F-100 4x4 wheel size

[JoshT]

Going to start doing brake upgrade on my 68 later today, so next step is tires and have hit a road block on deciding what to get. Truck is currently wearing 32x11.5R15 on 80s stock F-150 styled steel wheels. Am going to keep the 32 sized tire (actually probably closer to 31.5) but want to step up to a larger wheel for various reasons.

Long term goals for the truck are to have a nice driver that I don't mind showing off, but it'll still be a work truck first, hunting truck second. It will eventually (after painting) have all the bright work polished up and reinstalled, along with swapping the homemade tube bumpers for OE style chrome. For now I'll be shooting some black paint on those tube bumpers and getting the truck structurally and mechanically solid.

Eventually I'll want a nice set of polished or machined alloy wheels with classic styling, but for now that's money better spent elsewhere, so it'll be getting black steel for now. Plus side is that by deciding on a wheel size now I'll have a bigger budget for wheels later since I'll already have the right size tires.

I've narrowed my wheel and tire combo down to the following:

265/75R16 w/ 16x8 Soft 8 wheels
265/70R17 w/ 17x8 Soft 8 wheels

Both are same diameter as a 32x11.5, but slightly narrower (on paper). Only difference is wheel size and selection.

Like I said, I think I want to eventually get something like the Baja, Slots, or Outlaw II. Some available in 17, most available in 16". I also have seen a few modern styles that are mostly available in 17" and I think could look good on one of these. I just can't decide on which way to go.

EDIT: Decision made. Realized I was entertaining 17" for a future upgrade that will likely never happen. I'm already converting to disc brakes using the hybrid Chevy/Ford conversion. If I ever feel the need to upgrade past the F-150 rotor with Chevy calipers, I'll probably ditch the D44 for an 8 lug D60, so what wheels & tires I get now wouldn't matter anyway. I'm going to stick with 16" for the larger selection of classic style wheels.

[NWDave]

I have always liked the look of the 285/75R16 or 285/70R17 BFG All Terrains (about 32.5" tall) on a 16x8 or 17x8 wheel. Not too beefy, decent road manners, plenty of height/ground clearance.

[JoshT]

Thanks for the suggestion. Ended up going with 265/75r16 Fallen Wildpeak AT3w. Like the tire from past experience and price was right for wheel & tire combo. Got them from Discount Tire Direct mounted on 16x8 soft 8 style steel wheels. Mounted, balanced, and delivered with road hazard coverage for about the same price as the BFGs without a wheel.

265/75r16 is about a 31.5 which is same diameter as the 32x11.5 the truck was wearing. It's also better fittment for what I think I want to do with the truck, namely removing some of the lift. If I'm not happy with it or plans for the truck change, I'll revisit tire size when these need replacement.

Those BFGs are great, and probably the best choice available for a classic looking AT tire. I almost went with those in a 33x10.5 for the existing 15" wheels, kinda like the tall skinny look. Then decided to save some money and go with new wheels and tires instead, also giving a larger tire selection in the future. I've used these Falken ATs for a while on another truck and dad also likes them on his F-250. They look more modern than the BFG, but that's not something I'm particularly concerned about.

Next step for wheels and tires is, well, getting them installed I suppose. After that I'll be watching sales and Craigslist for a set of alloy wheels I like, got a lot of other stuff to buy first though.