x-posting this as I got no reply in the "Brakes, Steering, Suspension, Tires, & Wheels" forum.

I recently picked up an old '84 F250 4x4 that has crap tires (11 years old...good tread but dry rot thru the tread). So I'm looking to replace them but then I started considering if I should stick with the same wheels that are on there (16"x6 and crappy cheap ones at that) or move to something larger while I'm at it. The current tires 235/85/R16 which just don't look right on it - too skinny mostly, but the truck is lifted a bit (4 inch lift maybe?) so it might also look better with bigger wheels overall, or maybe just bigger tires?

I confess I know nothing about tires and wheels, especially on trucks so I'm hoping to pick your brains since I've read so many conflicting things on the internet in my research already, specifically:

1)Some people recommend sticking with the 16" wheels because you get a ton more options for tires than 17".
2)Most people say you can safely go up or down an inch and be OK but any more than that and you'll get into a bunch of other stuff you'll need to do to the truck.
3)Some people say big wheels get poor gas mileage and provide a rougher ride.
4)Others say big wheels provide better handling on the road, plus they look badass
5)Other truck enthusiasts say big wheels are just for showing off in the parking lot and do nothing for off-road performance...others say the exact opposite -lol

What would you recommend for my scenario? I intend to drive it on paved roads regularly including in the rain and snow. I also want to be able to drive it off-road quite a bit but I'm no hardcore mudder or anything like that but we're on a farm now with quite a bit of land so I need to use it for work around the property and haul stuff and not get stuck in the mud. I'd also like to be able to tow trailers etc on occasion (but that's not a huge demand for me)? Should I stick with the 16s and get some wider wheels and bigger tires? (if so what size?) or go with some bigger wheels 17s? 20s?

thanks a lot!

 

You won't be able to clear your brakes with 15" wheels, so going down an inch isn't possible (not that you really want to). I'm not sure that 17" tires aren't getting more common than 16" now, you'll have to look into that.

Personally I'd suggest staying with narrower tires. Wide is where you'll hurt mileage, handling, and snow / wet traction. Bigger diameter isn't too bad (within reason).

As far as tires, you'll get lots of opinions, but personally I'd suggest a fairly aggressive all terrain (I like BFG). They will be better in muddy fields than a highway or all-season tire, but better on snow than a mud tire.

 

How narrow are we talking? Since the existing rims are 6" they would accommodate narrower tires easily. Maybe my first plan of attack should be to find some affordable winter tires for the snow on the existing rims?

 

If you want to go with bigger, wider, and more aggressive tires, I would recommend keeping the old rims for the winter and put some skinny snow tires on them. And keep the bigger tires for the rest of the year.
Because the bigger, wider tires are not going to be good in the snow. If snow is a problem where you live.

I'm on the fence myself about whether to get 16" or 17" wheels to run in the summer, but I would not go above 17", anything higher looks too big on these trucks. But that's just my opinion.

 

Yeah that's the exact conclusion I'm coming to myself after reading some posts on here and elsewhere. So go skinny for the winter on the 6" rims and when the snow melts I'll look into something wider, that's a good plan.

OK so how skinny are we talking here? It has 235/85/R16s on it now (tires are shot though), is that good dimensions to look for? Skinny/tall?

 

I would go 265 75 16 on your stock rims. Anything bigger and you would need at least a 7 inch wide rim

 

265? Isn't that going to be much too wide for a 6" rim? Won't the sidewalls be all bulged out?

 

Ive been running that size for several years on the stock rim. No unusual tire wear. Maybe ive been lucky. Idk. If you want to be safe, just get 255 75 16 on the stock rims

 

A bunch of different sizes have been thrown around here:
265/85-16 are 33.7" x 10.4"
265/75-16 are 31.7" x 10.4"
255/75-16 are 31.1" x 10.0"
235/85-16 are 31.7" x 9.3" (stock tire size)

For what you are looking for I definitely wouldn't recommend 265/75-16. They're the same diameter as what you have, only wider. I haven't done enough tire shopping to know what numbers are actual sizes, but I'd suggest that if you want a taller tire to fill the fenders a little more to look for something around 33" - 35" tall and in the 9.5" - 10.5" width range.

As far as tire width on your rims, a general rule of thumb is to have the rim about 2" narrower than the tire, so even the stock 9.3" wide tire is over that. But getting to 3" or even 4" doesn't usually cause very big problems (not always even noticeable). Still, if you were getting new wheels I definitely would suggest 7" or even 8" wide if you are thinking about 10.5" wide tires.

 

I've been running the same set of 265's year round for the last 6 years.

They bulge out a little, but not too bad.

 

Fast, that sig pic doesn't do your truck any justice. I love the way you've set that truck up, sort of "f-250 lightning-esque".

I dunno if you planned if, but all black/WW out with white shocks peeking out looks real good.

 

Yeah I'm with you. I think this idea of going taller but still relatively narrow will work pretty well if I don't go overboard. I think 245/85/R16 or 255/85/R16 might be OK. That will get me through the winter without spending a ton of money and I can look into wider wheels/tires in spring. I just think it needs something a bit taller to fill it out.

Here's what it looks like, anyone care to venture a guess on the lift? Those are 32s on there now

 

Thanks man,
I bought those shocks when it was still red/white. So the white shock with a red boot looked perfect. I just got lucky that it still looks good with it being black now

It should be looking even better once I get some window tint and MT Classic wheels

I would guess a 2" lift? But I don't see a lot of Bullnose trucks these days, so I don't have much to compare it too.

 

Yeah I don't think it's much more than 2-3" but it's definitely not stock. I'm just eyeballing it from photos of other similar era trucks online. But 34" tires should be no problem I wouldn't think

 

I'd look for some Alcoa's off of a mid 90's truck and run 265/75/16.... But I might be biased...