255/70/16, 265/70/17, 245/70.17, 245/65/17

 

You can find that type of info at tirerack.com. Different brands and styles of tires will have slightly different profiles even for the same size. Look up the brand and style of tire you want and then look up the specs. They will have a chart with all the specs for each available size including tread depth, width, height, footprint, weight, etc.

 

In the metric tire system, the first number e.g. 255 is the tread width in millimeters. The second number e.g. 70 is 70% of that tread width = the sidewall height in mm. The last number is the rim diameter in inches. So convert the treadwidth to inches, find the % which equals the sidewall height. Add the sidwall height twice (top and bottom of tire) and add the rim diameter.
These are all approximations:

255/70/16 = 30"
265/70/17 = 31.5"
245/70.17 = 30.5
245/65/17 = 30"

 

Actually it is the section width of the sidewall and not the tread width.

 

So.. following this, my 235/70/R16's are only 29" high.. no wonder they look small for my '00 F150 4x2.. any ideas how to make this look a little 'beefier' for my truck without 1) spending a fortune on wheels.. and 2) making my speedo go wacko by adding inches to the overall height?

Wayne

 

Well, I recently got rid of my '01 F-150 4x2 in favor of a 4x4 - however, I owned a 4x2 for 6 years before this summer. On my Ford 4x2's I always ran LT265 75R16's. That was the first thing I did on both of my two wheelers was change to bigger tires. They are approx. 31 inches tall, and the majority of people actually thought my truck was four wheel drive just because it had larger tires on it. Just before I traded my last 4x2 off, I actually tried a set of LT285 75R16 tires from Wal-Mart (roughly 33 inches tall). They did fit with no rubbing problems, and my speedo really wasn't that far off. I was pleased with them. The 265's are the best though, they don't affect your speedo too much, but you need to keep an eye on it - I just always drove like my speedometer was 3 mph slow, that was generally a pretty good estimate - if it said 70, then I was going 73. If you go with a big name brand like Goodyear or Michelin, expect to pay at least $150 a tire for the 265's. Wal-mart is awesome though, the 285's I have on my truck now were $100 a piece, with lifetime rotation and rebalance, and free flat repair. They are Liberator All Terrains and they also come in the 265 size. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the info .. that is what I needed! Wayne

 

Hmm.. I meant to ask.. did your 4x2 have a lift kit? I am hoping to get to 31" w/o a lift kit.. getting mixed info on this.. speaking to someone with experience would be tremendous...

Wayne

 

please read the READ FIRST thread at the top of the list. It covers tire sizes since this is such a popular topic.

 

.. hey LxMan1.. I did read the 1st thread.. the one on tire sizes.. and read, and read, and read. I apologize if I'm posting too much on this subject, but don't want to lay out 1-2K for something that won't work.. the reason for my confusion is that the chart on the 1st page of the 6 page post indicates that 29" is max w/o a lift kit on a 4x2.. but.. if you read in the classifieds (also on FTE) folks are claiming that their 31" setup will work without a lift.

Obviously, one is wrong.. so, I am trying to find from folks that have a 4x2 what the scoop is..

Sorry if I have 'overposted' my welcome..

Wayne

 

I understand. I was refering to the first thread that just asked the height of the specific sizes. No problem trying to find out about your 4x2 fitment.

Jimmy

 

Wayne, none of my 4x2 trucks had lifts kits on them. They were both regular cab, V-6's with 5-speeds (XL). I had LT265 75R16 (31's) on them with not a single problem. Good luck.

 

Excellent.. thx for the info.. my decision is to go w/ that size tire, so your info makes me feel even more comfortable with that decision.. now trying to decide between these 2 tires:
Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo
BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO

Wayne

 

Do you really want an all-terrain on a 2wd? I would suggest the BFG Long Trail T/A's. They are alot cheaper in price and seem ok in the slick stuff. I have them on my 4x4.

 

Jimmy.. I appreciate your opinion on this.. the answer to the actual question is 'no'.. but I read a ton of reviews on the tirerack forum and was worried that many had stated that they had less than expected traction in rain. Given that I don't offroad or have alot of snow in NC, I wasn't worried about that, but we do have alot of rain. Given that I drive on mountain roads quite a bit, wanted to count on traction in the rain..

I respect your opinion on this subject.. what's your thoughts on this?

Wayne