My turn to ask about tires
 

So I've been reading about tire sizes ad what will fit on our trucks and what won't and I'm getting a little confused. I have a 2000 4x2 XLT super cab ranger with the 3.0L V-6 and 3.73 gears in the rear end and am wanting to up grade from 275/75/15 street tires to some BFG'S and I have seen a few Rangers with 31x10.5.15 tires and I would like to gt this size or maybe some 30x9.5x15 tires to but on my truck but my question is what size can I put on my truck with out them rubbing on the front or back and with out a lift? My other question is what is a t-bar crank and how do you do it what does it change?

Here are the rims that I have on my truck now
Attachment 133670

I have the chance to get some 2003 5 spoke 16" rims that I will be putting on my truck if it would make it look better or is cheaper to get tires for.
http://images.craigslist.org/3kc3oc3...5b9f3c1499.jpg

Any oppions?

31x10.5x15's is the biggest tire you can go without a lift on these trucks. i've had a set of 31's on my truck and i didnt have any rubbing at all. i will post a pic of it later. the T-bar crank just raises the front end of the truck up a little bit, usually you can only get like 1.5-2 inches of lift in the front.

EDIT: here's my truck, 4x4 though, NO lift, NO t-bar crank nothing.. just bolted them on, these are 31x10.5x15 BFG All Terrains on early 91'-92' explorer rims, dont mind the dent haha

Attachment 133641

sorry its the closest pic i got thats clear the other ones have a car or fence or something in the way. haha

Marc: you have coil springs correct?

^^^ he is 4wd he is torsion bar you can fit 33s with maxing your tbars but 31 will look great on there

31s will look awesome!

:headache: TL;DR? haha

Go 31's. SInce you are 2wd you do not have t-bars.

Torsion Bar cranking only applies to trucks with torsion bar front suspensions (4x4s, Edges, and Trailheads). You have coil springs up front if its an XLT 4x2, so you're out of luck trying to get a lift by turning a bolt.

I'd double check on putting 31"x10.5" on a non-torsion 4x2. The ride height is lower.

whoops i was wrong i read 4x4 not 4x2 so go with 31s

it will look retarded with 31s and no lift. theres a truck just like yours running around here and its dumb looking. buy a body lift, it easy to install. well worth it for the look in my opinion.

thanks for the input guys but at this time I can't afford a lift so I was wanting to get the tires now and a lift later on maybe next year but I'm planing a camping trip in a few months and don't want to go off roading with street tires and risk getting stuck so I wanted to get A/T tires for the trail. I'm debating on getting BFG'S or some Good Years that I saw at walmart I just need to now what size I can run with out any problems.

Unless you're really going to be in some loose/slick stuff, I think your street tire would be just fine for all of the places I've been camping. I ran tons of fire roads in stock tires at street pressure and they worked just fine.

If you really want to make the best of what you've got, air the tires down when you get off the pavement and disconnect the sway bar in the rear. Those two things will help out a ton. Just remember to reconnect the swaybar and air up the tires before you hit the road again.

I don't know what the terrain is like out at Big Bend National Park but I just want to be prepared for what ever it might be. Better to be safe and not get stuck then to get 10 hours away from home and get stuck and have to pay $1,000 for a tow truck to pull me out.

You might try giving the ranger station a call, tell them what you've got and ask them what they would recommend. You doing the backcountry roads?

Regardless, I'd recommend the following recovery equipment:

- Tire Patch Kit
- Small Tool Kit
- 2 2"x12"x4' Boards (to get you out and for a solid jack location)
- Air Pump
- Tow Strap
- 2 Strips of carpet to place under tires in mud/sand (~18" x ~15')
- Bucket
- Shovel
- Large Ratchet Strap (for reseating a tire bead, do a google search)
- Good low range air pressure gauge (0-40 psi)

This is what I take when I run my 2WD down Padre Island National Seashore. Much worse conditions than you should see, I expect, and I've never been hopelessly stuck. Stuck, yes, but with the above items and some ingenuity, you should be able to get out of just about anything you will see out there.

If you want a stronger tire for cheap, the BFG Long-Trails I put on mine are the cheapest 3-ply sidewall tires you can buy (3-ply better for running aired down). Saved me about $100 over the All-Terrains. You might have someone at discount tire take a look at what you have on your truck already. I know when I got mine, I had Goodyears on the truck that were showing dry rot, and they gave me a credit for them not holding up to goodyear's standards. At discount tire, they will usually do whatever they need to to make the sale, just make sure you know your tuff before you go in there. Sometimes they take advantage of people ignorant about tires.

If you're really nervous, a lunchbox locker would be of great aid to you and they are really easy to install.

BTW, my truck is running 31" tires with no lift, but it has torsion bars so I think it's 2" higher than yours. How much clearance do you have between the front crossmember and the ground? You might be able to do a cheap suspension lift using some spring spacers and shackles, but a body lift would probably be cheaper. I've got an idea about figuring out ABSOLUTELY the biggest tire you can run. PM me if you're interested. It will take some fabrication.

Now I'm going to have to get out to the Big Bend Backcountry.

I'll keep that stuff in mind and will work on getting it before I go out there. Thanks for all the information guys it really helps seeing as I have never done any off roading and have been reading up on it and want to start getting in to it. I just want to be safe out there on the trails.

like Daniel said, you could probably get some spring spacers for the front to level you out. They are relatively cheap, and as long as you stay on the roads for the most part and don't max out your suspension, they should do fine.

Your 225/75s are 27.4" in diameter. I'd venture to say if you get some spring spacers, you could probably fit 29" or 30" tires and not have too much trouble with rubbing. Just don't get tires that are much wider than the ones you have now.

Your 225/75r15s have these measurements:
Diameter: 27.4"
Section width: 8.9"
Section height: 6.2"

The 235/75r15s I have measure:
Diameter: 28.9"
Section width: 9.3"
Section height: 7"

If you're dead set on big tires, here's a 3" BL for $160

98-00 Ford Ranger Splash Mazda 3 in. Body lift kit #883:eBay Motors (item 370274627295 end time Oct-20-09 20:00:00 PDT)

OK so I just got back from discount tire and I can get 31" BFG A/T's for $700 out the door or I can get the Good Year Wrangler Authority tires from Walmart for $536 out the door. I will do more research on the Good Year Wrangler Authority tires and my go with them.

Thanks for helping me to understand what tires I can put on my truck and if any one has any suggestions on tires that they would recommend to a friend who is on a budget in put is welcome.

The only reason I'd go with Discount is the Road Hazard they offer. For like 35/tire, you can get a whole new one if something should happen to it. Well worth it.

I can't tell you how many new tires I've gotten because of their Road Hazard warranty!

x100

I've gotten 4 new tires for $100 over 5 years that way (you have to pay to warranty new tires).

One of the benefits of a rough ride is that when you finally feel a flat on a straight road, the sidewall id toast and they'll have to replace it :-)

I was wondering if I got the stock 225/70/15 BFG AT's would i get the same performance out of them on and off road as the 31x10.5.x15's? If so then I'll just get some AT's that are the stock size and be done with it till I can afford a lift.