Black Diamond 32's vs 33's. How much of a difference?

[PowPow]

I went and saw a BD squatched and a BL not squatched, and honestly, couldn't tell the difference at all.

So I ended up walking away from the event thinking to myself, ya know what the 32's on the BD will probably be just fine. If the 33's don't look much different than the 35's, there shouldn't be much of of a difference between the 33's and 32's.

So I went home and crunch some numbers:

35's vs 33's
1.7 taller
1.2 wider

33's vs 32's
1.1 taller
.8 wider

The 35vs33 has a greater difference than 33vs32. And I saw zero difference between the 35's and the 33's... (maybe not totally true, from the front, they looked a bit wider. But from the side, they looked exactly the same.) The 33vs32 has even less of a difference size wise, so my thoughts are visually the 33's should be about the same as the 32's.

Wish my local event had a BD & BL non squatched to compare. But until then, math is all I got.

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[Rebel Bronc]

I went and saw a BD squatched and a BL not squatched, and honestly, couldn't tell the difference at all.

So I ended up walking away from the event thinking to myself, ya know what the 32's on the BD will probably be just fine. If the 33's don't look much different than the 35's, there shouldn't be much of of a difference between the 33's and 32's.

So I went home and crunch some numbers:

35's vs 33's
1.7 taller
1.2 wider

33's vs 32's
1.1 taller
.8 wider

The 35vs33 has a greater difference than 33vs32. And I saw zero difference between the 35's and the 33's... (maybe not totally true, from the front, they looked a bit wider. But from the side, they looked exactly the same.) The 33vs32 has even less of a difference size wise, so my thoughts are visually the 33's should be about the same as the 32's.

Wish my local event had a BD & BL non squatched to compare. But until then, math is all I got.

Ok then...

 

[PowPow]

Ok then...

huh? I'm not comparing 35's to 32's...

I'm just saying the 32's may not look much different compared to the 33's (BD next to a BL), if the 33's don't look any different than the 35's. BUT actually have a greater difference in size than the 33's compared to the 32's.

My reason for creating this post was because I wondered, will adding 33's to the BD really make that much of a difference visually? As I don't know, or haven't seen a BL sitting next to a BD.

I went to a local dealer event where there was a BL, non squatch, and a BD squatched. And I was just saying you could spin me around, swap the cars around, change the paint colors and by looking I couldn't tell you which was squatch and which wasn't... they look that similar (to me). So it got me thinking if they look so close to each other, maybe 33's and 32's look similar. and then I crunched the numbers and it's a bigger jump from 33's to 35's, so less of a jump from 32's to 33's to me, would say you'll see even less of a difference. And thus avoiding having to put 33's on the BD, if you're going just for looks...

 

[BandofEskimoBrothers]

I'm all in on a 2-Door BD. The General ATx is a really good tire, but I want something more aggressive and taller. Where as the 2-door looks decent with 32s, I think it will look perfect with 33s. If you're getting a 4 -door, I'd definitely up size the tires. I've done a lot reading on this forum and the general consensus is that LT285/70R17s (33x11.50) should fit without rubbing. Worst case, they would require removal of the front crash bars or aftermarket ones like these from ReadyLIFT.
View attachment 91896
As for tires. All the Bronco models come with either P (SL) or C load rated tires. Running E load tires will give a much harsher ride, even if you run them a little below the recommended pressure. The good news is there are a lot of great tires with a C load rating. There are also a few with a D load rating, which will probably still ride pretty good. I'll probably trade out my tires soon after I get my Bronco, so I've been looking at my options (a lot). I keep bouncing back and forth between LT255/75R17 and LT285/70R17s. Falken has a LT275/70R17 that's tempting. Here's a summary of the tires I'm considering. I included the stock tire for reference. Hopefully it helps.

