Ford Super Duty Owner Seeks Best Bigger Tire Upgrade
Choosing a tire can be rather confusing these days, so one Ford owner heads to the FTE forums for a little clarification.
Without question, the first thing most new truck owners change out is the tires. Typically, the pickups we buy off dealer lots wear rubber that leaves a lot to be desired, after all. These tires are generally fine for on-road use, but they’re typically too small and lack the aggressive looks our Ford trucks deserve. Thus, we see a lot of threads here in the Ford Truck Enthusiasts forums from folks seeking tire upgrades. Including this one from member AidenFC, who’s looking for a new set for his new Super Duty.
“I have a new Ford F-250 and I’m looking for new, larger tires. I’m going to eventually source a set of wheels for it as well, and would like to go with 22” rather than the stock 20s. I’m looking at the Pirelli Scorpion ATR, and the size will be 325/55/22. This is a 36″ tire basically, which compares to the 34″ tire already on it.”
“There appears to be enough clearance for the extra inch all around, but they are also wider, not just taller, so I’m hoping they will fit. I don’t want or need a M/T tire, just not how I use the truck. It’s my daily driver, and will be pulling a boat and trailer that will be just over 10,000 pounds. Off-roading isn’t on my list of driving habits. Would this be acceptable to use in this application?”
The responses to this inquiry are decidedly mixed. Some feel that it’s not the best idea.
“I think you are going down the right road looking at the actual load rating, and not just the P, C, D, E rating,” said seventyseven250. “Have you ever weighed your axles with the boat hooked up? I think you’d get faster tire wear with the lighter duty tire, but maybe that’s an acceptable trade-off.”
“I would not do it,” added senix. “Get a proper LT tire. Truck weights more than you think.”
But others like Dbledan think it’ll work just fine for this Ford. Maybe.
“I would make sure that the tires can support the max rear axle weight. Or at least the weight that you are hauling based on a scale weighing. The number one reason tires fail and explode is because they are overloaded or under inflated for their loading. You don’t want that when towing. I would also say that when hauling with P tires, things will feel a bit more squishy because the sidewalls are not as firm. This also gives you a softer ride as a result. I went from P to LT on my F-150. Ride was slightly worse, but tow was slightly better. If you are comfortable with the weights and ride, there’s no reason I could see to not go do it.”
But as SDcrewzer points out, a little extra caution is necessary.
“Be careful with P tires on SUVs and light trucks, as their load rating must be reduced by ~9%.”
So far, there’s a pretty good mix of opinions going on in this thread. So we want to know what you think. Would you dare tow this sort of load on your Ford Super Duty with this particular tire? Or would you just go for something a bit beefier? Head over here and let us know!
Photos: Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums
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