I've been reading a lot of messages from people asking if 33x12.50 tires on 16.5" wheels would fit on a stock F-150 ORP or Expedition without rubbing. I wanted to know myself, but I didn't see any real answers. So, I just went ahead and did it!

I have a 2000 Expedition Eddie Bauer 4x4 with the coil-spring suspension (no 4-corner load leveling air suspension), so the height of the vehicle is the same (maybe a little higher) than an F-150 ORP. The Expedition came stock with 265/70R17 tires (Firestone Wildnerss ATs unfortunatley) on 7.5" wide chromed steel wheels. The 265/70R17 equates to about 31.6" tall and 10.4" wide. If I remember correctly, with the stock tires I had over 6" of space between the top of the tire and the wheel well in the front.

The tires I just put on are 33x12.5R16.5 BFG All Terrain T/A KOs mounted on 16.5x9.75" Centerline Python wheels. The wheels have a 4.5" backspace. With the new tires and wheels, the Expedition looks great. The tires stick out just far enough to be flush or maybe 0.5" farther out than the wheel well lip mouldings (remember, the Eddie Bauer comes with the gold colored wheel well lip mouldings that made the stock tires look like they sat too far inside and underneath the vehicle).

Yes, the tires look great, and yes, they did rub. The tires rubbed on the inside part of the front bumper when the wheel was turned to one side or the other. I did have to trim off a small portion of the inside part of the bumper, but since it was on the inside, you really can't tell that it was trimmed at all. I now have plenty of clearance between the bumper and the tires.

Bottom line--you can put 33x12.5R16.5 tires on a stock F-150 ORP or Expedition (without the load leveling suspension), but you'll need to do a little trimming of the front bumper. If you have an Expedition with the 4-corner load leveling suspension, you won't be able to do it because your Expedition sits too low (the space between the top of the stock tire and the front wheel well is less than 4").

Another key thing to remember is that 16.5" wheels come in various widths. You can get 8.25", 9.75", and 12" widths. Obviously, the different width wheels will have different backspacing. If the backspacing is too deep, then you may run into rubbing problems elsewhere (like suspension components). I would not recommend any backspacing deeper than 4-5/8".

If you don't want to trim your bumper, then your other option is to put a lift on or go with a skinnier tire. A popular choice is a 285/75R16 on an 8" wide wheel. The 285/75R16 equates to about 32.8" tall and 11.2" wide. Because the tire is skinner (as well as the wheel), you won't run into any rubbing problems. I chose not to do this because I wanted the wider tires and the taller wheels (16.5" versus 16").

Hope this helps.

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2000 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer 4x4
- 5.4L Triton V-8 (stock 260HP version)
- K&N FIPK Generation II
- Flowmaster 70 Series Muffler with Custom Dual-Exhaust
- Coil-Spring Suspension (No 4-Corner Load Level)
- 33x12.5R16.5 BFG A/T TA KO Tires on Centerline Python Wheels

 

Hey,

Thanks for solving that never ending dillema. I too have bee procrastinating on what wheel/tire size to go with. I have a 2000 FORD F150 4X4 LARIAT with stock 17x7.5 rims and 265/70/17 GOODYEAR ATS tires.

I also wanted to go with some 33/12.5/16.5's, but was never sure if they would fit.

So, what you telling me is that they do and will fit, without any major rubbing. Right? Just as long as I have that 6inch clearance between the stock wheel and the inner fender I should be okay? I dont really mind cutting away some of the inner valance to solve the minor rubbing, either.

Do you have any pictures of the new set up? I would really like to take a look at it.

Again, thanks for the information.

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n10sity,

No, you shouldn't have any major rubbing if you've got the clearance, but this will depend on the wheel you go with. I have 16.5x9.75 wheels with a 4-1/2" backspace. 16.5" wheels do come in various widths with various backspacing. Widths that I've seen available are 8.25", 9.75", and 12".

The 8.25" wide wheels that I've seen have a backspace of 3-5/8". That means that the offset will be more negative (about -12.7mm offset) than the wheels that I have (about -9.5mm offset) which will result in pushing the tire even further out. I wouldn't recommend this because the rubbing will be greater the further the tire gets pushed out.

You should be okay if you go with a 9.75" wide wheel with a backspace of 4-1/2" or 4-5/8".

I don't have any pictures yet, but I intend on taking some of how it looks as well as what I trimmed. The Expedition is really dirty, so I wanted to clean it up before I took the pictures. If you really want to see it before I clean it up, I can take a couple of pictures.

In regards to the trimming, on the bottom portion of my front bumper, I have a black plastic trim piece that is underneath the beige part of the bumper and is attached to the beige part by a few mounting bolts. If your bumper is essentially the same, you should see that on the inside corner of the front bumper (just in front of the tire), there will be one mounting bolt at the corner that attaches the black trim piece to the beige part of the bumper. I had to remove that portion where the mounting bolt is located. You know what, I'll just go ahead and take some pictures so you can see what was trimmed.

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2000 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer 4x4
- 5.4L Triton V-8 (stock 260HP version)
- K&N FIPK Generation II
- Flowmaster 70 Series Muffler with Custom Dual-Exhaust
- Coil-Spring Suspension (No 4-Corner Load Level)
- 33x12.5R16.5 BFG A/T TA KO Tires on Centerline Python Wheels