15" tires on 14" truck?

[moretsky99]

My 96 2 WD extended cab calls for 14" tires. I believe the original specs were for 195/70; 215/70; 225/70 R14's.


How would the truck ride on 15" tires? Why did some 96 Ranger come with 15" tires and others with 14" tires?

How to specify the bolt pattern to look for rims?

 

[superj]

It will look fine.

Probably just common tire sizes and trim levels decided what yours came with

 

[Curious Hound]

14" is just the outer diameter of the rim. The tire is bigger than that- about 26.4".

Going to a 15" wheel only changes the sidewall height by 1/2". You won't notice a difference in ride quality. Just pick a tire that is around 26.5 - 27" in diameter for a 15" rim.

Standard lug pattern for that truck is 5x4.5 with around 3.5" backspacing.

Lots more info Here

 

[JoshT]

A 15" wheel will fit fine on your truck. So would a 16, 17 or 18 inch wheel, that's all about the style and useage you like for your truck. The key is selecting proper wheel specs (width, lug patterm, and offset/backspace) to match your truck, then the proper tire size (width and diameter) to match your wheel and truck.

If those the lug pattern, 5x4.5 (aka 5x114.3), is going to be the same for all 1983-2011 Rangers. If what you are considering is another stock 5 lug Ranger wheel, you'll pretty much be safe with anything you choose. The diameters and offset/backspace might be slightly different, but it is likely close enough to work just fine.

Honsetly your inexperience here shows. Unless you have another set of stock 5 lug Ford Ranger wheels you want to install, I'd recommend talking to who ever is going to be doing the tire mounting and install about what you want. They should be able to get you steered correct in getting the right wheel and tire selection for your truck. Plus if you buy their recommendation from them and it doesn't fit, it's on them to make it right.

Just my 2 cent.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Not sure what gear ratio yours ended up with since Ford used everything... My '97 has 4.10's in the rear and I tried several sizes of tire before I found a happy medium with 225 75 15, it's a 2.3L 5 speed extended cab... 205 is a more stock size but I wanted just a touch taller...

14" wheels USED to be the standard, now they're rare, not as rare as 12" but getting there... even 15" wheels are hard to find tires for anymore... I searched and found some wheels from a '09 Ranger to put tires on, obviously a simple bolt on affair, they were corroded to heck so it took effort but still...

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Moved this to where it belongs.

14” rims are becoming rare, but they were once almost as common as 15” rims. With most new vehicles moving to 17-23” rims though, the tire supply for smaller rims is drying up unfortunately. I may get forced into switching things to 16” or larger rims.

Bigger rims were needed to clear bigger brakes, low optioned trucks, especially 4 cyl 2wds had the smallest brakes typically and the smaller rims.

 

[19Walt93]

Unless you have a set of 15" wheels already I'd find some 16's to make it easier and cheaper to buy tires. In the 60's and early 70's 14's were common and cheap, now they're getting harder to find and more expensive, 15's are following them. To keep the outside diameter close to what you have you'll need a lower profile tire- maybe 60 series instead of 70. I bought new Rangers in 2004 and 2011, both had 16" tires so used wheels shouldn't be hard to find.

 

[mikkelstuff]

The one issue is in the variety of tire sizes. A great deal are offered in 15" tires. Not so much in 16" tires. So trying to match the 14" tire diameter (keeps the speedometer working correctly) with 16" tires may not be possible.

I went through this with my 1975 Ford Ranchero which came with 14" tires. I could easily do 15" but not 16".

 

[moretsky99]

I had no idea the 14" rims were less available. Thanks to all...

By the way, I posed the same question to BFGoodrich. Their reply: .. my italics.
" Thanks for contacting the BFGoodrich Consumer Care Team.

You can use 15" rims and tires on your 1996 Ford Ranger if your truck is the 4x4 model. This is because the original equipment (OE) rim size for the 4x4 Ranger is 15 inches, whereas the 2WD models typically come with 14" rims. The 15" rims provide additional ground clearance and accommodate larger brakes often found on 4x4 trucks, which is why they are standard on those models.

