Effect of Tire and wheel size question.

Bedlam wrote:
If you are not towing, select a wheel package that has over 7000 lbs per axle. If you plan to tow, select the least expensive wheels so you can go to 19.5" and sell off the OEM's.

I ran a F250 for 25k miles hauling an AF811 while towing a 20' enclosed trailer and can answer additional questions.

X2 went to 19.5 wheels and tires and sold OEM wheels and Nitto tires...

If you are not towing, select a wheel package that has over 7000 lbs per axle. If you plan to tow, select the least expensive wheels so you can go to 19.5" and sell off the OEM's.

I ran a F250 for 25k miles hauling an AF811 while towing a 20' enclosed trailer and can answer additional questions.

Bedlam wrote:
A F250 with camper package is identical to a SRW F350 except for 2" shorter axle blocks. Brakes, axles and springs don't change until you select the DRW F350 model. If you are thinking of a heavier camper, you can get 2" more suspension sag on the F350 than F250 due to the taller blocks and still stay level.

If you are concerned about higher licensing fees, HOA or local limits on heavy trucks or clearance in your garage, get the F250. IF these are not a problem for you, look at the F350 but realize there is little difference other than weight tag and axle block height.

If there was a best answer award here, this would be it. After digging around and researching on the differences between 2015 F250 with camper package and 350, I didn't find any in parts besides the bigger axle blocks. Thanks everybody for the input from everybody as I move from a travel trailer to a truck camper,

A F250 with camper package is identical to a SRW F350 except for 2" shorter axle blocks. Brakes, axles and springs don't change until you select the DRW F350 model. If you are thinking of a heavier camper, you can get 2" more suspension sag on the F350 than F250 due to the taller blocks and still stay level.

If you are concerned about higher licensing fees, HOA or local limits on heavy trucks or clearance in your garage, get the F250. IF these are not a problem for you, look at the F350 but realize there is little difference other than weight tag and axle block height.

I'd get the one ton ,as said , easier than retrofitting. I was told by dealer (Ford) their Camper Pkg. Option will not let you have 20" rims.

Get a F350. Make it a Chevy 3500, if you want a smoother ride while empty (personally, I couldn't stomach the Chevy's square wheel-wells).
I went from the base, factory, 17" steel wheels and All-Season tires to 18" aftermarket wheels. The new tires are about 1/2"-1" taller and a bit wider, with more capacity (3,638 pounds per tire). I believe my new wheels (3,500 pounds per wheel) are rated higher than the factory steelies, too. I planned it that way, because I knew I wanted custom wheels when I ordered the truck. My speedometer read fast with the factory set-up and is accurate with the taller tires (according to GPS). My Carrying Capacity Rating (2,983 pounds) may have been slightly lowered, due to the factory steelies and SUV tires, but I'm not certain of that because it seems the F250 is limited to 10,000 pounds, no matter what. As far as gas mileage goes, that's only going to be as accurate as your odometer/speedometer. For me, anything over 55 mph starts cutting into the mileage at about 1% per mile a hour, to a low of 8.5 mpg at about 68 mph while pulling the trailer, too. If I see 10-10.5 mpg without the trailer, I'm pretty happy, but that isn't happening at 65 mph.
I have a 2013 F250, gas, 4x4 extended cab, 8' box, 4.30 gear ratio with camper package, 10,000 pound GVWR. It has power windows, locks, mirrors, etc., which lowers the CC rating. The suspension is the same as a F350, but the F350 has taller axle blocks, permitting the truck to sit more level with a load. The spline count on the drive shaft is different on a F350, too. I think the brakes are only different on diesels.
I saved a few bucks getting the F250, including the mild suspension mods I've installed (which are often installed by F350 owners, anyway), and it handles our 3,000+ pound camper while pulling a 3,500 pound trailer, but if I were to do it over, I'd get the F350. If, for no other reason than the peace of mind from simply keeping the truck within bounds of liability regarding the Carrying Capacity Rating.
Your salesperson should have access to a chart or factory contact that can define the difference in weight ratings amoung various wheel/tire combos. Any info I've presented should probably be verified by your salesperson, too. Some of the New Car sales staff may or may not be Super Duty truck-ordering specialists. There are a few ins and outs to consider.

Bigfootchevy wrote:
I believe you should look at 18 inch E tires.

I also have to agreed, forget the F250 and get the F350. Same size only stronger.

I thought my 3/4 ton Chevy would work and had to go to a 1 ton (both SRW).

Paul

With Ford the F-250 and F-350 differ in a number of ways but that is not the case with GM trucks. Only difference with my 2500HD and the 3500HD was that the 2500HD was available with the extended/double cab and a standard box which is not available with the 3500HD (only regular or crew cab) and the 3500HD had an extra set of leaf packs. I spent $450 for a set of 4 leaf springs from Supersprings and increased the payload to what I wanted for the camper I planned to haul.

18" tires provide more options for aftermarket tires including ones with a higher load capacity than the factory tires. Not all rims are the same in terms of load rating and this is also important to check for a "heavy duty" pickup.

Rim size is not what is important but rather the overall diameter of the tire and that depends on the wheel size and on the profile. I switched from 245 to 285 tires and the increase in diameter was less than an inch and it affected the gearing by 4% which is nothing to worry about one way or the other.

Biggest impact on MPG will be your speed going down the highway. My truck's MPG falls by 15% with a 10 MPH increase in highway speed - i.e. driving at 75 instead of 65. With the camper in the bed the decrease is closer to 25% with higher speeds.

md11hog wrote:
Thanks for the input on the weight issue. I will consider a 350 but I didn't want that much truck all the time. I will reconsider the numbers after the clear advice.

It's not any more truck than a 250 of the same wheelbase to drive around empty. Both ride like trucks, same drivetrain and axles just more suspension cap from the factory from the 350. And the 350 may have hydroboost vs vaccum assist brakes.
With that heavy of a camper I'd get the 350 with the heaviest load cap you can get and will still need to shore up the rear end with an AF camper sitting in the bed. Price difference is hundreds of dollars not thousands to upgrade.
IMO get 18s not 20s. Tires are cheaper.

md11hog wrote:
Thanks for the input on the weight issue. I will consider a 350 but I didn't want that much truck all the time. I will reconsider the numbers after the clear advice.

Get the 350...

Xpd77 wrote:
Just so you have some numbers to go by I have a 2012 F350 srw crew cab, short bed. It has a GVWR of 11500 lbs. A similar F250 has a GVWR of 10000. My Arctic Fox 811 with a full tank of water and loaded up for a weekend of camping weighs in at 4620 lbs. This puts me over my weight limit by 1200 lbs. If you are going with an F250 you will be over weight by 2700 lbs.

Hope this helps, although not to your original question. I have 20s on mine and will be upgrading to a higher rated tire in the spring.

:C thank you xpd77 . you beat me to it .

my 860 went right to a scale from the dealers lot with only the mfgs options , no water, propane, an unloaded empty camper.....it was 3950# . rolling down the road for a trip , often 4700# . Being a taller basement profile, the crosswinds rock n rolled it all over the road on the softer 250 suspension.
I really noticed the difference in ride after I sold the AF for a non slide Lance . Since then , I added two extra leafs to the springs, its like driving a sports car now. It only took me 70k miles to somewhat get it right . :)