• Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.

Tire options for stock 14" X 5.5" wheels (1st gen Ranger)


RangerBrock88

New Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2025
Messages
3
Reaction score
3
Location
Boston
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford Ranger XLT
Engine Type
2.3 (4 Cylinder)
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Hi all, the time has come to replace the rubber on my '88 2wd stock Ranger. It currently has the factory 14" X 5.5" wide steel wheels. After a few days of google searching, it seems that there are very few tire options available for this size wheel. The only (possibly) viable option that is interesting to me are these General Grabber A/TX 27X8.5R14LT

Tire Rack Link

I called my local tire shop, and they told me that they were not sure that these would fit, but that they might. Has anyone out there run anything in this size on stock wheels like mine? (I currently have 205/75/R14s on there).

I'm hesitant to buy these without knowing if they will fit, I like the look of the wheels that I have, but I might need to go up a size to 15, much more tire options if I do. Pic of my truck, just because :)
thumbnail_IMG_9277.jpg
 

RobbieD

2.9l Mafia
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
4,555
Reaction score
4,490
Location
Georgia
Vehicle Year
1984,1990,1994
Make / Model
Ford
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
2WD
My credo
Toonces drives a Ranger . . . . just not very well.
Welcome to TRS.

That is a nice looking Ranger you have, and I like the old steel wheels, too.

I'm sorry that I can't answer your tire fit question directly, but something that may be helpful, as a possible option for you, is that the same wheel was used on the Bronco II and on the first two years of Explorers ('91-92), in a 15" diameter with 5.5 and 6.0 widths.

So it would be possible to find a set of the same wheels in 15", giving you more tire options.
 

19Walt93

Well-Known Member
Ford Technician
V8 Engine Swap
Joined
Nov 13, 2018
Messages
4,879
Reaction score
4,932
Location
Canaan,NH
Vehicle Year
1993
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
351
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Total Drop
3"
Tire Size
235/55R16
My credo
If you don't have time to do it right will you have time to do it over?
Maybe get a copy of Hemmings Motor News and look at the ads for specialty tires? Your truck looks like a new 88 so I could see you wanting to keep it original. But. It might save you money and make it easier to find replacement tires if you get some 15 " or 16" wheels from a later Ranger and some lower profile tires to keep the outside diameter the same.
 

lil_Blue_Ford

Cut & Weld
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
V8 Engine Swap
TRS 20th Anniversary
TRS Event Participant
TRS 25th Anniversary
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
9,658
Reaction score
8,258
Location
Butler, PA, USSA
Vehicle Year
00
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
5.0l
Transmission
Automatic
Total Drop
4”
So…

Nice Ranger.

First question: Do you know what your gear ratio is? If not, what is the axle code on the door sticker? Assuming of course that aside from us Ranger Nerds that change things like that it should be correct…

235/75-15 or 30x9.50-15 tire and rim combo should fit with minimum rubbing unless your suspension is really shot, in which case you should do new springs anyway. Get the 1,750# leaf springs and probably Explorer front coils for a 91? Not really certain on the best front coil option for a 2wd, so someone else may need to comment because Ford did some strange things with the 2wd trucks. Good suspension and the only way that combo really should ever maybe rub is cutting the wheel hard way off camber. Washer lift in the front would help that or you could tuck the corner of the front fender, bottom back by the doors. Second gen trucks were a little more generous in the front wheel arches. I’m gonna tuck the corners on my 88 and run 31x10.50-15s on it with a 2-3” lift. You’ll want 3.73 gears minimum for 31’s, 4.10 gears are better.

Although, I guess it really all depends on what you want to do with the truck. Sky is the limit. My 88 Bronco II is getting the fenders tucked, has an old 2” set of lift coils and I’m gonna do something about the rear leafs, might try Ranger 1,750# leafs and see where that gets me. Might build a set of leafs. Basically want to be level to slightly rear high. It’s also getting 1” body lift pucks. Front is likely getting a D-35 with 4.10s if I can make things work out, rear will be an 8.8”, gonna do traction bars in the back or maybe a simple anti-wrap setup. Sway bars because it is an Eddie Bauer but I’ll probably rig quick disconnects.

My Choptop has a cobbled together 5” suspension lift and 2” body lift plus 35” tires. My green Ranger is lowered roughly 5”. My F-150 has essentially 1-ton truck suspension. Where would you like to take it? If you’re not worried about the suspension being likely worn, then you might want to just look at anything up to a 28” diameter tire, anything bigger is likely to rub on worn suspension on that back corner of the fender cutting the wheel hard.

