ok, i know you guys know much more about this than I do and have discussed it before so I apologize if this is a redundant question. I just havent seen ths exact question debated since I joined last year. I am looking at an 11 patinum with the eco boost and 20 wheels and perellis and a 3:55 rear end. Nice truck but i am wondering what kind of mileage difference you all think I would see if i bought one with a 3:31 or a 3:15 rear end and 18 inch tires( not low profile tires). Everything else being equal (driving habits, I am 59 and I drive pretty easy) rarely tow anything but a small pop up camper, and drive about 20 miles to work on 55 mph back roads. with the esccalating price of fuel and plans to keep whatever truck i buy for at least 10 years, this could be an interesting long term cost savings if the difference was significant. Anyone have any qualified info/opinions on this? Thanks

 

Well I wouldnt go any less than the 3;31 rear end. Low pro file tires you will go through them like water. Low pros are usually rates around 20k but you might see 10-15k on them depending. Ive had sports cars all my life and with low pros they just do not last, even if you are nice, the tires are soft, and if you drive in the snow. good luck. But they might look cooler, but thats personal preference.

If you are sure that you will probably never tow much more than 5-6k I would drop down to the 3;31s anything lower and good luck on resale. But with 3:31 and 18in tires, i would guess your savings over 5-10 years on that truck as far as gas and tires would be pretty big.

 

I have the exact truck you are looking at right now and I love everything about it. Not sure what lower gears and 18" tires would do for you though. I've had low profiles on several sportcars and went through them like crazy but that was because they were soft compound Z rated tires. I run even softer Z-rated tires on my sportbikes and get about 3k out of those on the street and only one weekend for a couple hundred miles on the track.

Not sure what the Pirellis are rated but I have low profile 20's on my Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring and got 33,000 out of the Bridgestones that came on them. I then put Michellins that are a harder compound and at 27,000 miles they are still in the Green when measured. I don't think you will ever get 50K out of any set of low profiles though but I could be wrong.

 

If you are looking at a Platinum keep in mind the 20's are standard, 18's are not offered. Also, there's not too much to gain here as the overall height stays about the same. They might weight a little bit more not more than a pound or two. Much less than adding load range Es would add.

You didn't say but the 4x4 isn't offered with less than 3.31s which does not allow for the LS diff. For this reason I went with the 3.55s on my Platinum EB 4x4. When running a steady 60 on the back roads I knock down mid 20s. I doubt going much smaller would help much on a really heavy truck. In fact, many people on here report better mileage when switching to tighter gears due to the increased torque multiplication. This is mostly for city driving.

The factory Pirellis are rated at 40,000 miles. I have no problems believing this. I have 20k on mine with a whole lot of tread left and the EB has no problems turning them over.

 

Good to know! I would be extremely pleased to get 40k out of these. Right there with you on the MPGs also. Snapped this running a bit over 60 with cruise control on the interstate.

 

They don't put a Z rated tire on the f150....

you can get 45-55k out of them pretty easily if you rotate and keep them properly inflated.

 

am i wrong in thinking that the perelli's are low profile tiires? they sure dont have much sidewall. I never wanted them and would probably change them out to something with more sidewall if i could without doing a lift. I think the ride would be better with more sidewall and I rarely read anything positive about the perellis online. what size could i go to in an all terrain and not have to lift the truck do you all think? the platinum i am buying is 4x4 also.

 

I don't consider a 276/55 series to really be a low profile, the 295/30 series on my 928 are more what I would consider low profile. The Pirellis ride pretty well for a truck tire and overall are much better than the Goodforayears that my other F-150s came with. You could change them out but doing so will hurt your MPGs and your speedo. Right now there isn't much in the way of aftermarket tuners for the EB and using one will void your warranty. Some dealerships can change the tire size and others won't.

Something else to think about is most of the real aggressive A/Ts are in load range D and up. These tires have a much stiffer sidewall which weighs more (use more gas) and will hurt the ride.

EDIT:

This is what I think of as low profile

 

why is your car parked in your ford truck spot?




you can fit a 33/1250 on a 4x4 with no leveling kit, 35 with a leveling kit. If you are going to up the tire size, for city driving you will want the highest gear ratio possible to help with mileage.

 

'Cause the truck doesn't fit and some of the weatherstripping on the car needs to be replaced. It also spends more time on jackstands than the truck does.

 

I wouldnt think they would put soft soft tires on a truck. But with low pros I still dont see you getting 45k on them. Guess it depends on how you drive and where. My guess you wouldnt only see 20-25 on that truck.

 

well then i wonder how alot of us manage to get 50k out of those tires with proper inflation and rotation

I replaced the last set at 55k and they probably had another 5k before they wouldn't pass inspection.

You can get 40k+ miles easy, these aren't low profile tires like on your civic.