I have a 98 F150 4x2. I need new rims and tires. My old rims are bent and my tires are shot. I've picked out some cheap rims (Z-Racing ) that I'm going to get. They will be 16 by 7.5. They are around $65 bucks each. I'm not looking for fancy, just what will work.

Now, the tires part. This part that's driving me crazy.
First - the size. I want bigger. Just don't know how big.

My understanding is that the max I can do is: 285/75/16. HOWEVER, I do know that there may be some rubbing and my spedo might be off some.

So, I'm thinking of doing: 275/75/16. That should help fill up the wheel wells and not cause any rubbing or my spedo to be off too much.

Sound good?


Next: Tires. I think I have it narrowed down to 2 (maybe 3). I was thinking of getting some BFG AT as I've had them on my older 4x4 Jimmy and loved them. Just awesome in the snow and they seem to last forever. However, they do cost alot.

I was then looking at Firestone Destination A/T. These seem somewhat comparable, expect in price. The Firestones are much cheaper.

I just need some agreement here:

Will my stock truck be alright with these Firestones 275/75/16? Or should I go bigger, and/or go with the BFG's?


Thanks!

 

This is just my own personal opinion on the deal and not meant to offend anyone , but of all the stock height, 4x2 F150's I see with any larger tire then a 265/75/16 on it, they look kinda funny to me...

Don't know if it's just because they fill the wheelwell area too much or what... Maybe because they are on the stock 7" wide wheels and that makes 'em look 'funny'....

I know the 285/75/16's look great on a 4x4.... Even with the stock wheels... Must just be the fender clearance on the 4x4??

I've got 265/75/16's on my 4x4, and since I tow a travel trailer and only have the 3.55 gears, that's about as tall as I want to go and still have some reasonable off the line power....

As far as tire make goes, well, that's about as subjective as one's political stance! You can't really go wrong with the BFG's... I'd have a set, if I was not such a cheap a$$!!

I ended up with some Toyo Open Country A/T's and am very happy with them. I paid about $130/tire including mounting and balance ($10/wheel).... I did get them on sale, as they cost about $130/tire before mounting now (for the 265 size) Seems to be a pretty large jump in price when going to the 285's as well. They also weigh more, are taller and wider (but look good!). If I had 4.10 gears and more money, I'd have that size!

Good luck!

Mitch

 

See, for some reason now, my wheelwells look completly empty. I have a long bed and for some reason, it makes my current rim/tire combo seem tiny. That's why I want to go bigger, well to help fill up the space and for some better traction in winter (we get a nasty lake effect here).

I'm worried about going 285 because I don't want to rub, and that is my main worry about going with them.

As for the Toyo tires, a set of 285/75/16's were only $50 bucks cheaper then going with BFG's.


Thanks for your imput though!

 

What size do you have on there now? I can see the long bed making a difference however. I'll bet you have the real tiny 235/70/16 or 255/70/16.... My truck actually had the 235's on them when I first got it! Now, that looked funny!

Personally, I'd go for the 265's myself. Those will 'fill the wells' and look good at the same time! IMO of course....

Either way, you will also want to get the speedo recalibrated, even if you get the 265's.. The truck won't shift quite right until you do.....

Mitch

 

i agree

 

I agree with Mitch, I would not go over a 265 on a stock 4x2. I think that is about the biggest you can get in there without clearance issues. You should get the speedo calibrated (I believe you still have the VSS gear in your year truck). If your odometer is digital then you can just get it reprogrammed but if its the analog type then you should have the VSS gear.

The destination A/Ts are not a bad tire. But they arent as aggressive looking either. So its really up to you on that. I saw a black 4x2 extended cab flareside with some 265 BFGs (I think they were 265s anyway...maybe they were 255s) but either way it looked REALLY nice.

 

Ive heard of 285/75/16's rubbing with a spindle lift, so I see no way in heck they would fit stock. 265/75/16 is probably the biggest youll want to go, they might even be a little big for a stock 2x4, but should work.


285's definatley look awsome, but if you have 3.55 gears (most likely) and dont change it will kill your acceleration.

