What Are The Biggest Tires You Can Put On A Ford Ranger?

We all know that a beefy tire in a four-wheel-drive machine is a pure butch. It’s needed to add immense support and an aggressive stance. Additionally, it improves the aesthetic cred of the vehicle. The biggest tire size is the simplest milestone that you can apply to your off-road vehicle.

Therefore, the 4WD tire upgrade importance is typically straightforward. But if you’re looking for a Ford Ranger tire size upgrade, before you go out and install the biggest tires on a Ford Ranger, it’s important to know Larger tires are always a welcome extra with a truck.

Be it for looks or for actually improving your truck’s traction and ground clearance, bigger tires are the most common modification you can do to any vehicle, and the Ford Ranger is no exception. 

Fitting the biggest tires on a Ford Ranger should be straightforward. However, there are always some details to consider. After all, that’s why “how big a tire can I fit on my Ranger?” is actually a common question online. 

This article covers the biggest tires on a Ford Ranger, when it is stock and when you install a leveling kit and lift kit. 

What are the biggest tires you can put on a stock Ford Ranger?

The biggest tires you can put on a stock Ford Ranger depend on the generation and trim. So, if I had a Ford Ranger and I’d be wondering how big a tire can I fit on my Ranger, I’d look at the most reliable information out there. 

Here’s what Ford says are the biggest tires on a Ford Ranger per generation, according to experts. 

Fifth Generation Ford Ranger

Trim	Standard Tire Size	Optional
XL	P255/65R17	LT255/70R17 (FX4 Off-Road Package)
XLT	P255/65R17	P265/60R18 (Sport Package) / LT255/70R17 (FX4 Off-Road Package)
Lariat	P265/60R18	P275/55R20 (Optional) / LT265/65R18 (FX4 Off-Road Package)
Sport	P265/60R18	LT265/65R18 (FX4 Off-Road Package)
Tremor	LT265/75R17	N/A
Raptor	LT285/70R17	N/A
Wildtrak	LT265/65R18	N/A

These are the biggest tires you can fit in a fifth-generation Ford Ranger, specific to each trim, without any rubbing or component issues. It’s important to note that you can fit 33-inch tires only the Raptor trim, if you don’t want to make any modifications. 

At the same time, the Tremor trim option allows for 32-inch tires, which are the second biggest tires on a Ford Ranger.  

Fourth Generation Ford Ranger

Trim	Standard Size
XL	255/70R16
XLT	255/65R17
Lariat	265/60R18
FX4/Tremor	265/70R17

The biggest tires on a Ford Ranger from the fourth generation are 265/60R18, which are 31.6” in size. There’s also the bneefit that the fourth and fifth-generation share lug nut placement and dimensions. This means that you can swap some of the rims. However, it’s always healthy to check on clearance. 

Third Generation Ford Ranger

	Trim	2WD	4WD
1998	Regular	225/70R15	235/75R15
	Splash	235/60R15	235/75R15
	Super Cab	225/70R15	235/75R15
1999-2001	XL	205/75R14
	XLT	225/70R15	265/75R15 or 245/75R16
	Super Cab	225/70R15	265/75R15 or 245/75R16
2002-2005	Edge	235/75R15	245/75R16
	XL	225/70R15
	XLT	225/70R15	245/75R16
	FX4	245/75R16	31X10.50R15
2006-2007	XL	225/70R15	235/75R15
	XLT	225/70R15	255/70R16
	Sport	235/75R15	255/70R16
	STX	225/70R15
	FX4		255/70R16
2008-2011	XL	225/70R15	235/75R15
	XLT	225/70R15	235/75R15
	Sport	235/75R15	255/70R16
	FX4		255/70R16

The third-generation Ford Ranger went through several changes regarding the trims available, and the specs for each. In the latter years, fitting a 31-inch tire is as big as you can fit without rubbing. 

Therefore, as we’ll see in another section further below, the way to fit larger tires in the third-generation Ford Ranger is by including a lift kit or similar. 

Second Generation Ford Ranger

	Trim	2WD	4WD
1993-1996	Regular	225/70R14	265/70R15
	Splash	225/70R14	265/70R15
	Super Cab	225/70R14	235/75R15
1997	Regular	215/70R14	235/75R15
	Splash	235/60R15	265/70R15
	Super Cab	225/70R14	235/75R15

The second generation of the Ford Ranger saw an interesting change in the last model year, as it included smaller tires for the most basic trim level. This generation of Ford Ranger is also one that doesn’t allow for a lot of size without having to include modifications. 

