Ford Van Wheel / Tire options.

[225]

I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for.

I am trying to see what will work best for my 4WD conversion. I don't want real aggressive tires because I will see a lot of highway use and a little bit of off road. More gravel/sand than mud. I was thinking of maybe Nitto Terra Grapplers or similar?

Also, wheels have to be 17" with the 10.5 rear?

What kind of offset is needed to work with the 4WD conversion?

I would love to use a set of Cragar Soft 8's but worried that they aren't strong enough?

Thanks!

 

[VOODOO7.3]

I really recommend the Michelin LTX M/S2 Load Range E. The Cragar's are steel so should be strong enough. 4 1/2" backspacing works best on these vans.

 

[stormlover]

Also, wheels have to be 17" with the 10.5 rear?

What kind of offset is needed to work with the 4WD conversion?

Thanks!

Why 17 and not 18"? I'm currently tire shopping and there are considerably more tire options with higher load ratings in 18". Pros and cons to either.

On an 8" wide 17" rim you want 4.5 backspacing with 0 offset.

Even if I was mainly doing gravel roads I'd still consider an all terrain tire that's e-rated. There are some that roll better than others but gravel roads puncture tires too and the more plys the better on a heavy 4x4 van.

 

[225]

Thanks for the info.

Cragar doesn't make a soft 8 wheel in 18" only 17" 8x170mm

 

[ujoint]

Love my Toyo RTs for all around use.

 

[FordGuy1]

Toyo R/T if you don't see a lot of snow, A/T 2 Extreams if you want a little better wet/Ice traction. I have used a bunch of Methods lately on 10k plus Sportsmobiles and have had great luck. Also, Icon has a new line of wheels that are made very well.

 

[FROADER]

I love my Cooper AT3s. I've had them on 3 different vehicles, now. They do well on the street (not loud), snow and rain.

 

[TexomaPowerboater]

Chevy 2500 owner here. The van rarely leaves the pavement. I like the BFG AT KO'2 much better than the Toyo AT's I ran, but the noise will increase as they wear out. The BFG's had a much softer ride and tracked much better. My experience with the BFG on other vehicls is that they are more puncture resistant as well due to the Kevlar. Replaced the Toyo's after one got a bulge on gravel right at 4 years old and around 15K miles. The Toyo's don't track as well and really wandered when new, doesn't take much to puncture. For some reason the Toyo's were also wider despite being same size specs and made the steering much harder at slower speeds like when parking......took some muscle to turn the wheel. Tried the Michelin LTX At's on my 1/2 ton truck and chunks started coming off the tread after 3-4 years of use, ride was terrible.

One thing you may consider is how many miles you will likely drive over a 4-5 year period. If it's not a daily driver you may only put 10-20K miles on them before they should be replaced.........4-5 years is about the normal life regardless of miles on these heavy vans. So may not make much sense to spend more on a tire with higher mileage warranty.