Would the 255 be a better tire for a DD for all around driving and gas milage than the 285s?

 

The less rolling resistance, the easier it is for your Jeep to move. The easier it will move, the better mileage you'll see. The difference between a 285 and a 255 is minimal. You may see slightly better mileage with the 255, but I question if it would be anything significant. Now, if you were to jump up to a 315 from a 255, you'll likely see a noticeable difference. You also have to factor in the weight of the tire. The heavier the tire, the more work the Jeep has to do to move the wheel, the more gas it will burn to move the wheel.

 

Ok, so really going from one to the other would only give a minimal decrease. Also, would a heavily worn out tire cause worse milage? my milage in the past little while has dropped significantly...

 

I'm no tire/wheel expert by any stretch. I've just been doing a lot of research over the last couple of months. I've been trying to decide on what tires/wheels to put on my 2 door. I ended up going with a 33" Mickey Thompson and Rugged Ridge wheels.

The MTs only weigh about 59 pounds. Compare that to a 33" toyo open country on 18" wheels - 75 pounds per tire. Yikes.

You have to look at everything and decide what is best for YOU. My Jeep is my DD and my wife and I like to go on long rides (not necessarily off road). When I go off road, I want something that will let me have fun. For me, the MTs were the right balance between daily use and off road ability. 35s might "look" better on my Jeep to some, but the 33s will look great, too, plus I won't have to suffer too much in the mileage department.

I plan on resetting my mileage computer when the new tires go on. Right now, I am getting around 18.4 Mpg on average. I'm anxious to see if there is a change, even though I will not be recalibrating my speedo just yet.

 

We went from a 255/80 to a 285/75 and didn't even give 285/70 consideration.

 

I have 285 coppers on now with 70k on them. The past 10k or a little more they have worn really choppy. And my mileage has dropped significantly.

I think with the 255s I would be almost 30 lbs lighter a tire

 

I think you would do better with the thinner, taller, lighter tire.