Gearing also plays a part in tire recommendations. 3.08 gears suck with 31” tires, I’ll say that. And honestly, in my opinion, even the 5.0 and 3.73 gears is less than optimal for 31” tires, because that’s what I have right now with the green Ranger and it takes a bit to get on top of the gears. I’m tolerating it because my next step is 18” rims and something 27-29” diameter rubber on them. Whatever the metric size is for that. There’s charts online. I just need the appropriate wheel spacers and winter to end to burn up the rubber that is on the 18” rims, then I just need money for new rubber.
 

JoshT

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
V8 Engine Swap
TRS Banner 2012-2015
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
5,012
Reaction score
3,415
Location
Macon/Fort Valley, GA
Vehicle Year
1999
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
4WD
1) Why is that your only viable option? I understand that choices are limited for a 14" wheel, that's why I got away from them on my old 84 Ranger and won;t be running them on my 85 when its time comes. There are a few options available in your curent tire size and the 2.3L doesn't have a lot of power for turning a bigger heavier tire. That general grabber is 10-15 lbs heavier per tire than replacements in your current size.

2) If you are stuck on that tire size it's approximate 1" taller and 2" wider than your current tires. Mounted on the same wheels, it's going to be 1/2" closer to the fender and 1" closer to the suspension. I feel pretty confident in saying that you can run that size with no fitment issues. FWIW I used to run a 225/70R14 on my '85 2.8L 2WD Ranger and had no fitment issues, it's only slightly shorter than those generals. In fact I'd recommend that size if you are looking for something bigger than you have now and staying 14", they should still be available.

3) I'd highly recommend upgrading to a 15" or 16" wheel. There are a lot of take off options from later model Rangers that look very good on a first gen Ranger, some even look like what you have as mentioned above. Much more selection available at relitavely better prices.
 

scotts90ranger

Well-Known Member
RBV's on Boost
Joined
Feb 28, 2001
Messages
9,047
Reaction score
5,923
Location
Dayton Oregon
Vehicle Year
1990, 1997
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
2.3 (4 Cylinder)
Engine Size
2.3 Turbo
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
6
Tire Size
35"
I'm pretty sure the 27" tires will fit fine, I ran 225 70 15's (28" tall) on my '90 when it was a 2wd back in the day but the first gen have smaller wheel wells up front...
 

Brain75

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2024
Messages
1,250
Reaction score
984
Location
Colorado
Vehicle Year
1990
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
2.9 V6
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
215/70R14
I'm still running 14" meat on mine, only reason the PO bought em and they aren't shot yet... but my plan is 16" when time comes, already got a set of rims out of the junkyard. at $175 per shoe that easily paid for the new wheels (I paid less than $100 total for the alu), and shoes in my new size are like $68/piece for the cheapest... $75-90 gets you some decent looking stuff. (I'm 2nd gen)
 

RangerBrock88

New Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2025
Messages
3
Reaction score
3
Location
Boston
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford Ranger XLT
Engine Type
2.3 (4 Cylinder)
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
2WD
This is all very helpful information to consider, thank you everyone. My main reason for wanting to stick with the wheels that I have is simply the sentimental desire to keep as much of the OG truck intact as possible, (I also really like the look of the dog dishes. Not many trucks of this size have them anymore).

Another possible option I've been considering might be these Goodyear Wrangler AT LT195/75R14 Amazon Link

The salesperson from Tirerack thought these Wranglers would also fit, my local tire installer said they would not. From reading the original brochure for the 1988, it looks like the '88 Rangers came standard with this tire size, and since my wheels are the base standard option, I would assume they should fit no problem... screen shot from the brochure attached for reference.
Screenshot 2025-01-22 at 4.13.40 PM.png


There are some other cheaper options out there for regular tires, but I would like to get an all terrain tire on the 14s if possible. The Wranglers are pretty pricy for such a small tire, that's my main hesitation for those, and why I'm gravitating towards the General Grabbers.
 

JoshT

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
V8 Engine Swap
TRS Banner 2012-2015
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
5,012
Reaction score
3,415
Location
Macon/Fort Valley, GA
Vehicle Year
1999
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Not a chance in hell.

I mean technically they would fit, but they'd be smaller than what you have now (which is already small) and way too high in price. I also think that that you'd hate the ride of that 6 ply sidewall.

Personally I think you're messing up by trying to put an AT tire on that truck. You'd be better off sticking with a lighter weight street tire. That truck isn't going to have the power to need ATs anyway. If you take it into mud, the treads are going to get packed, and you wont have the power to spin them and clean them out. The grabbers are going to look like a tiny aggressive tire on a tiny truck that can't use them. The Wranglers are an AT in name only. Functionally they'll be little if any better than a street tire on that truck.

