I know this has been beat to death, but i have a 2003 fx 4 scab with 5.4 and towing package and the whole wheel and tire thing is driving me nuts. I tried the BFG AT KO's in a 285 70 17 and i thought they looked too small. So i then went on a hunt for wheels to try to achieve a 33x12 inch configuration. I have looke and 16, 18 , and 20 inch wheels in a 8" and 8.5 wide size. So what i have came up with is a 305 55 20 configuration. so i have came up with the following options

Option 1) 305 55 20 (33.20 X12.00) Nitto grappler on a 8.5 wide + 15 or 16 offset rim ( Whatever that means) but i am worried it may rub on sharp turns, i do however think this will look great and give the truck a beefy look and cause the least decrease in milage and preformance while giving me the look i want

Option 2) 315 70 17 (34.36 X 12.40 )BFG AT KO's on the stock 03 fx 4 17x7.5 rims. I like this look and hear some people have did it on the stock ride with not lift no mods and no rubbing. But i am conceraned and preformance and extra upshifts etc. Did i mention how much cheaper this is too?

So i really dont know which way to go at this point. Please give me some suggestion and tell me what time of problems i will run into with these combos. I dont want to take a big preformace or gas milage hit or run into making a bunch of mods because my tires are rubbing i am not appose to a 2 in body lift or some minor air dam trimming but thats it.

One last thing what about my brakes, will they suffer from these big tires and wheels? Will i have to replace the rotors or pads? And suggestion here would be appreciated as well Many thanks in advace for you guys help with this.

If someone has pictures of these tire and wheels sizes on their 99 to 03 4x4 scab please send me a link or show me a picture.

Thanks all!

 

I think the best looking combo on a stock height 4x4 is a 305/70-16 (33x12.50) on a 16x10 inch wheel. The 10 inch wide wheel makes the tire appear to be wider than it does on a stock or 8 inch wide wheel. To fit this combo, all you will need to do is crank up the torsion bars a little and trim a little plastic off the front bumper's lower valance. The problem with the 315/70-17's (35x12.50) is the affect they have on your overall gear ratio. I've talked to people with this combo with the 5.4 and 3.55 and 3.73 gears. Some say it works ok, some say the truck is a dog. If you have 3.73 gears and don't regularly tow or haul a heavy load, you may be happy. Another problem is they are an extremely tight fit and will not fit with an aftermarket wheel without a lift.

 

ok if i go with the 16x10 combo i am thinking about weld or cenetrline wheels. I am worried about how the will hold up this winter. I am in VA and i know the stock wheels will take lots of abuse, so my question is this "Chrome or polished?" I dont wantt my investment looking like poop after a year or two and dont want to spend all my time maintaing them. Does this mean with a wheel and tire combo like the 16x10 with 305 70 16 that i want be able to go through MR wash?

 

Thanks for your help. Please feel free to e mail me to dicuss more. I am curios how far the 305's on a 16x10 will stick out of the wheel well compared to the stock 265 70 17 on a 7.5 inch rim. I found a place out here that can powedercoat the polished wheels in a clear finish. So i am torn at this point on wheather to go with a 16x8 with a 305 tire? I dont want to sandblast the side of my truck but want a beefy look. Ughhh.

BTW: I think i am going to go with the Eagles!

 

I have some pics in my gallary. The edge of the tire is about even with the edge of the fender flares when using a 16x10 with 4 1/2 inches of backspacing.

 

Where is your gallery? Also did you knpw there is a 295 75 16 in the bfg? it is like 33.42x11.6. that might work as well. So how far do you think the 305 would stick out on your truck.

 

Since 305/70-16's are an inch wider than my 285's, they will stick out 1/2 inch farther than this. Also, a 295/75-16 will work also. Here are some pics of my truck at stock height also.

 

Nice! I am just so confused at this point. How much stuff does it sling onto the side of you truck particulary ROCKS?

 

Very little mud. I havn't had a problem with rocks.

 

Excellent. I called eagle and they are saying i cant use a 16x10 with a 305 or 295 tire witout a lift kit. Urghh.... Why does this have to be so complicated? So i wanted to test fit a 16X10 and they said if you mount a tire you own the wheel!!!! So what to do? Have you seen a 305 on a 16x10? I think it is 12.00 Wide as apposed to your 11.22 285. What do you think?

 

I've seen several people running 305/70-16's on 16x10. Most tire, wheel and suspension manufacturers tend to be conservative when recommending tire sizes. To most people, "it fits" means that there is like an inch of clearance everywhere during the entire suspension cycle while turning the steering wheel. To others, "it fits" means that you don't have to cut the entire fender off with a sawsall. To me, "it fits" means that there may be minor contact somewhere, but nothing that will damage the tire or vehicle in any way. If you go with 305's and 16x10's you will have to trim a little plastic off the front bumper's lower valance, but you won't have to worry about tearing a fender off or anything crazy like that. I've seen several people post that they wish they had bought 16x10's instead of 16x8's, but I don't recall anyone saying that they wished they bought 16x8 instead of 16x10's. Have you considered going with a 285 and a 16x10?

 

I have considered a 285 but did not think it looked wide enough when i installed it on the stock fx 4 rim.

 

would it look bigger in a 285 75/16 as apposed to a 265 70 17 on my stock 7.5 rim? bottom line i want to able to put them on and maybe trim a little plastic as you did thats it. does my 03 fx 4 with the 17'2 have a bigger caliper? Can i got grom a 17" fx rim to a 16 inch with no issue?

 

here are some pics

http://www.carolinaamphitheater.com/truck.htm

 

Thanks for the PICS. Nice looking truck. Did you loose a lot of power?