Hey everybody,

I already posted this in the 87 - 96 F150 forum, but figured it might be better asked over here, I apologize if i wasnt supposed to, I dont know if I can move my own post, anyway...

Just wondering what your thoughts are, I have a 95 f150, currently unlifted and have talked to others before about putting 33X12.5s on it, and came to the conclusion, that it might work, but with rubbing on the radius arms at full lock.

My new question deals with a set of Super Swamper Radial TSLs in 33X10.5. am I correct in thinking that these narrower tires should fix the rubbing problem?

Also, has anyone used these or have any other recommendations? I am looking to spend around 150 a piece for tires, so if anyone has any suggestions, i would appreciate it!

Josh

 

33's are a good choice size, however you may find a noticable fuel mileage drop

first its all about your wheels, if you have 7" of backspacing it doesnt matter how narrow your tires are you prolly wouldnt even be able to mount them. what size wheels are you going with? stock ones? new ones? what?

secondly, who cares if they rub some on the radius arms?!!?! i mean they might take some paint off but it wont hurt anything. just personal preference i guess.

i loved my buckshots (as i have said many times before) and they go for something like $130 a piece (the 33" flavor) http://www.ntwonline.com/acb/showdet...=1210&CATID=10

-cutts-

 

I am not extremely concerned with gas mileage, I did buy a truck when gas was over 2.50 here (probably not bad tho, compared to some places).

Yes, I am looking at sticking with the stock aluminum wheels, or the steel wagonwheels that are currently on it. I think they both have the same backspacing, but not sure.

anyone have anything bad to say about the stock aluminum wheels? they are the ones without the rivet looking things in the middle, just smooth with the holes, dont know what they are called, dont see them very often. Would I be better using some steel wheels or the aluminum ones?

thanks for the tire recomendation, i will check them out and see what I think, the price sounds good, tho.

I also should mention, that rubbing isnt the only reason i was looking at narrower tires. around here in North Dakota in the winter time, we get snow! i know, big surprise! anyway, its nust that a narrower tire seems to work better in the snow, it cuts through instead of trying to force its way through.

Josh

 

I'm not sure i would want to mount a 12.5 on a stock rim, if it were me I think i'ld probably want a wider rim.

 

He didn't say anything about wanting to put a 12.5" tire on a stock rim. But if he would, then no it isn't a good thing, but you could get away with it, if you run low air pressure.

Any way, just to throw this out, super swamper makes some LTBs. A 34x10.50, and some 33x13.50(if you would think about new wheels). And they have some 31x11.50s.
The reason I say this is b/c they are extreamly cheap($95-about 120), and alittle more aggressive than the TSL.

 

yeah, I wouldnt go with a 12.5 on a stock rim, although I hear some people do. I thought that the LTB were bias plys, tho. am i correct? (looking for a radial) if they are bias, that would explain why they are cheaper, thanks!

 

Yes they are bias tires, but what will you be using the truck for?

 

The truck will have a good combination of road time, snow time and average offroading, nothing to severe.

Also, does anyone know about how many miles a set up Swamper TSL Radials will last on average?

 

30-35,000 depending on how well you maintain them. dont expcet some crazy mileage number however they will excel off road and should do great in the snow

-cutts-

 

Hey, this is one of my first replies, so I hope it comes out right. Anyhow, here's some experiences with tires I've bought. I had an 89 F150 4x4 I ran 33/12.50/15 BFG Mud terrains on and managed around 40k with them. Then I lifted it and put 35 in. BFG's on and got another 36k out of them, before changing them out for Gumbos. Bottom line, they are a good tire for the money, and I had the same driving habits. I've had those things up to 60 MPH on a fresh 3 inches of wet snow on the interstate racing the UPS guy. He won, because he went past my threshold for stupidity and kept accelerating. They also work great in the goo. The only thing I didn't like was, they didn't have any siping, so they slid during hard braking on wet roads. That goes true for the Swamper TSL radials, I got 42k out of those on my 3/4 ton, (alot of interstate commuting). Right now, I'm running Swamper SSR's. They work awesome on/off road, wet pavement, and even work on glare ice because of the siping, drawback.. soft compound.... I'm hoping to squeak out upper 30's with them. Hopefully, this helps, just wanted to give you some real world use scenarios.

89 F150 4x4 300, 3" body/3" suspension 36" Buckshots(sold and missed)
75 F250 4x4 360/C-6/203 under construction
99 2500 4x4 CTD 4" suspension 37" Swamper SSR's

 

well I know BFG makes a 35x10.5...bigger than you mentioned I know...But they also make a 33x9.5 and I THINK a 33x10.5 all for 15" rims (wish they made the 35x10.5 for 16" rim).
I had an old toyota truck with the 33x9.5s on it and they worked good. A BFG will outlast an Interco (super swamper) tire 999 times out of 1000.

A step to a 16" might cost more initially, but will give you more tire sizes in the area youre looking for ie:
238/85 = 31x9"
245/75 = 31x10"
265/75 = 32x10.5"
285/75 - 33x11.5"
(those are just rough figures, each manufacturer and tire style is different)
Just throwing that out there for you to take into consideration before making a final decision. Could even trade in your 15" rims on some 16" ones, most tire places take rims/tires on trade in, even though you get the stinky end of the stick. Find a good salesman and you can make any deal happen.

 

Thanks for the info guys, I was hoping for 30,000 miles or over, because offroad and snow traction are important to me, so I know I will sacrifice some longevity.

About the rim size ideas, between my truck and my dads 79 F150 we have a few sets of 15 inchers to be used, so I think I will stick with those. the only reason I would ever go to a different wheel size would be if i had the lift to fit a set of HMMWV tires with 16.5's after driving hummers those tires seem to be pretty decent... and the hummer is amazing

Thanks again!

 

you only need a sawzall to run 36s


not my Bronco.