[3gees]

I am due for some new rubber in the spring so I was considering going with a larger tire and a leveling kit. I have 16" stock wheels. Can I put 33" tires on these wheels? What size tire is equal to 33" diameter tire?

Thanks
3gees

 

[SIC-E]

on-line tire stores and manuf'r'rs will have detailed tire specs with diameters. there are many tire sizes with approx. 33" diam. i didnt go to 33"'s on stock rims because i tow and i see you do as well. have seen 33's on stock rims but wouldnt tow or haul heavy. good luck. richard

 

[dirtracer27x]

just had my tires put on today,305 70 16 mud terrains on stock lariat rims with no leveling kit.fit just fine,no rubbing anywhere,plenty off room.still want the leveling kit but not for a few weeks.ill post some pics soon.also had 2200 pounds of hardwood flooring in the back and road great no probs.

 

[Going_Going_Gone]

Every piece of literature I ever read on tire/rim compatability said that for 'best' performance the difference between the bead width and the tread width should be no greater than 1/2". Wide tires on narrow rims generally ride more in the middle of the tread--narrow tires on wide rims ride on the tread edges with the center cupped. Equally matched tires and rims carry the weight evenly across the entire tread width. So, in answer to your question, yes they will fit. Is it the optimal setup, probably not.

 

[jfdfire2]

I have 285/75 r16 on my truck I was looking at the 305/70 r16's but decided against them. The tire shop I bought from got the 285, 305 and some 33's and set them next to each other. The 285 and 305's were the same height just the 285 were about 2" narrower than the 305. The 33's were about a 1/4" taller and about a 1" wide than the 285's. So I guess it depends what you are after with the bigger tire. My truck tows alot so I went with the 285's, They look great on the truck and never had any fit problems and are very close in size to the 33's

 

[dirtracer27x]

i was concern about the wear as well so i busted out my tire temp gauge from the race trailer.i adjust psi to even out the temps,only about 10 psi is what it took.ill recheck when it warms up this spring to get a better reading.all seems good so far but i only have about 1000 miles on them,luckily i got a screamin deal on these mud terrains.

 

[SmokeyWren]

What size tire is equal to 33" diameter tire?

LT285/75R16 has a smidgen more diameter, and requires a minimum of 7.5" wide rims but with a decent fit on the 7" wide stock rims. But the 285 is about an inch narrower than the "real" 33.

LT305/70R16D is close to the same width and about a half-inch taller than the "real" 33, but it requires a minimum of 8" wide rims, so it's too wide to fit on stock 7" wide rims.

Specs for BFGoodrich AllTerrain used in the examples below:

A "real" 33" is the obsolete 33x12.50R16.5, which are 32.6" diameter and 12.4" wide. Those tires require a rim at least 8.25" wide.

For modern tires, the LT285/75R16D is 32.8" diameter, or just a smidgen taller than the "real" 33, and the LT285/75R16E is a full 33", or almost a half-inch taller than the real 33. I haven't found a 305/75, but the AllTerrain 305/70R16D is exactly 33", or the same diameter as the LT285/75R16E. The LT295/75R16 D is 33.2" diameter, or more than a half-inch taller than the real 33.

The only LT275 I can find is the LT275/70R16, but it is only 31.2" diameter, or not quite a 32. The stock size of LT265/75R16E is 31.8" or equivalent to a "real" 32.

So the practical answer is that if you want the equivalent of the old 33s, but have to use your stock rims, then LT285/75R16 should be your tire of choice. But if you spring for new rims, then you can go for the LT305/70R16. However, the wider 305s may require some modification to your front end to prevent tire rubbing.

 

[dirtracer27x]

no mod needed for the 305z on my stock f350 04.

 

[ragenford1]

I manage a Discount Tire store out here in Ca and the rule of thumb I always follow is to inform poeple about the tire to rim width recomendations from the tire manufacturers. You can always go bigger but as said above it will tend to crown the tire wearing the center more. I have rarely even seen some trucks come in with the 285/75-16's that heve been in use for a couple of years that have minor tread cracks right at the belt edge only that look like they developed because they were on to narrow of a wheel if I had to make an educated guess. Most of the time it is not a problem, and I wouldnt be afraid to run them, in fact Im going back to the stock wheels with 285 BFG A/T's sometime this month.