First Generation Ford Ranger

	Trim	2WD	4WD
1983-1987		215/70R14	235/75R15
1988-1993	Regular	215/70R14	235/75R15
	Super Cab	215/70R14	235/75R15

The first-generation Ford Ranger has limited options whyen it comes to size. It shared most of the mechanical traits with the second-generation, so wheels and tires are shareable. 

What Are The Largest Tires You Can Fit On A Ford Ranger With A Lift Kit?

While the newer generations of Ford Rangers allow for larger tires when stock, it’s not the case with older models. That’s why people want to know what they need to install for larger tires. In most cases, it’s a lift kit. 

The lift kit you use is crucial in determining what’s the biggest tires you can fit on a Ford Ranger. The most common lift kit is around 2”, with anything higher than that being more expensive and changing the dynamics of the truck. 

Additionally, older generations don’t have as many options available as the newer fourth and fifth generations. However, we’ve compiled the list of biggest tires on a Ford Ranger from every generation. 

Fifth Generation and Fourth Generation Ford Ranger

Whenever you’re discussing the biggest tires on a Ford Ranger from the fifth generation, you have to separate the regular trim levels from the Raptor. That’s because the Ford Ranger Raptor, from stock, has 32” tires (approximately), which are pretty large. So, fitting larger tires on it is more challenging. 

With that said, another factor at play is the lift you’re installing. With a bigger lift comes the ability to fit bigger tires. Therefore, if you’re using a 2” lift, you can only go so big. 

The following table summarizes the biggest tires you can fit with a lift kit on the fifth-generation Ford Ranger. The same table can be used for the fourth-generation, as the spacing is similar. However, the components within the suspension are different, therefore the kits might not be the same. 

Tire Size	Fitting	Lift Kit Needed
32” tires (265/75R17)	Should fit	No lift kit needed
32” tires (275/70R17)	Needs kit	2” lift kit
33” tires	Needs kit	2” lift kit
34” tires	Needs kit	3” lift kit
35” tires	Needs kit	3” lift kit minimum, ideally a 4” lift kit

It’s important to note that any lift kit, especially those higher than 2”, require modifications. So, it’s not a simple bolt-on proceduires. Sometimes, you will have to trim the fenders, or even remove crash bars. 

Whenever you’re fitting a lift kit on a Ford Ranger, you will have to take offset into consideration. Offset is the distance between the wheel hub and the true centerline of the wheel. If you don’t consider offset, the tire might seem to fit, but once you put it, you can get contact. Every suspension kit varies in offset requirements. 

Third Generation Ford Ranger

The third-generation Ford Ranger (and older models) have a different suspension configuration than any Ford Ranger produced from 2019 onward. The older Ford Ranger comes with a torsion bar in the suspension, and it also needs modification. 

The stock torsion bar on a third-generation Ford Ranger can safely tolerate about 1.5” or 2” of extended travel. Even with this, you’d still be pushing the components a lot, so you will need to consider additional modifications. 

Given that the third-generation Ford Ranger is older, most of the modifications are actually empiric. This means there’s a lot that you will see includes different steps. It’s not just one kit. Instead, you can get a combination of a lift kit and torsion bar adjustment. 

Tire Size	Fitting	Lift Kit Needed
32” tires (265/75R16)	Should fit	No lift kit needed
33” tires	Needs kit	3” lift kit plus torsion bar adjustment. Rubbing could happen
34” tires	Needs kit	4” lift kit, plus change in torsion bar
35” tires	Needs kit	4” lift kit minimum, plus change in torsion bar

It’s also important to note that the third-generation Ford Ranger isn’t the most powerful, especially the smaller engine. So, fitting bigger tires on a Ford Ranger could require changing the differential ratios, or other modifications. 

Do Biggers Tires on a Ford Ranger Affect Performance?

Whether you own a fifth-gen Ford Ranger, or an older, “legacy” model, there’s an undeniable truth. Fitting bigger tires on a Ford Ranger affects many aspects of performance. 

The first effect is an altered speedometer. The larger tire diameter means that it travels more to cover the same distance. The speedometer, however, doesn’t change because it’s calibrated to a determined tire size. 

The second is one we’ve mentioned before. The larger tires could also add more strain on the gearbox components. Since bigger tires have a larger diameter, therefore they need more torque to move. If you fit tires that are too big, your components could suffer. In fact, modified Ford Rangers usually tow less.

Finally, there’s the suspension itself. When you fit larger tires, the angles change. Therefore, the suspension components could operate at an angle that’s not ideal. Down the line, this means damaged parts that you would have to replace at a faster pace. 

Another side effect is that most larger tires have an off-road design. These tires are noisy, and the noise can be such that it makes driving any vehicle uncomfortable.