I own a 1997 F-150 4x4 with a 4.6L Lariat package. The truck currently has 245/75/R16 tires that are worn considerably and I am having a difficult time deciding what size tire to buy. Most likely I am going to buy BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KOs but I want to go with a much bigger tire.

I have liked the looks of the 305/70/R16 but am unsure if they would fit without any modifications. There seem to be a lot of F-150’s running 285/70/R16 or 285/75/R16, will the 305/70/R16 fit without any modifications to the truck?

Also, if I buy 305/70/R16 or 185/70/R16 tires will they fit on the original wheels that came with the truck or will I have to buy different ones?

 

You CAN fit a 305/70R16 tire on the OE wheels, but I personally think they are too wide for the stock wheels. You have to run them at a fairly low PSI to get them to wear properly.

You can run 285/75R16s on the stock wheels with no clearance issues, and they are not too wide for the stock wheels. I plan on getting 285's next time I get tires.

You might want to consider re-gearing your truck, since youll be moving up to a considerably larger tire. Also remember you'll want to change out the VSS gear to compensate for the changes on the speedo.

 

i have the 285/75/16's on my 2000 4x4 i have the 5.4 with 3.55 limited slip... some mods but nothing big.. gearing works fine for what i use it for... doesnt have a power lose for when i tow the 4 place sled trailer loaded

 

Thanks for the info. I think I am going to go with the 285/70/R16. By the sounds of it the 305/70/R16 may be a little to big, and the 285/70/R16 sound like they would fit better on my original wheels.

 

Just FYI, there is no such size as a 285/70R16, its 285/75R16...

 

Actually there are 285/70's

http://www.tirepackage.com/productLi...e=ALL&bySize=y

 

Actually, those are 285/70/17, not 16...

 

Yes, as he said, those are for 17" rims.

 

Say I did buy new 16x8 wheels, instead of using the original wheels, would the 305/70/R16 fit without having to make any modifications to the truck, and would the 16x8 wheels fit 305/70/R16 tires?

 

305/70R16's will fit on a 16x8" rim. You might have to trim the valence a little and/or crank the torsion bars.

 

I run 285/75/16's on my '98 Lariat 4x4 with 16x8 aftermarket wheels. In my opinion the truck looks good with this setup, and no modification is required. If you decide to run the 305's, be sure to check on the back spacing of your new rims...with my wheel and tire setup the rear wheels just miss the inside of the fenderwall. 305/70/16's are an inch wider and there could theoretically be rubbing/ cutting problems when you put a heavy load in the bed. As for the front of the truck, (with 305's) you will have to trim the valance and will have to be carefull when the wheels are fully turned and stuffed into the fender, they will likely still rub a bit.


For reference check out the pics in my gallery to see what the 285's look like on both 16x7 stock alloys, and 16x8 American Racing AR-23's.

https://www.f150online.com/galleries...w.cfm?num=5006

In any case thats my two cents. Happy shopping and good luck.

Jeremy

 

Hey, thanks for the pics, they were really helpful. Your right the truck does look really nice with the set-up you have, especially with the new wheels. I think I may go with the 285/75/R16 on my original wheels for a while until I have enough money to put them them newer rims.

Thanks