Another tire size question...

[Brian VT]

I've read here that 33" are fine on a stock F250. But is it ok to also go a bit wider?
I have stock size 235/85/16 on there now (#1). I have a chance for a good deal on 285/75/16 (#2).
Good to go?

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I ran some on my Bronco and on my first 85 F250. I liked the looks of them, especially on the Bronco. I ran them without issues for the most part. The biggest issues that I found was that on slick, icy roads, it made the already light back end of my F250 want to act even more squirrely. I'm a firm believer that they are what made me wreck it due to hydroplaning on the back end in extremely heavy rain. I didn't see any performance advantages to running them over the 235/85R16's on my current 85 F250. There's my experience with them.

 

[david85]

I prefer the stock size, but I doubt the larger size would have any clearance issues.

 

[KansasIDI]

I've read here that 33" are fine on a stock F250. But is it ok to also go a bit wider?
I have stock size 235/85/16 on there now (#1). I have a chance for a good deal on 285/75/16 (#2).
Good to go?

Will make brakes less effective, to a bit of an extent, will not help mileage, will not help power, will make it more squirrely, and, could even have issues with tires rubbing on frame. 33s are about as big as I would go. Wider tires will help braking, and handling, as long as you don’t go crazy wide, then you will have rubbing issues…

I currently have undersized tires, 28.5”, and next set will be around 32”

 

[Azidiguy]

Depending trans and rearend ratio too
I have 285/75s on a bricknose f250 with 4.10 n c6 there fine and fit good

 

[Old Goat]

Found this tire chart that has some good info.

235/85-R16 vs 285/75-R16 Tire Comparison - Tire Size Calculator | Tacoma World

285/75-R16 tires are 1.1 inches (28 mm) larger in diameter than 235/85-R16 tires and the speedometer difference is 3.3%

www.tacomaworld.com

Goat

 

[u2slow]

I liked the 285/75R16 size on my D250. Got me more top speed. Keep the tire pressure low for comfort, snow, ice, or rain. Jazz them up to full pressure for heavy loads (3750# capacity each).

 

[Brian VT]

Thanks all. Sounds like the extra width will be ok for clearance.
That is my thinking with going to 33" is it'll bring the RPMs down a bit for a given speed (and increase top speed, 4:10 C6).
And maybe a bit softer ride.

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

I've had these size tires in M/T and an aggressive A/T up front for a couple winters. They are great for some things, not good for mileage unless you run them at higher PSI.

In order to get them to wear even decently even you need low pressures, I'm around 35psi front and 20 psi rear unloaded. And it still wears out the center faster than the shoulders. This hurts mileage but I love it for just about anything else. Rides so smooth and easy, and anything off-road or snow is just a blast. Unlike stock tires which cut through snow and leave you in trouble, these will float over and crawl through nearly anything. Same for soft dirt/sand.
Now I don't get to play in said conditions much...but it's fun nonetheless!

There is definitely a lot more side-wall play to get used to, but it's not crazy. It sure makes the garbage TTB front end behave a lot better with big soft tires.

Oh and they LOOK amazing!

 

[Brian VT]

I don't care about mileage. I don't really go anywhere since working from home started.
So, thanks for the reply.
The stock 10 plys that came with the truck are designed for highway miles, and they're weather-checked, and they suck in the snow.
I may grab these (used) 33" "mud claws" and give them a try.

 

[Cant Write]

I’m personally a big fan of 255/85-r16. But I know options are becoming extremely limited in that size and more expensive.

The K02’s still carry that size but spendy.

But on older vehicles I prefer the 33” pizza cutter look with stock steels and dog dishes over wider.

I think with your C6, 4.10’s you cannot go wrong with any 33 unless you go 12.5” wide vs 10.5 or less. I would stick to 10.5” or less.

 

[u2slow]

255/85R16 is a limited selection, and less load capacity than the common 285/75R16.

Here's my old pair of 285's I ran for the last 10 years... with a locker. Wore them about as evenly as possible by playing with the tire pressure. (On ford 16x7 wheels.)

 

[david85]

You guys have me thinking now, with all this talk of lower pressures. I'm spending a lot of time on dirt roads lately and the thought of running lower pressures is appealing (normally I air up/down as needed)

Any comparison on tire life compared to the narrower stock size?

 

[The_Josh_Bear]

You guys have me thinking now, with all this talk of lower pressures. I'm spending a lot of time on dirt roads lately and the thought of running lower pressures is appealing (normally I air up/down as needed)

Any comparison on tire life compared to the narrower stock size?

This is hard to answer because not many of us keep the same exact tire company and style when changing sizes-- but all things being equal, the same amount of weight over a larger footprint made of the same rubber composition WILL wear the tire slower. So paying for the larger tires will kind of "pay for itself" by having the tires last longer. Now if you keep the pressures up too high you'll wear out the center quickly and be under DOT regs anyway which will negate what I said. I see that all the time on these pavement princesses around here with huge tires inflated to the door sticker...

 

[Brian VT]

I didn't get those used ones and now am looking at new ones.
Dang. To go to 33" is almost $100 more per tire for the same model.
I think I'll be sticking with the OEM size.