Pros & Cons of oversize tires?
 

Was going to get some 265/75x16 tires for my '98 F150 4X4, but have been hearing a lot of negatives. Had thought just about everyone got bigger tires when the original 235 size wore out. Now have 2nd thoughts.

What gives? Anyone ever made the switch to 265's & regret it?

never! i run 265/75s and ill never regret it! its the perfect size. they look amazing, still handle good and dosent mess with the overall gearing that bad. i love my truck with these tires and 3.55s. heres mine with the 265/75R16s.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7310406_n.jpg

I regretted going to 285's, had a lot of suspension and driveline failures soon after. I also hated what the tires cost for how little they lasted. The truck looked absolutely great with them though. I had the 235's originally and finally have settled on 265's as a happy medium. They aren't an overly expensive size, don't totally kill your mileage and aren't too hard on the suspension. I suppose the only con is they don't look as good as a 33" tire in the wheel well. I've run 3 sets at that size so far and will be getting a fourth within the next year.

I can't see how "they look" & don't care how "they look" while driving. My primary concerns are in safety & performance. I've seen countless pickups w/virtually every conceivable size tires, up to the most ridiculous Monster Trucks. Sorry, but the garden variety 265 size doesn't "look amazing" to me. They do fit FORD F150's wheel arch well.

Saying they "still handle good" it implies they don't handle as well as stock size. Had hoped ride quality, braking & cornering might be improved. Know the higher center of gravity contributes to rollover. How else is handling compromised?

Saying the oversize "dosent mess with the overall gearing that bad" it implies that it messes with the overall gearing significantly. Had hoped MPG might be improved. Know the greater circumference contributes to OD 'hunting' especially when towing. How else is "overall gearing" compromised?

Both negatives IMHO.

What sort of suspension issues?

Yes, I've heard that premature "suspension and driveline failures" have been linked to oversize tires. Also heard oversize tires accelerate brake wear.

I've been pleasantly surprised how similar the costs are for 235 & 265 16" tires. Am not considering 285's or 33" tires.

Sorry, but saying "The truck looked absolutely great" or "the only con is they don't look as good as a 33" tire" is like telling me you like orange better than green.

However, saying 265's "don't totally kill your mileage" sets off the alarm. In theory & according to some testimonials, the modest 265 oversize may actually return slightly better MPG for conscientious drivers. Is that a fallacy & do 265's actually decrease MPG across the board?

IMO if stock 235's give the best MPG, best service life for tires, brakes, suspension & driveline, best handling & don't mess w/the overall gearing at all & are lowest cost, they begin to look better & better all the time.

Sounds like you made up your mind before posting.

I like orange and think my truck is way faster with 33"s. But the other reason I oversize is for off road performance not just cosmetics. Getting stuck sucks.

If you want real MPG ditch the truck.

Agreed, not sure what the point was:-roll

Larger tires are heavier. That has several effects on performance, pretty much all negative.

Gearing...they raise the overall gear ratio effectively reducing torque mutiplication to the ground. This will NOT improve your milage or fix the hunting for ratios. It will make those problems worse.

Stability...Are you seriously concerned that fitting a 265 tire is going to increase your propensity to roll the truck? The 265 has a wider contact patch that will more than compensate for the slightly taller tire.

Braking...The bigger tire is heavier and will make braking distances increase slightly in general, though the tire itself make a larger difference than the size in this case.

Keep in mind that 265's were fitted stock to millions of these trucks. You are hardly considering reinventing the wheel here. You are also being extremely vague about what specific tires you are considering. There are considerable differences between LT and P-metric tires, considerable differences in load ranges, considerable differences in tread patterns and rubber compounds.

It seems as though you want some sort of blanket statement that covers every scenario with a good or bad attached. There is a whole lot more to it.

I personally run 285s on my Expy. Chances are the mountainous region I live in and drive daily is much, much harder on the vehicle than where you are. Having been through many years of road course racing, I also probably drive in a more demanding fashion. I have not found any issues with handling, braking, ride comfort, mpg or power.

