Looking to upgrade to a bigger tire for my rims if possible. 1993 Ranger XLT SC

[James Morse]

Yup 265's were optional. But same rims so you'll be fine.
Mine has a 3" spacer block over the rear axle so it'd be interesting to know if you have that also. I'm gonna guess it was common to all 4x4 regardless whether they came with 235's or 265's but I don't know, just wondering.

 

[Angry Possum]

Yup 265's were optional. But same rims so you'll be fine.
Mine has a 3" spacer block over the rear axle so it'd be interesting to know if you have that also. I'm gonna guess it was common to all 4x4 regardless whether they came with 235's or 265's but I don't know, just wondering.

Thanks, but I'm not sure if I saw a spacer block on the rear axel. I can check it in a few days I suppose.

 

[James Morse]

Yes I was just curious. Chances are there is at least some kind of blocks there. If you tried to put 31" on a regular 2wd Ranger they probably wouldn't fit well and weren't an option for them. It needs a little more height in the body.

 

[racsan]

should have rear 2” blocks, mine did.

 

[Lefty]

Mine once had two inch lift blocks too. I replaced them with 1" blocks.

Those blocks create a somewhat odd visual effect. There is a saying in Texas, "all hat, no cattle." There's an equivalent in so many modern trucks, "all well, no wheel." IMHO, those spacer blocks are nothing more than a cheap attempt to make a truck look like it is rough and ready for some sort of 4 wheel off road trip.

A friend of mine bought new wheels and 35" tires. They rubbed ever so slight when he cut the wheels hard for parking, but they sure looked good.

I mentioned mine were 31" AT Coopers. I went the other route and switched out the two inch blocks for ones, cranked down the torsion bars 3/4" in the front, lowering the center of gravity for safety's sake. Still not happy, I put a Ford Explorer sway bar in the front and a pair of spring pack clamps in the back. The stance is still rough and ready. There is less body roll. The handling is much improved.

If you go down just one inch you will not need to change shocks, but you will fill that well.

It's getting pretty cold here in Minnesota, but I hope to put a stiffer sway bar in the back whenever the weather turns.

 

[work2do]

Super

Glad you found a nice deal ! I've run 31" with no issues on an old 4.0L. Went with 30" because the 2.3 auto is a slug ! Even with the 4:10 gear. I do like the engine for it's reliability and economy as my daily even though. Easy to wrench on too.

 

[Lefty]

Glad you found a nice deal ! I've run 31" with no issues on an old 4.0L. Went with 30" because the 2.3 auto is a slug ! Even with the 4:10 gear. I do like the engine for it's reliability and economy as my daily even though. Easy to wrench on too.

I've noticed that there are two schools of thought here on this site. One is always searching for MORE POWER. Swap that engine for an eight. Rebuild it, Get it magnafluxed and line bored, port it, polish the insides. Get a performance cam. Supercharge it, too. The other wants ECONOMY. Work with whatever came in your engine bay. Maybe put in a dual exhaust. Go easy on the gas. Sip. Don't guzzle. Keep the earth green.

Both schools want MORE MORE MORE. And why not? Either way is okay by me. Sometimes even I feel a little torn. And maybe that's why we are all here. We can appreciate both.

Tire size is a similar trade off. I used to be able to squeal the tires just a little with my V6 and 4/10 rear end. Now, with 31s, I can't. But I don't mind. I am pleased to have a little more traction in the rain and the snow. That's my MORE: MORE traction, MORE safety. FEWER close calls, especially during the daily rush hour traffic.

Lowering the truck, adding spring packs and a beefy new sway bar come in very handy, especially at higher speeds when other drivers force me to brake and swerve.

My next MORE, after that beefed up rear sway bar, is uprated brakes.

 

[racsan]

I do better on fuel with the smaller 225/70 tires than with the 235/75’s. Even with the 4.10’s the engine isn’t working as hard with the smaller ones, even with no load I notice it gets up to speed faster and Im in 5th gear sooner. Going turbo might help but thats quite a bit of time & cash to spend on a 30 year old truck thats seen better days. Winter of course only makes fuel milage worse, winter blend fuel/longer warm up time/extra weight when carried when it’s snowing ect. Right now im running my old hhr winter tires with wheel adapters. 215/60/16’s. Just slightly smaller than my 225/70/15’s. Looks hideous but it’s functional and the best tire for winter the ranger has.

 

[Angry Possum]

I just measured my wheel wells. 31" is cutting it real close. Do you think these will be ok?. I just checked my door tag which lists an R6. So my gear size is 3.73

 

[RobbieD]

And would anyone know my gear size?

There's the axle code on the driver door sticker, if it's still there, and readable, and if the axle or gears haven't been changed.

 

[Angry Possum]

There's the axle code on the driver door sticker, if it's still there, and readable, and if the axle or gears haven't been changed.

I found it, thanks. It's R6, so The gear size is 3.73. And I believe it's stock.

 

[Lefty]

I don't remember the actual number for mine, but they are a bit less than 31, and a more than 30.

 

[Angry Possum]

@Uncle Gump I just measured the entire wheel well circumference. Question- will these definitely fit? It looks close like it may scrape on the sides of the wheel well in the front. The vertical clearance height is fine, however the side circumference look real close in the front well. I'm wondering if they will scrape when turning.

 

[Uncle Gump]

I've ran 31x10.50x15 tires on several Rangers over the years. I even ran them on a 4.0L auto 4x4 with 3.73 gears. I had no problems... they do line up better with 4.10 gear... but I drove the shit out of some 31x10.50x15's. If they rub... your suspension is worn the hell out.

 

[sgtsandman]

I've noticed that there are two schools of thought here on this site. One is always searching for MORE POWER. Swap that engine for an eight. Rebuild it, Get it magnafluxed and line bored, port it, polish the insides. Get a performance cam. Supercharge it, too. The other wants ECONOMY. Work with whatever came in your engine bay. Maybe put in a dual exhaust. Go easy on the gas. Sip. Don't guzzle. Keep the earth green.

Both schools want MORE MORE MORE. And why not? Either way is okay by me. Sometimes even I feel a little torn. And maybe that's why we are all here. We can appreciate both.

Tire size is a similar trade off. I used to be able to squeal the tires just a little with my V6 and 4/10 rear end. Now, with 31s, I can't. But I don't mind. I am pleased to have a little more traction in the rain and the snow. That's my MORE: MORE traction, MORE safety. FEWER close calls, especially during the daily rush hour traffic.

Lowering the truck, adding spring packs and a beefy new sway bar come in very handy, especially at higher speeds when other drivers force me to brake and swerve.

My next MORE, after that beefed up rear sway bar, is uprated brakes.

There is a few of us odd balls that are in the middle.

I'm neither looking for more economy or power. I'm just making the best of what I have.

You haven't seen bad on the power side though. Hop on the 2019+ Ford Ranger Performance facebook page. WOW!...
Those guys want to boost every bit of power out of the truck that they possibly can.