tire choices

[Americamper]

Could I go to a 275 or 285 tire on a stock F250 rim? I currently have Hankook 265/75 tires which are 4 years old but have decent tread. I'm just starting to get a little leery of them. I also thought the sidewalls were a little thin when I got them online.

[SugarHillCTD]

Once we decided on our Lance 855S, tires were on the list for next upgrade.

Given the load we went with Nitto Dura Grapplers 285/75-17 that have a capacity of 3970#. The Nitto website shows that these are OK on 7" wide rims.

Nitto Dura Grappler

These tires are STIFF! and feel great. Best tire choice I have made to carry a heavy TC.

[wintersun]

275 is one aspect of the tire diameter and the other is the profile as with a 70 profile. The 285/70R17 are 1/2" larger in diameter than the 245/75R17 tires. The difference in height of the axle and radius of the tire is only 1/4".

Sidewall strength varies greatly between tires. The Nitto tires I bought are 3750@80PSI whereas the stock were rated at 3195@80 PSI and the load capacity is what I care about. If a tire manufacture states that a tire will be OK on a 7.5" to 8.5" rim then that is good enough for me.

[Steve_in_29]

I believe your wheels are 16 x 7 which means the 275's are probably as big as you can go. You want to keep the sidewalls as straight as possible.

Unlike in off-roading where the key to bead retention at lower tire pressures is to run a slightly narrower rim then the tire calls for, with the bulged sidewall applying pressure to keep bead seated, the same is not true in a load carrying application such as TCs where the key is to keep the sidewall as straight as possible to better support the weight and minimize heat buildup in the sidewall from flexing.

Think of it like trying to hold a weight over your head with your arms locked (straight sidewalls)and how much harder it is to support the same weight with your arms partially bent (bulged sidewalls).

[sleekcrafter]

just took off a set of 285/16 nitto's great tires! on the stock wheels they will look a little pinched in, I had after market wheels and they looked great. As for the speedo, it was nuts on with the bigger tires in my f350.

[wintersun]

I installed the 285/17R70 Nitto Terra Grappler with no problems at all. Actually with a camper load I get accurate speed and odometer readings with the new tires as the tire height is quite different with a full load in the box.

The Nitto tires have an optimum rim width and a minimum and maximum wheel width. My stock rims were at the Nitto minimum and my maximum load is at 89% of the tire's load capacity. If I had the truck at 100% of the tire capacity I would have given some thought to wider rims.

[Sparky87k5]

Go with the 285's load range E on your stock wheels. You'll do fine.

[Americamper]

Texan, I'm pretty sure they are Dyna pro atm's but don't know about the r10. But the sidewalls are not as thick as similar Michelin or BFG's. Also I have stock aluminum rims.

[The_Texan]

Which Hankook tire are you running? All of the Hankook E rated I have looked at and the DynaPro ATm R-10 model I run on my trucks has a thicker/stiffer sidewall than most of the other brands. I have had no problems with the Hankook tires and we have them on all the ranch trucks.

[billyray50]

I had installed Nitto terra grapplers 285/70r/17 high load index 3750 pds. at 80 psi in may of 2010. My wheels are 17 x 8 forged aluminum and 45,000 miles and 2 TCs later have had no problems at all. Great tire and fits my rims just fine. Looking at Nitto durra 285/75r/17 with high load index 128 3940 pds. at 80 psi next.

[JIMNLIN]

A LT285/70-17 E shows a 9" wide tread and a 8.5" wide wheel requirement.

The LT285/75-16 E shows a 8.8" wide tread and a 8" wheel requirement.

Always match the wheel width to the tires tread width for best load carrying performance. We can jack around with narrow/wide wheels on lightweight race car to get a desired effect from the tire. Not a good idea on a load carrying tire/wheel.

Those higher rated tires need higher rated wheels if your carrying more weight.

[stuckinthesand]

Depends on the size of your rim. My F250 came with 7X16 " rims and 265 tires I put 285's on it and it worked fine, just make sure they are E rated.