the Wrangler TJ and LJ are designed to fit those two sizes with minimal modifications (can use 3" lift and retain stock brakes, though ideally with upgraded pads like Yellow Stuff), and with those tire sizes retain very good street performance and have excellent offroad performance. i.e. - the ultimate performance tire sizes for the slightly modified DD.

A great size for good onroad and good offroad performance with little or no mods is a 32 X 10.5 R15 (and possibly also a 32 X 11.5 R15), and also 33 X 9.5 R15. For one thing, a 32" tire does not require regearing, IMO, and it can be fit on stock rims with little or no adjustment to steer stops (keeping full turning radius).

A great size for good onroad and excellent offroad performance (with some mild mods - 2.5" to 3" lift, regearing, new 15 X 8 wheels with 4.5 BS) are the 33 X 10.5 R15 or 34 X 9.5 R15. This approach costs a bit more money, but is still very cost effective, and gives a great DD. One money saver is that it works good with stock brakes, or great if you upgrade your pads to Yellow Stuff. That on a moderate budget with these tire sizes. This is why I'm using 33 X 10.5 R15. If I ever want to go bigger, I'll go to 34 X 9.5 R15 and it will still fit the same in regard to full turning radius and not rubbing swaybar or LCA. Having full turning radius is wonderful.

Anything bigger (tire wise - taller or wider), and you get into spending more money, possibly a lot more money, and you have degraded street performance and fuel economy. If you want a DD that won't put you in the poor house and performs well on and off road, consider the tire sizes I mentioned above.

IMO