New tires- thoughts/advice

[delco1946]

So I’m starting the process of blasting and painting rims I found at the junkyard. In tandem I’m also researching tires to mount on said wheels once painted. Does anyone have thoughts or advice on stores/ online venders etc? I don’t do off roading really - my tires are currently capable of doing that although they’re loud as heck and it really annoys me. This truck is generally my daily driver and I’ll use it for house projects a.k.a. heavy loads in the back so I wanna tire that can withstand a lot of weight and is reasonably quiet . I also would rather get a better quality tire assuming they last longer than go cheap upfront, but that being said of course I would prefer not to spend $1300 on tires . The tires that were on the wheels when I found them are 235/85/16. I’m not sure if I can select a different size tire I’ve seen a lot of 275‘s but I don’t really know what that means or if Its a big deal. The current tires I have rub when you make take turns so the 235s peer to be a little smaller and narrower and more in keeping with what originally came on the truck which I would prefer. Are there any brands I should avoid? I keep hearing about Toyo but I don’t think those are available at Les Schwab or discount tire for example. And Costco has pretty limited options.

[salans7]

#1 choice for most truck guys will probably be BFG All-Terrains, but those are pricey to say the least. All of the "good" tires are pricey, for good reason.

If you're looking for budget and road manners, you'll definitely have to stick with an A/T. Most tire shops can order whatever tires you want, but I'm not sure how that works with chains such as Discount Tire and Les Schwab.

[Gary Lewis]

Before I decide on tires to run on a given wheel I determine the width of the wheel. To do that, assuming those are Ford wheels, take a look at the Identification Codes tab at Driveline/Wheels and cross-ref your wheel's code to a part number. Then take that part number to the Applications tab to find the width.

Once you have the width, then go to Tirerack and look at the tires in the size you are considering. Select 3 or 4 in which you are interested and click Compare and you'll get ratings for several categories.

But, down below there's a + to tick for Detailed Specifications, in which you'll see the Rim Width Range for each tire. Check to see if the tires will fit your rims.

Also, you will see the weight of the tire. The heavier the tire the worse the ride will be. Trust me, it makes a difference.

As for which one, I've had good luck with Cooper tires.

[delco1946]

Before I decide on tires to run on a given wheel I determine the width of the wheel. To do that, assuming those are Ford wheels, take a look at the Identification Codes tab at Driveline/Wheels and cross-ref your wheel's code to a part number. Then take that part number to the Applications tab to find the width.

Once you have the width, then go to Tirerack and look at the tires in the size you are considering. Select 3 or 4 in which you are interested and click Compare and you'll get ratings for several categories.

But, down below there's a + to tick for Detailed Specifications, in which you'll see the Rim Width Range for each tire. Check to see if the tires will fit your rims.

Also, you will see the weight of the tire. The heavier the tire the worse the ride will be. Trust me, it makes a difference.

As for which one, I've had good luck with Cooper tires.

These wheels already had tires on them so I don’t need a width, right? They were 235/85 16 inches. Looks like all wheels over the early 80s for a f250 are 16x 6. But tire rack just seems to ask for tire size or diameter.

[Gary Lewis]

These wheels already had tires on them so I don’t need a width, right? They were 235/85 16 inches. Looks like all wheels over the early 80s for a f250 are 16x 6. But tire rack just seems to ask for tire size or diameter.

Yes, you need to know the width. If you put too wide or too narrow of a tire on a wheel you get poor wear and poor steering/tracking.

So just because your wheels had tires on them, you don't know that they are the right width for those tires, or the tires you are considering. There were both 5.5" and 6.5" in the Bullnose era. But wheels up into the 90's fit these trucks, and were usually wider. Do you know for sure what you have?

 

[85lebaront2]

These wheels already had tires on them so I don’t need a width, right? They were 235/85 16 inches. Looks like all wheels over the early 80s for a f250 are 16x 6. But tire rack just seems to ask for tire size or diameter.

235/85R 16 may actually be a bit narrow for yours, look at the owners manual or if it is still legible the tire size on the door post label. The other thing to consider is load range. Darth specifies 215/85R-16, load range D, but that is based on dual rear wheels. I am lucky here, the school buses use 215/85R-16 Load range E tires so they are easy to locate and a little less costly.

[grumpin]

235/85R 16 may actually be a bit narrow for yours, look at the owners manual or if it is still legible the tire size on the door post label. The other thing to consider is load range. Darth specifies 215/85R-16, load range D, but that is based on dual rear wheels. I am lucky here, the school buses use 215/85R-16 Load range E tires so they are easy to locate and a little less costly.

I second the BFG’s. They do better on black ice than others I have had.

[delco1946]

I second the BFG’s. They do better on black ice than others I have had.

I guess I’m just not understanding Gary. Width is not a column in any of those tables that you’re referencing to look up width. The only type two wheels from the early 80s that are 8 hole For heavier trucks are 16” x 6”. Is the second number not the width?

[delco1946]

I guess I’m just not understanding Gary. Width is not a column in any of those tables that you’re referencing to look up width. The only type two wheels from the early 80s that are 8 hole For heavier trucks are 16” x 6”. Is the second number not the width?

I’ll add that the spare tire that came with the truck and which appears to be original has a tire that is 16 1/2 inches in diameter mounted on it still and this is probably the 6.5 inch width. But in my research people are saying 16 1/2 inch diameter tires are incredibly hard to find.

Also the truck that I pulled the wheels off of with tires still on was an F250 and I think it was from 1982 To 1984 ish. I don’t look at truck from after 1986 in the JY. The only difference I can think of between the two trucks would be that mines a trailer special and might have come originally with heavier duty rims/wider.

[delco1946]

I’ll add that the spare tire that came with the truck and which appears to be original has a tire that is 16 1/2 inches in diameter mounted on it still and this is probably the 6.5 inch width. But in my research people are saying 16 1/2 inch diameter tires are incredibly hard to find.

Also the truck that I pulled the wheels off of with tires still on was an F250 and I think it was from 1982 To 1984 ish. I don’t look at truck from after 1986 in the JY. The only difference I can think of between the two trucks would be that mines a trailer special and might have come originally with heavier duty rims/wider.

Ok so the door panel seems to give a range for tire sizes from 9.5 - 16.5 E. For the rim I think it might just be specifying what it came with? And that was as I suspected the 16.5×6.75 rim Which I am moving away from since apparently it’s hard to find tires in that diameter.