Tires for FX4 -- hydroplaning problem
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Tires for FX4 -- hydroplaning problem
Hi all.
My 2004 F-150 FX4 is the first truck I've ever owned. It has the 18" BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A tires and I've been happy with them on dry pavement and even in rainy conditions but last weekend I was up north and had the misfortune of driving through icy slush. Nearly went off the road due to hydroplaning. I spend a lot of time up there and need your advice. Will adding weight to the bed help this problem or do I need different tires? I'm hoping you'll say just add sandbags but I'm concerned that the tires are the real issue.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
My 2004 F-150 FX4 is the first truck I've ever owned. It has the 18" BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A tires and I've been happy with them on dry pavement and even in rainy conditions but last weekend I was up north and had the misfortune of driving through icy slush. Nearly went off the road due to hydroplaning. I spend a lot of time up there and need your advice. Will adding weight to the bed help this problem or do I need different tires? I'm hoping you'll say just add sandbags but I'm concerned that the tires are the real issue.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Marple Township, PA
Most any tire will have a hard time slinging out slush...they just get loaded up and you basically have racing slicks!
Best thing to do is just slow it down. Sandbags in the back will help. But I don't think you have a tire problem at all, gotta respect the roads in the winter, they can literally throw you for a loop!
Best thing to do is just slow it down. Sandbags in the back will help. But I don't think you have a tire problem at all, gotta respect the roads in the winter, they can literally throw you for a loop!
Posting Guru
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Last review I saw of Goodrich Radial Long Trail that is on the Lariat Super Crew, Excellent across the board.
Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A on the FX4 got mostly good ratings excellent for dry pavement, noise and ride comfort. Hydroplaning and snow/ice conditons, were close in grade for that category, but still got a good rating.
Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A on the FX4 got mostly good ratings excellent for dry pavement, noise and ride comfort. Hydroplaning and snow/ice conditons, were close in grade for that category, but still got a good rating.
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AKM- I too have the Rugged Trail tires and absolutely hate them. They are ok in the dry but in the rain and snow they are dangerous! Go on the Tire Rack web site and read the reviews on this tire, they were horrible! I plan on getting the BF Goodrich All Terrain KO's. This is a great tire for all conditions and one of the only tires available in our size wheel. They make a 285 65 18 which is only one size wider than the 275 65 18's the truck comes with. I suggest you look into getting some new tires. The investment will be worth every penny in your safety and satisfaction of your truck.
Good Luck!
Good Luck!
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I too have the BGF Rugged Trails. I can't say that I dislike them too much in the rain. They seem a little slippery but I have seen worse. I have yet to have them in snow or slush.
Question about the tire size up to the All Terrain KO's. Goinf rom the 275 to the 285, is there going to be a big difference in the speedometer and odometer? I know that the speedo should show slightly lower. Would the OD run up quicker then? Is there a way to update the computer to compensate for the new tire size?
Also, does anyone know how much wider you can go on an 04 SCREW Lariat with the 18 in. rims?
Question about the tire size up to the All Terrain KO's. Goinf rom the 275 to the 285, is there going to be a big difference in the speedometer and odometer? I know that the speedo should show slightly lower. Would the OD run up quicker then? Is there a way to update the computer to compensate for the new tire size?
Also, does anyone know how much wider you can go on an 04 SCREW Lariat with the 18 in. rims?
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: Glen Burnie, MD
AKM, since this is your first truck you need to remember that there is almost zero weight over the rear axle that is driving the truck forward so trucks are light in the tail and will get tail happy on you in rain, sluch and snow. Once you get some miles under you learn to feather the gas pedal and slow down a tich, especially in turns. So I don't think your tires are the culprit here just need a little time learning the differences of driving a truck.
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MORRISTJ2, I do not believe going from 275 to 285 tires will make a speedo difference. This (275 or 285) number is the width of the tire, not the height. The height of the tire would be the number 65 in the tire size 285 65 18. If you change the height of the tire by changing the size of your wheel or the height of the tire itself, it would make a speedo change.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
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Elder User
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From: Marple Township, PA
98Cobra, I may be wrong, but I think the "65" in 285 65 18 is the "aspect ratio" of the height to the width (height is 65% of 285 width). So, there should be a slight increase in height if you're going to a wider tire (from a 275).
There would be a significant diff going from 255's to 295's.
But I'm not positive on that! And I'm not trying to say you're wrong...just that I think I remember the "65" (or 60 or whatever) is the ratio of height to width. Cool??
