I have a 98 F-150 4X2 4.6L V8 with 245/70/R16s. I don't have the money for a lift right now, but would like a more aggressive look and would like the truck to sit slightly taller. Can I comfortably go with 265/70/R16s or even 265/75/R16s without sacrificing too much? What are the pros and cons? Will I lose substantial power/acceleration? I would like the best of both performance and decent looks. What size would be optimal? Any recommendations on brand, etc. All suggestions would be appreciated, as I am a tire novice...as green as they come! Thanks for the help!!

 

And what about LT or P rating...which is best?

 

You can squeeze a 285/75-16 on a stock 4x2. I wouldn't go that large unless you plan on lifting the truck in the near future. As for performance loss, that will depend on your powertrain. What gears do you have?
As for tires, I'd go with the BFG AT KO, Nitto Tera Grappler, Toyo AT, Pro Comp Xtreme AT or **** Cepek Radial FC II.

 

You'll have to excuse my ignorance. How do I determine what gears I have? It's an automatic transmission and that's about as deep as I go. Thanks for any guidance on this.

 

There is usually a tag on the rear end's cover. 3.55 gears seem to be the most common.

 

Still wondering whether to go with a LT or P tire. What do you think?

 

I'd go with LT's.

 

Thanks for all the guidance wandell, it is greatly appreciated. I checked the gears, they're 3.55 as you predicted. I'm thinking of
going with a BFG AT in either a 265/70/R16, 265/75/R16, or a 275/70/R16...Which do you think would be most optimal?
Also, should I change gears to something like a 3.73 so that I don't sacrifice as much power? Is that complicated/expensive to do? Does a '98 have to have the cpm reprogrammed...I'm not even sure about any of this. Thanks for the education!

 

I'd go with 265/75-16's because that is the most common size and will give you the most options. You should be fine without regearing unless you tow/haul a lot of heavy loads. The 97-98 trucks still have a speedometer that is recalibrated by a plastic gear on the tranny so you don't have to have the computer reprogrammed.

 

Thanks again Wandell! I tow an 18' boat maybe 6 to 7 times in the summer about maybe 5 miles roundtrip. Other than that, no real heavy towing or hauling. Is the recalibration process easy? What's involved? How do I locate the plastic gear you referred to in last post? Should I also get an alignment after having the tires mounted? Thanks for the recommendation on the 265/75/16s.

 

I'm not sure of the recalibration process, other than a plastic gear has to be replaced with one of a different size on the 97-98's. An alignment isn't necessary because of the change in tire sizes, but it would be a good idea if you havn't had one in a while.