16" vs. 16.5" wheels
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Elder User
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 896
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From: AL
16" vs. 16.5" wheels
I plan to put 16" steel wheels on my '70 F250. I'd like to run the original hubcaps. What year wheels should I be looking for so the hubcaps will fit?
What size tires are you guys running on the 16" wheels? The truck is a 2wd and will see highway use hauling a camper.
What size tires are you guys running on the 16" wheels? The truck is a 2wd and will see highway use hauling a camper.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,369
Likes: 7
From: Gainesville, GA
I run 235-85-16s on the front of my '68 F250 with the 16.5s on the rear. I used to carry a 12' slide-in camper and have 33-12.50-16.5s on the rear. I researched 16s for the rear but forgot which were comparable to the 33-12.50s. My tires were still good so I didn't change yet. The 235s are 33" tall and load range E. You'll need a wider wheel with wider tires if you decide to change. Hub caps won't fit the bigger wheels.
Cargo Master
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 2,171
Likes: 20
From: Denton, TX
Apologies as I'm in the wrong forum... What are the advantages of a 16.5" rim? My '96 has 16" rims and I've found a set of cheap 16.5" rims. What are the advantages of having the 16.5" rims? I've read that you can get get HUMVEE takeoffs inexpensively.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,209
Likes: 12
From: Black Hills of SD
No advantages to 16.5 and I'm not sure how we ever got those pushed off on us. And those wide 16.5 wheels usually take the old style hubcaps with the inside bumps. I've seen hundreds of them and never seen a set with the big outside bumps to take later style hubcaps.
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 1,369
Likes: 7
From: Gainesville, GA
Remember the 7.50x16 tires and split rims? These were the only heavy duty tires for our pickups until the 16.5 wheels and tires. My camper special came with, I think, 8.00x16.5 10 ply tires. I changed them to 9.50s then bought wider wheels and 12.00x16.5 tires. Radials came out a few years later. Number dummy will tell us if I'm correct or not.
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Lead Driver
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 8,679
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From: On the Edge of the Desert
you can get almost any tire on a 16" rim, hiway, allterain, mud , big, small, whatever. 16.5 is pretty limited now.... 16 would be your better option i think,, and if you could find some that were 8" wide then that would allow you to get pretty wide tire, or stay narrow.
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