There would be a significant diff going from 255's to 295's.
But I'm not positive on that! And I'm not trying to say you're wrong...just that I think I remember the "65" (or 60 or whatever) is the ratio of height to width. Cool??
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Originally Posted by 98Cobra
MORRISTJ2, I do not believe going from 275 to 285 tires will make a speedo difference. This (275 or 285) number is the width of the tire, not the height. The height of the tire would be the number 65 in the tire size 285 65 18. If you change the height of the tire by changing the size of your wheel or the height of the tire itself, it would make a speedo change.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
Thats' right so if you go wider, you need to drop the aspect number. In other words, a 275 70 17 would be very close in diameter to a 285 65 17 and therefore would have little impact on the speedo etc. But a 285 70 17 would have a larger diameter than a 275 70 17.
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From: Brentwood TN
I had 295/75/16 BFG at's on my 99 chevy and they were awful in the rain. I swore I'd never buy a set again. I had a hydroplaning problem on my '02 excursion so I researched a bit and found people were in love with Bridgestone REVO at's. I bought some and they have been awesome. Great traction in the rain!
They don't make them for 18" wheels, but if you get some 17" wheels they have a 265/70/17 I think that will fit.
Check out www.tirerack.com there are a ton of excellent reviews for this tire.
I plan on getting some next year for my '04 F150 STX truck, I don't drive it much so I don't need them right now.
They don't make them for 18" wheels, but if you get some 17" wheels they have a 265/70/17 I think that will fit.
Check out www.tirerack.com there are a ton of excellent reviews for this tire.
I plan on getting some next year for my '04 F150 STX truck, I don't drive it much so I don't need them right now.
Last edited by easterisland; Dec 8, 2004 at 08:38 PM.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jan 2004
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OK, this one can be solved with a little math...
Diameter = (aspect ratio*width)/25.4 * 2 + wheel size
Circumference = pi * diameter
Aspect ratio is .65, width is 275 and 285, wheel size is 18. The 25.4 converts millimeters into inches.
The speedometer is measuring revolutions/minute. The variation will be in the distance traveled in a revolution. For 285/65, that's 102.4", for 275/65, it's 100.8. Your speedometer would be slow by about 1 1/2%, so not very much. If your speedo read 60 mph, you would actually be going about 61.
OK, enough math...back to trucks!
Diameter = (aspect ratio*width)/25.4 * 2 + wheel size
Circumference = pi * diameter
Aspect ratio is .65, width is 275 and 285, wheel size is 18. The 25.4 converts millimeters into inches.
The speedometer is measuring revolutions/minute. The variation will be in the distance traveled in a revolution. For 285/65, that's 102.4", for 275/65, it's 100.8. Your speedometer would be slow by about 1 1/2%, so not very much. If your speedo read 60 mph, you would actually be going about 61.
OK, enough math...back to trucks!
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From: South ALABAMA
AKM, I have the Goodyear AT/S on mine. I live in the south so I will never see snow or slush so I can't help you there but I had a set of BFG KO's on my old Ranger and got pretty close to 60,000 miles out of them. They were real good on anything I went through. These Goodyears ain't worth a dime. They don't clean themselves at all. They just gum up and spin in the mud. Not bad about hydroplaning though.
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Originally Posted by AKM
Hi all.
My 2004 F-150 FX4 is the first truck I've ever owned. It has the 18" BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A tires and I've been happy with them on dry pavement and even in rainy conditions but last weekend I was up north and had the misfortune of driving through icy slush. Nearly went off the road due to hydroplaning. I spend a lot of time up there and need your advice. Will adding weight to the bed help this problem or do I need different tires? I'm hoping you'll say just add sandbags but I'm concerned that the tires are the real issue.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
My 2004 F-150 FX4 is the first truck I've ever owned. It has the 18" BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A tires and I've been happy with them on dry pavement and even in rainy conditions but last weekend I was up north and had the misfortune of driving through icy slush. Nearly went off the road due to hydroplaning. I spend a lot of time up there and need your advice. Will adding weight to the bed help this problem or do I need different tires? I'm hoping you'll say just add sandbags but I'm concerned that the tires are the real issue.
Thanks in advance for your advice.
Even folks up north have to get used to winter driving every year. Too many people drive too fast for conditions and need to be reminded "oh, it's winter time!" Sandbags in the bed will help somewhat as someone suggested. Tires can certainly play a part, but common sense is most important.
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