Contemplating new wheels and increasing tire size to 31"

[Jon M]

Hi folks,

This gold mine of a website never ceases to amaze me. I'm having a little trouble and I think you can help. My truck came with a three inch lift. I've debated between going back to stock height or increasing tire size to compensate for the appearance of small wheels and currently I've settled on increased tire size to 31".

but if I do that I'll also need new rims because I'm just not a fan of black rims that came with the truck. So I'm looking at finding some steelies (too keep the price down) with the factory spoked look and then increasing the tire size to 31 inches. However, since I'm looking at new wheels AND tires, I have no idea what sizes I should be considering for either.

This isn't something I'll be doing immediately but I want to start wrapping my brain around sizes for both the tires and the wheels and I have no idea where to start.

[BigBrother-84]

Hi Jon,

I'm not a pro, but changing your tires height (and so their diameter) might have an impact on your speedometer accuracy.  Just keep it in mind, you could have to replace the cable driven gear.
Maybe others could comment about this.

Big Brother has 31" tires (31.5" when I mesure them), with stock steel wheels.
Is this what you are talking about?

[ArdWrknTrk]

Hi Jon,
Your truck has 5 on 5.5" lug pattern and 15" rims
When I was looking for replacement steelies for my truck I settled on Wheel Vintiques 62 series.
They look really close and fit my dog dish hubcaps.

A 31x10.5R 15 tire seems to fit 7=9" wide rim and still be available (unfortunately selections are getting small for these older rim diameters)
I can't say about backspace, as my 250 came with 16" rims, but Gary should have data for stock 150 rims somewhere here on the site.

Edit: just checked. They offer an 8" wide rim with 4" backspace.   https://www.summitracing.com/parts/wvi-62-585504

[Gsmblue]

My F150 as in in profile pic is stock height and on 31’s on 15”
Rims

My Bronco “Espy” has a 3” body lift and is on 33’s with 17” rims.

It all comes down to the “look” you are after.

31’s on the Bronco with the lift didn’t work for me.

I will note, the 33’s are 12.5 wide and rub at full lock.

Hope this helps.

[Jon M]

Gsmblue and Jim,

So the look I'm going for is basically the picture below which I pulled from another member's post. I've always loved the look of these wheels and I know they were stock upgrades from the base level.

my biggest confusion comes from modern tire sizes and how to understand them in the context of the wheel sizes I see posted. the wheels are stock 15" x 7", 5 Lug, 5.5" Bolt Pattern can you help me understand what modern tire sizes would fit this? Jim, you mentioned that those sizes are harder and harder to find, are there after market wheels that have the same look but in a more common size that is easier to buy for?




Jeff, thanks for weighing in on the speedometer considerations. I have been thinking about it and I'm going to have to address it once I get the wheels decided on and installed. if I'm not mistaken Gary has a page on this site with an Excel sheet calculator for figuring out what gear to go with on your sensor. since this is (going to be) a 4X4 once I install the transfer case, I'll address the gear situation. I know there's a lot involved so I think I'll be back here asking about that when the time is right. regardless, this isn't a daily driver and I don't have reason to drive on the freeway much anyway so it's not the crocodile closest to the boast, if you follow me.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Ah! Sorry about that..
Those are commonly known as Wagon Wheels.  They used to be the cheapest thing in the aftermarket (40 years ago)
American Racing and Western Wheels made them in white for $120 a set of four!

.... I meant to say that 15 and 16" tires are getting thin on the ground.
Regular pickup sizes like my 235/85 R-16 are still easy to find, and those 10.5x31 R-15 are still available.
I think Deren said he is running 17" wheels.
17, 19, 20" rims are popular now. You may be able to find a rim that size with your 5 on 5.5 pattern.... IDK.
The tires will certainly be more expensive.

Edit: addressing metric tire sizes.
You have tread width and aspect ratio (as a percentage of tread width)
So, I have 235/85 R16. The tread is 235mm (about 9 /2" wide) and 85% of 235 is 200mm, or 8" tall from rim to tread surface.

