Picking a tire size

spnce

New member
I need some guidance deciding what size tire to buy. I'd like to go as big as possible with minimal (or no) rubbing, and without a lift.

These tires are 245/75R16, and the camper is based on a 1996 f250. It looks to me like there's space to go a bit bigger. But how big? I'm thinking 32s or 33s?

IMG_1919.jpg
IMG_1918.jpg
 

dumprat

Adventurer
235/85r16. The most common truck size and one of the cheapest as well. Was the stock size on most of the 250 and 350 trucks like yours.
 

workingonit71

Aspirantes ad Adventure
LT tires only! no ST or P for heavy truck (or van)

You might need to get on a forum for your van to find out exactly how big you can go, but here are the options in ~33" tire: https://tiresize.com/tiresizes/33-inch-tires/
Referring to the linked chart: I found one ST tire (GY Endurance) listed among them. Should not be used on a truck, or van, because of the sidewall stiffness. A LT tire is the way to go; not quite as stiff a sidewall, but better performance all-around (perhaps not, on heavy tandem trailers).
 

spnce

New member
speaking of heavy trucks/vans, do you guys air down tires offroad? i'd like to, but it makes me nervous with a big camper
 

dumprat

Adventurer
No never aired down with a load on. It will separate the tires. Same effect as driving at high speeds with aired down tires.
 

Simons

Adventurer
You're definitely going to want an LT tire with an "E" load rating, by the looks of those rear wheel openings an LT285/75R16 (33"X11") will be very close to rubbing that rear edge, and may even contact the front bumper and the mud flap when turning lock to lock with any suspension compression. An LT265/75R16 (31.5"x10.5") will definitely fit, an LT235/85R16 (31.5"x9.5") is the same height but much narrower and will also fit.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

rruff

Explorer
If you are off road a lot, you might go with an MTR, but if you are 90% road and 10% light trail, go with an All Terrain (AT) tire.

I'm not the OP, but this comment spurred my interest. I have the impression that MT treads are good for mud clearing but offer little traction advantage elsewhere offroad. ATs offer little or no advantage offroad vs street optimized tread, since they do not have large enough voids to clear mud and will instantly become packed. They are more for style than practicality. Which leads me towards street tread in an LT for ~50/50 road/offroad since I will be in the western US and avoiding mud when possible. The street tread is better for any on-road conditions. There aren't a lot of options, but the Nitto Dura Grappler looks promising. Casing construction is another consideration, but these should be equal to most ATs, while MTs typical have tougher casings.

Thoughts?
 

DoGMAtix

New member
We have a popup slide-in camper (Hallmark Guanella) on a 3/4 ton pickup and we air down on rough roads. 60-70 PSI on pavement, 35-40 PSI off road. Couldn't imagine driving rough dirt roads with tires at highway pressure. No idea about tire size for you, we have AT tires (need them not just for extra traction but also for their more durable sidewalls off road), and are sticking with the largest size that fits into the spare tire recess under the back end of the truck. Could go a bit bigger but would hate to have to mount the spare on the exterior of the camper.
 
Last edited:

Stumpalump

Expedition Leader
Looks like a gas engine. What gear ratio? I run a e350 V10 with 3:73 gears and run two sets of tires and rims. 34" km2 and can't wait to get them off and then run the 245's on the road for street and pulling. If you have 4:10 gears and a lot of them do then run the 265's.
 

Mundo4x4Casa

West slope, N. Ser. Nev.
We air down a lot. Our XTC (extreme truck camper) is purpose built to run the dunes or grind through 2 feet of snow. For washboard or rough jeep trails (not rock crawling) I'll air down to 30 pounds. For the dunes I run the 10K pound rig at 22 pounds of air in the tires. Works fine. I do have a 30 pound C02 tank to quickly blow them back up when we hit the street. Just know that there is some absolute 'tire size limit' on every vehicle as to what is the maximum diameter. You can dig around to find what that is. Our Dodge came stock with 32 inch tires with a 3150 pound rating. Next were 32.8 inch tires (285/75R16) with a 3415 pound rating. Next were 33 inch super singles (375/65R16) on 12 inch wide rims with a 3750 pound rating. Here are my original spare and the super single toe to toe: These were great in sand.

The final set are 35 inch (315/75R16's) on Stockton 10 inch wide Steel Wheels and 7.5 inch steelies in front with a 3860 pound rating.

I had to do a 3 inch lift and put 6 inch lift four links on the 3 inch lift that locate the front axle forward 1-1/2 inches for fender clearance. The Ford is much more forgiving. You will give up some turning radius, which is woeful anyway on a front leaf sprung Ford.
jefe
 

DoGMAtix

New member
We carry a small compressor that runs off the truck battery to air back up. Weighs under 10lb and about the size of a shoe box.
 

rruff

Explorer
It's all about a little give-and-take. It's not really an either-or situation.

I've heard plenty of reports of excellent offroad performance using tires with street thread. The exception is mud, but then ATs will pack up in mud also. You need good MTs for that. It kind of is an either/or. If your lugs aren't spaced wide enough and designed to clear mud, then you might as well be on street tread.

ATs seem to take more than they give. More style than substance. You may not be aware but there is a large market for people who don't use their trucks offroad, but want an aggressive look. Most ATs cater to this market. It's all about marketing, placebo, and perception.
 

rruff

Explorer
Could go a bit bigger but would hate to have to mount the spare on the exterior of the camper.

I always figured I'd run on the smaller spare until I could get the tire replaced. Is there a good reason not to do this? Besides the obvious loss of performance with the small spare. But I'd take it easy and I'm not planning to be *too* adventurous.

I understand if you were expeditioning in a 3rd world country this would be a bad idea, but that isn't my plan.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
185,533
Messages
2,875,597
Members
224,922
Latest member
Randy Towles
Top