Falken Wildpeak 255/70r18 … Fits (Ranger Lariat FX4)!

[blm28164]

Oh ok. I live near a 4x4 beach so I had planned on taking it on the beach a time or two (we have a car wash nearby that will do an underbody spray). so in a nutshell, I’d be better off or more satisfied doing a 275 70 R17 than a 255 70 R18 to have more tire for grip and handling if I wanna go on the beach and still have good handling and performance on the road itself?

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[Alaska_Wolf]

Oh ok. I live near a 4x4 beach so I had planned on taking it on the beach a time or two (we have a car wash nearby that will do an underbody spray). so in a nutshell, I’d be better off or more satisfied doing a 275 70 R17 than a 255 70 R18 to have more tire for grip and handling if I wanna go on the beach and still have good handling and performance on the road itself?

You may want to look at that, after looking at Steve's pics, and looking at the tire sizes on paper, I'd suspect you may see some rubbing. Not only do the 275 70 17s have an increased 1.1" sidewall height, they also have an increased section width of .8". That's getting close to Raptor sized tires, which uses a significantly different suspension.

 

[Alaska Steve]

You may want to look at that, after looking at Steve's pics, and looking at the tire sizes on paper, I'd suspect you may see some rubbing. Not only do the 275 70 17s have an increased 1.1" sidewall height, they also have an increased section width of .8". That's getting close to Raptor sized tires, which uses a significantly different suspension.

Keep in mind that the wheel he wants to use has a +20mm offset vs the +55mm offset and a width of 9” vs stock 7.5”. He might be ok and should probably talk to a reliable tire shop about the fit up. I didn’t for for my setup because I’ve done this before and had a backup plan to use 0.5” spacers (I hate using spacers because of the extra stress they introduce longterm).

 

[Alaska_Wolf]

Keep in mind that the wheel he wants to use has a +20mm offset vs the +55mm offset and a width of 9” vs stock 7.5”. He might be ok and should probably talk to a reliable tire shop about the fit up. I didn’t for for my setup because I’ve done this before and had a backup plan to use 0.5” spacers (I hate using spacers because of the extra stress they introduce longterm).

I totally agree with getting a good tire shop to look at it. Still, Raptors run 285/70 R17s which are only marginally larger tires, but necessitate a very different suspension. And he is thinking deflating the tires for sand, which is going to make bead seal changes on the 9" wheel.

Personally, I've already been looking at different tires for my 2025 as I'm not at all impressed with the Wrangler Territory ATs and could not imagine driving them on the Glenn. At 33 lbs each, they feel more like ballons than AT tires, can't imagine how the sidewalls would handle some of my old trails in Talkeetna.

 

[Alaska Steve]

I totally agree with getting a good tire shop to look at it. Still, Raptors run 285/70 R17s which are only marginally larger tires, but necessitate a very different suspension. And he is thinking deflating the tires for sand, which is going to make bead seal changes on the 9" wheel.

Personally, I've already been looking at different tires for my 2025 as I'm not at all impressed with the Wrangler Territory ATs and could not imagine driving them on the Glenn. At 33 lbs each, they feel more like ballons than AT tires, can't imagine how the sidewalls would handle some of my old trails in Talkeetna.

There’s a spot on the Glenn about 8-10mi east of the matanuska glacier view where I got airborne unintentionally a couple of months ago going 70ish mph; that was jarringly not fun, but no damage done.

Your beadlock observation is well warranted…

 

[Alaska_Wolf]

here’s a spot on the Glenn about 8-10mi east of the matanuska glacier view where I got airborne unintentionally a couple of months ago going 70ish mph; that was jarringly not fun, but no damage done.

Wasn't per chance on the double switchback over caribou Creek was it?

 

[Alaska Steve]

Wasn't per chance on the double switchback over caribou Creek was it?

A little further east of Majestic Valley Wilderness Lodge

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