Tire/rim size question.
 

I will soon upgrade my truck rims and tires on my 1999 f250 4x4. Rims and tires are stock right now, and I'm wanting to go bigger. I want the tires to stick out from the body just a little bit, probably an inch or so. Will 18x9 rims on 35s give me that look? If not what should I go with? Thanks, Jesse.

Welcome,

You also need to keep in mind the backspace the wheel will have to prevent rubbing on the springs. 4 inch or less is a good start. I would guess that 35x12.5x18's would stick out about 2" give or take from the fender line.

Okay cool, thanks! I am trying to learn all these tire sizes, but it's honestly really confusing. Will 35x12.5x18 tires fit on a 18x9 rims?

Welcome to the 'hood Jesse. There's a separate SuperDuty forum here that might have more info on this, but we do talk wheels and tires on this one, too.

18x9's, if they have the same backspacing (distance from wheel mounting surface back to the inside edge of the wheel) as stock, are only going to put the outside edge of the tire out by the half the additional width of the tire. So, if your stock tires are 10" wide, and your new 35's are 12" wide, they'll stick out an inch further than the stock ones do. Is that enough for you? If not, you'll need to find a wheel with less backspacing than the stock ones, or use spacers. Everything is a tradeoff, and this decision is no exception. Less backspacing or spacers move the center of the wheel out further from the steering axis. That will increase turning radius a little, increase steering effort a little, and shorten the life of things like ball joints and unit bearings. Maybe that isn't a big deal to you, but you ought to know what you're getting into before spending a bunch of money.

Mark

Easily. On my mostly offroad 4Runner, I run a 16" wide tire on 9" wheels. Any width you're likely to want to run on the road will fit fine on a 9" wheel.

Mark

BTW, Dan is right about the backspacing. If you go with too little backspacing, though, the increase in scrub radius will push the outside edge of the tire into the back of the front fender when turning sharply.

If you have a good off road shop around, the guys there can probably help you. Ask to take a look at their 3/4 and 1 ton rigs and tow rigs.

Mark

Awesome, appreciate the info Mark. Believe I will most likely go with 18x9 with the 35x12.5x18. I take it I am going to need to level my front end to fit the 35s correct? Should I go with the whole leaf spring to level it, or are the kits with just the blocks and U bolts good?

Yes 35's will fit on an 18-9 wheel. As I said, the problem many have is with the back spacing of their wheel choice. Most wheels today are made for trucks with coils and not old springs like ours so some people have moderate to severe rubbing issues on full lockout as the inside of the tire hits the springs depending upon wheel choice. Not a major issue as you will get a feel of your turning radius but when you have the steering wheel all the way over and you hit a bump ( like turning into someplace and the nose of the truck drops down into a gutter) you need to be careful as you will swear you just ripped the front of your truck off the first few times you do it.

There are a number of folks on here that run 35's with no mods and they say they have no issues

I can tell you that 275/65-18's fit on my Excursion with V-code (essentially stock F250 or F350, depending on the package) springs, but that nothing larger would, so you're likely to need some sort of lift. I hate block-based lifts, as the only reason they exist is because they are cheap. If you've got the money to spend on wheels and tires, you've got the money to spend on a proper lift.

My $.02.

Mark

Yea that's what I was thinking too. Appreciate the feedback guys, very informative. Thanks, Jesse.