Nitto 305/70/16 Load Range E

[gardnerteam]

OK - it is time for new tires again. This will be the 4th set at 39,000 miles. No power enhancements, and too old to push the throttle very hard. I need load range E. When I inflate my 285 D's to max (65 lbs)to carry the load, they wear excessively in the middle. If I don't inflate them, they are soft and flat and unstable.
Sooooooooo, does anybody have any experience with the Nitto 305/70/16 LR E? Wear? etc. Any comments would be appreciated.

[hoot]

Sounds like you need wider rims for sure. You should be getting 40,000 miles out of a set of rubber.

[TN farmer]

I had 305's and they are wider than your 285's. If you are looking for something that will have high milage and fit your stock rims you may want to try a 255/85/16 IMO. I believe Nitto makes a tire in that size if not try Dunlop. Robert

[gardnerteam]

Am using 8" Weld rims. 255's do not come in E's, and I need the load range for the weight.

[NFLDMAX]

What backspacing are you using on the Weld's, and do you have any rubbing issues?

[TN farmer]

Did you have your 285's mounted on these 8" wheels?

[gardnerteam]

285's are on 8" Welds with std offset. No rubbing, no problems. Have also had 295 on same wheels with no problems. BUT, I do have a 4" lift to get better clearance on the Transfer flow tank.

[DBeener]

Gardnerteam, I have a friend who just put them on his D***e and they are a good looking tire. They will be my choice for my next set also. They have a good tread and according to my Discount tire friend they get really good wear. The only downside to them is they do not look aggressive enough to do well in mud. As you know to get a good mud tire you give up longevity due to softer tread. Depending on how much offroad mudding you get into would determine using these tires or something more aggressive. I am running Goodyear Wrangler MT/R's and I am not happy with tread wear on these D rated tires. I have 13K on them and will be lucky if I get 25K out of them. These are good offroad tires however just don't wear as well on street. On my Jeep I have 35" Super Swamper SSR's for the trail and BFG Mud Terrains for the street. SSR's do excellent offroad but wear real fast on the street. Good Luck, David

[gardnerteam]

Thanks for the info. I knew about the mud problem. The kind of mud I get into in Guatamala calls for chains on all 4 wheels and the 15,000 lb Warn winch, but it is rare, but usually an all day affair. Most use is highway, rocks, and desert. Thanks for all the info. I will buy the Nitto 305 LR E.

[PBR]

i also have a friend that put the nitto's on his d**ge and he loves them. he did a ton of research on the tdr and other sites looking for "e" rated tires and that seems to be the tire of choice in that rating right now. i run a 315 on an 8' rim and the width on the rim is plenty wide for that size tire.

[SoCalDMAX]

I read in Petersen's 4 Wheel & Off road mag that they did a test on the Nittos and gave them outstanding marks for wear, traction in sand, rocks and dirt, and quiet smooth ride on the road. When they drove in the sand in 2wd, they worked great. Then they buried it to the axles, aired them down, and it climbed right out.

They also balanced up well with very little weight. They have an M&S rating and a rim guard. It didn't perform great in mud, but it was just as good as any other all terrain tire in that respect.

Regards, Steve

[JimWilson]

I've had a set of TG's on for over 10K now and have absolutely no complaints. But I will say that if you need to put chains on your tires to get you into, or out of, someplace then these are not going to be for you. AAMOF, no AT will be of much use in that type of situation.

BTW; Nitto is releasing a full-on mud tire soon. Heck, it may already be out. If their MT is as good as their AT is then it will be an awesome tire.

[Little_Wiley]

Hoot,

Now if we could just take it one step further and find the Actual width and Diameter based upon the width of the Rim. A 315/75R16 on and 8" rim will be taller and narrower than when run on a 10" rim.

[Alli-max]

4th set at 39K = 13,000 per set of tires. Man, I need to be your tire salesman! Rotatation is a must!!

If you are only getting 13K out of a set of tires, then you are either getting "bored" with your tread, not rotating, or buying the wrong tire. If you are buying the wrong tire, you should get some aftermarket wheels so you can save some money, if the 305's are what you want. If you are hauling, get some 10 ply tires on your factory PYO's and be done with it. There is NO REASON to go through so much rubber unless you are careless.

[gardnerteam]

Alli-Max - actually, the Nittos (1,000 mi on them now - they are GREAT) are my 6th set. Factory (500 mi - 3 days old), then to Weld 8"Rims with 265 Toyo LR E (shot at 20,000 miles), studded winter 235/75/16 (used as needed mounted on PYO - 3,000 miles, still good), 295 Toyo on Weld (1,000 miles, returned with vibration in the set), 285 Toyo for about 14,000, 25% rubber left, not heavy enough casing) and finally the 305 Nitto, super heavy casing, quiet tread, and worked suprising well in first mud I sampled (don't do much mud, except in Guatemala where I have to chain up rarely). Now if they will just go 20,000 I would be happy. Yea, if you were my tire supplier you could buy a new D/A often. I am hard on tires - tow heavy, haul heavy sometimes (stonework from Mexico, lots of miles off pavement on rough rock roads at high speed, and lots on miles on rougher Mexican and Guatemalan supposedly paved roads where they use VW's to fill the potholes. And no, I don't damage the vehicles, but tires get chewed up. 10 ply or greater are the only things that hold up. Been doing this 25 years or more. D/A still the best truck ever for it. Next best was 78 Ford 3/4 4x4 Supercab with 460 Industrial engine - unfortunately, I did damage that one - rolled it down a canyon off a powerline road in Nevada. Only truck I've ever damaged or wrecked. Ah, youth!

