[Old Bay]

Hi gang- in need of new tires ASAP for some wheelin soon by Ouray, and I'm ready to make the jump to 33's. I'm worried my 2" lift won't give me enough room. Details below, and a little bit of background:

Details:

• Coastal Offroad rear bumper (with dual swinggates, although irrelevent)
• Shrockworks front bumper
• OME suspension, with new leaf pack +1 add-a-leaf, and new front upper control arms
• I understand it to be 2" rear life, 1 1/2" front lift
• see photos, where I'm rocking tires that go to about 31"

Background:
I've been rocking my 'road-ish' 31" tires that came with my 2015 Pro-4X for a while now, because they've worked okay and there was no reason to upgrade. While driving to go skiing on the 4th of July at Peak 10 of the Tenmile Range (above Breckenridge), I shredded a sidewall of my back left tire (lots of traffic on the trail to 12,600', and someone didn't quite pull over far enough so I ended up sorta dragging the tire along a steep trail wall- long story). With a full-size spare (conveniently mounted to my swinggate), swapping it out was a jiffy and I've been parading my wrektt wheel around for a few weeks.

Fast forward 2 weeks... doin some wheelin to go camping above Winter Park (biking Trestle downhill that weekend), and I made a nasty gouge into my wheel sidewall again!! I can see some of the ply, although I've been driving on it still for a couple weeks without catastrophic failure yet. Needless to day, I need new wheels, and now is the time to upgrade.

I have actually bought a daily driver ('07 Mazda 3) for work, and I am mainly leaving my X in the garage during the week- it's been great! I also have been regularly getting 21mpg on it (although my last tank was 23mpg, since I'm driving it gingerly), and I don't mind a larger tire diameter since with the 6-speed I can kinda drive it different to compensate for the size. My point is that I have no holds getting gnarlier wheels that might make it a little more inconvenient for a daily driver / gas mileage (although I'm not trying to turn this thing into a mudder).

So, can I fit 33's? Maybe I have to adjust the bump stops up front. If so, what tire should I get? I feel like getting a higher ply would fix my problems, any suggestions? Sorry for the rant! I've had about 8 threads in my mind I've been meaning to post, just finally got around to this one since it's urgent. Cheers, fellas!

I obviously have more photos of my X (like, way too many), so if an expert needs to see a different angle lemme know haha. Mathematically, I definitely have room for the extra 1", but I'm sure it's not that simple. Also probably gonna do black steelies for rims, or some other cool black rim (suggestions?)

 

[mtnbound]

short answer yes, you can fit 33's.

I have a about the same amount of lift and have 285/75/16 general grabber ATX's. they rub slightly when you have the suspension tucked, but its not too bad. I did engineers pass with this set up.

now, going from the 31's to 33's is going to feel alot different on the road, some might say it will feel worse on road, which is kinda true lol. i went from 32's to 33's and it was a pretty noticable difference. its not to the point where its not drivable, but you can feel the extra weight and size of the tires.

if you dont daily drive it, it shouldnt be an issue. just gotta give it little more skinny pedal is all!

from my experience around ouray, you def want some nice strong tires, there are many jagged rocks and ledges. im glad i had the LT's

 

[roXterra]

Exciting times getting new tires 😀
Some of us are happy with 33s, I hesitate because of my 1000 miles per month…maybe more

I hesitated getting heavy K02s in stock size but heavier than normal. I have been happy with them.

others will comment on clearance, different tires are different but many 33s fit with 2” lift? That’s what I saw before written.

 

[campisi]

33" tires (285/75/16, 255/85/16) will be no problem. You will have to do the melt mod but it's a very minor thing, IMO. I went from 265/75/16 to 255/85/16, melt-modded, and have had zero problems and they don't rub anywhere. Also, as you mentioned, the fact that you have a 6MT with 3.69 gears will help a whole lot with driveability. Mine's my daily driver and other than a 2mpg gas mileage hit it's fine.

 

[SunDevilDrake]

A couple things to consider.
1) The tire brand/model you choose. One 285/75/16 will be a true 33”. Another will be 33.2” (like Mike Yokohama Geolander MT G003). The BFG All Terrain KO2 tire in 285/75/16 is actually 32.83”!!!! That’s nearly a half inch difference which could mean rubbing or not so choose your tire wisely.

2) Do the aftermarket/stock wheels have any backspacing more than stock? In your case, are you running wheel spacers? If yes, this can create a higher potential for rubbing.

3) Measure your lift! Start on a level surface, measure from the ground to the bottom of the center of the fender. That’s the only way you’ll know how much lift you really got. Report back here.

 

[careyj]

Some 32" tires will only be .8 inches less in diameter than a standard "33". Mickey T and Yokohama come to mind, full 32", so literally just .35" less clearance than KO2. The price and weight differences are much greater than the diameter.

255/85/16 are actually a little over 33 and are lighter-sh in some cases, but there are few options. Good options, but few.

In our family we have willfully abused 32" Mickey Thompson and 2 types of 32" Yokohamas and they've been really tough. They've gotten me out of places I should NOT have been and are long wearing for their tread type. Yoko MT's are also very light for their class and do surprisingly well in winter weather, we'll definitely be buying them again. I think your lift height and its type are going to have a much larger impact than the difference between 32 and 33. If I were trying to maximize the same amount of money I would skip the second wheels, go with a decent 32 and get upper control arms and longer spacers/shackles/shocks to get at least another inch in the front. I haven't done the math lately but it's close ish. I have about 3.5 front and back and I can get over some ridiculous stuff, things I should not be trying. I doesn't effect drivability or mileage that bad at all, even though I know it's not your commuter.

Time is a factor though and suspension parts take longer to get than most things on average. If you are going to go to 33" at some point anyway you can totally do it now.

Edit: i missed the part where you actually need new wheels, sorry. That suuucks. I think it's still worth investing in lift over 1/2" of rubber in terms of clearance long term if you HAVE to choose. Steelies have been super reliable for me, it's a good choice. You won't need non-Nissan wheels unless you go wider than 285.

 

[Keevohh]

Good info in the thread already, but I would mention that your suspension lift does not help you fit larger tires when offroading. you should be fine with a 32.8in tire. 33.2in class will be close but should still be fine.

 

[Keevohh]

As for which tire, I think the G003 are the best option for MT. The Cooper Evolution MT aren't talked about often, but are insanely light for a 10ply 33in at 56lb. Here is a very enthusiastic review on them. Tread life isn't great so far, but they ride great and aren't too expensive.