Brand, Model	Load	Size	Dia	Width	Wheel
General Tire, A/Tx	C	LT 265/70 R17	31.60	10.40	7-9
Wrangler, Duratrac	C	LT 265/70 R17	31.70	10.70	7-8.5
BFG, KM3	C	LT 255/75 R17	32.10	10.00	6.5-8.5
BFGoodrich, KO2	C	LT 255/75 R17	32.10	10.00	6.5-8.5
Goodyear MTR	C	LT 255/75 R17	32.30	10.10	6.5-8.5
Cooper, STT Pro	C	LT 255/75 R17	31.89	10.30	6.5-8.5
Cooper, S/T MAXX	C	LT 255/75 R17	31.77	10.20	6.5-8.5
Falken, Wildpeak M/T	C	LT 255/75 R17	32.30	10.20	6.5-8.5
General Tire, Grabber X3	C	LT 255/75 R17	32.10	10.00	6.5-8.5
Geolander, M/T G003	C	LT 255/75 R17	32.30	10.00	6.5-8.5
Nitto, Trail Grappler (MT)	C	LT 255/75 R17	32.17	10.28	6.5-8.5
Falken, A/T3W	C	LT 275/70 R17	32.40	11.10	7-8.5
Nitto, Ridge Grappler	C	LT 285/70 R17	32.76	11.50	7.5-9.5
Nitto, Trail Grappler (MT)	C	LT 285/70 R17	32.99	11.50	7.5-9.5
Falken, A/T3W	C	LT 285/70 R17	32.80	11.10	7.5-9
Falken, Wildpeak M/T	C	LT 285/70 R17	32.80	11.00	7.5-9
BFGoodrich KO2	C	LT 285/70 R17	32.80	11.5	7.5-9
Toyo Open Country A/T III	C	LT 285/70 R17	32.80	11.50	7.5-9.5
Toyo Open Country M/T	C	LT 285/70 R17	33.00	11.50	7.5-9.5
Goodyear MTR	C	LT 285/70 R17	33.00	11.50	7.5-9
Goodyear Duratrak	C	LT 285/70 R17	33.00	11.50	7.5-9
Goodyear Duratrak	D	LT 285/70 R17	33.00	11.50	7.5-9
Goodyear MTR	D	33x10.50 R17	33.00	10.5	7.0-9
General Tire, A/Tx	D	33x12.5 R17	33.00	12.5	8.5-11

Ive got those 285 Falken Wildpeaks on my truck. They are great!

 

[MoabRox]

Ive got those 285 Falken Wildpeaks on my truck. They are great!

I was leaning that way until Mickey Thompson came out with the Baja Boss A/T. That's the tire I'll be going with in a 33x12.50R17LT (D load)!

 

[PowPow]

I was leaning that way until Mickey Thompson came out with the Baja Boss A/T. That's the tire I'll be going with in a 33x12.50R17LT (D load)!

yes, these Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T seem to be making quite the splash...

 

[dgorsett]

UPDATE: I have to walk back my comment about “E load” tires giving a much harsher ride. Just last week I talked with my local tire/repair shop owner about this very thing. He told me that if you run E rated tires at lower pressures (30-35 psi) there isn’t much of a difference in ride quality. That opens up a lot more options. I’ll probably still go with a C or D rated tire. I love Mickey Thompson’s new Baja Boss A/T, but I’m not sure that the 33x12.50s will fit a stock BD.

I usually run E's on my 4x4's, very reliable and I run 35 ish pounds. I don't notice ride issues. I agree with your tire guy. I run around door sticker pressure, if I'm running a significantly larger than stock tire I might run a bit less. Pressure printed on the tire is maximum, not recommended.

 

[BD Cactus]

I was leaning that way until Mickey Thompson came out with the Baja Boss A/T. That's the tire I'll be going with in a 33x12.50R17LT (D load)!

Will these fit on the upgrade rims??

 

[BandofEskimoBrothers]

I was leaning that way until Mickey Thompson came out with the Baja Boss A/T. That's the tire I'll be going with in a 33x12.50R17LT (D load)!

Just looked on amazon... $320+ each for the 285s.... ouch.

 

[MoabRox]

Will these fit on the upgrade rims??

The minimum recommended wheel width is 8.5”. The upgraded Ford wheels (Gloss Black Aluminum) for the BD are 7.5” ( 8” at the most). I have not been able to verify that for sure, but the BL wheels are 17x8 and the Sas wheels are 17x8.5, so it makes sense that they’d be either 7.5 or 8.
Rather than add the optional wheels to my BD, I bought 5 Alpha Delta wheels (17x8.5, +35mm offset) for about the same price which will work with the 33x12.50s. The only question is whether or not I’ll need a minor front lift to clear the tires.

