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Tires (Size)


daczone
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I'm sure this has been talked about a million times... But I am thinking of replacing my stock 31" tires with 235/75-15's which are around 29"

 

Am I crazy?

 

I'm striving for 20 MPG and using this rig to pull a small trailer with my Quads on it.

 

I think big tires look great on a pathfinder that is lifted, but the factory 31's look like they are stuffed in there.

 

The tires I am looking at have an aggressive tread, just not the 31" size.

 

 

IMG-20120709-00968.jpg

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You will be leaving fuel mileage on the table by using such an aggressive tread pattern. If you want the best mileage possible and you just use the pathy on the street to tow then I would go for a more street oriented tire.

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Good point, Yeah... I just read that, the guy that put these on his jeep lost 3 MPG. Argh

 

They do offer these in 32" but think I would need a LIFT to make it look good. I'm not opposed to lifting it but didn't want a 15 MPG rig to haul my toys. :)

 

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I didn't get 20mpg when I did have 235s Kumho highway tread tires mounted, but I don't remember losing that much either when I stepped up to my 31s and by the way I think it greatly improved the overall look of my ride, I love my 31" tires. The 235s will be a lot lighter and more nimble but you may only get 1 or 2 mpg increase out of them. If you're a weekend warrior and only in light to moderate terrain I'd suggest you use a Cooper AT3 or Nitto Terra grappler, BFG A/T KO 2 or General Grabber AT2, you really can't go wrong with any of these. I occasionally see new sets of Cooper ATR's on trucks but I don't know where they got them from, that was a decent A/T tire.

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Oh yeah, almost forgot the hauling aspect: I tow a Yamaha GP760 jetski on a single trailer during the water season and it is small and light, trailer and ski combined but 20 mpg would be impossible, I can definitely feel the added strain on the engine, it's probably a bit less fuel usage than when driving in 4 wheel drive, I don't know..they might be about equal. This engine was built for low end torque with big gears which means you don't get very far for the amount of power the engine is making.

 

Hey look at the bright side, Fracking is here to save us, I don't know about you guys but here in Houston Tx we've dropped down to around $2.20 a gallon for regular. Which is scary because we're in for a hell of an adjustment, you know kind of how the earth's crust adjusts when two mantle plates run into one another and the one on top starts to get a sort of spring loaded tension on it as the other plate slides under it....then it finally lets go, and adjusts itself.

 

Yeah...our economy here is based on energy so its going to get screwed up for a while.

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Agreed about tread. Its not always size that affects mileage, but weight. I went from 235s to oversized 33s. In doing so, I used very lightweight rims & a relatively narrow tire(less friction), 10.50, thus only loosing about 1/2 mile per gallon. My new setup weighs only about 6lbs more per wheel/tire, but travels 15% further per rev. With the correct wheel/tire choice, I believe you could get as good if not better fuel economy with a 31 vs a 235. looking back, the 235s looked like a lowrider now.2014-12-14113028_zpsc90d1151.jpg

I'm averaging 18.5 mpg if I keep my foot off the throttle since I've put my headers on.

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I just did a Vg33 swap... got rid of the mechanical engine fan and it's a 5 speed so it has that going for it. I ditched the rear tire mounted on the back, that had to weight close to 100 lbs. I know it's hard to have your cake and eat it too.

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I'm thinking about throwing a Taurus fan in mine. Did you notice much ore power or economy by pulling out your fan clutch? There was a big difference when I did my diesel, but it moved a lot more air than this one does.

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I've heard the mechanical fan robs 8-16hp from the motor. I haven't broke in my motor yet and this is a new rig for me so I couldn't tell you if it's better. It pulls about 10 amps of power and I bought the biggest one I could. 16" 2500 CFM and bought a thermostat for it as well. I like how quiet the motor is without it and that the fan can run wide open at low rpm's including at stop lights. I don't think cooling is going to be an issue. It's also a manual so I don't have the trans cooler.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Okay put some smaller 235/75-15's on today. Nice aggressive tread, not too loud inside. I'm quite pleased. These are Kenda Kelvers KR29

 

IMG_0142%20(Mobile).PNG

 

I'm going to tweek the torsion bars down about an inch or so. Looks silly all jacked up with little wheels on it. But in the process they told me they couldn't align it because there was play in the wheel. So today I put new bearings, ball joints and tie rod ends on it. So to the alignment shop this weekend it goes.

 

Edited by daczone
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Looks good, my pathy was incredibly capable offroad with the bfg 235s & jgc lift, maybe even more so than now. I just hated being the shorter than a minivan driving down the road.

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Looks good, my pathy was incredibly capable offroad with the bfg 235s & jgc lift, maybe even more so than now. I just hated being the shorter than a minivan driving down the road.

 

Got any pic's? I'd love to see what it looks like.

 

I didn't want to spend the money to rebuild my whole front end, but figured I would know it was all good.

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Any idea what they weigh?

 

I lowered it back down to stock height today and it looks much better. My Warn hubs should arrive tomorrow and then it's off for an alignment.

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I haven't driven it much... My goal is 20 MPG. It's my quad hauler.

With a Vg33 and electric fan, no AC I'm hoping to get 20 MPG.

I needed the 4WD for some occasional sand/dirt/mud that's typically packed on the road.

 

I'm going to change the rear dif oil in hopes to bring the LSD back to life, if not I will probably rebuild that as well.

 

As for rubbing, no the tires are way inside the wheel wells. I thought about replacing the rims, but for now will run with the LEGO's.

Tires have a little howl but not horrible. You can have a conversation inside.

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Sorry, late to the party, but you always had the option of 30x9.5" tires as well. A friend of mine runs them and thinks they are perfect for his trans and gearing.

 

I just did a Vg33 swap... got rid of the mechanical engine fan and it's a 5 speed so it has that going for it. I ditched the rear tire mounted on the back, that had to weight close to 100 lbs. I know it's hard to have your cake and eat it too.

What is the axle gearing? It is displayed on a plaque under the hood on the passenger side. HG43 or HG46 is what you are looking for. This will greatly affect mileage and what optimal tire size is.

 

If MPG was the goal and you only tow with it, why did you go with such aggressive tread? That is a big hit right there...

 

B

 

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Good to know. I will check that tag. I wanted something that would go in the snow we get once in a while here in Oregon. And I didn't care for the look of street tires on the pathfinder. I know I will lose some mileage, but it's not my everyday driver. I have a Prius for that.

 

Got my hubs today and I'm close to done. My $700 pathfinder cost me a bit to complete, but hopefully will be a solid rig.

 

IMG_0192%20(Custom).JPG

Rear has ZJ springs cut down to bring in line with the front. I think I need to lose the chrome mirrors and chrome rear bumper.

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