[Gabor Latte]

Hi. It's soon time to replace my 95 Astro tires. Presently I have the standard issue/recommended tire size of 215 /75 R15 on them. However, I've been desiring a bit more clearance on the van and've heard that taller tires is one way to accomplish this. Even an inch higher would be an appreciated improvement. But I'm wondering if any taller tires will lower the mpg (very important to me), or mess up the odometer accuracy (important too, tho' a bit less so). I also want to get tires that are decent and durable on the many rocky roads on which I take my camper-van to boondock...so, like, maybe something in the better traction/high performance spectrum? I don't encounter much snow or rain in the landscapes I roam, but yeah, it's often in/out on dirt roads where many rocks abound. Oh, and also, I don't wanna spend a lot of money - my budget is around $100 a tire. Any tips and/or recommendations of size or brand are welcome. Thank you.

 

[AstroWill]

But I'm wondering if any taller tires will lower the mpg (very important to me), or mess up the odometer accuracy (important too, tho' a bit less so)

Yes, OEM sized tires are that size for a reason, but this has been covered many times over. Yes it will affect your speedometer and odometer as well, but can be fixed.

 

[Gabor Latte]

Thanks for the response Will. I'd gone through several threads before posting but just went through more now. Came across your words from 2 years ago, pasted here for reference and posterity's posterity.

"Want good mileage, get a stock sized highway tire designed for that.
Good traction and reliability off-road, they have tires for that but you pay for it as they are heavier and have a higher rolling resistance.
Need better clearance, get a taller tire and pay with the MPG hit you will take.
Want good snow traction, get dedicated snow tires, but you pay by having another set of tires that will wear out quicker when not on snow.
Don't have a lot of money, get cheaper tires and pay for it by having less performance and/or having to replace them sooner.
No matter what tires you do end up with, getting a truck tire is my #1 recommendation, passenger tires just weren't made for our vans."

So then, can you briefly explain why you recommend a truck tire, what is a truck tire (initial research says they're larger/wider than car tires - so, will this affect mpg?), and potentially recommend a brand/model?

 

[markmitch]

By truck tires, he means LT tires designed for trucks, not cars. If you use passenger car tires, the ride quality will suffer due to them being a softer ride. After all, these vans are more truck than car.

 

[augidog]

Well, shoot. I was going to mention that my Toyo Open Country A/T 2's, P215/75 R15's aren't bad at all at 44psi, with a really good roll and minimum sway.

It isn't a choice I made, they came with the van and still have a good 75% of their life left. They're so nice that I bought a matching new spare, and had a plan to buy another and then rotate them in when needed, etc...

Again, well shoot...Toyo discontinued them in 15" and Les Schwab shows NONE available nationwide.

 

[Gabor Latte]

So LT tires will give a softer ride but they are heavier and thus will weigh down the mpg and yet they can fill to a higher psi which might then lower the mpg so maybe no mpg loss in the end?

I haven't been particularly dissatisfied with the quality of the ride on the standard issue non-LT tires, although sure it's stressful when riding, even very slowly, on rocky uneven terrain to get to a boondock spot...so am always interested in upgrading my lifestyle/comfort-level (as long as it doesn't impinge much on my wallet).

Aside, would 225s, instead of 215s, give me slightly more clearance but with barely any mpg loss? And/or R16 vs R15? Even a half inch higher tire might avoid some undesirable cosmetic scrapes or bruises...

 

[Rod's Trucks]

Yes, 225's would give you a very slight increase in ride height, but it will be a VERY SLIGHT one. I have not seen any 225's in 15 inch LT rated tires with anything but highway tread.
For significantly less cost than a set of tires, you can put on a 2" lift. That will give you more ground clearance than most any set of tires.

Rod J
Issaquah, WA

 

[Gabor Latte]

From my research I've gathered that a lift will lose me MPGs, which is a dealbreaker, on top of the fact that I was/am trying to kill two birds w/one stone regards replacing tires (need to do so anyhow) and possibly aiding clearance issues via taller tires. If I'm to lose MPGs with taller tires and/or LT tires, then I reckon I must just surrender to the same old standard issues, or, yeah, maybe a very slight bump up to 225.

 

[Rod's Trucks]

From my research I've gathered that a lift will lose me MPGs, which is a dealbreaker, on top of the fact that I was/am trying to kill two birds w/one stone regards replacing tires (need to do so anyhow) and possibly aiding clearance issues via taller tires. If I'm to lose MPGs with taller tires and/or LT tires, then I reckon I must just surrender to the same old standard issues, or, yeah, maybe a very slight bump up to 225.

If any decrease in fuel economy is a deal breaker, then you might be stuck with what you have. But, that does not help you with ground clearance, so you have to pick your battles.
In my case, I do not put many miles on my van in a year, so I have trouble getting a representative fuel economy measurement. I only filled the tank twice this last year.
Yes, I suspect the lift will more than likely slightly decrease mileage. Any taller tire may also slightly decrease mileage, but a tire with stiffer sidewalls, and that should run at higher tire pressure (such as an LT rated tire) , may help compensate for the other losses.
YMMV

Rod J
Issaquah, WA

 

[Gabor Latte]

"you might be stuck with what you have."

Yes, playing it conservative on this issue might suit me best right now, given limited budget, high gas prices, and not wanting to give up nary a single mpg, tho the verdict isn't in just yet on the scenario that "may help compensate for the other losses." In any case, your input is helpful, Rod, so thanks!

 

[Birdshake]

2” lift with stock sized tires didn’t affect the mpg in my ‘05.

