235/85-16 on Base?

[JonChicago]

As a lifelong fan of the OG Bronco I'm looking to mod my new one to have some of the visual cues of the OG. As such, pizza cutters are mandatory along with high profile rubber on steel rims. The tires I keep coming back to are 235/85-16 but I have some reservations about them.

How will handling be effected?

These tires only come in class e weight rating. Do they need high pressures to run properly?

Will the stock base rim with be an issue?

Thanks!

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[DonM]

Researching the same thing. Tire pressure will probably be higher...guessing 60ish PSI. Stock rims will probably be okay....need to check what the manufacturer recommends for the specific tire (specifically the rim width range). I checked on a few tires and the stock rims fell within the recommended rim width range. But if your going old school, there is a set of wheels coming from Fifteen52 that resemble the old 4 slot wheels. Might have to jump to a 17" rim, but then you could go with 255/75R17!

Handling...not sure, but would think that it won't be the best for racing into corners. But then again, I believe this tire size is the standard for the 4x4 class for Rally Raid?

I'm thinking old school look too! I however, love the look of the Sasquatch package and would like the heavy duty running gear that it comes with. Thing is.....it'll probably never see anything harder than a Forest Service type road where a little extra clearance and a better tire over a stock Base would be wonderful.

 

[Rivers90]

They should be fine.

The tire psi is set by the weight of the vehicale.
You only need the max tire pressure for the max load.
If you are at 50% of max load then use 50% of max pressure.

Take the gross vehicle weight and divided by four. Each tire has 1/4 of the weight.

We don't know what the bronco will weigh but as an example if you had a suv that was 4000 lbs then each tire would need to carry 1000 lbs. If the tire was made to hold 2000 lbs at 60 psi you would be at 50% of that and would run 50% of the 60 psi or 30 psi.

I don't know what the bronco weights or what the tire can carry but when you have that you can plug in the numbers.

My first gen Xterra is very light and only needs 26 psi. The lower the pressure the better you will do off-road. The bronco will weigh more so it's numbers will be different.

 

[GPPBronco]

First post since joining Bronco6G. MY22 base ordered 10/13/21 with an August 2021 reservation so I anticipate I’ll be waiting a while. But I wanted to nudge this thread to see if any Base owners have installed 235/85 size on the OEM steel wheels. Most that are upgrading seem to be going for 265 or 285. If anyone has installed 235/85’s and wants to share a pic, it is much appreciated. I think I’ve reached the edges of the internet trying to find an example.

 

[dgorsett]

First post since joining Bronco6G. MY22 base ordered 10/13/21 with an August 2021 reservation so I anticipate I’ll be waiting a while. But I wanted to nudge this thread to see if any Base owners have installed 235/85 size on the OEM steel wheels. Most that are upgrading seem to be going for 265 or 285. If anyone has installed 235/85’s and wants to share a pic, it is much appreciated. I think I’ve reached the edges of the internet trying to find an example.

Glad you resurrected this thread, I hope you get a response from a Base owner and don't mean to hijack but:

I ran 235/85 x16's on my 05 Rubicon LJ with 8" wheels. I think the Bronco base is 7.5 ". It was a stretch to get the 235's on an 8" rim, but worked. I'm a BB so on replacement I'm getting 255/80 x 17 which is 33". For 16's I think the 265/75 x16 is about ideal, lots of choices. And I ran 32 psi on the Load Range E's on the Jeep, don't need to run the Max on the sidewall.

 

[kodiakisland]

They will work if that's what you want. 255/85/16 would be my preference for a tall skinny, but the 235s work if you like them.

Regarding PSI, no, they will not need to run at high pressure. You don't run your current tires at max pressure (I hope), so why would E rated be any different? They will probably need to be in the mid to high 30s PSI, but it's based on the weight of the vehicle, not the rating of the tire.

 

[BudgetBronco]

I think the Bronco base is 7.5 ".