 

[bigjwalt]

I went and saw a BD squatched and a BL not squatched, and honestly, couldn't tell the difference at all.

So I ended up walking away from the event thinking to myself, ya know what the 32's on the BD will probably be just fine. If the 33's don't look much different than the 35's, there shouldn't be much of of a difference between the 33's and 32's.

So I went home and crunch some numbers:

35's vs 33's
1.7 taller
1.2 wider

33's vs 32's
1.1 taller
.8 wider

The 35vs33 has a greater difference than 33vs32. And I saw zero difference between the 35's and the 33's... (maybe not totally true, from the front, they looked a bit wider. But from the side, they looked exactly the same.) The 33vs32 has even less of a difference size wise, so my thoughts are visually the 33's should be about the same as the 32's.

Wish my local event had a BD & BL non squatched to compare. But until then, math is all I got.

I started in the same boat and saw those configurations in person and next to each other (in Doylestown and Nazareth). I walked away thinking the 32" would "probably be just fine." Then I got back to my principles.....I liked the look of the SAS and I refuse to give it up. Don't put yourself in the position where 6 months down the road a SAS rolls up next to you and you think "I should have got that."

 

[MoabRox]

Just looked on amazon... $320+ each for the 285s.... ouch.

You must have been looking at either the M/Ts or the A/Ts in R18. Summit, 4WP and others have the 33x12.50R17LTs listed for $275.30. More than the average LT285/70R17, but hopefully worth it. I’m not sure if I’ll get them right away. I may wait and see what the other manufacturers do to “catch up”, like Cooper’s new Discoverer Rugged Trek.

 

[PowPow]

I started in the same boat and saw those configurations in person and next to each other (in Doylestown and Nazareth). I walked away thinking the 32" would "probably be just fine." Then I got back to my principles.....I liked the look of the SAS and I refuse to give it up. Don't put yourself in the position where 6 months down the road a SAS rolls up next to you and you think "I should have got that."

I was at the Doylestown event too .

And no need to worry about that. I want nothing to do with sasquatch. Just not my thing. So that's not a concern for me.

I do like how the 33's look, which is why I started this thread. They're not as much "look at me", but still fill things out nicely and have a bit more presence to them, but not (again) "look at me" big. And don't get me wrong, to each their own. I'm not judging on anyone. Like I said, just not my thing. I won't be doing any heavy offroading, so I'd only be buying it for looks. Which some people will, and that's totally cool, no judgement.

So why I started this thread is because I really wondered how different will the 32's look on the BD (what I'm getting) vs throwing on 33's. Esp when the numbers aren't all that different. Then seeing the 35's and 33's next to each other, and seeing pretty much zero difference, it got me thinking 32's and 33's probably won't have much visual difference either. Hard to tell from photos, so I'd love to see a BL next to a nonSAS BD.

Or after someone gets their nonSAS BD and upgrades to 33's, I'd love to see a before/after shot. I'm just thinking, visually, it won't be much different.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I have Grabbers on my Ranger and I really like them. As good as my old MT's on the trail and FAR superior in snow.

I plan on running the Grabbers on our BD until they are spent.

With the mileage ratings being released and the BD apparently taking a big hit compared to trucks with higher gearing the thought of going to a 33 with roughly the same width to maybe get the RPM's down a tad on the highway has crossed my mind. Dunno what the future of tires holds but right now I would go with Grabbers again.

I have Wildpeak AT3's on my F-150 which I would consider pretty equal to my Grabbers. Not sure I would go Wildpeaks again, I do like the looks of the Grabbers better.

I don't think the 32 really looks all that bad. Looks "normal" like it has mud clearance/room for articulation.

 

[Broncodave]

So I have a question for this thread.

My conundrum is that I want the high package, but I am also in love with the less aggressive look of the black steelies and the Grabbers. So I'm thinking about buying a Badlands and putting on the Black Diamond wheels and tires instead.

If wanted to be true to the Badlands and get 33" tires, could I put a 285/70/17 on the steelies? They are a half inch skinnier than the Badlands wheels. 7.5" vs. 8".

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