I recently purchased a 1962 F100 Styleside (Woohoo!) 233 inliner with 3 on the tree. The tires are in need of replacing. Tried searching though the forums for general info on tire size and type but no luck. Could someone steer me right?

Should I stick with truck specific tires or are some passenger style tires ok?

Thx

 

Welcome to the gang friend, stick w\ what you want, not what everybody's doing. I'm going thru this now, my 66 f250 looks better to me w\ snow tread tires and I like the 215-225 thickness but mines a work truck do what you like. These guys are excellent for info keep them handy

 

Thanks for the advice 99Hosss. The truck currently has a set of Bridgestone Duelers 235/75-15. They look nice and give the truck a ranch style look. But I wonder if I should try something more street friendly due to my driving habits.

Cheers!

 

If you google tire size conversion chart of something similar, you will find a lot of sites that can be used to compare tire and wheel sizes.
You can put any wheel/tire combo on there that will fit but it all depends on how accurate you like the speedometer to be. Guess you can change the gearing of that too but 235/75/15 is just under 29" and I'm thinking that must be close to a stock height for these trucks.
15's are beginning to go the way of the 14"er not very common anymore because most newer trucks have 17 and 18's.

 

BeerKnurd,
I have 235/75-15s on my '65 F100 short box and I like the look, ride and standup performance. Shop around and look for some that you like then make your move. As Toby pointed out, 15s are going away, so if you can locate some nice 16" wheels, you may want to step up to them. There are more 16" tires available/ on sale than 15" tires.

In my opinion, these trucks are not 'street brawlers' as is - and with a 223 6-cylinder with a 3 speed on the column, yours is NOT a screaming eagle, as I'm sure you already have figured out (Years ago, I owned/drove a '63F100 short box with a 223-6cyl and a 4spd). The truck will, however, haul/tow nearly anything you need to move and will still turn heads when you wheel it into the burger joint or at the beach - as long as it doesn't fail you.

So, to combat that chance I would suggest you make a plan to freshen all the fluids (motor oil, trans fluid, rear diff gear lube, coolant), make sure all the grease-able joints take grease and are tight (not wore out), inspect the coolant hoses and heater hoses for cracks or swelling, inspect the fan belt for cracks, inspect all four brake drums and their respective brake shoes (and flush the brake fluid too), inspect all four shock absorbers for any leaks and the driveshaft U-joints for any sloppiness, gap & install new sparkplugs, test the sparkplug wires and coil wire for excessive resistance, inspect the clutch linkage carefully and lube the pivot points, install a new fuel filter, new points, condenser and distributor cap and put a few spare fuses in the glovebox and a pair of jumper cables under the seat. Basically, I'm suggesting you get all the mechanicals up to a known dependable state of condition, so you can be relatively sure it won't leave you stranded at your next cruise-in session.

Think safety first, dependability second, then lastly appearance.

-- A Haynes or Chilton's repair manual is a good investment
-- Call first & be prepared to wait or have to search for repair parts, as many of them will NOT be on your local Autozone shelves.

Good Luck and keep us posted on your progress!
BarnieTrk

 

Thanks BarnieTrk. You're correct on the precautionary steps before cosmetic. I would still like to hear (read) what tires are working well for folks without deviating too much from the original look. I've seen plenty of trucks with what seems "passenger car" tires than light truck/suv tires. What is your opinion on that?

Thx again

Bk

 

Personally, I prefer the LT tire look on these trucks. I run 6-ply radial LT Michelin tires (@ 45-psi) on my F100, and Cooper Discoverer AST; 9.50R-16.5LT/D (8-ply) tires (@ 60-psi) on my F250. Yes, they both ride just fine to me - just like a mid-60s truck should!

I know, some folks have a problem in calling them trucks. They think if you want to call it a truck, it must run on diesel fuel. However, I have one eyebrow that goes up when someone (referring to my F100 or F250) asks, "So is that your car?"

BarnieTrk

 

Make sure that you have an LT rated tire.. a lot of manufacturers will only honor the warranty for a tire that is on a truck if the tire has an LT rating. If you want to put a load in the bed you will need that LT rating! As to brand well it is really whatever you prefer. I go to Tire Rack as they give you honest comparisons of all of the tires,and they will tell you the benefits, and draw backs of each brand. Besides they always give a pretty good deal!

 

Thank you Jetcopterpilot. Exactly what I was looking for.

Cheers!

 

I have purchased tires from Tire rack that I would previously never have considered, but after reading their research, and test results, I have made purchases that have made me quite happy... I now have General Grabbers on my truck, they rate across the board dead even with the Michelins, as far as traction, load handling, speed rating, durability,ride, quietness and for less then half the price of the Michelins Consumer reports agreed with Tire rack on their test results. It is a brand that I never would have considered in the past... It is also a US made tire!

Good luck BeerKnurd!

 

I like the looks of those 235/75-15 Dunlop Radial Rover A/T (6-ply rating) tires.

When I was considering to buy some tires from the Tire Rack, I contacted my friendly neighborhood Discount Tire store and asked the manager there if I could have some tires delivered directly to them. I told him I'd have his guys mount & spin balance the tires. He agreed to the deal. I ordered the tires from the Tire Rack and told them to deliver the tires to my local tire store. After a couple of days, the manager at Discount Tire called me and told me my tires had arrived. The next day I went down and got them installed. It all went smooth........ymmv.

BarnieTrk

 

Great info everyone. Thx!

 

I bought my 66 with 225/75/15s. They were on the truck the whole time it sat in the barn (10+ years) and now that I'm driving it a lot, they're starting to come apart.

So...I just bought a set of Bridgestone Dueler 235/75/15s and I really like the way they look. They're a bit beefier, they fill up the wheel-wells better and give the truck a more solid appearance. Plus, they're a bit taller than the 225s which has the net effect of simulating more of a highway gear in the rear axle.

FWIW....I bought them off of Craigslist from a guy who was upgrading the stock wheels on his Tacoma. They have about 50% of their tread left and I got all four of them for $50.

 

Can you guys give me a recommended tire pressure range I should stay at for 235/75/15s? I primarily drive on the highways (frontage roads mostly until more comfortable with the old girl). No loads. But may want to carry a motorcycle or two in the near future.

Thx

 

My tires are LT rated and can use up to 85 PSI.. I run them at 50 PSI normally, and then increase the pressure when I pull my trailer, or load the truck up, usually to about 65 or 70 psi! You want to be careful not to over inflate or under inflate as both will cause excessive premature wear.

Tire Rack has a handy inflation calculator on their website, which uses your vehicle info, and adjusts for the type of tire and your usage. I used it as a starting point! I also used it on my Mustang tires and they have worn perfectly for many years now It suggested 41 psi on the Mustang, and they wear very evenly. you will have to look around on their website for it.. I found it by accident one time!