[vulf]

245/75/16 Falkens HT/LT installed. Rides waaaaay better!!! No rub. Shop gave me 50 per OEM tire. So these were $388.07 out the door installed. Stoked.
Heading to Baja for turkey day. Needed more meat...

Nice, looks good. How much clearance is there with those tires? I'd love to be able to run 235/85R16 but those would be 31.7" diameter, adding 0.6" to the radius.

 

[vulf]

Well after what seemed like forever I finally pulled the trigger on a 2016 T250 HR LWB. The incentives on remaining dealer stock sealed the deal for me. First order of business: bigger tires!

I opted for the Nokian Rotiiva AT Plus in 245/75R16. That's 30.5" in diameter. They are rated for 3100lb max load. I've never tried these but I run only Nokian tires on my Audi and love them. Figured I would try their truck tires. Visually there seems to be plenty of room.

Here are some before and after pics

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[vulf]

Could you provide a close-up photo of the right front wheel with the 245/75's with the steering wheel cranked slightly to the right such that the shoulder of the tire is closest to the pinch-weld seam on the (rear) inside of the front wheel well? Not cranked to lock, just slightly to position the shoulder of the tire to where it is closest to the seam. On my van, 245/70's which are 29.5" were within 1/8-3/16" of the seam, and the tire dealer indicated they could not honor any wear/hazard warranty. So I had to "downsize" to narrower 225/75's with slightly smaller 29.2 diameter. I would think a tire 1" larger in diameter would not clear. But maybe 2016's are different from my 2015.

Here is my pic with 225/75's which provide considerably more clearance than 245/70's...which should provide considerably more clearance than 245/75.

http://www.fordtransitusaforum.com/292873-post238.html

Bottom line, I don't see any way 245/75's would fit my van.

This is the drivers side. The wheel is turned just a little, to the point where the edge of the tire is closest to the seam. There is about a half inch of clearance. No chains for me...

It's the same on the passenger side.

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[vulf]

Having a nice smattering of mud, have you noticed any rubs or signs of unusual wear?

No signs of unusual wear with 2k miles on them so far. Still nice and quiet with a smooth ride on the highways. They DO rub in front under very specific conditions. When the wheel is cranked to full lock to the inside and that corner of the van is loaded (think trying to make a tight turn coming downhill) something rubs. As soon as I turn the wheel just a little so it isn't all the way turned, the rubbing stops. For me it's a non issue. The clearance and traction these tires provide on gnarly logging roads mean I'm willing to take precautions to not lock out the steering wheel. I took the van on some pretty steep and narrow logging roads in BC this past weekend and it did great. Love these tires.

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[vulf]

I want to avoid going lower on the load range and was hoping to get some that were a little larger in diameter, mainly because I feel the stock size looks too small on such a big vehicle (as others feel).

I seems as though some tires in the 245/75 size fit and some don't so I was hoping someone had some experience with some of these larger winter tires. We've had an early winter so I am not sure our local tire shops would be interested in testing tires on my van given how busy they are at the moment. Another 6" is falling outside as I type this...

I may have to just go with the Nokian C3's in the stock size. They look like a good tire as well.

J

The Nokians I posted are a larger winter tire with the same load rating as stock.

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[vulf]

I ran low profile cable type chains on my 245/75R16 tires this winter with no issues. They fit with plenty of space on the rear drive tires. On the front, forget about it with this size. There is maybe a quarter inch of clearance between the tire and fender when the wheel is turned. But running chains on only the drive wheels is sufficient for almost all conditions.

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[vulf]

The Transit OEM tire recommended size is 235/65R16. How about a slightly larger 235/70R16?

Comparing a Tire Size Calculator at tiresize.com/calculator/ (sorry, I can't post real links yet, I'm too new here) shows:

235/65R16 is 28" OD x 9.3"W
235/70R16 is 29" OD x 9.3"W

Basically, the same size but 1" larger diameter.

I see a bunch of references in this thread to:
245/75R16 is 30.5" OD x 9.6"W
245/70R16 is 29.5" OD x 9.6"W

But the photos of these tires installed on the Transit of this size repeatedly show less than an inch of clearance. This seems too tight, especially if snow or mud begins to build up.

I would think 235/70/16 would be a great fit for the Transit. There's also a large variety of choices, especially all terrain options.

These tires look very promising on a Transit:
HANKOOK DYNAPRO AT2 RF11 235 /70 R16 109T XL OWL
BFGOODRICH ALL TERRAIN T/A KO2 LT235 /70 R16 104S C1 RWL
NOKIAN TIRE ROTIIVA AT 235 /70 R16 109T XL BSW

I'm wondering, has anyone tried this tire size?

Thanks, Mo

Just a quick comment based on my personal experience. I run Nokian Rotiiva AT Plus in 245/75/R16 on my stock, HR Transit and they have been great. Yes the clearance is minimal and I do get some rubbing at full lock when the suspension gets loaded, but really no issues to speak of. I live in Montana and we do plenty of bad weather driving through snow. I run chains in the worst conditions on the rear tires and there is plenty of room for them. I use the cable style chains. So, if you really wanted to run 245/75R16, at least in the Nokian tire you mentioned, I think you'd be ok.

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[vulf]

Vulf, Thanks for sharing your personal experiences.



Your 245/75R16 has a diameter of 30.5". The 235/70R16 diameter is 29". The OEM 235/65R16 diameter is 28".



You report your tires have minimal clearance and rub on occasion with heavy loads. I personally would prefer a bit more clearance and no chance of rubbing. Which is what interests me in the 235/70R16 size.



Thanks, Mo

In that case my comment is more for other people wanting to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of various sizes. I wanted no rubbing and more tire clearance as well, but I also wanted better ground clearance. So I gambled on the larger size. The reason for my comment was to point out that practically speaking, I found no real disadvantage due to the issues of tire clearance and rubbing that I had originally hoped to avoid. The clearance is not actually an issue with build up in the wheel wells, chains fit just fine, and the rubbing is so minor and infrequent it is of no consequence. For some, the greater ground clearance is not important enough make compromises like that. But maybe my experience would be helpful to someone else trying to decide whether or not they should opt for the bigger tire.

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[vulf]

@vulf super helpful info about the chains and the 245/75s, thanks. What gear ratio do you have and is your transit an ecoboost?

Yes it's the Ecoboost and it has the 3.31 limited slip. Van drives pretty great still even with the larger tires. I put 34" tires on my 10 speed F150 and it was really irritating to drive after that. I usually put it in tow haul mode going slow up steeper grades but I'm not sure I wouldn't have to do that with the stock tire size and that gear ratio.

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[vulf]

Hi Vulf, this is the tire size I just pout on my van. What chains did you purchase? Have you been happy with them?

Hi, I have the Peerless Super Z6 cable style chains and I've been very happy with them. I just got the recommended size for the tire size. 435 I think? They are quick to put on once you get used to using them and traction is great for snow and ice over pavement. We mostly use them for mountain passes on highways. We wouldn't have been able to have some of our winter adventures without them.

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[vulf]

I'm on my second Transit van and just bought the same 245/75R16 tires I had on my first van. I think the size is perfect.

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[vulf]

Snow 2 days a year on average and have alternate vehicle for those days. I have gotten stuck on flat grass before, so a little more traction preferred.

I don't think you'll find any consensus in this thread about the brand or model of tire that's best. That's where it comes down to individual preference. You can scan through to see what individuals have to say about their chosen tires, but there seem to be a lot of people happy with lots of different tires. I personally run Nokian Rotiiva AT Plus and find them to offer good traction and to also be quiet at highway speeds. With only rwd though I've gotten stuck on ice before.

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