Truck Tire shopping help

B

Bob W

Joined
Dec 31, 2000
Messages
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There are a few things I know, and a few things I need help figuring out.

Here's what I know:
Truck: 2004 F350 Supercab
Current tire: Continental Contitrac TR, 275/70R18 (not worth a crap off road)
Tire I want: BF Goodrich All Terrain TA. (I have a lot of experience with these)
I absolutely do not want to buy new rims.
Driving patterns: Mostly highway and commuting travel, some offroad, snow/ice driving seasonally, rarely drive with heavy loads, no towing except very rarely.

Here are the problems:
Problem 1: The rim is not the OEM size, was 16" originally, so websites' "recommended" tire sizes do not apply.
Problem 2: The tire I like comes in at several different 18" sizes
Problem 3: Tire sizing numbers are some convoluted system of ratios.
Problem 4: existing tire size (275/70r18) rubs on the leaf springs when turned sharply.

What do I need to know about tire sizing to make an educated decision?

Here are the available 18" sizes in that model:
265/65R18
275/65R18
275/70R18
285/65R18
305/65R18
325/65R18

The least expensive is the 275/70R18. The most expensive are the 305* and 325* tires.
 
Generally tires rub because they are either too tall or too wide.

Your tire is now 275/70R18. Basically what these numbers mean is that the tire width is 275mm, the 70 is basically a ratio of height and width. The bigger this number is, the taller your tire is going to be with the same width and rim size. The 18 is the size of your rims.

It looks like your OEM size is LT 265/75R16. That means that your tire is about an inch and a half taller than stock so that could be why it is rubbing. It is only 10mm wider than stock so that might not be a problem. But some vehicles can accept wider tires than others without modification. If you were to go down to the 275/65R18 it would only be a half inch taller and 10mm wider. If you want to go down to what would basically be the stock size you could do the 265/65R18 sized tire.

For more info on what the numbers mean check out this
For a tire size comparison try this website.
 
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I'm not terribly concerned about the rubbing, but I don't want to make the turning radius any worse. I suspect the rubbing is a result of a past owner who swapped out the 16" wheels for 18". The shop thinks they can put some sort of stopper to prevent the wheel from turning to the rubbing point, but I didn't want to have that job done until I was settled on a tire size.

It looks like your OEM size is LT 265/75R16. That means that your tire is about an inch and a half taller than stock so that could be why it is rubbing. It is only 10mm wider than stock so that might not be a problem. But some vehicles can accept wider tires than others without modification. If you were to go down to the 275/65R18 it would only be a half inch taller and 10mm wider. If you want to go down to what would basically be the stock size you could do the 265/65R18 sized tire.
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And there's the beef of what I need to know. I hate to give up any clearance, pay a premium for a very large tire, or end up with an uncommon size.

My next step tonight is to search for pictures of same-model trucks with the various tire/wheel sizes. I doubt an inch or two will make much difference, but ya never know.

If heavy loads and towing are rare , why the F 350 ??
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My first choice would have been the F250 but selection was very limited when shopping used. The gasoline engines just aren't that popular around here.
I plan on trading the F350 for a similar 250 once it's paid off, but only if I can find a red one. :)

The biggest complaint with the F350, the Holy Crap This is Rough suspension. Doesn't bother me when driving alone, but having the family bouncing around in there is a bit sadistic. And funny.

Thank you both for the very helpful information and links. I'm not a member of any truck forums, but I have been reading tire-related posts this evening. And I knew that many Bladeforums readers are truck owners.
 
Just a heads up here;
One manufacturer's 275/70-18 may not be the same size as another manufacturers. I'm not sure why, but the numbers are more of an estimate.
 
I've been reading just that, that one brand will rub while another brand doesn't, even with the same size tire.
From the large number of topics regarding tires rubbing on leaf springs, it seems to be a very common issue, and it seems that most folks just live with it.
 
A quick google search seems to show that you are on the top end of tires that will fit without a lift. Possible right above it.

If tires rubbing is not that big of a deal for you then just go with the same size as you have on now and hope for the best. Like Slapper said above me, the sizes are not perfectly exact so you could get lucky and have not rubbing problems at all.
 
I have a '99 F250, 7.3L PSD 4x4, and it rides rough as hell too, so I don't think you'll really gain much by trading to a 3/4 ton, unless you get one of the newest trucks with coil springs which seem to ride much more like cars than trucks...
 
Of the tire sizes that you've listed,I would go with the 275/65R18,that's not going to give you much more clearance but it will give you a little because of the lower profile without sacrificing load rating by going to the 265/65R18.Any of the other tires are bigger in width and will give you wear trouble along with your clearance issues and should actually be put on wider rims.
 
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