Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Ford Ranger Tires and Wheels

bri66bri66 Member Posts: 220
edited August 2014 in Ford
Tonight coming in to work I noticed each time I applied my brakes my truck would go into a skid during the last final several feet. Also when taking off from a stopped position the rear tires were slipping. The roads were wet from light rain, but never quite seen it this bad unless on snow or ice. I purchased my Ranger new back in April and just turned 10,000 miles on the odometer. Tires are the original M\S Goodyear Wranglers that are just barely broken in. I'm running the tire pressure at the recommended psi the truck calls for. I was thinking of dropping it a few pounds. Anyone else have this problem with theirs?

One other issue I have considered bringing it back to my dealer. If you look at the front of my Ranger it appears to be leaning slightly lower on the passenger front side. A co-worker noticed it a few months ago one night at work. It almost looks like the tire could be low of air, but it's fine. I measured it on a flat surface from the ground to the center of the wheel wells and found the rear drivers side a good two inches higher than the other three wheel wells. I believe this might be causing it to lean on the passenger front side. Any thoughts from other Ranger owners what either of my issues may be?

Comments

  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    Another new thread... Why are Ranger posters so bad about adding a new thread for their problem?

    Anyway.

    Rangers are very well known for having a problem with the rear drum brakes rusting up under high humidity. They will rust up in only a few hours. This will cause the rear brakes to 'grab' for the first stop or two, until the rust wears off.

    So, parking your truck on a rainy day at work for 8/9 hours is plenty of time for this to happen. I think this is what was happening when you were first braking.

    On rainy mornings, I just 'rode the brakes' for about 100 feet when first driving my Ranger. This means gently applying the brakes, just enough for the rear brakes to drag across the drum and wear the rust off. This will stop the 'grab' on the first real stop.

    No idea about the lack of traction on starting. Unless it had been a long time between rains, and the oil buildup on pavement hadn't washed off. Early in a rain the pavement is slicker than after enough rain has fallen to clean the pavement.

    If the suspension is drooping, I would take it in. I'm not sure, but I think you have torsion bar suspension in the front, and a minor adjustment can level this thing up.

    You are not parking in a ditch are you? I didn't think this could cause a problem, but after about 6 months of this, for 9 hours a day at work, my car sat very unlevel.
  • bri66bri66 Member Posts: 220
    The front end was corrected yesterday by a quick adjustment by Ford. Something underneath on the front end was not set properly at the assembly plant. No harm, tires wore evenly. My traction loss was due to too much air psi in my tires. Tires were brought up to 35-36 lbs after last oil change. I brought them back down to 30 lbs where they should have been and seems to have taken care of it. All is well, thank you for your reply. Brian
  • markjironmarkjiron Member Posts: 1
    HI, I just bought a 2008 extra cab Ranger XLT 2wd. I wanted some advice on custom wheels and sizes. Does any one know of a website that would tell me what sizes work?
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    www.tirerack.com
  • stormy12stormy12 Member Posts: 1
    Reg Cab 2WD

    Currently have 55k miles and will be keeping the truck till at least 100k when warranty runs out... so I'd like a 50k-60k tire. Most of my driving is on road, but I take this truck camping a lot and find myself on gravel and dirt roads. I want a road tire, with a little toughness to it, but I dont want to hate driving it to work everyday (cant really justify a light truck/suv tire). There are so many brands: Mastercraft, Michelin, Firestone, Bridgestone, Primewell, Futura, Good Year... which do I choose. I would like to spend in the medium range... not cheap, but not the expensive ones.
  • obyoneobyone Member Posts: 7,841
    I just replaced the stock BF Goodrich tires on my truck with Kumhos. I was a bit hesitant to purchase Korean tires as visions of Hyundais crossed my mind. However after reading the ratings and reviews of these tires on tirerack I went ahead and ordered a set. Have 4k miles on them with reduced road noise, better ride and handling. Course the BF Goodrich weren't worn just old and hard. For less than a $80 a piece they were a very good choice considering also that they are truck/SUV rated tires.

    Kumho

    You will find a variety of this brand of tires for your tire size. Choose the ones that fits your bill as probably all will fit your budget.

    Oh yeah I have a 2003 Ranger 2 Dr Tremor Ext Cab SB
  • cfowleroncfowleron Member Posts: 14
    Hey all;

    I've got a 1999 Ford Ranger XLT, 2wd, 5spd that I purchased a while back used. Surprisingly good condition considering the age. The front tires are 225/75R15 on what appear to be stock rims (silver V design). The back tires are 225/70R15 on what appear to be cheap black snow wheels. I'm looking at grabbing a set of rims that come with tires on them. The tires are 235/75R15 and I'm wondering if this will be appropriate. The sites reccomend 215/70R15 or 225/70R15 sizes and I'm guessing this is due to the ABS on the front brakes, taking into consideration that the Ranger is calibrated for those sizes (the 3% rule right).

    Just wondering if anyone can help me out with proper sizes or what I should expect if I use improperly sized tires (outside the 3% rule). How much damage could this cause? I'm told by some people that there's nothing to worry about. If the tire size fits within the wheel well the only thing I have to keep in mind is that my speedometer will be inaccurate by up to as many at 10km's/hr.

    Thoughts? Suggestions?

    Thanks, :confuse:
  • krazykenkrazyken Member Posts: 2
    I have a 1990 2x4 ranger I put 255/45r17 on back with no trouble on the front I
    put 245/45zr17 no trouble just might have to put longer brake lines on front just in case of rubing hope to have finnish in a week or 2.
  • cfowleroncfowleron Member Posts: 14
    Thanks, appreciate it.
  • ctsawnctsawn Member Posts: 1
    ive purchased a 1990 ford ranger it has 16 inch rims on it now i want to take it back to origanal does anyone know what size they take
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    Look on the driver's door frame, there is a sticker on all cars showing tire size and air pressure.
  • viernes1viernes1 Member Posts: 1
    i need to get used tires for my truck and the demenshions for them are 225-75-14 so if you know any one that is selling four tires with those dementions tell me about them
This discussion has been closed.