What is the Biggest Tire You Can Put on a Stock Ford F150?
There are a lot of reasons why the Ford F150 is such a popular vehicle. The Ford F150 is so famous that it has become the best-selling vehicle in the United States. That is no small fit regarding how much more vehicle brands there are to pick from in the United States automotive market.
What is the Biggest Tire you Can Put on a Stock Ford F150?
The biggest tires you can put on a stock Ford F150 are the 33-34 inches. These tires can be fit on your Ford F150 without removing any crash bars or rubbing. Also, you can fit 32 inches tires effortlessly if your truck has 10-inch wide rims.
Here is a simplified depiction of the various tire sizes and the rims they will fit in when everything on your Ford F150 in stock. That also includes the rims and suspension:
- 32” by 10.”
- 33″ by 11.”
- 34″ by 12.”
The truck’s rim diameter doesn’t matter so much in fitting bigger tires, not unless you intend to drive off-road. On off-road, we always say a higher sidewall is better. Bigger rims will also come in handy when the traction of your tires seems deflated.
Wider rims like 20 inches and above will allow you only the privilege of elegant fitting rims but won’t be of much help during off-road driving. This is because low tires can’t be easily deflated while driving off-road.
While fitting big tires on your Ford F150, it’s also good to know about the offset paradigm. If there is much negative offset among the tires on your truck, they’ll stick out. Tires sticking out may seem stylish, but you run the risk of them rubbing against your wheel if there is a full articulation. A more positive offset among the tires will have them more inside.
So let’s find out the size of tires we can fit on different rim sizes:
Biggest Tires You can Put on a Ford F150 with 17-inch Rims
Before I tabulate the different tire sizes and rim sizes, I only explain which number stands for what. For example, one of the number lines you’ll see on the Ford F150 tires is LT245/70R17/E119S.
LT in this number line represents the tires’ use; LT stands for Light Trucks. Other letters you might encounter on such a number line include letters P, which represents passenger vehicles, and letter C, which stands for commercially used vehicles.
The second one is the number 245, which stands for the actual width of tires in millimeters. You can also convert this number into inches by dividing 245 by 25.4. The United States is still inching closer to using the metric system!
70 in this number line represents the aspect ratio in percentage. The aspect ratio is the percentage the sidewall takes of the tire.
The letter R stands for the building of the tire, in this case, Radial. Other letters you may encounter include B, which stands for Bias Belt and, the letter D representing Diagonal structure.
The number 17 represents the rim size that the tire can fit on.
The letter E is for the range of the load. The load ranger represented by E is 10. As you move up the alphabet from the letter E, it means the tire is accustomed to carrying heavier loads.
The number 119 tells you the weight the particular tire will be able to carry. 119 means the tire can handle about 2992 pounds. If the number is bigger than 119, then you know that the tire can carry an even heavier load.
The letter S is for the Speed rating. S precisely means the maximum speed the tire can run for the duration of up to 10mins is 110mph. If that speed is exceeded, the tire will no longer be safe.
Let’s go back to our table now.
Suspension Size Inch Wheel
Stock 265/70/17 32.10.43 Stock 17
Stock 285/70/17 33 by 11.22 Raptor 17
Stock 315/70/17 34 by 12.4 Raptor 17
Stock 318/72/17 35 by 12.52 Aftermarket
Biggest Tires You can Put on a Ford F150 with 18-inch Rims
Suspension Size Inch Wheel
Stock 275/70/18 32 by 10.83 Stock
Stock 265/65/18 33 by 10.43 Stock
Stock 285/65/18 33 by 11.22 Stock
3” lift 305/60/18 32 by 12.01 Aftermarket
Adjustable 318/68/18 35 by 12.52 Stock
6” lift 318/68/18 35 by 12.52 Aftermarket
With the aid of a leveling kit, you can fit a 35” by 12.5” tire on an 18.9” rim. It will, of course, require some leveling kits and plastic trimming, but it’s worth it. These tires will give your Ford F150 a very fierce and aggressive look on the road worth a second look.
Biggest Tires You can Put on a Ford F150 with 20-inch Rims
These rims and tire combos are very popular among the young owners of the Ford F150. They make the truck appear even higher.
Suspension Size Inch Wheel
Stock 305/50/20 32 by 12.01 Aftermarket
Stock 285/50/20 31 by 11.22 Aftermarket
Stock 275/60/20 33 by 10.83 Aftermarket
Stock 285/60/20 33 by 11.22 Stock
Stock 305/55/20 33 by 12.01 Stock
The above tabulation shows clearly that any tires above 34 inches will require leveling or lift kits.
What if You Want to Go Bigger?
If you want to go bigger with a 20-inch rim, be ready for some minor modifications on your wheel. Due to the offset that a bigger rim will cause, you’ll need to do some plastic readjustments.
Even though there won’t be a reason to trim your wheel area, you’ll need some height modifications struts above 3 inches.
Do Big Tires Change the General Look and Feel of the Ford F150?
The obvious change that comes with fitting bigger tires on your vehicle is that it sits higher while you’re driving. When you’re driving off-road, the truck will feel wider and lighter too. There is also one change that you didn’t anticipate that also comes with bigger tires.
Since the speedometer and odometer are meant for smaller tires, the readings will be incorrect after fitting bigger tires. You should consult a mechanic for a quick fix on these readings.
What if the bigger Tires don’t Fit?
A more pressing question about fitting bigger tires on a Ford F150 is what if you’ve identified, measured, and finally found your perfect tire and it doesn’t fit on your truck. This shouldn’t worry you so much because there is a way to make these tires fit perfectly on the F150.
The alternative ways you can use to make these bigger tires fit are:
1. Wheel spacers
Wheel spacers are metal bars that are usually fitted between the wheel and the hub. These metal spacers are made to push the tires more outward and increase ground clearance. The metal spacers will also eliminate any rubbing against the wheel.
2. Fender rolling
Fender rolling is a modification that is done to the fender to ensure there is no rubbing between the bigger tire and the hub. For this task, you should hire a professional to modify it since there the fender or your vehicle’s paint job could easily be compromised.
Fender rolling will bend the fender lip from an “L” shape to a “V” shape, which allows a bigger tire to be fitted on your F-150.
Conclusion
The Ford F150 is the ideal truck to do modifications. Even with huge tires that don’t seem to fit, there is always a way on your F150. When fitting your truck with bigger tires, note that the tools for reading speed and distance covered in your truck will change.
So it is important to adjust these tools whenever you install bigger tires for your Ford F150. I hope this article has helped you know how big you can go when it comes to your F150 tires.