I have an 02' F250 7.3 diesel. It came with 10 x 7" wheels and 265/75/16 size tires. Although a big tire, the size of the truck dwarfed them. I wanted bigger tires. Purchased 285/75/16's and they still weren't quite the look I wanted. Last night, I got 315/75/16's which are the exact look I am going after. They (Hibdon) told me the tires did not rub. Well, they rub on my leaf springs at a hard right. I need to purchase new wheels anyway to fit this tire better.

My question to you fine experts is *if I purchase lets say 10 x 10" wheels, will this pull the tire out enough so it no longer rubs? If I offset the tire outwards a little, will this remedy my problem? I really don't want to go smaller in the tire because I will lose the look I am going for. Any suggestions (husband won't let me get a lift) without a lift would be greatly appreciated!

 

10 x 10 wheel, I'm not familar with this size. Though I can be wrong wheel sizes are dia first then width. So you stock wheels should be 16 x 7 or 8 with lug pattern next.

The term your looking for is called back spacing. Moving the wheel out some can cure the rub but it may rub on the bumper now. You'll have to check. Also bearing wear will be accelerated with wheels that aren't centered like the stock wheels are. Go to your parts store. You can get wheel spacers that may be just enough to cure your problem. A lot cheaper than wheels and easy to install.

 

I think I typed that wrong.

The wheel on the truck now is 16" by 7" wide. I believe I have been told to get a wheel that is 16 x 10??? Does this sound right? I will check into the back spacing thing and the bumper problem may be something to look into also. Thank you.

 

If your tires rub the bumper, you can shim the bumper forward with washers between it and the frame.

But, I found it to be easier said than done.

 

Try back spacing first. It worked for me in the past.

 

A 16x8, or a 16x10 will do fine with the 315's. The problem is that they will more than likely still rub. The wider rims will probably get you off the springpacks, but you will still be rubbing on the inner fender or possibly the bumper.

The rub will probably not hurt anything the way it is, but if it bothers you alot you'll likely need a small (2"-2.5") leveling kit in addition to the bigger offset wheels.

 

Now, that's the first time I've ever heard that before .


Anyway, I agree with what cookie88 said. The wider wheels will get you off the springs but may cause rubbing in other areas.
If you stayed with the current 16x7 stock wheel you could just add to your steering stop so that they make contact before your tires will hit the leaf pack.



Hope this helps.

Almost forgot......Welcome to the site

 

luvs her f250 i replaced my right front caliper about six months ago and stopped bye the local ford dealer to pick up some wheel bearings to go ahead and get that out of the way being i was going to be done in that area of the truck anyways, turns out there is a sealed hub on my truck(1999 f250 4wd) and they run around 400 hundred per side to replace. so much for preventative maintnance in that area, my parts guy also said the bigger tire wheel combo you put more strain on the spindle causing it wear out quite quickly, 4wheeler magazine also did a article on this subject and stated the same, there is a kit out there to replace the whole rotor assembly that runs about three grand, me personaly- im secure with my manhood and dont have to have a truck jacked up sky high to compensate, they look cool dont get me wrong, but you can gaurantee fords gonna get there share out of your billfold sooner or later, better later

 

elwood, you say three hundred per side? is that for the whole hub or just wheel seals? i am guessing whole hub but parts are the very expensive too. My 4-wheel will not engage on the dash, Manually yes, local parts store said vacuum leak on wheel seals is the problem. just wanted to know what kind of damage i was looking forward to.

 

Luvs, I would love to see some pics of your truck with those tires and stock rims. Just curious. Also for a rim suggestion, I love the looks of the Centerline wheels. $$$ pricey, but they look sweet!
http://www.centerlinewheels.com/whee..._id=8&sw_id=54

Please let me know if you have some pics you could email or post in your gallery. Thanks!

 

hpjunkie , from what i saw and what the fella at my parts counter said its a complete sealed unit that bolts into place, dyna track made a conversion unit but its around three grand the last i checked, how many miles do you have on yours and do you 4wheel often, also somewhere within the forum i remeber someone having the same problem and it was a simple fixx, do a search under the same subject and good luck, this is an awsome place to get help and help others solve are problems minus the 40-75 dollar an hour labor cost from most dealers and crooked shops. sorry i couldn't help you more- suspension and electrical are rough spots for me right now

 

Well, I didn't get the back spacing like I had inquired about. I was told the tire would then rub on the bumper. So, they (Hibdon) actually welded on a 1/4" plate on the radius thing (sorry for my un-mechanical terms) for only $50. This prevents the tire from rubbing. My turing radius has shortened but only very slightly. The truck is so long that I have to take 12 point turns sometimes anyhow. I have added some pictures to my albulm so you can see what it looks like with the new tires. Not anything special, but I certainly get a lot of looks. I also got three compiments on "Trent" the day after these tires were put on. It does make the truck look better! Just what I was going for. So, it is possible to put 315/75's on an F250 without a lift kit. Just needed to modify the turning radius a smidge. I am very happy with the results. Thanks for all of your suggestions. I LOVE THIS WEB SITE.

13hondacr250-- I lived in Fairbanks (Eielson AFB) for 6 years (95-01). We used to go 4-wheelin behind Eielson all the time with an old 81 F150 we used to own. It was so great! I am still looking for places to get Trent a little dirty, but it's so flat here in Oklahoma.

I just got my first door ding yesterday. Oklahoma is so windy. The person even rubbed their finger on it, but of course never left a name or number. I hate that!

 

I have never heard of a vacuum leak on a sealed wheel bearing. I would try another shop.

 

luvs her 250
truck sure looks sweeet, great job
I have 285x75x16 and thought about going bigger myself,thanks for the info & pic`s

Hanklin

 

Luvs Her F250,

Nice truck, I like the back window. Next mod should be a 5 inch stainless tip. And possibly a 4 inch exhaust system. The tip will look really nice. The tail pipe on there now looks bad.

Seems that quite a few people on FTE have done time at EAF.

Do you let your husband drive it?