I have a 2001 F-250 HD and am In need of new tires. I don't do much off road driving, mostly highway, but want tires that will give me decent performance when I do any offroad driving as well as winter driving. The current tires are original on 16" rims LT265 75 r16's What is the biggest tire I can get with the same rims? I really don;t know mucha bout tires...I was told that I can go up to 285 75 R16's....what is the difference.....I need some translaton!

 

WELCOME to the site, please read the Guidelines… Check out the list of forums and make sure you read the headings and Read First: notices in each forum. The members in this forum are very knowledgeable about these trucks, they will be by..... and help you with your question.
Good luck with your problems.
Enjoy FTE

 

The way I understand it.
LT 265 75 R 16:
LT = Light Truck
265 = 265cm (metric measurements) for the width of the tires tread
75 = Tire height is 75 % of tire width
R = Radial Tire
16 = 16 inches (Standard measurements) 16 inch rim

With this in mind, you increase the width of the tire to 285 cm and the height is still 75% of width (but 75% of a WIDER tire)

Conclusion LT 285 75 R 16 is a wider and taller tire.

Hope that helps, T

 

The 285's also look better

 

I used 285-70-16's on my '02, they were Yokohama Geolanders. The next set for my '05 will most likely be Toyo open country.

 

MG,

Welcome aboard FTE! There have been a ton of threads about what tire sizes fit, how much lift you need for "X" amount of tire, and etc. I invite you to take a moment and check out the "New Users, please read" threads (in red) at the top of the list of forum threads. Go through, scroll down, take your time with it...there's a TON of information contained therein that will (hopefully) answer this and a bunch of other questions you didn't even know you had!!!

The short version answer is this though: on a 16X7 (stock size) rim, members here have gone as large as 315/75X16. Most have stated that some rubbing occurs and a few have stated that the 315 is a bit "bulbous" on the 16X7 rim.

The majority stop at 285 or 295/75 on the stock 16X7 rim and have reported no rubbing problems. Keep in mind that 2WD and 4WD trucks come stock in different heights, so make sure you're comparing apples to apples as your research leads you towards a decision.

Example: I have a 2002 F-250 SD. It is a 2WD truck. I just upgraded to 285/75X16 Bridgestone "Revo's"... BUT.... I went to a 16X8 rim instead of using the stock 16X7 rim. You can see pix in my gallery, if you're curious/interested. I love the fitment, the ride is improved, they have an aggressive look to them, and they're quiet!

As far as what brand(s) are a good all-around (mostly highway, some off-road use) tire? The Bridgestone "Revo" was rated very highly this past year for treadwear, wet/snow handling, quiet ride, etc. Bridgestone and BF Goodrich All-Terrain KO's seem to be neck-and-neck for #1 sought-after tires on this forum. Michelin's are always rated well up there, but they tend to be on the top end of the price scale.

Here's a link that will compute tire dimensions for any size tire you input... www.dakota-truck.net If you go there, scroll down to the "Tire and Wheel calculator" section and click on that.

As far as which tire is best? Again, I'm not speaking for the entire forum here, but the Bridgestone and BF Goodrich seem to get a lot of good reviews from the members here.