So my truck needs a new pair of shoes and I am thinking of increasing the tire size a bit.

Its a '75 F150 2wd Explorer, 390 4bbl, C6, standard cab longbed, with a 3.25 rear end. The tires on it right now are 235/75/15s but I was thinking about bumping up to 31x10.5s or something similar. Although maybe those would be too wide... I kinda like that "tall/skinny" tire look that trucks used to have, not the "short/fat" look you get on trucks today.

What do y'all think; keep the stock size (is 235/75/15 stock for 2wd???), or go a little bigger? I currently get between 12-13 mpg on the highway, but sacrificing an mpg or two doesn't mean that much in that range anyway.

Honestly this is mostly an aesthetic thing, which is silly considering the state of my paint...

 

The bigger tires are 2" more in diameter so effective gearing would increase around 7%. Maybe less snappy off the line and weaker towing if that matters. The taller gearing may offset the fuel penalty of bigger rubber. Rain and snow performance would be worse with the bigger tires (with similar tread). Looks are for you to judge!

 

I'm running 265 75R15 on Old Blue with 15x8 aluminum wheels and they are fine. Good ride, no problems wet and fill out the fenders quite nicely.