I'm already thinking about replacing the highway tires on my 2013 F150 with ATs. These HTs are useless in even the smallets mud patch. Not going to lift it, but I might eventually level the front up a little and that probably won't even happen until I need to replace the shocks somewhere down the road.
I've been looking at tire sizes to gain any advantage I can for running around on dirt roads and mild forest trails.
Stock tire size is 265/70-18.
Biggest I can fit WITHOUT the level is 275/70-18
In the tire model I'm looking, the stock tire is 32.6" diameter and the 275 is 33.2" , so it gains 0.60" total height and about the same in width. So I would gain apprx 1/4" under the axles. They cost about $20 more per tire depending on the vendor, plus I would also have to buy a $230 Hypertech programmer just to correct the tire size in the computer. Not because the speedo is off (who cares) but because the NAV builds a cumulative error over time if the tire size is off. And the 275/70 was never a stock size on any model so the dealership can't reset it (which would only cost $100.)
So it would cost me over $300 to gain 1/4".
Pretty sure I'm going to going back with the stock size, lol. Once I level it I can go up to 34" tires...so I can at least get 3/4" for my $300....
No real point to this post, just grousing.
You're probably better off spending that extra money on a good set of skid plates. A 1/4" won't do a lot to keep you from banging parts on the ground, but skid plates will do a lot to prevent damage when you do smack something.
rslifkin said:
You're probably better off spending that extra money on a good set of skid plates. A 1/4" won't do a lot to keep you from banging parts on the ground, but skid plates will do a lot to prevent damage when you do smack something.
That's what I figured. It's an FX4 package, so it has some skids already. The funny thing is one main skid under the trans is heavy plastic, not steel. But I can make it steel for about the same cost as the tire upsize. I don't plan on rock crawling the thing, but there is always the chance for things to get out of hand!
ultraclyde said:
the NAV builds a cumulative error over time if the tire size is off.
Surely it would self correct using the GPS from time to time?!
In reply to dculberson :
From what I can read, yes....but apparently the time span makes it highly annoying / approaching unusable (if the peeps on the F150 forums are to be believed.)
I mean...GPS..shouldn't that use...youknow...SATELLITES??!!
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Reader
1/8/19 1:43 p.m.
I know of men that would pay triple that to gain a 1/4”... of course, these men aren’t buying tires.
After continued digging I found a thread with an answer...yes, tire size was throwing off the NAV on the first '13 F150s but some guys found a fix....unhook the battery (neg cable, specifically) for 2 hours. It worked for everyone that tried it regardless of tire size changes or wether or not they reprogrammed the size in the computer. Maybe I'll go bigger and take a chance...