Tire sizes 33 vs 34

caramon · 02-25-2009, 10:02 AM

I'm still new to this, but what constitutes a 33 vs a 34 inch tire and let me explain my confusion.

According to Americas Tire calculator a 285/70/17 comes out to a 32.71 diameter tire, which I see mostly people refer too as 33's. A 295/70/17 comes out to a 33.26 diameter tire, does that mean it's a 33 or a 34? Is this a rounding question?

I'm in the same boat as most here in trying to find the best option for my truck. I don't like the idea of having to trim to get a tire to fit, but I am going to have a ReadyLift leveling kit put on in a little over a week.

It's my daily driver and has the 265/70/17's currently with stock rims. I also tow my 30' travel trailer with it 5-6 times a year. I've been gearing towards the Nitto's as the best bang for the buck, but I'm not sure around the wheels. America's tire offers some decent looking rims with a nice(+18mm) offset, not sure what the backspacing on them are however. I want to stick as close to stock positioning of the tires and wheels as possible...e.g. I don't want them to stick out.

Any suggestions appreciated.

**n0useforaname** · 02-25-2009, 10:10 AM

Well here is the thing, if you are doing a readylift with stock wheels, you will still have to do some trimming with the 285 even though they aren't 33 inches exactly. Anything bigger will obviously require more trimming. And a 295...I would consider it a 33 inch tire, because it's like .2 over. And also, I'm not sure if the beefed up the stock wheels or not, but the old wheels were taking a beating from 285 and bigger tires and bending up and stuff. So you might want to research that a bit.

04LB7DmaX · 02-25-2009, 10:13 AM

Id go with the 285s, shouldnt be any trimming involved, maybe slighty, i dont have alot of experience with the NBS, but the 295s are considered a 33, but there just tall and skinny, not alot of people use them, if they do a 33 they usually go with a 305/75/16 or whatever

caramon · 02-25-2009, 10:21 AM

I planned on getting new wheels at the same time. I'm just still not sure which ones I want to go with. I see alot of nice looking wheels on here, but alot of them have that negative offset which would make them stick out a bit.

Yeah I didn't think much about the 295's being tall and skinny, with the specs listed on the tire calc, they seem proportional to the 285's, but I guess I'd have to see them next to each other. Too many options

04LB7DmaX · 02-25-2009, 10:24 AM

haha, yea im not a big fan, my dad has 285s and they good, 295s just bother me, they dont look right... idk, what kind of tires you lookin to get?

caramon · 02-25-2009, 10:28 AM

The Nitto Terra Grapplers is what I'm leaning towards. I might be persuaded to BFG A/T's, but the cost factor vs performance and longevity is what I'm leary about on the BFG's

04LB7DmaX · 02-25-2009, 10:31 AM

i had bfg a/ts i loved them but they pick up rocks and throw them like no ones business!, im likin my mtzs heard good things bout nitto though!

**n0useforaname** · 02-25-2009, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caramon

I planned on getting new wheels at the same time. I'm just still not sure which ones I want to go with. I see alot of nice looking wheels on here, but alot of them have that negative offset which would make them stick out a bit.

Yeah I didn't think much about the 295's being tall and skinny, with the specs listed on the tire calc, they seem proportional to the 285's, but I guess I'd have to see them next to each other. Too many options

Just remember this. Even if you get a 0 offset, your tires will STILL stick out more with aftermarket wheels. And then your tires will have a better chance of rubbing.

04LB7DmaX · 02-25-2009, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by n0useforaname

Just remember this. Even if you get a 0 offset, your tires will STILL stick out more with aftermarket wheels. And then your tires will have a better chance of rubbing.

that is true, are you planning on going with a 8" wide wheel or 10" wide wheel?

caramon · 02-25-2009, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by n0useforaname

Just remember this. Even if you get a 0 offset, your tires will STILL stick out more with aftermarket wheels. And then your tires will have a better chance of rubbing.

Yeah I have done my homework on that avenue

That's the reason I was looking only at positive offset wheels, which America's tire seem to offer. Alot of the ones that I like online are 0 or negative offsets. Making this all the more difficult. If anyone has URL's to online sites offering such wheels, please post them.