Another annoying wheel/tire discussion

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Preface: I do not know *anything* about wheels and tires. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Wheels are generally round. That's as far as it goes.

I'm looking to line up what I need for my 2011 for a wheel and tire combo to land the truck where I want it. I know where I want the truck to be performance-wise. So... I need some pointers. @Li'l Work Truck has been of assistance via DM, and I'm interested what the rest of yall have to chime in.

Currently running 245x75R16 tires on V8 explorer bars, lift keys, 1750lb rear springs, and lift shackles. I *despise* the setup. The truck is oversprung, rides like crap, handles like a jenga tower, and is "wobbly," especially at highway speeds.

The direction the build is heading is towards a street/highway/dirt road "spirited driving" truck. My SRT Challenger has been a bit of an inspiration. I want something that's an homage to the nature of that car, but I can still stop at the lumber yard after work and throw crap in the bed if needed. I don't have much, if any, lift planned (removing the lift I have installed), only enough to fit what wheels and tires I'd need if necessary.

I'm guessing I'm going to want something in the 18-20in rim size, but have absolutely no idea. (Challenger runs 245X45R20 iirc...) I do want to stay with thinner sidewalls if possible, but understand there are limitations to those (broken rims, etc) with dirt road stuff.

Overall I want something that's sure footed, grabs nicely, and leaves the truck wider than where it sits on stock rims. Snow isn't a concern as it does not get driven when there's salt on the roads.








Uh...... thanks for attending my Tedx talk.

 

[SenorNoob]

Considering the VAST differences in tire size prices, I'd have a rough estimate of my outside diameter in mind then go from there. Will the same size fit after lowering back to stock height?

Sounds like you're after something wider for traction? 265/50R20 would be almost exactly the same outer diameter of the current tire, (For gearing purposes.) and lower profile sidewalls and wider tread. It's also a common size according to a quick Googleing...

For that size looks like you'd want a 7.5-9.5in wide wheel. I'd aim for 8.5. That should be easy enough to fit onto the Ranger. Just make sure the offset is right.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

265/50R20 would be almost exactly the same outer diameter of the current tire, (For gearing purposes.) and lower profile sidewalls and wider tread.

I wouldn't mind going slightly smaller tbh. 3.73 gears and current size are eh... been a lot better since I got the fuel issues straightened out, and should be better whenever magnum powers sends my damn blower back to me. But still. Wouldn't mind slightly less tire.

 

[bobbywalter]

i would have to drive it to understand...

e rated 265 16 is what i would run for general duty..

355 gears? i suspect alignment needs dialed a bit.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

i would have to drive it to understand...

The SRT?

..................











...maybe.

 

[bobbywalter]

the ranger



4 digit cars i get play with more than the average human...

and...i didnt get that engine until yesterday....and the rest of the shit wont be here till wed... so i will be in utah another week. i told the boss in pa i wasnt coming for the tube ups.... maybe right after that...

i am supposed to be at the woodward dream cruise right now....so to say i am ...less than enthusiastic about troubleshooting this ecm and harness is an understatement.

great plan....hang with kids at woodward sat........go to pa for work mon...with a bonus to hang with PJ.....

to this horse shit....

 

[Curious Hound]

I know nothing and wish you the best of luck. I understand the feeling you want. It is a fun driving experience. On my 97 F150, I put 20" wheels on it and kept the tire diameter stock. Rears were on 10" wide wheels and front were 8" wide. I think. Maybe it was 12" and 10". 1"/2" lowering/leveling kit. Airbags on the rear so it wouldn't squat when towing or loaded down. Simple mods and that thing held corners at speeds I found uncomfortable.

But, those low profile tires vs potholes and jerks running me off the road. Nope. I'll never do low profile again. Too many trips to get bent wheels straightened.

 

[Li'l Work Truck]

I'll never do low profile again. Too many trips to get bent wheels straightened.

Spoken like a true South Carolinian.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

So this is the point where I wish my green Ranger was together. There’s still a bit to dial in but it takes spirited driving well.

I did lower it. A bunch. Roughly 4” as near as I can determine. Getting the front low has been a challenge. I’m hoping the 2010 Ranger keys will get it to level. The plan is to run 18” rims so I still have some sidewall and roughly a 27-28” tire. Whatever metric size that is. The widest I can put on it.

I’m spring under in the rear and I put the Explorer sway bars front and rear. The shocks on it are meh. Going to spring for some Bilsteins and see how that does.

Shocks play a bigger part of ride quality than I had thought, my Choptop I always ran some sort of OE type shock (Monroe/Guardian/Gabriel/etc) like my other stuff. I usually bought mid to high grade of those. I ended up with a set of KYB for the rear of the Choptop and was pleasantly surprised with the difference, which got me exploring possibilities of better shocks and I ended up swapping the front shocks for Rough Country N3. Shortly after that the rear 6-month old KYBs got replaced with RC N3s. Night and day over OE style, that thing has never rode this nice. It actually rallies way better than I think it should. I’m rethinking all of my shock choices now.

The Rough Country N3 shocks are sold in pairs.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

I know nothing and wish you the best of luck. I understand the feeling you want. It is a fun driving experience. On my 97 F150, I put 20" wheels on it and kept the tire diameter stock. Rears were on 10" wide wheels and front were 8" wide. I think. Maybe it was 12" and 10". 1"/2" lowering/leveling kit. Airbags on the rear so it wouldn't squat when towing or loaded down. Simple mods and that thing held corners at speeds I found uncomfortable.

But, those low profile tires vs potholes and jerks running me off the road. Nope. I'll never do low profile again. Too many trips to get bent wheels straightened.

I'll probably wind up with 18s to avoid exactly this... maybe.

I'm used to the low profile stuff. Luckily I've never bent one... yet...

I'm just so, so tired of wobbly sidewalls. I don't offroad my personal stuff, so I'm not too worried about losing the ability to do offroady stuff.

 

[sgtsandman]

You might want to consider running something in a wheel and tire combo close to the factory 29" the truck came with and maybe ditching the 1750 springs for the 1250s it came with. The ride will be nicer and help compensate some for the lack of side wall with the lower profile tires. With the traction bars you have, they should help with any extra spring wrap you might otherwise have. My 2011 actually rode pretty nice with the 1250s and factory tires, but I do enough heavy work with mine that 1250 springs just don't cut it. So, I deal with the rougher ride the 1750s and #1 torsion bars provide.

 

[rubydist]

Back when I had gotten the 09, I thought I wanted 20" Explorer Sport Track Adrenaline wheels on it, so I found a set on Marketplace and put them on. I absolutely hated it and within a month I had gone back to 17" wheels (as soon as I could find and buy a set). The 20s took away so much sidewall that it rode like a lumber wagon and just bounced me all over the road. After I went back to 17s it rode so much better. So my advice is proceed with caution...

 

[bobbywalter]

big tire 18 can work. 275 65 18 maybe


my concern is the complaint. these trucks handle great in stockish trim. i suspect a alignment/suspension dial in issue or an offset rear axle or bent rear axle ....

the woobly thing i never got from a sane tire sla rig.

maybe a size down from 275... its a good compromise with 18 though.