[OldMadBrit]

FWIW, we now have almost 12 months and ~12,000 miles on the 245/75 x 16 BFG KO2's on our Quigley 4x4. We absolutely love them!

They have seen everything from very rough flint gravel trails, snow, ice, deep mud and soft sand. Wear is minimal and they have found grip (with the help of Quigley's 4x4) where i was convinced there would be none. Last Friday we climbed >2,000 ft out of a very steep, narrow, snow, mud and ice covered off-road trail - in the middle of the night. Something that I would have never attempted without knowing just how capable this set-up is.

If you are taking your Transit to places that no Transit should ever go and you need to get it back again - then you can trust these to get the job done.

 

[carlgustav]

So I jumped on the larger tire bandwagon this week. Replaced the clown car wheels/tires with a set of MotoMetal wheels and Cooper 245/70R-16 Discoverer AT3 LT E tires. Drove around a little today, they feel good. Gotta do the TPMS learn thing, warning popped up after a few miles.

Much better look in my view .

ACE

 

[grampswrx]

Got raceline surge wheels in a 16x8 and 245/75/16 bfg all terrains. Hammered the pinch weld a bit and no rubbing except a tiny bit on the front plastic bumper. Going to trim that off. Rides great and looks great.

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[asdrew]

Replaced the clown car wheels/tires

^ good one, lol

 

[lincolnjbutler]

BFG KO2 255/70/R16 on 16x6.5 (5x160mm) Ultra Toils. No modifications to the body needed. As expected, the bigger tire does not fit flush into spare tire mount on the non-extended 148" LWB without hitting the differential.

 

[tommtber]

View attachment 132331
View attachment 132332 BFG KO2 255/70/R16 on 16x6.5 (5x160mm) Ultra Toils. No modifications to the body needed. As expected, the bigger tire does not fit flush into spare tire mount on the non-extended 148" LWB without hitting the differential.

That tire/rim combo looks really nice. You say that the spare does not sit fit flush. Are you still able to get it in there without it hitting the differential. Do you have a tow hitch on your van?

 

[lincolnjbutler]

That tire/rim combo looks really nice. You say that the spare does not sit fit flush. Are you still able to get it in there without it hitting the differential. Do you have a tow hitch on your van?

I do have a tow hitch. It could probably fit if aired down and mounted at an angle with a strap, like this: Adding Larger Tires To The Ford Transit - Morey's In Transit. But I don't want it hanging down or rubbing on the diff.

 

[Ruadhrigh]

Was inspired by this long ass thread, and bought some 255/70 16 KO2s. Bought them from Discount Tire and recieved no hassle, install was quick. Only 4 for now (all they had in stock locally.) Looking at the door mounted tire rack options for the spare.

 

[Hack Saw]

Got raceline surge wheels in a 16x8 and 245/75/16 bfg all terrains. Hammered the pinch weld a bit and no rubbing except a tiny bit on the front plastic bumper. Going to trim that off. Rides great and looks great.

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Raceline specs:

 

[andrew]

Wow, almost 900 posts. Is anyone in the know willing to summarize? I'm due for my second set of tires

Good stock upgrade with no fitment issues? Possible to get better traction, looks, and noise all at once?

 

[Hack Saw]

Wow, almost 900 posts. Is anyone in the know willing to summarize? I'm due for my second set of tires

Good stock upgrade with no fitment issues? Possible to get better traction, looks, and noise all at once?

Fitment wise, the 245/75-16 is about as large as the stock wheel can go, that is, 30.6" overall diameter vs the stock 28".
What tire depends on your needs; if you have snow you need a snow, or an M&S at a minimum. Choice is yours. Size I've given you'll see pretty standard throughout the thread.

 

[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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[Hack Saw]

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.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I have read, or heard stated on a Youtube vid, that this guy fit a 265/70-16, which is also 30.6" diameter, just 10mm wider either way, on a 250 with no clearance problems; what I was going to do but did not want to become that guy know to installation in the back what I said would fit, and didn't. It fits the well well and I just PlastiDip'ed the hubcaps
flat black and this picks up all the black trim on a white van contrast nicely, until I do the wheel thing and keep this set
dedicated for snows. This is a great site to play what-if: TireSize.com - Compare Tire Sizes, Specs, Prices & more

 

[andrew]

Fitment wise, the 245/75-16 is about as large as the stock wheel can go, that is, 30.6" overall diameter vs the stock 28".
What tire depends on your needs; if you have snow you need a snow, or an M&S at a minimum. Choice is yours. Size I've given you'll see pretty standard throughout the thread.

