Just picked up an XLT extended cab stepside 2.5/manual trans with the 225/70R14 tire option. Current tires are BFG Radial Long Trails that look like they are at least 10 years old based on the cracking between the tread cap and sidewall.

I am having a hell of a time finding new tire options in the original size. From my research over the past few days, it looks like my single option for a "truck" tire is the Mastercraft Courser A/T2, which looks like they will cost about $800 plus M&B for a set of five. Dropping down a width to 215/75R14 yielded even fewer choices. I think I'd like to stay away from passenger car tires if possible since this is a truck and we intend to use it as such.

Short of buying a new set of rims or going to some exaggerated tire size which will kill fuel mileage and/or relegate the speedometer to merely an approximation, what's the best route to take? Should I take the plunge on the Mastercrafts? Or is there a repository of tires in obsolete sizes that I just haven't found yet?

Any help sorting out this conundrum is appreciated!
-Kyle

 

My 2001 ranger has premium wheels on it. the rims came with the truck when I bought it. It also came with Falken 275/50R17 tires, which were replaced.
I wasn't satisfied with the Falken tires so I researched how to get a different tire but keep the same rims.
I had to keep the 17" size, but there was some wiggle room on the sidewall height and the track width, 275 and 50 respectively.
Also I had to consider the computer and odometer calculations, so that the rotation of the tire matches what the computer thinks is the actual mileage traveled, this was the main thing I was trying to fix because the mileage was not being recorded correctly with the 275/50R17 tires.
I came up with a size of 255/60R17 tire size as being closest in mileage per rotation to the original tire size which is located on the drivers door jamb.
I found some Michelins, they are performing great, just had them rotated, very little wear on these SUV sized tires because there's very little weight from my small truck (3500lbs).
Now for the bad news, about 1250 installed, rotate free for the life. about 91 per tire. This is the state of tires in America today.

 

I went through the same process a few years ago with my '96. I went ahead and bit the bullet and changed over to 15" wheels. I would try talking to the different tire shops and see what kind of package deal they can do for you for both tires and wheels.
john

 

After market aluminum wheels are cheap, I just put 235-75-15 goodyear wranglers on my 94. Had 235-70 on it. $425 at wally world, so with a set of new wheels probably around a couple hundred more. I bought used wheel for spare only $17 at U pull. Look there for replacement wheels they said about $25 for aluminum wheels but I wanted a steel for the spare. OEM spare makes ya wonder about it if needed!

Check craigs list for replacements always a bunch there. Remember most import wheels have same setup as the ranger for bolt spacing and probably offset.

 

My 97 XLT 4cyl came with 14" wheels. I was able to get a great deal from a friend (back in '99) on some 16's off a 4x4 Off Road Ranger. They looked much better and I got free tires because Ford recalled all the Firestones (remember that mess?). Anyway, just keep in mind that there will be a noticed loss of torque if you have a 4cyl like me. Also, at freeway speeds your speedometer will read nearly 10mph slow. The retardation of your odometer will work in your favor.

 

Not gonna give Mr. Walton any of my money simply out of principle.

235/75R15 is a considerable jump from the original size. Again, I don't want to throw the speedo/odo way off. Tire Rack's tire sizer didn't give me any truck options for +1 or +2 selections, either.

Side question, do these have a VSS for the speedometer or do they get the signal from the ABS module? I had the wild idea that a tire swap combined with the correct speed sensor (if it is transmission-driven) could be a slightly cheaper solution to my problem. Yes, I fully intend to get the factory service manual set which would provide that answer. Just haven't dropped the cash on it yet.

 

Having owned four Aerostars, I know all too well the pleasure of finding a good 215-75R14 tire.
Anyway, Onlinetires.com lists some Maxxis 225/70R14 tires that claim to be classified as Light Truck/SUV tires. They also list about four other car tires including a few brands that are a little more recognisable.
I've used that company a couple of times in the past and the service is good, but you are the one who has to decide if you have the ability to mount them or if you can find a local company will mount them for you.
Let us know of your final decision.

 

I pick up tires for an Amazon supplier. Lots of 14s, but I don't really look at the actual sizes. BFG tires mostly in 14.

As for truck tires on a Ranger, don't waste your money unless you drive on unimproved broken granite or lava roads. You can't haul enough in one to overload the tires if you have any sense at all. (as in not loading the box to the top with gravel or something)

Explorer aluminum wheels, both the teardrop 16" and 15" "Snowflake" are very light (15-16 lbs). You'd have to find a smallish or low profile tire to match your diameter though.

I went to 225 75 15s over the 205 70 14s on my '86 2.9. Not a wise move, it was a terrible dog with those.

 

The Maxxis tires are a nice price, coming it at less than $500 for a set of 5 including shipping. However, Maxxis' US website doesn't list any tires in that size, which I take to mean they are either discontinued or no longer distributed domestically, so finding a replacement may be an issue should the need arise.

On the plus side, they are very well reviewed on the Australian site I found, but I don't know if that justifies the gamble.

The tires I've looked at so far have all been P-series; nothing in LT. At some point we're going to have a bed full of stuff with a motorcycle trailer in tow. Hopefully that's not asking too much of the truck...

 

I would go with a 15" inch rim swap with 205 or 215 tires before I would put those Mastercraft on my truck.... 14" LT tires are getting rare to find and will only be getting rarer.

 

There are a few Rangers out there that can work their tires, my 89 Ranger with a 2.9, 3.73's and 30x9.50R15LT and extra springs from a 79 F250 is no dog and has had literally a ton of weight in the back.


I did only have 215's on at this time of this picture but after all I've done to the truck it pulls even better with the bigger tires and add 20 or 30 50# bags of seed on top of the hundred gallon diesel fuel tank and you have a load. Don't have a picture of that unfortunately.

 

Could you elaborate on why you're opposed to Mastercraft? The reviews I have read so far are mostly positive, and I found another source which knocked the price down to under $700.

 

My dislike for them is biased by how I use them, with farm use I put a lot of miles running on crushed limestone roads and it destroys any Mastercraft tire I've ever owned very quickly (literally chunks of rubber falling off the tires) and traction vs other tires has been poor.
The hard and in my opinion brittle tire rubber might be much better suited to highway driving as there are some good reviews on them.

FYI, crushed limestone is exactly what it sounds like crushed soft rock that isn't round but sharp pieces generally in the 3/4 to 1 inch diameter and when spread new on the road can and will pierce a P rated tire on a truck/SUV. It's a surprisingly good road surface to drive on but terrible on tires....

 

As to speedo issues, I find my is off by about 5mph and have to add 4 miles per 100 driven. No big thing. I did switch the drive gear but then found it was further off than what I had with the original so I put it back in. Small 15's will work if you want small close to original size. As to wally world, they were 2-300$ less than others and that allows for other things to be done to the truck when it comes time to do them.

 

This aligns exactly with what I read on the Internets. Since I don't plan on doing much off-road trekking, if any, the Coursers will probably be the option I choose. Right now, that seems a lot easier than worrying about how fast I'm going, or dinking around with tire sizes and speedo gear combinations in an effort to make it read correctly, though if push comes to shove I might look into it more in the future.

This site has the most comprehensive list that I could find of 14" tires in the correct size; unfortunately, most of them are also off-brands.