[Duke]

I am having the Nitto 305's mounted on 8" AR rims tomorrow. I hope they make it by that plastic Air Dam Bumper. I think my 02' had a little more room.

[Duke]

Tires and rims are mounted. These TGs are definitely taller than the 285/75/16 BFG AT's. Theoretically these were supposed to be not quite as tall but when mounted they are about 1 inch taller. It could be the 8" rim verses the 6.5" stockers throwing this out.
I had to cut a small section out of the front plastic airdam and pull the the innner fender a little closer to the washer bottle. I also had to trim the inside of the mudflaps to provide some clearance. This Tire/Rim combo looks awesome IMHO. The tread pattern on the Nitto's is awesome looking. I had read that these tires were supposed to be quieter than the BFG AT's but I would say they are not.
Has anyone had any firsthand experience with the Green Keys? If so how does much is the ride affected when you crank up the bars with these installed?

[DMax_Doug]

Does anyone have pics of the 305 TG's on thier HD?

Gardnerteam, could you post some pics of your rig? I'd like to see them with your 4" lift.

Duke, do you have a lift with your new TG's?

From what I read, I think a 4" lift with 305's is a nice setup short of going with a 6" lift and 35's. Gardnerteam, I also share the concerns you noted in earlier posts about not having too high a profile vehicle for irregular terrain. That's why I'll be going with Rancho's 4" lift when I wear out my current tires.

My only concern with the 305's (TG or any other) is whether the tread sticks out past the fender wells, which I's like to avoid.

Doug

[gardnerteam]

Wen I get back from Mexico in a couple of weeks I will clean the truck and take a picture to show heigth with 4" Rancho lift. Remember, my truck is SUPER heavy - 9200 lbs, including a 600 lb front bumper, plus Warn 15000 winch, heavy 1/2 plate rear bumper, 56 gal tank, canopy, etc. With a stock front bumper, it probably would sit 2" higher. I was looking for more clearance on the gas tank which I got - only drag it once in a while now instead of all the time. The 305 Nitto's do stick out a little - throws a little water in the rain and throws quite a bit of soupy mud offroad. It was the 10 ply rated casings I was after and they seem great so far - a big improvement over 8 ply rating.

[Duke]

No lift on my truck. Have cranked the bars about 5 times similar to Hoot. The only issue I am having is it is hitting abit at the lower inner fender on hard left turn on driver side. I looked under quickly and I think it is because the brake cable is pushing out the fender about an inch. Should be able to fix this with a couple of heavy duty tie straps. I am heading to the garage in 5 min to address that one. I have 4.5 inch backspacing on the 8" rims. I don't know if you could go any more. I will check that when I go out.
I will bring out the digital and take some shots. Will post em' tomorrow. Just got the camera and havn't had a chance to go through that process yet.

[madmax7]

Can someone explain back spacing and how it affects wether the wheel will rub or not?
I have 16x8 aftermarket wheels with 285-75R16 rubber. It rubs only on very sharp turns while braking (like in parking).
What would be the appropriate back spacing for this app?

From all the research, I have done, I am sold on getting the Nitto's soon.

[DMax_Doug]

Hoot,

Your picks are great, the tires tuck inside the fenders very nicely. Is there no rubbing with 12.5" tires with 5.5" backspacing?

Doug

[Duke]

Mad max

Backspacing is the distance between the face that the rim mounts to your hub and the inner most part of the rim. Stock are about 5 I think.
May get away with 5.5 but the 17" diameter would keep things away from the brakes, etc a little more. Its a tradeoff between available tire options and how far the wheels are going to push out from under the truck. The other advantage of tucking in under the truck more is the tires require less swing room around the fender opening when you turn.
I bet yours are hitting on the drivers side. I cjust checked on mine I pulled in the inner fender atleast an inch by pulling the brake cable into the fram abit closer and tie strapping the bottom of the fender. There is plenty of clearance now.

[madmax7]

Duke-

So if I hear you correctly, the more back spacing there is (5.5 vs 5) the more your wheel will tuck in towards the center of the truck. This will allow for more wheel diameter due to less swing area.

By contrast, the less back spacing, the further out the wheels will stick, decreasing tyhe available space for bigger tires.

Is this true for wider also or just taller?

What is anyone's opinion about 285-75R16 Nitto Terra Grapplers? 5.5 backspacing? Thanks for the help on this one guys.