Correction on that: Base steelies are7 inch.

Sorry OP I cannot help with your specific question, I installed 285-75-16

Regarding tire pressure, you might try this tool:
https://tiresize.com/pressure-calculator/

 

[GPPBronco]

They will work if that's what you want. 255/85/16 would be my preference for a tall skinny, but the 235s work if you like them.

I started my skinny tire “journey” looking at this size but quickly transitioned to 235/85 because it looks like 255/85 is limited to trailer and m/t options. We live in Detroit, visit family “up north,” and recreate “way up north” so I’m looking for all terrain options with snow and ice stability. Please let me know if I’m overlooking a decent ice/snow a/t option in that size!

 

[GPPBronco]

@Timinpgh - been watching your videos from the start. Thanks for sharing.

 

[grayshadow]

Researching the same thing. Tire pressure will probably be higher...guessing 60ish PSI. Stock rims will probably be okay....need to check what the manufacturer recommends for the specific tire (specifically the rim width range). I checked on a few tires and the stock rims fell within the recommended rim width range. But if your going old school, there is a set of wheels coming from Fifteen52 that resemble the old 4 slot wheels. Might have to jump to a 17" rim, but then you could go with 255/75R17!

Handling...not sure, but would think that it won't be the best for racing into corners. But then again, I believe this tire size is the standard for the 4x4 class for Rally Raid?

I'm thinking old school look too! I however, love the look of the Sasquatch package and would like the heavy duty running gear that it comes with. Thing is.....it'll probably never see anything harder than a Forest Service type road where a little extra clearance and a better tire over a stock Base would be wonderful.

I contacted Detroit Steel Wheels, they are the guys who built custom ”old school” wheels for Jay Leno’s first generation Bronco build that aired on Leno’s Garage.

They are building a set of steel wheels for the 2021 Bronco that you can purchase hub caps for. Here is a pic he sent me.

 

[kodiakisland]

I started my skinny tire “journey” looking at this size but quickly transitioned to 235/85 because it looks like 255/85 is limited to trailer and m/t options. We live in Detroit, visit family “up north,” and recreate “way up north” so I’m looking for all terrain options with snow and ice stability. Please let me know if I’m overlooking a decent ice/snow a/t option in that size!

The Cooper ST Maxx would be my preference in that size, but may be more aggressive than you are looking for. They are a great tire though.

 

[dgorsett]

The Copper ST Maxx would be my preference in that size, but may be more aggressive than you are looking for. They are a great tire though.

I had those Coopers on my LJ (235/85's) and have them now on my F250, great all around tire. Be sure to get the Maxx, they have extra sidewall protection.

 

[kodiakisland]

Just because this always seems to come up with E rated tires. The correct PSI is based on weight, not rating of tire. Here is a good reference for you to look up what to start running your tires at:
How to apply the load inflation tables (toyotires.com)

In general, LT tires do require a small amount more PSI for same weight rating as P metric tires, but it is no where near max pressure. Lots of misinformation out there, even at places that sell and install tires. Kinda like car dealers, just because that's what they get paid to do, doesn't mean they know much about it.

Just like indexing the yellow dot on your tires with the valve stems, I always make sure the people installing my tires know that's what the dot is for. You'd be surprised how many have no idea why it's there.

So, use a table for correct tire inflation for your tires and vehicle weight and don't rely on that guy at the tire shop who just fills er up.

 

[BudgetBronco]

@Timinpgh - been watching your videos from the start. Thanks for sharing.

I appreciate you watching, and always happy to help out a fellow Base owner!

 

[NurseDan]

I'm still interested in seeing what 235/86R16s will look like on a Bronco but I'll probably run my stock Big Bend wheels for a while. Lately I've been looking into 255/80R17s. Same width as stock but they measure out to ~33" in diameter. More options at that size too. Big dreams for mods but will probably just enjoy the vehicle for a while.

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