When doing a big tire upgrade, there are so many options available, which can get quite overwhelming. The question we’re answering here is not necessarily what the biggest size tire is you can get away with, but rather the biggest tire you SHOULD fit without hampering performance, both on and off-road. Your primary goal should be to improve the capabilities while maintaining, or even upgrading the aesthetics of your, already beautiful Nissan Titan. So what is the biggest tire you can fit on a Nissan Titan?

The biggest tire you can fit on a Nissan Titan is 275/65/20 which equates to 34.1″ In metric values. This tire option offers improved ground clearance without the hassle of having to do permanent modifications such as trimming sheet metal or cutting away wheel arch liners.

With the above-mentioned size, there will be no rub at full lock-to-lock as well as reversing. The Titan was released with 245/75/R17 which looks a bit small for the body size. This equates to a 31.5” in metric values so filling out the wheel arches will be a decent upgrade.

Largest Tires on Stock 18’s Nissan Titan XD without a lift kit

If you are upgrading an 18” tire then you could opt for a 295/70/18 which equates to a 34.3” in metric values. The difference between the 20” and the 18” is +0.6%.

Technical size comparison information

Largest Tires on Stock 20’s Nissan Titan XD without a lift kit

If you want to go larger than a 275/65/20, or 34″, then you should be prepared to do some light trimming. You will need to drive the vehicle a bit and check where the contact is made at full lock-to-lock, as well as when reversing. Also, keep in mind that the bigger tire might have some clearance issues with the wheel arches when fully articulated and at full droop. So if you plan on going off-road you’ll have to make sure you do the required trimming modifications to the wheel arches to avoid cutting up your new rubber on the trail.

The wider 285/60/20 tires have been known to rub on the front mud flaps, so obviously you will need to remove those first since there will be some contact there. You will experience improved off-road performance and handling with the wider tires combined with improved looks and truck stance.

Other than that, the 285/60/20’s fit and look great, which means a 285/55/20 will fit snug without any dramas since the aspect ratio (sidewall) is smaller. This only means you will lose on some ground clearance.

It’s been widely reported that size 295/60/20 in the Nitto Terra Grapplers fits quite fine on the stock 20×8 wheel which is a 34″ tire.

Size 305/55-20 is the absolute biggest you can fit without clearance issues. You might lose some clearance when fully stuffed in the wheel arch while going off-road at full articulation. 305/55-20 is actually a very popular tire option with little to no reported problems. Make sure the offset is correct on the aftermarket wheel.

Largest Tires on Stock Nissan Titan with a 2” Lift

If you opt to do a leveling kit upgrade, this will allow you to stuff a wider tire into the wheel arches. It’s a popular upgrade to the upper end on the 34” tire range and even 35’s

If you have 18’s with, for example, a Rough Country 2” in the rear and 3” in the front, you could get away with 35” tires. You might have to do some trimming in this instance when running it on stock rims. An aftermarket wheel with the correct offset will negate that. If you after that aggressive wide “stance” appearance then just fitting bigger tires isn’t sufficient. In this case, you will definitely need either wheel spacers or aftermarket rims with the correct offset to achieve the desired look.

How Will Fuel Economy Be Affected?

Increased unsprung weight is the quickest way to increase fuel consumption. The heavier tires directly affect the consumption since it’s below the suspension, which means, the engine, transmission, CV Joints, and other drivetrain components are required to work slightly harder to move and rotate the heavier wheels. This is especially obvious when pulling off.

So, before you do the big tire upgrade, make sure you understand your fuel economy WILL be negatively affected! Sure, your truck will look more aggressive, have better traction, and perform better off-road, however, it all comes at a price.  Also, depending on how big you go, it might not even be more than 4kg heavier per wheel, however, this makes a big difference in torque applied on the wheels, and if you decide to go bigger than a 33” tire, then re-gearing is highly recommended.

What Is the Biggest Tire You Can Put On a Nissan Frontier

So, what is the biggest tire size is you can comfortably fit on a stock Nissan Frontier without any additional modifications? The largest size you can fit on a Nissan Frontier with a stock suspension is 265/75/16. This tire size does not cause any rubbing or requires the trimming of fender liners. 

The above-mentioned size of 265/75/16 is the largest size you can fit, even with that 2.5″ spacer. It is also the largest tire that can fit on the stock wheels without any additional modifications needed. That size is just short of 32” and measures exactly 31.6 inches. If you fit an aftermarket rim with a more negative offset, you run the risk of the wheels scrubbing and hitting the fenders at full lock and full compression.

The 5 factors that need to be taken into account before fitting bigger tires to a stock truck/Ute are:

1. Fender liner clearance
2. Backspacing
3. Wheel offset
4. Spare wheel Space
5. Articulation (Flex)

When fitting a bigger tire to the stock Nissan Frontier rims you can get away with a 265/75/16 or a 265/70/17, Yes, it is a narrower tire than say, a 285 width, however, it offers improved ground clearance with the 65 and 70 profile which is taller, but the same width as the factory.

Resources

https://www.customwheeloffset.com/wheel-offset-gallery?sort=date&year=2018&make=Nissan&model=Titan%20XD&drive=4WD

https://tiresize.com/comparison/

Conclusion

There are many variables to consider before dropping a load on expensive oversized tires. You should first determine what the primary application for the upgrade is. Is it purely for aesthetics or will you need maximum practicality, off road ability, while maintaining maximum articulation?

Will you be Overlanding regularly, which requires a tire with a higher load-carrying capacity. Are you planning on fitting other accessories at a later stage? Will you be hauling or towing? This will determine what kind of suspension package you should opt for, which will also allow the vehicle to accommodate larger tires.

If the bigger tires are simply to improved aesthetics, and you have no intension of venturing off road, apart from the off dirt road, then your stock suspension is more than capable and a lift will be unnecessary.