Tire Question

[0uTkAsT]

Hey guys! I'm a new ST owner... I just bought an '08 XLT brand new about a week ago and I love it so far!

I'm going to be installing the RoadBully 2.5" lift as soon as I receive it, but I'm going to be keeping the factory 16" wheels on the truck (I'm just having them powder coated black). So my question is, what is the largest (tallest) tire I can fit under my ST with the 2.5" lift on 16" factory wheels without having them rub?

From just eyeballing it, I'm guessing I may be able to fit as large as a 32x10.5, but that's purely a guess and I absolutely do not want any rub, even at full-lock... I have to deal with a lot of crowded parking lots so turning the truck lock-to-lock is a routine thing.

I really appreciate any and all help. Thanks in advance!

-V

 

[0uTkAsT]

Hey all! Not to sound impatient or anything, but nobody has any input here? I'm assuming most of you are either on the factory 17" wheels or running aftermarket wheels from 17"-20", but I figure there's gotta be someone on this board that is lifted and using the 16's.

I may try a 265/75 or 235/85 if I don't hear otherwise. It's about a 31 and a half inch tire, and I don't foresee any rubbing with the lift. Still looking for advice though!

Thanks!!

 

[eppd00]

I tried 275/60 R 20 ....32" diameter on my Adrenalin and was able to make them work but had to adjust the plastic wheel well liners,especially in the rear well forward side. Once that was done I had an issue with a bottoming out on the front ,I needed an extra inch lift to solve that.At the time there was some controversy as to whether or not a lift kit would work on these vehicles as there was no applications available. I finally bit the bullet and picked up a set of 275/55 R 20 which were 30.9" in diameter....no problem with those. Take into consideration you may still have to massage those plastic wheel well liners ,especially the lower forward portion of the rear wheel well. I did try one of my 265/75 R 16 from my 97 Explorer while I was experimenting ,and they appeared to have plenty of room,even though the wheel offset was not correct.

 

[eppd00]

Correction on the diameters of the tires....the 275/60R 20 has a 33" diameter and the 275/55R20 is 31.9". My265/75R16 tires on the 97 Explorer have a
31.6" diameter. These are all Michelin LTX M/S tires. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[0uTkAsT]

eppd00,

Thank you so much for the replies! I'm kinda leaning towards the 265/75-16 because of the number of different tires available in that size. It is 31.6" overall, and the stock size is 235/70-16, a 29" tire. I'm thinking I may be able to go even taller in conjunction with the 2.5" lift, but I don't want to run into any fitment problems.

I'm still thinking about it while I wait for the spacers and the wheels to come back from the powdercoater, so anyone else with input can still chime in.

Thanks again!!

 

[eppd00]

I would think a 2 1/2" lift would give you plenty of travel for something larger. As I said before,I only needed about an inch lift with the 33" tires. When I forced the bottom out situation when the 33" tires were installed it barely scuffed the top of the wheel well. The 31.9 tires were perfect with the stock height

 

[0uTkAsT]

That's great! I do want to go as big as possible, obviously... 285/75R16 is a 32.8 inch tire, and 255/85R16 is a 33.1 inch tire, so maybe I'll start looking at my options in those sizes... I want to stay in the range of ~$150 per tire if at all possible, but I also want either a M/T or a aggressively treaded A/T. I know my options are probably limited but I'll start poking around.

Thanks again!!

 

[eppd00]

Watch the forward lower portion of the rear wheel well liner in the area of the attaching sheet metal screw.33'' and up will rub through the liner if you don't modify that area.

 

[0uTkAsT]

Thanks for the heads up! I went out to take a look and I see the place you're referring to. I'll keep that in mind when I buy the tires. I've been doing my homework, and there seems to be a lot more selection in the 285/75-16 group, so I think that's the size I'm going to be throwing on there. I'm having the wheels coated, installing the lift, and getting a 4-wheel alignment very soon, so it'll only be a few weeks before I buy the tires.

Thanks again for all your help!