Okay, after working at a tire store for a while I think I can add some information and hopefully answer questions you guys might have. The nice thing is I can call on experience from customers running different setups and seeing what the long term effects and short comings of a particular wheel/tire combo would be under real world conditions.

Just for my sake, you guys are talking about the '96 and up Yotas with the strut front suspension, right? All your lifts are (strut) spacers up front and blocks in the rear for a total of 2", right?

For you pizza cutter lovers, the size you'd want for this app. would be a 255/85/16. Wider than the 235, and taller too. This tire works perfect on the stock 7" wide wheel and can be run on an 8" with no problem. Most, if not all 255s are 10 ply (load range E) as well. Height is about the same as a 285/75/16 (almost a 33), just not as wide. This is what I would run if I were looking at running only one setup year round, and would be the cheapest way out. The only problem might be tire selection, although I've seen some nasty 255s.

The biggest problem I've seen with 285s doesn't stem from the tires themselves, but from the wheel you decide to mount it on. Here, wheel choice is critical. IF you run 285s on stock (7" wide) wheels, be prepared for a possible troublesome combo. The wheel is just not wide enough to properly place the whole contact patch of the tire on the ground. You will either A- wear the shoulders from under inflation or B-Wear the centers from over inflation. This combo also tends to wander on uneven pavement. So, one would think that the solution would be 8" wide wheels, right? Not really...8's are close, but you still might have the same trouble as with the 7's, regardless of what the manufacturer or salesman may say.

Side note:
Some people will say anything will fit...I've put a 265/75/16 on a 16x5 trailer wheel, but it was a spare, not something the guy was going to use day in and day out.

Back on track...If you don't mind doing 3-4k tire rotations and religiously checking your tire pressure (2 times a month) then 285s and 16X8s may be your ticket if you like the wider tire look. Like I said before, wheel selection here is critical and wheel offset will make you or break you. You'll want to try and get a wheel with enough positive offset to clear your bumper, but not so much that it will hit your tie rod ends. Having a store that will let you "try a wheel on" would be valuable. Even if it's not the wheel you want, you can take notes of what size/width/offset will work and start looking for your desired wheel with those dimensions.

The optimum width for a 285 (my opinion) would be a 9" wide wheel, but no one makes those, so we'll skip that.

Believe it or not, 10" wide wheels work very well with 285s and will fit better than 8" wide wheels most of the time due to the offset that they are built with. But remeber, we drive Toyotas, and 285s on 10s....well, you get the picture.

FYI, most 285s are 8 ply (load range D) but can be had in a 6 ply.

These are just my opinions based on what I've seen. I know I only have like 4 posts, so I won't cry if someone decides to speculate or ask a question.

 

Here is a pic of my Unique 252's (I paid $60.00 ea at Discount Tire) with ProComp 31x10.5x15 MT's. I had a set of factory alloys, but I really like the "military" look of the black steel wheels. And the welded reinforced lip on these wheels makes them stronger and more impact resistant. (I know. I slammed them down hard on the 3 foot drop that destroyed Rob's-"WATRD"-steering rack and not a dent, just some paint was scraped) So even though there is a "poseur" mystique in the eyes of the "hardcores" I know that they are certanly worth the extra expense over the regular black steel rock crawler wheels. I also ran them on the Tonga Ridge snow run at 0 psi, and had no problems retaining the beads on the tires. That was enough testing for me to be convinced. Here is the dropoff and the snow pics: