I have searched this and have not found my answer yet. I saw usefull info, but not exactly what I was looking for. I have an 04 super duty FX4 and I want better traction without lifting. What height and width can I use with the stock wheels and ride height? Thanks for your help.

 

After reading tons of info here about this, the consensence seems to be 285/75/16. Some have 295's, 305's and even 315's. I'd bet at some point in time they will rub on something.

 

i have a 03 f-250 fx4 with 285 and they almost rub but a 04 f150 has a 315

 

Taller tires dont necessarily give you any better traction, unless you're talking about deep mud or climbing large rocks. Sometimes wider tires can though. Wider tires are better in mud and sand. Tread pattern makes more of a difference, as does air pressure. If you're driving in mud or sand, air the tires down for better traction. In snow, use a skinny tire rather than a fat one. On wet or icy surfaces, use an all-terrain tread rather than a big knobby mud tire.

If your truck has a stock open rear differential in the axle, your traction will increase greatly by switching to a limited slip or locker differential. I noticed a huge difference in traction in all conditions going from an open diff to a locker. A 2wd with a locker in the rear, good tires and the right air pressure, along with a capable driver, can be as good as 4wd in some cases.

Also, keep in mind that changing the tire height also affects the truck's axle gearing. It has the same effect as raising (numerically lowering) the ring and pinion ratio. This can result in decreased torque to the ground (slower acceleration, less hillclimbing power, in some cases poorer gas mileage and decreased tranny life), if you go too big on the tires with a gear ratio that isn't low enough (numerically high).

I realize that there isn't too much difference in height between a 265 and 285, but there is noticeable gearing difference between a 265 and 305 or 315.

 

Savafords,
My 04 F250 came with 33x12.5 BFG All terrains. They have great wet and dry traction and also look really nice on the truck. I do get some slight rubbing on the trim under the front bumper but only when going over a large bump during a right hand turn. I hope this helps.

 

ive got 315's under my 02 f350 and they do not rub at all. they were close to the mud flaps so i took them off but that was all. Look at my gallery. looks pretty cool

 

In my opinion to big of a tire on a stock truck does not look good at all!
I've got 285s on my 04 F-250 with Mickey Thompson 8X16s and its perfect....drf

 

i will be pulling trailers in a landfill and so far i have not been too impressed with the stock 265/75 AT tires. i would like to have a second set of tires to put on for pulling in those conditions and my stock tires for the road. what are my options in inch sized tires. can i go with a narrower 35 in. tire or is 33 as tall as i can go?

 

What engine and axle ratio do you have in the truck? How heavy is the trailer?

A 33" tire will change the effective ratio a little, but not as much as a 35". In my opinion, unless you are planning to change the ratio, stick with a 33" tire. 33x12.50's should fit on your truck fine without a lift.

I run those on my F350 and have been very satisfied with their performance in all conditions so far. They are BFG All Terrain TA KO's.

You may want to look at a 33" tire that isn't as wide (285/75-16's are 32.8" x 11.25") so they fit better on your stock wheels. I run my 33x12.50's on 10" wide wheels and they fit great. You can go with a mud-terrain tire if you expect alot of mud but don't drive on wet or icy pavement much.

 

I'd stick with either 285x75R16's(11.30x33.1) or 255x85R16's(9.85x33.1) on stock wheels. Sizes vary by brand. You can pick up 4 stock wheels for about $200. The advantage to the 285's is they have a 3305# weight rating.

 

i have stock tires on my 04 SD PSD...i put a 2.5" leveling kit in the front and 2" blocks and an add a leaf in the rear...i want bigger tires so it looks good..i want them to be bigger but not to big..i dont want them to rub when i turn either....do you think i can make 34's fit in there or what?

 

In response to SoCal Rider's statement that taller tires will not provide more traction:

In mining engineering we study a subject called RIMPULL which is esentially the force a rotating object can put on any given surface, whether asphalt, sand or ice, they each have their own coefficient of friction.

Increasing a tire diameter by 10 percent will increase the surface area of tread touching the road by 10 percent, and increased tire width will add even more surface area.

The tread blocks on those knobby tires even increase surface area (of rubber contacting road) and therfore effectively increasing rolling resistance RR.

This RR, increased wind resistence, increased weight of rotating mass and the increase in the effective gearing ratio is why lifted trucks are so slow and suck so much gas.

To prove this, hold the edge of a dime on a table and look at the contact patch it makes (horozontal w/ the table). Now try it with a quarter and a silver dollar. As a tire's radius increases the circumferance of the tire becomes larger and will touch of the surface it is loaded on.

Increasing your RIMPULL is the name of the game in off road driving. Rimpull is proportional to rolling resistance.

FACT OF THE DAY:
Every pound of increase rotating mass, i.e. tires and wheels, is like adding 15 lbs of static weight to the bed of your truck and hauling it around.

Now how much stress are those axles and tranny under?

 

I would not go larger than 285-75/16 on the stock rims.

 

what about on 18x8s?

 

I have an 03 F250 with the X spring package. I run 305 70 16 Procomp Xterrain's on 16X10 wheels. They never rub at all in any situation so far.

I personally like the way the big tires for the wheel well. I hate to see trucks with the hught wheel well gaps. The fill the wells much better than my origional 235 85 R16's.