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.

 

[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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[Hack Saw]

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.

Won't rec' a tire but will share my feelings about 10-ply; may not be needed. As you can read, the std tire is a 10-ply, and with it, what, 80psi? So yes, you will feel and hear most the road has to offer. My XL's are rated 2679(115), weigh 35 lbs, and are 30.5" in the stated 245/75-16 size. Most of our vans are empty compared to what they're rated to carry, hence the 10-ply. Sure BFG KO2's, and many alike, are 10-ply for off-road. The only off-road I see is a snow covered lot adjacent the to the base lodge. Only 11k on the van now but once I do the wheel thing, and appropriate tire (285/65-17?) I can dedicate the steel wheels for studded snows all-round.
Dropping down to 51psi makes a substantial improvement in ride quality, but that's a decision you need to make based on your use of the vehicle vs. the sticker statement on the door jamb. You can't read my poor choice of an avatar but it's an mpg of over 24 with these tires, far right lane, 55-60 with no load other than the build. Lighter tire less inertia and 10% greater diameter covers more ground per rotation so yeah, expect an mpg improvement if you drive mellow enough, which is where these things belong on the shared highway.

 

[andrew]

A couple times a year I max out my load but average is 1000 pounds payload.

 

[bschick]

Reporting Back

Well, reporting back I have bad news. The tires did rub a little bit on the front so we are going to size it down some. I didn't want to shave off the front weld without having some other folks do some more testing first

They did look awesome on the van! We are going with the next size down but our tire shop had to order them in. I will post more pictures when we get the next set on.

I just purchased a 2018 passenger 350. I'm wanting to make it more off road capable, what tires did you end up going with? Did it improve handling?

 

[Hack Saw]

I just purchased a 2018 passenger 350. I'm wanting to make it more off road capable, what tires did you end up going with? Did it improve handling?

I just purchased a 2018 passenger 350. I'm wanting to make it more off road capable, what tires did you end up going with? Did it improve handling?

BSC: First, define handling; on road vs off road vs snow vs ice. Best to read the whole thread. Everybody needs differ. Fit, or size is pretty much dictated as you'll read the repeated OK's for a 245/75-16 for the steel wheel, and larger if you go, say, 17x8" alloy, but the 30.6" seems to be our 'outer-limits' before shaving the front apron and/or folding the pinch weld; Rear tires not an issue but you want all 4 alike for ABS sanity. Read: TireSize.com - Compare Tire Sizes, Specs, Prices & more

 

[surly Bill]

There is no "one style does it all" tread pattern. There are pros and cons to each style. Blocky "offroad" patterns grip soft surfaces like mud and sand but are really loud, a little unstable, and wear down fast on pavement. Highway tread will last a very long time, sometimes over 100k, but is not very good on soft or slick surfaces. The middle ground are the M&S (mud and snow) and more aggressive AS (all season) tread patterns.

Everyone has their preference, and many choose based on decorative appearance rather than function.

I estimate 85% or more of my 20k miles a year are on dry or wet pavement, maybe 200 miles a year on snow/ice covered pavement (10%), and the vast off-pavement miles are on gravel or dry dirt roads, maybe 1% on muddy roads, and maybe one hundredth of one percent actually off any roads (BLM or NFS dispersed campsites). I like the M&S tread patterns because I do occasionally drive on snow/ice or sloppy dirt roads, and I don't want to get two sets of tires. I get about 70-80k for a set of tires before there is only about an eighth of an inch of tread, which is fine with me. Driver ability is more crucial than tread pattern for most conditions. Also, a full size van probably shouldn't be driven "offroad". They are not designed for it, and destruction of trackless soil by compaction or scarifying is a crime against nature. Stay on the roads unless in an OHV area!

Vandalism at the Iconic Racetrack in Death Valley National Park

A trip last weekend to the iconic Death Valley Racetrack Playa has left me with a burning need to write, and unfortunately it is because of the worst kind

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