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Alternate (larger) tires for 2015+ Transit

806K views 1K replies 331 participants last post by  styler 
#1 ·
Stock tire size for the full size Ford Transit is listed as
235/65/R16 tires with a ~28" OD x 9.25W

I realize this posting may be premature as there are few of the rigs on the roads at this time...

But i'm wondering if anyone has done the math and figured out what _should_ work in the stock wheel wells?
Taller tires IMO would really aid in
1) a wee bit more ground clearance
2) a bit less anemic looking rig

Doing some playing at the Tire Size Comparison site gives some ideas:

245/75/16 is 30.5" OD x 9.65W
265/75/16 is 31.6" OD x 10.43W

Now what i can say from experience with a former rig (2007 Tacoma 4x4) we went from stock tire size to the similar 245 above (yet on the stock 17" rims). Since we kept the tread width basically the same (+1/2"w) there was no issue with tire rub in this rig/situation. Time will tell what tire size will fit in those wells. I look forward to the findings of early adopters.

----and on more ground clearance ideas...??
I also wonder what type of easy mods will be possible for small ~2 to 3" lift? Will something as easy/simple as torson key swap (etc...?) from a Ford F150 be possible?

It will be fun to see what some shops come up with. I can imagine ppl doing these simple (?) mods quite early in the game. I know for my wife and i in Van2 they will be within the first few weeks of ownership if possible.

Thom
 
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#2 ·
I noticed they are run a 65 profile, I will be running a 75 or possibly 85 profile on my ist tire change. The main reason is to bring the rpms down so to gain MPG on the open road. The Ecoboost and the diesel have more than enough torque to pull the van. However if some one is usung their van for contract work and always carring 3,000+ lbs. this may not work for you
 
#11 ·
Changing axle ratio, if possible, may be a more efficient way to accomplish lowering of RPMs if higher MPGs is the goal. Of course there is no guarantee that lower RPMs will work -- depends on engine load. If engine ends up running more in 5th versus 6th then change may be negative.

Anyway, taller tires raise the vehicle and that usually hurts fuel economy. That's why lowering RPMs through gearing is normally more efficient. Granted, most people like bigger tires because of looks and because it cost much less.

As a side note, it's interesting Ford is not offering 3.55 gears. Previously they offered 3.31, 3.55, 3.73, and 4.10.
 
#3 ·
My reason for changing to larger 265/75/16 tires on my Sprinter was looks. I have a hard time dealing with little tires on a large van. Interesting that the larger tires on the Sprinter did make the speedometer accurate (odometer inaccurate) and gave 1/2 mpg better fuel economy. Any gain/loss in fuel economy will affected by multiple factors so it is a crap shoot if fuel economy improves or declines.

I have looked at the Transit and do not see where larger tires in the wheel wells will be a problem. Maybe in front with steering at the end of its travel will be a problem? The spare tire well looks like it will be a problem. Side to side is OK but front to back may not take a larger tire. Spare is also mounted on a black painted wheel instead of silver that was on the running wheels.
 
#4 ·
It's interesting that Ford didn't fit a 225/75/16 on the transit. This is the standard size on T1N sprinters, and there are a ton of options in all season, all terrain, off road and snow and ice already available. Currently on tirerack, there are 2 options in the transits 235/65/16 size. The major difference is over all diameter. 27.5 vs 29.3. I don't think that less than two inches in overall diameter will be a problem.

I expect my Transit to be delivered in the dead of winter, so Wrangler Pro-grades in 225/75/16 will be going on immediately after delivery. Fingers crossed they will clear on full steering lock.

When plugging the different sizes into a gear ratio calculator, I discovered the speedometer will be off a little, but I can live with that. I also found that the two inch difference in diameter effectively splits the difference between the 3.73 and 3.31 ratio. So perhaps it wouldn't be ideal to run a larger diameter with the 3.31 for the sake of lugging the engine, and increasing trans temps.
 
#15 ·
It looks like we will be taking the tires off of the dead 6.0L E450 and putting them on the Transit. They are 225/75/16s - the same as on our Sprinter. My tire guy was having trouble finding studs in the stock sizes. I will have to do some road testing to verify the odometer.
 
#16 ·
It looks like we will be taking the tires off of the dead 6.0L E450 and putting them on the Transit. They are 225/75/16s - the same as on our Sprinter. My tire guy was having trouble finding studs in the stock sizes. I will have to do some road testing to verify the odometer.[/QUOT




Keep in mind the difference in max load (Lbs.) is over a 1,000 lbs, a tire. So your loosing about 4,000 Lbs from your gvwr
 
#20 · (Edited)
The 225/75s are rated at 2650 for singles the 195/75s are rated at 2150 for singles. My tire guy doesn't have any studdable winter tires in the bigger tire size of the right load range. Even at 2500/ tire, that comes to 15,000 lb which is well over the GVWR.
 
#25 ·
29" or 30" diameter tires tried yet?

I'm wanting to order some winter tires for when my transit arrives in January, and am wanting to go with a bit taller tire. I was wondering if anyone has tried larger diameter tires (29" or 30") over the stock 28" tires and whether there are any clearance issues for the front steering.
Thank you for your time.
Justin
 
#27 ·
The 225/75/16 tires are on and they fit. We checked the speedo with a GPS and it shows off by 5% . There isn't much room between the duals or between the inner tire and the leaf spring, but they clear. I will be looking for narrower tire when these wear out to give a bit more room.

Pictures tomorrow.
 
#29 ·
I got 60 mil on original Tires and didn't get used to that first generation Spriter look. So went it to Discount Tire and got me Michelin LTX M/S 2 245/75/16 and they worked!
 

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#30 ·
Have you been able to check your speed differentiation? Ours is off by 5%. I took it to the Ford dealer to see if they could adjust the Speedo, but they can't at this time. Maybe down the road they will be able to, but at this time we just have to adjust it on the fly.
 
#31 ·
No I have not, I will post results as soon as I check it. It's not a big deal for me, had to adjust once before when I upsized wheels on Grand Cherokee from 17" to 22" and end up with speedometer showing about 5mil less than actual speed.
 
#34 ·
Thank you Fermach for the reply,
I could not tell from the pictures that they were in turn position.
Have you ran these tires much to see if there is any rubbing when turning over a speed bump or with van suspension travel?
I'm amazed if there is no clearance issues when going up over 2" diameter over stock, but that is great! On my 07 suburban i had to raise the front end in order to go up only 1" diameter over stock tire. I'm gettting our van in a couple weeks and I wanted to order some winter tires, so that gives me a lot more options if I can go to the 245/75-16 size.
One more question - did you get P or LT tires, ie what is the load rating on each tire?
Thank you for all your help.
Justin
 
#36 ·
Whitedog,
It is about 7% of error so when going 70MPH actual speed is 75 MPH and going 40 MPH it is 43MPH according to gps app I found in APP store.

Justin,
I got Michelin LTX M/S 2 Load E 3042lbs and it is the only size that come close to original tire load or you have to got to 225/75/16 or stay in original size. I use tirerack.com to get best info on almost any tire. In regard of clearance, no issue as of about 50 miles on it and did some real sharp turns with big drop of elevation to one side and over bumps no problem ether.

Kahuna,
I have a 1/2" of clearance between side of the tire and the front strut.
 
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