But like I said old style mud/floatation tires are still available in a 15" rim by 31" diameter.
The 10.5" tire I mentioned fits a 7-9" wide rim, so might look best on 8"

[ArdWrknTrk]

You can search for chrome wagon wheels.
I see that US Wheel has their 75 series in chrome, both 7 & 8" wide 15" 5 on 5.5 pattern.

https://www.uswheel.com/wheel/7643/us-wheel-8-spoke-series-75/?finishID=1

[85pig]

I'm running stock steel wheels and 31x10.50x15s, with no lift.  They rub just a tad on the radius arms on tight turns, but have plenty of room otherwise.  I'd like to eventually end up with 33s.  My profile pic also shows the truck with the 31s.  

[Pete Whitstone]

When I am going to be offroad I run a 265/70/17 tire, which works out to 31.6 inches. For normal use I run 235/70/15's, which is stock-ish. I far prefer the 15's for normal daily use. The 17's are much heavier and so affect the trucks handling. For example, on a rough road, the tendency of the truck to jump sideways on a bump is magnified. You can really feel the extra weight of the wheels moving around. Going down the highway they feel about the same, but that's not really how my truck gets used a lot. The 17's also rub against the radius arm, and so increase the turning circle size.

I guess the bottom line I am trying to get across is, you might prefer the way the larger wheels look, but you might not prefer how they handle.

For rims, I found some FB marketplace 17" Dodge rims that look period correct.



I do like their look and the extra ground clearance/height they provide over the stockers.



If you are not set on chrome and would consider 16" rims, you can find these on Amazon for cheap.

https://www.amazon.com/Rough-Country-Daytona-Steel-5x139-7/dp/B08JHCMS7R/ref=sr_1_2?crid=ROUL0FHY1GWU&keywords=rough+country+wheels+5x5.5&qid=1691414217&sprefix=rough+country+wheels%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc

16 inch rubber is not as plentiful in choice as 17" though.

[LARIAT 85]

Jon M wrote

Gsmblue and Jim,

So the look I'm going for is basically the picture below which I pulled from another member's post. I've always loved the look of these wheels and I know they were stock upgrades from the base level.

Those particular wheels actually came in a 15x8 version as well.  They are exactly like the more common 15x7 version that came on the higher-level Bullnose trucks, but an inch wider.

They were introduced in 1987, and were available if you ordered a Bronco or 4x4 truck with the optional 31" tires.  So those would be perfect for you.  

I have the 15x8 version on my own [2wd] truck, with 255 705R 16 tires:

[Gsmblue]

Those tires are the Bridgestone KO2's, they are available in 31 and 33 on 15inch, so no problem there. You just need to decide how big you want to go.

if you want the metric size instead of the standard, I am not sure what the equivalent would be.

I don't think 31's with a lift will be enough for you and I am not sure if the pic you shared is of a truck with a lift so a little confused.

So this is the Bronco with a 3" body lift on 33x17x12.5 KO2's


And the F150 on 31x15x8 Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs


Hope this helps.

[Rembrant]

If it's any help, here is what 31x10.50-15 AT's looked like on 15x10 Pro-Comp aluminum wheels on my 1980.




The 15x10's make the tires "poke" out a bit, which I like on a 4x4 but not so much on a 2wd.




This truck wasn't lifted, but it sat pretty high for a stock truck. It had the quad front shocks and heavy suspension.

[81-F150-Explorer]

I love that blue 1980 truck with the Freewheeling package.  My favorite tire for a 4x4 too.  Where I live we get a lot of changing terrain, sometimes on the same trail on the same day.  Those BFG All Terrain TAs are an excellent all terrain tire in my opinion. But like all "all-terrain" tires, a jack of "all-terrains" but a master to none.  


Is it wrong that I like my stock (for my '81 Explorer) steel wheels with sport wheel covers?

[LARIAT 85]

81-F150-Explorer wrote

I love that blue 1980 truck with the Freewheeling package.  My favorite tire for a 4x4 too.  Where I live we get a lot of changing terrain, sometimes on the same trail on the same day.  Those BFG All Terrain TAs are an excellent all terrain tire in my opinion. But like all "all-terrain" tires, a jack of "all-terrains" but a master to none.  

For some reason, I feel like the older 1980/1981 grille ALWAYS looks better on a Flareside truck.

81-F150-Explorer wrote

Is it wrong that I like my stock (for my '81 Explorer) steel wheels with sport wheel covers?

I think your wheels look great on a truck like yours.  But not so much if they were on a 4x4 Flareside.  And vice-versa:  I don't think the wheels on that Freewheeling truck would look as good on *your* truck.  

It all depends on the truck.

[81-F150-Explorer]

I agree with that.