The impact of Larger Tires

[buddy]

Mounting larger size tires can have as impact on the overall vehicle performance. Below I've listed some of the noticeable differences I encountered after installing 37" GY MT/R's.

I hope this can shed some light for those who wanta know. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

The 37" GY's mounted of stock wheels weigh: 117 lbs. 22lbs more

The 35' BFG's mounted on stock wheels weigh: 95lbs.

The GY MT/R's look awesome. They have a much more aggressive look than the BFG AT's. Even though the GY's are mudders, they seem to work on everything but, deep mud.

The extra 22lbs. of unsprung was noticeable to me. The extra weight is mutiplied many times at higher speeds creating a heavier and slower responding vehicle.

My tires required several ounces of weight to balance even on radical force machine. The tires were turned several times to get best wheel/tire match. Ride is still very good.

Some cornering speed is lost. I know the H2 is not a sports car, but it does handle corners surprisling well with the stock tires. With the taller 37's, some additional unwanted body roll is present .

Braking distance is longer with more brake fade. Panic stops are true panic stops. Brake wear will accelerate. The installation of better pads and rotors would be a plus.

Less fuel mileage? Probably so, but I haven't run a mileage check.

The step in/out is higher, I don't notice it, but my wife does...she's okay with it either way.

The H2 definitely has slower acceleration and more gear searching. The transmission doesn't like overdrive at 45 mph anymore and is in and out of overdrive at any speed below 50 mph. The gearing needs to be corrected to 4:30 ratio to maintain same vehicle response. At least thats what I came up with doing the math.

No clearance problems whatsoever. Extreme articulation limits may cause some rubbing. I haven't been to those limits so I can't really say.

The B. F. Goodrich's are excellent overall tires. I have run them for years on other vehicles and love them. But, on the H2 the stock tires look wimpy compared to the 37" GY's. Saying that, I took the 37"'s off and put the 35's back on last week just to get a better comparsion. I love the look of the 37"s, but I've decided to run the stock tires for awhile. The 35's look funny now.

I thought this may help answer some questions. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[buddy]

Mounting larger size tires can have as impact on the overall vehicle performance. Below I've listed some of the noticeable differences I encountered after installing 37" GY MT/R's.

I hope this can shed some light for those who wanta know. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

The 37" GY's mounted of stock wheels weigh: 117 lbs. 22lbs more

The 35' BFG's mounted on stock wheels weigh: 95lbs.

The GY MT/R's look awesome. They have a much more aggressive look than the BFG AT's. Even though the GY's are mudders, they seem to work on everything but, deep mud.

The extra 22lbs. of unsprung was noticeable to me. The extra weight is mutiplied many times at higher speeds creating a heavier and slower responding vehicle.

My tires required several ounces of weight to balance even on radical force machine. The tires were turned several times to get best wheel/tire match. Ride is still very good.

Some cornering speed is lost. I know the H2 is not a sports car, but it does handle corners surprisling well with the stock tires. With the taller 37's, some additional unwanted body roll is present .

Braking distance is longer with more brake fade. Panic stops are true panic stops. Brake wear will accelerate. The installation of better pads and rotors would be a plus.

Less fuel mileage? Probably so, but I haven't run a mileage check.

The step in/out is higher, I don't notice it, but my wife does...she's okay with it either way.

The H2 definitely has slower acceleration and more gear searching. The transmission doesn't like overdrive at 45 mph anymore and is in and out of overdrive at any speed below 50 mph. The gearing needs to be corrected to 4:30 ratio to maintain same vehicle response. At least thats what I came up with doing the math.

No clearance problems whatsoever. Extreme articulation limits may cause some rubbing. I haven't been to those limits so I can't really say.

The B. F. Goodrich's are excellent overall tires. I have run them for years on other vehicles and love them. But, on the H2 the stock tires look wimpy compared to the 37" GY's. Saying that, I took the 37"'s off and put the 35's back on last week just to get a better comparsion. I love the look of the 37"s, but I've decided to run the stock tires for awhile. The 35's look funny now.

I thought this may help answer some questions. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

[Tucson Beast]

Excellent analysis - Thanks. I do like the look of the 37's but I love the H2 as it is and as it handles.

[H2 Daddy]

Great job of listing the pros and cons. I have come to the conclusion that bigger tire maybe better for off-road, but stock tires are better for on-road.

[Bad Dawg]

Everything Buddy says is true. I guess the low riders have a good thing going with their 20" wheels and ultra low profile rubber http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif.

You can never have enough horsepower! Yellow LUX, Airforce intake, stainless headers and exhaust, Gobi rack and ladder, roof mounted off road lights, full wrap brush guard, rear light guards, outside tire carrier, Rancho 4" suspension lift, Ultra "EN4CER" 17x9 wheels, Goodyear 37/12.50R17 MT/R tires, removed side-step bars, 9.5ti warn multi-mount winch.

