I was wondering what the biggest tire I could fit on my stock rims. I have a 2002 f150 kr 4x4 and was considering getting a lift, but didnt want to buy new rims and tires. Without looking I think I have 265/70/17 (or close to that) on it now. I wanted to get the rcd 5" lift and 35's, but I didnt want to break the bank on tires, rims, exhaust etc. So I was hoping to keep the stock rims and just buy tires. I havent bought anything yet, so I'm still in the planning mode. Any help would be appreciated.

 

You can squeeze a 315/70-17 (35x12.50) tire on a stock 4x4 by using the OEM wheels. It's a tight fit and you will have some rubbing on the frame at full steering lock. You could run these and then later add the lift and then mount them on wider aftermarket wheels.

 

Now let me ask this, will the tires rub with the lift? I was planning on getting the lift first and then putting larger wheels on the stock rims, just because I like the king ranch rims. Now if they rub no matter what, I could go to smaller tires or just wait and buy new rims too. Will this look ok, or should I consider some other options.

 

Running 315/70-17's on the OEM wheels will result in some minor rubbing on the frame at full steering lock. No amount of lift will cure this. A wider aftermarket wheel will push the tire outward slightly, eliminating this rubbing. However, you will then have rubbing on the outside (front and rear of the wheelwells) which can be cured by lifting the truck.

 

http://www.4lo.com/calc/geartable.htm

 

Thanks for the input. I think I was confusing myself with the whole tire rub issue and width of the rim. One of my main concerns was that if I go up in diameter, how much did that affect the width of the tire. So from what I have been reading and your help, I can run larger tires on oem wheels with no real worries. Anyhow, thanks for the help, I'm just trying to get all my facts straight before I buy anything.

 

Not at all what dnelson78 was asking for. He's asking about physical size restrictions, not performance characteristics.

dnelson78: Consider running 33"s instead of 35"s if you don't want to spend quite as much. Right now your tires are ~31.5, so the 33"s would definitely fill up the wheel wells more, and there should be no rubbing issues at all. Wandell, please correct me if I'm wrong about this.

- NCSU