What is the code thingy for 16 inch tires? And a BFG question

[95ExplorerLtd]

What is the tire code for 16 inch tires on a 15 inch rim? By that I mean like the LT235 75R15. Because next time I get new tires, which will be a few years anyway, I want to get some 16's. Will this increase my ground clearance just a little bit? And my BFG question was for the Longtrails. What is the speed rating for them? I mean how fast can you continually go safely? Because our KO's had a paper that said it was only 84 mph. Because Next tire change I wanna go with 16 inch Longtrails.

 

[Robert]

You can't go with 16" tires on your 15" rims. You will have to buy 16" wheels as well. If you just want a larger tire then maybe try a 31" x 10.5" in a 15" wheel size. That should give you about an inch more clearance.

[Edited by Robert on 12-07-2000 at 07:57 AM]

 

[Ray Lobato]

Originally posted by 95ExplorerLtd
What is the tire code for 16 inch tires on a 15 inch rim? By that I mean like the LT235 75R15. Because next time I get new tires, which will be a few years anyway, I want to get some 16's. Will this increase my ground clearance just a little bit? And my BFG question was for the Longtrails. What is the speed rating for them? I mean how fast can you continually go safely? Because our KO's had a paper that said it was only 84 mph. Because Next tire change I wanna go with 16 inch Longtrails.

Grant, No increasing just the wheel diameter will not increase the clearance. Increasing the tire height will increase the clearance.
The Long trails are a good tire for the road, but with the tread pattern, I don't think that it will be as good off road as the KO's are. If you are going to do mostly on road driving and not much off road driving, they are a good choise.
One other thing. In addition to having to buy new wheels to fit 16" tires, you will also pay more for those 16" tires than you would for 15" tires. take a look at National tire and wheel's website and see the price differance. I know you are young and probably don't have a whole lot of money, changing over to 16" will cost you alot more than just going a size bigger in 15". If you got the money, you can do anything you want. If yo don't, then you have to see what is the best way to accomplish your goal. It sounds like your goal is to get more clearance. The most economical way to do that is to go a size bigger in a 15" tire. Just my .02

 

[95ExplorerLtd]

Well that sucks Call me stupid. I have heard of alot of people putting like 31's on a 15 inch rims. Isnt that what you did Ray? Theres alot of trashed Explorers around here, I'm sure I could get some 16's around here for cheap. I dont want the tires to be wider, just taller.


Anybody know the speed rating for Longtrails?

 

[Okrazie1]

Speed Rating

I'm not positive about this, but I think that the manufacturers don't assign a speed rating to LT tires. I know that they are not required to assign UTQG ratings to LT tires. That's the info on a tire about treadwear, traction, and temperature. On a passenger car tire, it also has a code on it such as "109S". That number is the code for load rating (109=2271 lbs) and the letter is the code for the speed rating (S=112 mph). LT tires have a load range designated by a code letter. I know my Long Trails are Load Range C.

 

[RU MAN]

95Explorer,
Your can get anying size you want with the 15in wheel that you want. The wheel really does not have anything to do with how tall the tire is. Your can get 31x10.50's on a 15in wheel if thats what you want.

 

[95ExplorerLtd]

Thanks for all the info guys,

RU MAN, I dont want 31 just yet because its mostly on road driving, off road whenever we need to, and I dont want to have the wheel well filled all up with tire, the 15's fill it up plenty enough. I just wanted a larger size to try it out and if I dont like it I'll go back to 15.

 

[mrsteve]

I have heard of alot of people putting like 31's on a 15 inch rims. Isnt that what you did Ray?

31's refers to overall tire diameter not the wheel size.

Steve

 

[Okrazie1]

Doh!

I take back what I said about the speed rating on LT tires. I was washing my truck today and I saw "109Q" on the sidewall of my Long Trails. That's a load rating of 2271 lbs and a speed rating of 99 mph. Oops, my bad