[Big Z]

Expect a 2-3 MPG difference between the 37's and stock. Mine was 2.5 over three months.

Good job Buddy! All True http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

[OLE YLLR]

HEY PHIL! I'M USING THE 35x12.50 17 PRO-COMP XTERRAINS AND I'M PRETTY HAPPY WITH THEM. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[SJ]

Buddy:

Thanks for the 1st-hand account. I think the solution may be to go with a tire similar to what OLE YLLR has. It may be an optical illusion, but ProComp's 35" tires seem larger in Overall Diameter (OD) than BFGs same offering. We run 35" ProComp MTs on our truck and they look quite a bit "meatier" than the 35s on the H2.

[DiscoDancingRover]

Phil 34.36220472440945 inches to be exact...http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

1995 Land Rover Discovery, with light envy
2003 Acura 3.2TL
1998 Volvo V70 XC

[OLE YLLR]

DOES THE PARNELLI JONES MT COME IN A 35 17? IT LOOKS PRETTY IMPRESSIVE.

[Joe]

Tire Rack has a $60 rebate running on a set of 4 MTR's. Make's for a pretty attractive price.

[OLE YLLR]

YEAH THEY ARE DIRECTIONAL AND A BUDDY OF MINE SAID THAT IF I REALLY WANTED GOOD TRACTION IN THE SAND TO SWAP THEM AROUND SO THAT THEY WOULD GRIP BETTER. SOUNDS LIKE TOO MUCH WORK! AS FOR THE SPARE I JUST CARRY THE STOCK BFG. http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif

[Adam in CO]

Here's the impact of larger tires for ya:

aps101374@yahoo.com
Mortgage Pros, Inc.
303-407-2405

[TonkaH2]

Geez, Buddy, you sure know how to kill a guys dreams... http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif I've wanted the 37's for months, and now I hear the awful truth. Maybe an inch of clearance isn't worth it...

BTW, we have lots of 15 MPH hairpins around here, and you can really push the '2 around - the tires slide predictably before the body rolls over. Quite impressive for such a top-heavy vehicle.

-Jack
Yellow H2 adv. Warn winch
Can't go traveling yet http://www.elcova.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_frown.gif
www.sunspotnatural.com (http://www.sunspotnatural.com)

[This message was edited by TonkaH2 on 06-28-03 at 12:21 PM.]

[buddy]

Jack,

I was surprised how good the H2 cornered, not razor sharp sports car handling, but not bad for a top heavy vehicle either. The H2 was the first SUV of any like I had ever owned or driven, so I didn't have any experience with any of them..my Z-71 was the closest thing. If the H2 had never been made, I'd never have bought a SUV. The K-5 Blazer don't count. I don't remember calling it a SUV.

Sorry about those 37". They do change the handling a bit, but you'll look good. I do like them, just don't run them daily on the street.

[ticket2ride]

I have the 37" Goodyear MTR tires and my truck averages 11.0 MPG according to the computer. The reality is about 6% off from that, so it's really about 11.7 MPG. That's better than what I got with the stock tires.

About the speedometer error... The 37" tires make the speedo read closer to knots, but I figure that's apropoos!

[Apex IV]

I've been running the BFG AT/KO 37 x 12.50 x 17's for almost a year. My on-board trip computer says 11.7 mpg and my own mileage check is 11.9 mpg. Figures out to almost 12.5 "real" mpg, but then, I drive conservatively. Noticed that I got about 1.5 mpg better fuel mileage in CO than TX...

-Randall Garrett-

[Longhorn]

APEX-

Could you post a pic of your truck with the 37 BFGs? I have seen lots of trucks with the 37 GY MTR, but not a single one with the BFG ATs.

Thanks

[Apex IV]

Longhorn:

Sure. I need to take a few pix before this unit goes away. After having this unit for almost a year, I'm kind of embarrassed that I haven't taken more than a few pictures of it yet. You might also want to get in in the SA area dinner being planned for 08/11, 08/12, or 08/13... Check the thread at:
http://www.elcova.com/groupee/forums?a=tpc&s=2826088551&f=2306011751&m=2656061863

I imagine that one of my employees will want my 37's for their vehicle... :-)

Since I am contemplating a custom GOBI rack and spare tire overhead, I may need to switch to something like the 35" BFG "Baja" tire in order to clear my garage and carport at the office. My employees' H2's won't have the rack, so they are OK on clearance, I think.

Overall, I've been pleased with the 37 x12.50 x 17's as they look "stock", but just fill the wheel well openings better (IMHO) than the 315/70's.

Hope this helps!

-Randall Garrett-

[Apex IV]

Longhorn:

Here are some reduced shots. Give me an email address if you want me to send you the full-resolution shots.

-Randall Garrett-
admin@apexwin.com

[Apex IV]

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[Apex IV]

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