 

[Gabor Latte]

Very interesting/intriguing, Birdshake. What was/is the brand of your lift kit? And: are you 100% certain your mpg didn't fall even a smidgeon?

 

[HotBananas]

Yo! I have a 2" lift on my 2001 AWD Safari Cargo. I haven't noticed any loss in fuel economy. Being sincerely honest here, After replacing the shocks all around as well with the lift and happening upon some new Toyo A/T II's on offerup, the van drives better than when I originally bought it.

 

[MechBob]

"If you use passenger car tires, the ride quality will suffer due to them being a softer ride."
Well that is certainly debatable. When I first got the 96, it had nice expensive highway tires, non LT. It was awesome, rode better, better on bumps, better on turns. Even took trip to upper Saskatchewan, 4 others n luggage, was great ride for everyone. Also, got great mileage. BUT, living up here, on a jeep trail in the mountains, did not last 2 summers, too many punctures. So went with heavier all seasons, so could use more of the year, in snow and mud. But I still think back fondly on those tires.
""So LT tires will give a softer ride ""
NO exactly the opposite! However, LT tires will be stiffer, which many prefer, many like the more responsive steering, as less tire flex.

 

[Sailing_Faith]

If you lift it 2” the body will ‘keep the score’… 🤣
(Play on the user name).

 

[Gabor Latte]

Hey guys, very sorry haven’t responded sooner to the last few posts - been lying horizontal and wicked disoriented with Covid for many days, a very nasty case of it, and am on very gradual recovery path. Glad to get your testimonies of the tune which sings of a 2 inch lift not affecting mpg! That’s good. I see a lift in my future, after I first get some new tires. Faith, glad Gabor rung your bell, haha 😀. ‘Twas a spur of the last minute idea when prompted for a user name 😊. Happy new year to all 🙏.

 

[WoodButcher]

I haven't responded here until now. I'm confused, your avatar pic shows a hightop conversion van.
Is it 2WD or AWD?
This affects your lift possibilities.
2WD will limit you to a body lift and shackle / blocks only, no added lift for the important parts like the oil pans. Larger tires will lift those
but
with the running boards I don't know for sure but I don't believe massaging the wheel well is a possibility to fit larger tires.

Quoting you quoting Will to answer your question directly,
"Don't have a lot of money, get cheaper tires and pay for it by having less performance and/or having to replace them sooner.
No matter what tires you do end up with, getting a truck tire is my #1 recommendation, passenger tires just weren't made for our vans."
Now,,,
a truck tire vs a passenger car tire typically is heavier because it is thicker, used to be 6 ply compared to 4 ply sidewalls additional plies on the tread surface also allowing for higher air pressures, harder rubber compounds for longevity, better handling and road manners in heavy vehicles. If you can tolerate the harsh buckboard ride you'll see better mileage.
I will play with air pressure until I find a happy medium.
Passenger car tires are most often meant to be run at 30 - 35 lbs made for soft cushy rides and these vans on those tires wallow around corners, braking can be scary, rollovers are not unheard of because they are top heavy. I have seen some good pass car tires but they are not the walmart specials. For vans I always look at the load range of a tire. I wouldn't recommend anything less than a load range of "C" or higher. Many all terrain tires meet this criteria.
I bought a new set of tires last year for my '05 AWD and spent nearly $1,000 for 4 tires.I did buy the best I could find at the best price, I got Cooper AT3 245/70-16. I use the van for work, it's my daily, 2" body lift, always overloaded.Tools equipment and hardware are my daily companions. Without me in it on the scales at the local masonry supply yard it was within 50 lbs of the gross listed on the drivers door.
After a year of driving on them a good investment I think. The load range is up to 2,900 lb each up to 80 psi. With the truck loaded I'm running from 45-50 lbs and get a good ride.

 

[Gabor Latte]

Hey. Thanks a lot for chiming in! That’s a wealth of input. My high top conversion van is indeed 2WD, and I had no idea this affects lift possibilities. So, yeah, if I can’t lift, say, the oil pans, then I reckon a lift will be purposeless as the big idea is to be able to maneuver over some rougher terrains without damaging anything underneath. If that’s the bottom line, I’ll just have it suck up that fact. I’ve done a whole bunch of boondocking all over the country in the past eight months, but anytime people (online) spoke of needing good clearance, I had to sadly steer clear, but I have gotten around to many remote places. I’ve also had 4 normal car tires on there, nothing whatsoever to brag about (the most esteemed is a basic Hankoock). Still, I’ve had zero complaints about the handling, aside from the dirty rocky back roads (especially washboards) where the van shakes a fair bit and is overall stressful, but not sure how much better light truck tires would manage, and not sure I really wanna fork over upwards of $1000 to find out (vs $500 for car tires). Also, despite having a fridge, bed, and kitchenette//sink area, my load is probably relatively light (not much more than if I was carrying 3-4 passengers), so “load” is not a huge issue.

Better mpg always gets my attention. And would love even little more clearance. And a smoother ride on the rocks. But maybe I can live with what I got. Jury’s still out at this moment…

 

[WoodButcher]

Ok GL, yeah, 2WD use coil springs in the front so you can't just "crank up the torsion bars" to get lift.
much more complicated,,,
search for posts by "97cargocrawler"
in Jack's posts before 2015 or so you will find how he lifted a '97 safari to the moon. He never really did a single build thread so you will need to do alot of looking.
Good Luck!

 

[Gabor Latte]

Interesting and, yeah, complicated. Thanks again for enlightening me to a 2WD’s status in regards to a lift. Overall you might’ve saved me some or other huge headaches to the moon and back if I’d walked blind into the lift situation.