Tire Help, Please
Can someone please explain tire "codes" in plain
English? Specifically, what does "LT235/85R16E AT
BSW" mean? What's the difference between "BSW" and
"OWL"? How do I know what is best for me?
There's 6 different options on the Ford Super Duty
I'm configuring, and I don't know which one to
pick.
English? Specifically, what does "LT235/85R16E AT
BSW" mean? What's the difference between "BSW" and
"OWL"? How do I know what is best for me?
There's 6 different options on the Ford Super Duty
I'm configuring, and I don't know which one to
pick.
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
LT - Light Truck
235 - Tread is nominally 235 millimeters wide
85 - Tire height is 85% of width (200mm/side)
R - Radial (just about all tires are radial)
16 - Requires a wheel 16" in diameter
E - Load range E (usually indicates 10 plys)
BSW - Black side wall
OWL - Outline white letters
AS - All season
AT - All terrain
As for the truck, are you getting 6 wheels or 4? 2WD or 4WD? I'm ordering a 4x4 DRW and am getting the LT235/85R16 AT (all terrain) BSW tires myself.
I'd take the all terrains offered rather than the highway only tires if you ever expect to drive through even slightly muddy grass. The AT tires offered as factory equipment are generally very mild; they won't dramatically increase road noise and decrease comfort the way some models do.
Beyond that, wider tires will generally give better dry traction. Narrower tires will give slightly better mileage and may offer better traction on some forms of off-road tracks. Folk generally seem to think that wider tires also look 'cooler'. I will say that the SD has some mighty big wheelwells to fill.
on the accessories page has the 265s.. they're
a nice size. You probably won't see any large
difference between the two IRL.
The profile differences (85/75) mean that both
tires are almost the same height (actually a 2
millimeter difference) so gearing won't change
on them. Enjoy the truck!
All correct with one exception. The "235" figure is in millimeters, but it's the section width of the tire from sidewall to sidewall - this does include unloaded bulge width. Tread width is a bit narrower than section width, depending on the tire brand.
Also, the 265/75s on the Super Duty are E-range (10 ply) and have a higher load rating (3415 vs 3042) per tire than the 235/85E.
I have them in the OEM size, LT215/85R16E, only $110 a throw at my neighborhood Cooper dealer.
I've done similar things with Sears for tires. BTW, if you go get a legitimate bid from any tie store, Sears will match it. The big advantage is that Sears has service points all over the US.
I had the Michelin high pressure tires on my '86. Good mileage, harsh ride. I originally had Firestones on my '92, slippery in the wet. Changed to Goodyear Wranglers. Damn things, only got about 65,000 miles out of them. I've got the Firestones on the '99. They are so new that none of the local stores had the inflation chart for the tires. I had to call Akron to get the correct numbers. (LT 265x75 16R all season) These seem better than the previous 'stones in the wet. We'll see.....
Rich
As far as size goes, I noticed a definite difference in mpg and the extra power required to move the truck with the 285s. I liked sitting up higher and the tires filled out the wheel wells better, but I think the 265s were probably the size I liked best of the three. The 235s got the better mpg and were probably the best choice on paper, but they looked pretty skinny on the truck. I'll be getting the 235 A/T tires on my new Superduty, but I won't have the same problem filling out the wheel wells. The new truck will be a 4wd dually. The 235s are the biggest tire available. What brand are the dually tires on the new truck? I think I heard that they were not the Firestones like the SRW tires.
Couldn't tell by the entry. Did the mileage difference come from error in odometer reading from different size tires? The larger tire diameter would show up as less miles, giving you the impression of lower mileage.
I have to laugh at the guys who have these compact pickups with lift kits and huge tires, but they haven't done anything to the engine. Heck, they'd probably get stuck in a mud puddle. They create all this clearance and they put on tires with lots of traction, but the engine probably is working close to max just to push the truck on pavement. Put them in some mud, and they will be very lucky if they can get those tires moving.
Make sure that you have enough clearance when turning that the tire doesn't hit the sway bar and/or inner fender wells also. If you use an aftermarket tire with more backspacing than stock this will be less of an issue.
Another strange occurance is that I have just turned 8600 miles on the truck and the factory Goodyear Invicta 215R75/15 tires are worn out! I had them rotated at 3500 miles (fronts were wearing badly then) with oil change. The tires are wearing badly on both outer tread shoulders with a "cupping" effect! Is it out of alignment and/or camber problem? Warranty should hopefully fix this I think with only 8600 miles on this truck? Any thoughts on this? -PT Taylor
Use 235 tires (I prefer michelins). If both outside edges on your tire wears it means you had them under inflated. If it gets "cupped" it means that your alignment is off. When you get the new tires have the truck aligned as well and keep an eye on the tire preassure.
After a Horrible experience with a 1996 KIA (Kept In Arbitration) Sportage with front-end trouble, this was nice thing for that service manager too do for me!!! -PT Taylor
The first number is the nominal width in mm. I think this is taken where the tread meets the sidewall (anyone feel free to correct me here, this is from memory!) The second number is the "aspect ratio" which is the height (above the rim?) over the width, in percent. The letter R is for "radial", and the final number is rim diameter in inches(!). To find the height of the tire in your example,
((255 x 0.7 / 25.4) x 2) + 16 = 30"
and the width is just 255 / 25.4 = 10"
so the tire could be classified as 30x10R16
HP
The width is measured from sidewall to sidewall at its widest point in an unloaded state (loaded tires have some additional "bulge" width).
bdon,
The physical size equivalent for a 31x10.50R15 would be a 265/75R16, if Chevy still offers it.
HP
http://www.michelin.com/us/eng/tire/catalog/ltxms.htm
Michelin apparently makes them both? Does that make any sense?
Bridgestone M/Ts to Colorado from Texas in January.
Need some advice on the winter driving in the mountains. Will I need a different tire, or do i need to get chains, both? Common sense tells me the mudder tires will not be good in snow. I know nothing of driving in Colorado in the winter, so any info isappreciated.
There could be one of three things improving your ride:
1 - proper balancing - your tires may have become unbalanced on the old steel rims
2 - reduced weight - the aluminums generally weigh less than steel, and may change your ride and handling
3 - bad steel wheel - it could have been out-of-round or bent from a pothole
these? I've used Dunlops on my car (haven't bought a pickup yet . . . ;-) ), & they seem to be great tires . . .
Or try National Tire & Wheel at http://www.natltire.com/. If it’s there, I didn’t find technical explanations, but they had some serious off-road stuff.
Goodrich LT235/85R16's all Terraines on it?
rubbing on the fender wells? ...or what?
Thanks for your feedback.