I'm headed to buying my first H3 but have a question before I dive in. The H3 is a 2008 alpha with 52000 miles. It looks great and love everything about it BUT wondering what things I should look for before I get it. I've been under it and obvious leaks and the engine area looks very clean. The one thing I have noticed is the tires are 286/75/16 instead of 265's. I am planning on towing a 3000 lbs. trailer. ( I have a carpet cleaning business I do on my days off from the fire station) thanks for your comments. Kirk

 

285/75/16 are the correct factory size tires for a H3 that has the Adventure or Offroad package.
265/75/16 tires were found on Base editions.

285's will be fine for towing. It's the Alpha v8 engine that matters.

 

It is a v8 and the only reason I thought the 265 was original size is the spare tire on the back.

 

It could have been the original size if you don't have an Adventure or Offroad version.
For future reference, the spare should be the same size as the road tires. You could damage lots of things by running mismatched tire diameters.
285's are 33" dia. 265's are 32" dia.

Most of us have replaced 32" tires with 33" or 35" tires. The factory 265's are too small.