If your truck is not a 4x4, I recommend checking with your dealer or a trusted tire professional before changing the rim size. Changing the rim size can affect the speedometer accuracy, suspension geometry, and braking performance. Additionally, using a rim size not approved for your vehicle may affect tire clearance, cause rubbing issues, or impact ride comfort and safety.

When switching to a different rim size, it’s also important to select tires with an overall diameter as close as possible to the original size. This helps maintain the correct speedometer reading and prevents mechanical issues.

If you’re considering upgrading to 15" rims for style or performance reasons and your truck is not a 4x4, professional advice is especially important to ensure proper fitment and safety.

Let me know if you’d like assistance with selecting the right tires or any further questions.


We hope this issue has been addressed to your satisfaction. If we can assist you further, please respond to this email, click here to chat, or call us at 866-866-6605 8am-7pm EST Mon-Fri, and 9am-1pm EST Sat.


We appreciate your business and thank you for choosing BFGoodrich.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I had no idea the 14" rims were less available. Thanks to all...

By the way, I posed the same question to BFGoodrich. Their reply: .. my italics.
" Thanks for contacting the BFGoodrich Consumer Care Team.

You can use 15" rims and tires on your 1996 Ford Ranger if your truck is the 4x4 model. This is because the original equipment (OE) rim size for the 4x4 Ranger is 15 inches, whereas the 2WD models typically come with 14" rims. The 15" rims provide additional ground clearance and accommodate larger brakes often found on 4x4 trucks, which is why they are standard on those models.

If your truck is not a 4x4, I recommend checking with your dealer or a trusted tire professional before changing the rim size. Changing the rim size can affect the speedometer accuracy, suspension geometry, and braking performance. Additionally, using a rim size not approved for your vehicle may affect tire clearance, cause rubbing issues, or impact ride comfort and safety.

When switching to a different rim size, it’s also important to select tires with an overall diameter as close as possible to the original size. This helps maintain the correct speedometer reading and prevents mechanical issues.

If you’re considering upgrading to 15" rims for style or performance reasons and your truck is not a 4x4, professional advice is especially important to ensure proper fitment and safety.

Let me know if you’d like assistance with selecting the right tires or any further questions.


We hope this issue has been addressed to your satisfaction. If we can assist you further, please respond to this email, click here to chat, or call us at 866-866-6605 8am-7pm EST Mon-Fri, and 9am-1pm EST Sat.


We appreciate your business and thank you for choosing BFGoodrich.

Blah blah blah… boilerplate nonsense.

There is 100% nothing wrong with going to 15” rims. My blue 00 3.0 2wd Ranger came from Ford with 15” rims. Speedometer is the only thing that “may” be affected, and that’s only if you don’t choose a tire that’s the same diameter as the tire on your 14” rims. Metric tire sizes complicate the calculation but yeah. Unless you’re mounting some 14.5” wide Super Swamper Boggers, you’re not going to have an issue with clearance. Pick a stock 15” rim you want at a junkyard and put a stock size or close to it tire and you’re good. The speedometer gear can be changed if your mileage gets thrown off.

 

[JoshT]

Blah blah blah… boilerplate nonsense.

Hop0efully I'll remember your little exchange if I ever think about calling BFG for advice. Those guys are almost useless.

IMO the only good advice they gave you in that whole response was to seek professional help, and I'm not talking about a therapist. Everything else was useless blabber.

 

[bigredrangero]

My 96 2 WD extended cab calls for 14" tires. I believe the original specs were for 195/70; 215/70; 225/70 R14's.


How would the truck ride on 15" tires? Why did some 96 Ranger come with 15" tires and others with 14" tires?

How to specify the bolt pattern to look for rims?

Yours would have had the 215s on a 14 x 5.5 inch rims most likely.

https://tiresize.com/comparison/

This should help you choose which wheel/tire size combo that works for you

I have 16 x 7.5 inch wheels from a 1995 rodeo 4WD with 225/60R16 mounted on my 96 2WD with adapters sourced from eBay. The wider rims really show off the tires. Sits just a touch higher than the 215/70R14 with much better road feel and handling. And the 6 lug wheels get a lot of second looks.
Added inexpensive fender flares and bam.