What will / won't rub

[SHoppe715]

I want to make a final decision on tires for the LJ this summer. The original MTRs are just about done so mid summer I'll be replacing tires, putting on the 2" springs, and aligning all in 1 shot. I've pretty much decided on the tire but not the size.



The stock MTRs are 245/75R16 - supposedly 31" but really more like 30.5" new and then less when worn down. Plus they're load range E and really stiff.

The front bumpstops are about 1 1/2"-2" off the axle sitting flat right now. With 2" lift I'll have room to extend the bumpstops a bit to keep the new shoes from rubbing. I'm keeping the stock rims and don't want to use wheel spacers at this point. Unless the tire shop I go to allows some test mounting and shop flexing, I'll need to know ahead of time what's the biggest I can run without rubbing.

The S/T sizes I'm comparing are:
265/75R16 - Load range C - approx 31.6"X10.5"
285/75R16 - Load range D - approx 32.8"X11.3"
305/70R16 - Load range D - approx 32.8"X12.3"

So does anyone have insight on what'll rub and what won't?

S/T-C - C meaning "Cut and Chip resistant" come in 285/75R16 so that may be another option for that size. Anyone know anything about the rubber compounds? Does "cut and chip resistant" really just mean "hard inflexible rubber"? I do like the notion in looking at how harshly I cut up the tread on the old MTRs.