Unless you have some extra money, its not worth the 285's I dont think.
Thats the size I wanted, but I dont have the money to regear now so I went with 265's

 

I'd suggest a 265/75-16

 

You guys rock.


Who can do the spedo for me - or where can I get the part? It's a normal analog so I'll need the gear.


I think the money I'm saving by going to 265's (over the 285's) I'm going to get the BFG's. I've had them before and just loved how well they did in winter (every day driving was good as well).


Thanks so much!

 

Youll have to get the gear from the dealership. But you need to know how many teeth to get, and I dont know how to tell you what number of teeth you need.

Although, as I recall, not all trucks with the same configuration have the same VSS gear stock, so you need to know how many FEWER/MORE teeth the new gear needs over your current one.

 

In case you are still deciding, I'll throw my two cents into the equation. I have a 97 F150, single cab, long bed, 4x4. When I bought the truck they had 255/75/R16's on it. My dad works at Firestone, so I found a set of used Wilderness AT's in 265/75 and threw on there. They looked alright for not having a lift on it. I put a 2 inch body lift and went with some new 285/75/R16s in the Destination Mud Terrain and a lot of people have told me it hardly looks like a have a lift on it because of how the tires fill the fenderwells. You can tell the truck sits up higher, due to the lift and larger tires, but it doesn't look as high because of the lack of space in the fenderwells. Not too open, but still enough room. Not sure how they would have fit without a lift on it though. And the extra tread of the mudders might have something to do with it also. A friend of mine put some Destination AT's on his jeep and they look pretty good, but not real aggressive like someone said above. But if it's only a 2 wheel drive and you don't go playing in the mud and all, the Destination AT's would work alright. But I wont talk you out of the BFG's. They are good tires. I would definately stick to a 265 or so though.

 

I run Bridgestone Revo Dueller's and love them they bite hard in the snow and good wet traction too much better that the stock good for a year's


http://www.bridgestonetire.com/tires...eleratrevo.jpg

 

DETERMINING TIRE HEIGHT (I have an Excel file that can do this by just plugging in sizes, just e-mail me for it)

Width Profile Rim Size H in inches
Tire Height = Rim Height + 2 (Section Height).* You will notice that tire sizes are measured in TWO units, millimeters and inches.* To keep things simple, it is best to convert to ONE unit.* I will use inches.* To convert millimeters to inches divide by 25.4 (Example: 205mm/25.4=8.07" or 8").* So, the stock tire is 8.07" wide.* To determine the section height, take the Aspect Ratio times the tire width.* On the stock tire, the Aspect Ratio is 65 or 65 percent of the width.* Therefore, the section height on the stock tire is 8.07" X .65 = 5.2455" or rounded off, 5.25 inches.* Remember, there are two section heights when determining the overall height of the tire.* The rim size is 15 inches.* Plugging these figures into the tire size formula, we have:
265 60 18
which equals 30.51968504 Tire Hieght

 

I recommend goodyear eagles 285/60/16's
They fit great on my Nascar edition 1998 f-150 with even with a factory
lowered suspension. You should have no issues with diameter either, as
the 285/60's have the same circumference as the original 255/70/16's
My speedo is dead on as is the odometer.

I put the gold letter nascar eagles on my truck 3 years ago and they are
wearing great, handle great, look great and there has been no problems.
You cant find the gold letters anymore, but goodyear still makes the eagles in white raised letters.
The width is awesome as far as looks are concerned. Especially from behind, really looks like a street rod.

for pics email me, I cant seem to load them online here.

Mark

 

Holy crap - lots of info in here, and I'm still confused.

Alright, here is what I want, and perhaps you can help:

I want BFG's.
I'm going to use the Rims I posted above (16 x7.5).
I want to go the biggest without scewing with my spedo.

I'm short on funds and just want to walk out with tires and rims, and not worry about my shifting or spedo being off.

I am confused though, as someone said with 265's I'll have to change my spedo gear, and someone else was able to run 285's. I called Pepboys and they said the largest I could run would be 285's but I may rub some when backing up (though I think he ment turning...?!??).


I can't thank you for all your help thus far.