The new wheels and tires are on the truck and I really like the way it rides. In the turns I have more stability and the tires roll incredibly smooth.

Wheels:
The new wheels are DALE EARNHARDT JR RIBELLE MATTE BLACK WITH MACHINED FACE 5x135 , size 20" x 9", product number DJ70829013500.

Tires:
The new tiires are Toyo Open Country A/T 305/50/20.

I used to have 305/75/16 BFG A/T so the new size is almost the same but not quite. The new tire diameter is a tad smaller and I like it. I chose to go with a 50 size profile instead of the 55 because I didn't want to rub at all. With the old tire 305/76/16, I used to rub at a hard angle turn like going into the drive way up hill. I can feel just a tad bit more power with the new smaller tire by the good old seat of my pants theory...lol

In the past I've had 3 different sets of BFG A/T on 3 different trucks. I must say that I'm really impressed with the new Toyo Open County A/T. On the pavement so far they seem to stop better, have better traction plus in the rain, they are quieter, and much smoother. I rotate my tires every 6-8k and the BGF A/Ts lasted me 50-70k. I hope these new Toyo's wear similary. I haven't got a chance to test them off road yet but I'm sure they'll perform just fine as I don't do much except dirt roads.

I included a couple of pictures of the old wheels/tires just for a comparision. Two totally different looks, that is for sure. It's getting harder and harder to find wheels for the 1997-2003 model trucks. The new wheels were the 9th choice down my list. So many vendors have information on their websites that is outdated and wheels are discontinued.

I still have the old wheels & tires. They probably got another 15-20k on the tires, thinking about selling them all for $300

New Wheels & Tires
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Old Wheels & Tires
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Looks pretty good! The tire deal I had ran nothing but the bfg since 96 until march this year, I needed a new set for my other vehicle but the bfg's were almost a grand so I looked at a different option found the toyo's for almost 300 less so I got them. To date they have been excellent tires the show no wear even though they have about 12000 miles on them. They do go pretty good offroad as well as in the snow and rain is excellent. Since getting them I have also noticed a few tenths in gain on mpg. Granted not a lot but it is noticeable. You should be happy with them. Now for those that trash me for straying from the bfg I will say this it is one the best tires made still even though it has been around since the 70's with little change here and there I like the tires and regularly recommend them but they have gotten to be a little pricey to justify. Good luck with the tires.

 

Sweet!

 

Thanks for the comments. The Toyo's actually cost me a little more than the BFG A/T in the 305/50/20 size. Well, so far I like them a lot better, only time will tell.

 

I wanted to give everyone an update (5 years later and I'm still around....haha!)

1. BFG A/T - 305/70/16 - (1st set of tires), 50k
2. Toyo Open Country A/T - 305/50/20 -(2nd set of tires), 70k
3. Falken Wild Peak A/T - 305/55/20 - (3rd set of tires)....we shall see

I've got 165k miles on my 2003 F150 (F-150) truck now. Not bad for something I picked up off craigslist for 14k back in 2006 with under 50k miles. The truck is still running great!.

I got about 70k miles out of those Toyo Tires (combination of freeway, city, towing). Not bad but expensive ($370 each). They still had some tread life but once I got to around 55k, I kept having to balance them every 3k miles. At 70k, I could no longer balance them. I did rotate them every 5-8k. Over all, a great tire. They held traction well in the rain. I have elected to try a different tire though and the reason is.....because I want to...lol.

My new tires are a little bigger than the Toyo's. I put 305/55/20 and I went with the Falken Wild Peak A/T-01 (4 ply). Not bad for $230 a tire. I do drive a lot on the beach down here in Corpus Christi, TX so I'm anxious to see how these perform. They ride just as nice as the Toyo, if not better. They seem a little quieter but hard to tell since my other tires were so old and out of balance. I don't hear these Falkens on the freeway, if that helps anyone. I can say the ride is a little smoother with the bigger tire. I like the way the 305/55/20 tire fills the wheel well better than the 50 (I'd say it's about 1/2 inch bigger. No rubbing however, that is because I previously trimmed for those 305/70/16. My current rim size is 20x9. The other rim was 16x10. I can tell I'm riding a little higher with the 55's. So far, I like them. Hopefully they last as long as the Toyo's. I think the tread looks just as good.

I do really miss the look of the 16x10. If I were to do it all over again, I would never have purchased the 20" wheels. I would have found another 16x10 or 17x10. The 20" tires are way more expensive and over all, I like the look of the 16x10 better. I initially was going to replace the Toyo's with General Grabber A/T 305/50/20 but I think these Falken tires will run better on the sand. The Falken Wild Peak A/T tread design doesn't look like it will dig as much (maybe float a little more) vs the General Grabber A/T. The new BFG A/T KO2 look really cool but there's no way I'm spending over $415 bucks on a single tire. I'll stick with these Falkens at $230 each, best bang for the buck.

Here are the new Falkens 305/55/20 - stock ride, no lift