When I posted "Was going to get some 265/75x16 tires...Now have 2nd thoughts" I was both earnest & accurate. If you're Carnac & know how my mind was "made up...before posting" please divulge the decision.

Larger circumference tires do make a vehicle go "faster" at a given motor RPM & will increase top end speed, if you've got the power to push thru air. However, they cut into acceleration. I think my truck will go the legal speeds I want to drive regardless of tire size. Switching to 265's isn't going to make it "way faster'.

Yes, switching to 265's will increase ground clearance, thus improving "off road performance'. However, I'm buying Summer tread tires & virtually never drive off road.

"If you want (to get) real" acknowledge that every vehicle can get better MPG. Let's discuss if 265's can slightly increase MPG or "don't totally kill your mileage".

My '98 F150 pickup truck just turned 20,000 miles & I'm replacing the original tires. Have always had E150 Club Wagons & would "ditch the truck" in an instant if I could find the right swap.

Under certain conditions the taller tire in question can improve your mpg. My personal experience recently was 19mpg. I drove 350 miles each way to Denver and back. I bumped tire pressures on my D rated tires to 47 psi, I normally run them at 42psi. I ran the AC the whole way and was cruising at 70-75 mph. My taller tires lowered rpm and were likely key contributors to better milage.

My typical road trips are through the mountains, over several high passes, at lower speeds. I generally can make the 200 mile round trip to Durango and back in 4-4.5 hrs. I generally get about 16 mpg. I do not think my tires are helping or hurting me here, my right foot has more to do with it. This milage seems very typical compared to other owners with smaller tires. In town I am down around 12-13 mpg, again very typical for the truck.

My reccomendation for your truck is the Michelin LTX M&S. I would buy an LT tire in load range C. If it is availible, for your use I would run a 265/70-16 rather than the taller 75 series sidewall. This minimizes the hieght difference and provides a wider, more stable platform. These tires will easily go 60,000 plus miles and offer excellent traction and durability.

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If you ask for other people's opinions expect you are going to get just that. Opinions. Try to know what the author means. Don't over interpret their word choices or the implied meanings for phrases like "still handle good" and "don't totally kill your mileage". That only suplants your opinion over theirs.

If you re-read the entire post your question is clearly answered several times. No one has ever regretted switching to 265's.

what is the point of this thread? you asked if 265s were good, and argued why they werent as good as 235s...

when i said they still handle good, im saying they still handle like regular tires.

:-wow You're funny man. Bigger tires will make it slower, unless they happen to way less than the smaller tires they're replacing. Then it may be a toss up, but probably not.

all this over an inch and a half of rubber?! come on guys, im running 38" tires have crappy gas mileage, but bigger tires do not make you faster or help in any way unless you plan on changing to bigger gears. i just dont see how 235 vs. 265 or 29.8779" vs. 31..6496" really changes anything.

Well, 'regret' is such an ugly word...

I ran oversized tires on my truck (285/75-16's I think they were) for about four years. I liked the way it looked, and it handled well enough.

To save money in more ways than one, my most recent tire purchases for the truck were much thinner, and somewhat smaller in diameter, tires. What did this get me?

It got me 10-ply tires, for one. It also saved nearly 8 or 10 pounds of rotational weight on each wheel for another. It also brought the truck closer to running what it is geared for (I do plan on changing the gearing, eventually, to run 33" tires again - but I won't run 'em again without re-gearing now that my little test of gearing effects with tire diameter sizes is done).

The truck maintains fifth gear much, much easier, and as the truck is now a highway commuting truck, it cuts through sitting water and the air better.

It's difficult to 'regret' buying larger tires when you get the good looks out of 'em, and the ability to ride over larger objects is cool, too. But only from really being critical of what I needed for the next two years did I gain the appreciation for what proper tire sizes (for a specific job) do for a vehicle. To me, that can include 33" and 34" diameter tires - I'm not saying they are improper, but they do become improper if you aren't willing to re-gear the entire vehicle accordingly (giving up top-speed for more torque through the usable and typical ranges).