What size tires?

[Gomez]

My 05 F-250 still has the factory highway tires.
With these, I tend to get stuck more often that I think I should in
soft ground. When these tires finally wear out, I'll going bigger, but
not sure how much.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[iskiatomic]

I just recently put a set of Cooper ATRs on my vehicle. Fairly agressive tread, I have gone more places in 2WD than previously in 4WD, in the snow, ice, and mud. Also great for highway travel, just my two cents.


KC

 

[fossil]

Bigger tires may not be the answer to your dream. Different tires can be a huge improvement. If you're going to leave the truck otherwise stock, then stuffing bigger tires under it can cause problems with clearances, rubbing, and speedometer calibration. Places online like The Tire Rack have a great selection of tires and when you plug in your vehicle, the tires that'll fit pop right up. Might be a place to do some research before you decide. A reputable local tire shop can help a bunch with the decision/implementation to get you where you want to go. Rick

 

[Dix]

My 05 F-250 still has the factory highway tires.
With these, I tend to get stuck more often that I think I should in
soft ground. When these tires finally wear out, I'll going bigger, but
not sure how much.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Even in "Low 2"? Mine ('05 F250) came with Michellines(I think, if not Pirelli's, I'd have to go look, I'd also have to go check size %-P ) That haven't gotten me stuck in tons of barn mud, snow, etc.

 

[mayhem]

Stick with the factory size and get a more aggressive tread. There is a forum at ford-trucks.com and another at fullsizechevy.com where you can get gobs of advice about the best brand and model tires for what you want to do. Odds are good you'll also find out the best way to get your truck setup for bigger tires if you do want to upsize and whats the biggest tire you can reasonably fit on a stock truck.

 

['bert]

f150online.com is also a good website. They have much info there on all the Ford trucks not just the F-150's

 

[johnsopi]

I put Generals AT on my 2wd truck makes a huge differans

 

[Tarmsolo60]

I'll agree with the other posters, stick with factory size and find a different tread style to meet your needs.

I've been in your situation and a different tread pattern made all the difference. Bigger tires just put unnecessary wear on other parts.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

My 05 F-250 still has the factory highway tires.
With these, I tend to get stuck more often that I think I should in
soft ground. When these tires finally wear out, I'll going bigger, but
not sure how much.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Any E-range all terrain tires will do.

 

[Wet1]

My 05 F-250 still has the factory highway tires.
With these, I tend to get stuck more often that I think I should in
soft ground. When these tires finally wear out, I'll going bigger, but
not sure how much.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Any E-range all terrain tires will do.

If you're hauling wood, E rated tires are a must!

I've played around with tire sizes and styles over the years. I've found going larger has it's pros and cons (much of them list above). The one issue I've found with oversize tires that I don't care for is the change in effective gearing that comes along with them (not to mention loss of fuel economy). Using oversized tires makes your gearing taller, which means you loose some of that low end pulling power. I'm doing a job right now that requires me to pull close to a cord of wet oak out on the back of my truck at a time in soft conditions up a very steep hill from a dead stop. Even in 4 low my cummins is working to get the truck out of there. My truck does not have the optional low gear set (4.11?), but I know I wouldn't want any taller of a tire on it than the 265/75/16 that are on it now.

As Redd stated, AT tires might be your best bet. I've run the super aggressive M&S;tires and while they do work better in the soft stuff, they make a lot of noise on the road and generally don't handle very well. If this is a work vehicle only, this might be the way to go, but if you're driving it everyday to and from work, those tires can really get on your nerves.

 

[mayhem]

Another vote for AT tires. Avoid the MT's at all costs...the compounds typically are very soft, they wear quickly and worst of all for us, they're lousy in the winter because the compound gets too firm.

 

[Joe F]

i would do BF Goodrich All terrain. I've had them before never got stuck, even used them on my jeep for off-road'n. And decent all around driving.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

My 05 F-250 still has the factory highway tires.
With these, I tend to get stuck more often that I think I should in
soft ground. When these tires finally wear out, I'll going bigger, but
not sure how much.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

Any E-range all terrain tires will do.

If you're hauling wood, E rated tires are a must!

I've played around with tire sizes and styles over the years. I've found going larger has it's pros and cons (much of them list above). The one issue I've found with oversize tires that I don't care for is the change in effective gearing that comes along with them (not to mention loss of fuel economy). Using oversized tires makes your gearing taller, which means you loose some of that low end pulling power. I'm doing a job right now that requires me to pull close to a cord of wet oak out on the back of my truck at a time in soft conditions up a very steep hill from a dead stop. Even in 4 low my cummins is working to get the truck out of there. My truck does not have the optional low gear set (4.11?), but I know I wouldn't want any taller of a tire on it than the 265/75/16 that are on it now.

As Redd stated, AT tires might be your best bet. I've run the super aggressive M&S;tires and while they do work better in the soft stuff, they make a lot of noise on the road and generally don't handle very well. If this is a work vehicle only, this might be the way to go, but if you're driving it everyday to and from work, those tires can really get on your nerves.

Another vote for sticking with or near the stock tire profile. In addition to gearing issues associated with larger tires, who wants to lift firewood an extra inch (or whatever)?

Also, E-range tires offer better puncture resistance and since they are rated for higher pressure they have lower rolling resistance and therefore better fuel economy.

 

[Gomez]

Thanks for all the replies.

The tires are the Pirellis P285/75R17 (I think).

They says they're all-season but I get stuck in things I never would have gotten
stuck in with my 88 F150. Not sure if it's the extra 2500# of truck or what.

I'm not looking to go huge, just a bit bigger. Not only for function, but
the factory tires look a little puny (yes, I'm shallow and go for looks)

 

[Backroads]

I've had my 2003 250 4X4 since new and the same goes with my close friend. Here are our tire reviews:

Stock 265/75/R16 Load E Firestone Steeltex--Poor tread wear, so so traction.

265/75/R16 Load E Dayton Timberline AT--Excellent tread wear, POOR Traction

265/75/R16 Load E Cooper Discover ATR--Excellent tread wear, good traction, Used on a plow truck

My newest set 285/75/R16 Load E Nitto Terra Grappler AT--Tread wear??(too new), Awesome traction! Great snow tire, possibly the best I've ever had. I upped the size a little for a more aggressive look and it fills the wheel well up more. Note--Fuel mileage will suffer a little with these.

No matter what I wouldn't go less than a Load E, but that's me.

Hope this helps.