Okay, I'm a newbie so don't laugh too hard.


I recently bought a 1979 F150 Supercab and I am looking at replacing the rims and tires. Does anyone know what the original size tire and rim that was put on this truck? Or did that vary too much? I don't want to restore this truck to it's original condition but I would like to know the original diameter of the trucks wheels.


-Chris

 

Welcome to FTE, Chris!

Your F150 would have had 15" wheels, and the width would have varied according to the style. The optional alloys were 7" wide, and the steels were probably 6 or 6.5" wide. The tires were L78x15, which are a size close to today's 235x75x15.

There are many different styles of wheels available, both aftermarket and stock. You can use a stock Ford wheel up to and including model year 1996, with a bolt pattern of 5x5 1/2". IMHO, late model Ford alloys look really good on these old Ford trucks.

 

Thanks a bunch!

I looked at the tires last night and they are 235/75 r15's with painted steel rims. I would like to go with something a little wider. I was thinking 255's but I'm not sure if I should go with 60% wall height or 70%.

If I decide to go with 255's then I would need atleast an 8" wide rim, right?


-Chris

 

The general rule is that you need a wheel width equal to the tire tread width. A 255 is equal to about a 10.00, which has a tread width of about 8". Therefore, yes, you should put it on an 8" wide rim.

As to the aspect ratio, it really depends on the look you want. The 60% will ride slightly lower, and give the impression of a wider tire. You should be able to fit just about any size under the 79, up to about a 10.50x31, or maybe 11.50x32.....

 

What about wheel spacing? Is that a trial and error gig, or is there some sort of rule of thumb for that?

Frank

84 F-150 2wd

 

If you are refering to back spacing (the distance between the edge of the rim and the point at which the rim makes contact to the hub) then yes and no.

Yes, if you don't go with anything GREATER than say 4.25". If it's more than you may run into an issue with the rim touching the brake calipers or something else - not good.

No, if you go with something 4.25" or smaller BUT the smaller the number the more your wheels will stick out from under the wheel well.

Make sense?

I'm looking at 15x8 with a backspacing of 3.75". With them on, you can see the rear drums sticking out a bit (about 1/2" from the rims) but it also gives the truck a little more aggressive look. The wheels are not "tucked" under the wheel wells as much as the stock ones show.

 

Yes, sir that makes sense. 'Tucked' wheels suck, and that's why I wanna change them as well. Now if memory serves, that would be 3.75" of "negative"(?) backspacing, correct?

My stock wheels have to go ...looks too much like an old grampa truck (you shoulda seen the running boards that were on it )

Frank

 

The backspacing would be positive. So, if you look for something in the neighborhood of 3-4" it would be a positive backspacing number (i.e., +3.25" or 3.25").

NO running boards.

Good luck on your hunt!