Okay, instead of wondering if 235/85 r16 would be the tire for me, I went ahead and just bought some and had them mounted. I chose the Toyo Open Country AT III. Mostly I chose this tire because it's light for an E rated tire (44 pounds) and it's an all terrain. This will net me a 15lb reduction per corner over the Coopers. That's a lot. And man, it's a difference I can definitely feel.
So, I'll cover the bad part first:
They look wimpy. Now, this might just be because I'm so used to the look of the 285/75 STT Pro's, but man, I don't know if I'll be able to get used to this.
On the upside, there's the following
1) This thing drives and rides like a dream. Seriously, it's like a completely different vehicle.
2) It actually goes forward and stops. With the bigger tires, it always felt like I was accelerating out of a hole and stopping didn't inspire confidence.
3) Road noise is non-existent. This is largely do to the AT tire not necessarily the size.
4) Bumps and bad roads feel much more tolerable.
5) I was able to take an inch of lift out of it (blocks). Now that I'm back to the standard 2" OME, there's less body roll and better steering of course.
6)
From inside the vehicle, this tire and size combination are a no brainer.
Now, I haven't tested them off road yet, but I'm sure they'll be good, not worried about that. I just don't know if I can get used to the look. I feel like I neutered my truck.
It's really just vanity, I know. So, I did keep the Coopers and I have a spare set of rims. I'm going to force myself to leave these tires on for a few weeks before I make any final decisions.
Here's a few pictures of what it looks like now (it sits perfectly level, it's just in a slanted driveway) (compare to my avatar).
What do you all think? Am I just being a bitch about it, or does it look bad?