If you want beefier tire styling I'll again recommend the 205/75R14. Here's my 84 Ranger on that size. It's not great, but I think you can zoom up enough to see the tire fitment. Unfortunately I never took many pictures of it, or they were on 35mm and stored away somewhere if I did. Now these wheels are from a 60s ford car, and may have a sightly different backspacing than the Ranger, but still 14s with about the same width.

7568700001_large.jpg
 

RangerBrock88

New Member
Joined
Jan 22, 2025
Messages
3
Reaction score
3
Location
Boston
Vehicle Year
1988
Make / Model
Ford Ranger XLT
Engine Type
2.3 (4 Cylinder)
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Personally I think you're messing up by trying to put an AT tire on that truck. You'd be better off sticking with a lighter weight street tire. That truck isn't going to have the power to need ATs anyway. If you take it into mud, the treads are going to get packed, and you wont have the power to spin them and clean them out. The grabbers are going to look like a tiny aggressive tire on a tiny truck that can't use them. The Wranglers are an AT in name only. Functionally they'll be little if any better than a street tire on that truck.
This makes sense. My daily driver is a Subaru outback, I've always gone for AT tires because they seem to grip better on wet road conditions than all season tires, but that probably depends on the tire. The truck definitely won't be going off road, my main thought in getting AT tires would be to help with grip when launching when the roads are wet. I hadn't really considered the decline in power/ride quality though, so I might have to rethink the ATs.... and yes 205/75R14 would definitely work, that is the current size that I have on there. I just hadn't seen any tires in that size that were meant for light trucks and also had decent tread. A lot of tires in that size seem to have been discontinued within the past several years.
 

lil_Blue_Ford

Cut & Weld
TRS Forum Moderator
Supporting Member
V8 Engine Swap
TRS 20th Anniversary
TRS Event Participant
TRS 25th Anniversary
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
9,658
Reaction score
8,258
Location
Butler, PA, USSA
Vehicle Year
00
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Engine Size
5.0l
Transmission
Automatic
Total Drop
4”
Personally, I like aggressive AT tires even in a 2wd. The only 4-cyl I own is in my boat though. Well, that and a parts truck. Also most of my trucks have 3.73 or 4.10 gears. So they are set up for a larger tire size for the most part.
 

JoshT

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
V8 Engine Swap
TRS Banner 2012-2015
Joined
Aug 6, 2007
Messages
5,012
Reaction score
3,415
Location
Macon/Fort Valley, GA
Vehicle Year
1999
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
V8
Transmission
Automatic
2WD / 4WD
4WD
I just hadn't seen any tires in that size that were meant for light trucks and also had decent tread.
In these sizes and on a truck that small, don't worry too much about P vs LT. The LT tire is allegedly built "more rugged" but it boils down to the key specification being load rating. Well in these sizes the load rating between a P-metric and a LT is about the same, and both exceed the load rating of the truck. The LT (AT) tire is just made out of tougher materials that might hold up better in rougher environments, but that comes with the trade off of the rougher ride.

More agressive tread can be a trade off. Better bite in loose surfaces, but worse bite and braking on paved surfaces. The all-season might actually have better traction in wet conditions on pavement, than the more open all-terrain. That's something that you'll have to study and make a decision on.
 

Brain75

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2024
Messages
1,250
Reaction score
984
Location
Colorado
Vehicle Year
1990
Make / Model
Ford Ranger
Engine Type
2.9 V6
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
2WD
Tire Size
215/70R14
/Quote
"(I also really like the look of the dog dishes. Not many trucks of this size have them anymore) "

Those dog dish style hubcaps take an "outtie" nub style wheel right (they have nubs on the outside of a raised center rim)... I ask because my '48 takes "innie" ones for the baby moon style hubcaps... and I am very sure you can get the outtie style in a ton of 60's and 70's vehicles (my '48 came with some outtie's off of something like an F series from the late 60's).. I would even bet you can get the dog dish in 15" "fairly" easy ... might turn out to be a little unicorn hunting to get everything, but I think with a trip to a couple junkyard a guy would be able to come up with a late 60's ford car that has 15" outtie nub wheels that look like yours and 15" dog dish caps too. I kinda have a hunch I could even lay my hands on some right now.
Being east of the Miss, you are gonna pay more than I would out here, but at $175 a shoe I would be at least a little interested in trying something else.
 

Similar threads


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Members online

Today's birthdays

TRS Events

Member & Vendor Upgrades

For a small yearly donation, you can support this forum and receive a 'Supporting Member' banner, or become a 'Supporting Vendor' and promote your products here. Click the banner to find out how.

Truck of The Year


Kirby N.
2024 Truck of The Year!

Recently Featured

Want to see your truck here? Share your photos and details in the forum.

Vagabond Video

TRS Merchandise

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Sponsors


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad


Amazon Deals

Sponsored Ad

Top