I'm thinking about going up from a 265/75/16 to a 285/75/16 with no suspension modifications. Has anyone done this without any other mods? I just want to make sure that the truck isn't going to wonder going down the highway and that the tires won't rub.

Also, I'm debating between the Nitto Terra Grapplers, BFG All Terrain K/O's and Bridgestone Revo's. If anyone has an opinion on any of those tires I'd appreciate the comment. I plow with the truck, go off road occasionally and tow no more than 7000 pounds but usually tow between 3000 and 5000.

Seems like the stock Firestone's are one of the weakest links on the truck. The only good thing about the Firestone's seems to be how smoot they are on the highway.

Thanks!

 

Welcome, if you haven't been already!

285s are fine.

I, however, cannot comment on the brands you listed as I've never used them.

Make sure you check into the Super Duty forum too. Same truck, virtually.

 

I'm runnin' 295/75/16 BFG A/T KO's with no mod's - They don't rub and I have no complaints - All in all I think they are a great choice.

 

The Nitto Terra Grapplers in the 285/75/16 tire size are only 32.68inches tall.


I'd probably go with the 315/75/16 size Nitto Terra Grapplers



Big Mick

 

Sparetime,

Are the BFG's still good on the highway at 80MPH or so? I just want to make sure they don't wander on the highway since the tire is bigger. I'm sure they'll feel different and i'm willing to sacrafice a little stability onroad to gain better off road capabilities. Do you tow with your truck at all? And the last question is regarding snow. Some people have said that the All Terrain's cake up with snow but i'm sure any tire is better than the firestone's. As long as they aren't worse in any way then i'm going to get them.

Oh.... does the change in the speedo with the bigger tires affect the ABS? I had an old chevy that the ABS freaked out when you changed the tires. Hopefully that isn't an issue now.

Thanks for any help you can give. I just don't want to pay $160 a tire and then not be happy with them.

Chris

 

I haven't noticed any wandering with the BFG's. And I just got my X this summer so, I couldn't tell ya how they are in the snow. I've only towed a few times (from about 4000-6000 lbs) since I got it, and had no problems at all. In my opinion the ride is better with the BFG's than it was with the Firestones. And hopefully I'll never be able to tell ya about the ABS.

I got my tires at Belle Tire (don't know if you have any in PA) But, they told me if I didn't like 'em, i could return 'em within a week. I couldn't tell ya if they would have stuck to thier word if I didn't like 'em, but it got me to buy em.

Let us know which ones you end up getting, and how they are.

 

Thanks for all the information! I'm having trouble finding someone with the 295's in stock. I can find the 285's at most of the places so I might just go with the 285's. Have you had them in any real mudddy areas? Like I said before, I'm sure they are better in the mud than the Firestone's.

Thanks Bud....

 

285's are it without suspension mods. All 285's run right around 33 inches. The Revo is the largest tire of the 285's you mentioned.

The Revo's are far superior to BFG's on the road. Both will do very well in snow. I really don't care for Nitto's - wear is somewhat fast.

315's will not fit the truck or your stock wheels - don't know where that came from. If you want wider but not so much height check out 305's but you will need 8 inch wheels for sure.

IMHO 295's are too tall at 33.5 + inches. They are taller than 305's.

If you drive on alot of unimproved roads get BFG - highway get AT Revos.

 

After this last weekend, I can honestly say that the Revo's 285-75-16 on my F250 SD DO NOT perform as good in the mud as the Goodyear’s on the X.

The tread on the tires completely filled with mud and made the truck act like it had slicks, it was embarrassing.

Terry

 

The rims on my X are 16X8. The Nitto 315'sare rated and tested at 16/8 rims. Coming in at just under 33 inches, don't see the problem.


I'm currently running 285x75x16 Dunlap AT Radial Rovers, they balance and handler great on the highway and air down nice for my beach surf fishing trips...


Big Mick

 

315s absolutely will not fit. That is the metric equivalent of a 35"x12.5" tire, not 33". You'll need a min. 3.5in lift w/8" rim and bumper shimming with major reshaping of the inner fender liner to get a 10" rim to fit, I've been there (it was worth it for the appearance).

305s are the 33"x12.5" equivalent

I hope to get some images up soon of an '02 F350, Fabtech hanger, 315s on 10" rim, an '03 Excursion, 7" Donahoe, 37"x12.5" PJs on 10" rim, and '00 F250, Skyjacker add-a-leaf, 295s on stock 7" rim. An '04 F250 on 38s or 40s is in the works; waiting on the owner.

 

I`m runnig Nitto`s 305x70x16" on 16"x8" rims with no rubbing anywhere or anytime. I wouldn`t put them on stock rims. I`f your going to say on stock wheels go with the 285`s. As for Nitto`s wearing faster then BFG`s, bull. I`ve got over 10k on them so far with no sign of wear. no noise, no wander. I`ve seen wright ups and tests say the out perform BFG`s in mud and sand.

 

OGNOM,

any experience in snow or ice yet?
i just ordered a set of these in a 285/75 for my 03.
my 78 has 33x12.50 bfg mud t/a's, and they are garbage in the rain, and deadly on the ice....good in powder, or deep lightly packed snow....mud performance is spectacular.
this is the reason i went with the nittos for my 03 daily driver, i need good ice performance, yet mud capability....the massive amount of sipes on the TG make me think they should work well for rain/ice....hope i was right!

 

Not yet, will soon. It`s coming

 

I went the the 285/75 BFG A/T's. Have about 25 miles on them so far and they don't make any noticable noise on the highway. I can tell that they are louder than the Firestone's but that was about all the Firestones were good at. Drove home in the rain tonight and didn't have any slipping at all. I drove through some two to three inch puddles and the truck didn't move at 45 MPH or so.

I am very impressed with the difference in handling let alone and other benefits i.e. better mud or snow cababilities. The truck feels much more stable and it doesn't seem to wander when on the brakes hard coming to a stop. That is a big plus because the Firestone's would pull left or right when coming to a hard stop. I'm glad i spent the money on the BFG's as long as they don't wear out in 10k miles.

Haven't had any real off road experiences accept for going down a grassy hill in our industrial park. It just rained today and the grass is saturated. Usually when i would get to the bottom of this hill I would need 4x4 to get back up to the top of the hill from a standstill. Today while it was raining i just gunned it in two wheel and left some nice marks with the BFG's but the truck ripped right up the hill. Suprised be b/c I don't have the limited slip. That brings me to my next question.

Anyone who has decided to read to the bottom of my post I would assume has an interest in tires and not getting stuck in mud. I'm wondering whether it would be worth looking into an air locker system for the X. I know they are a little pricey but I think it would be nice to lock all the wheels and still be able to unlock them and tow a big trailer with an open diff. Any pros or cons regarding the air lockers? Or is there an alternate way to lock all four wheels only when you want to.

Thanks for you time and especially all of your help in picking out the right tires. So far they are great!

Chris