Impact of tire size change

[gyates]

I have an '05 XLT Sport Trac. Though it is na XLT it came with the smaller 235/70/16 tires from the factory. I have recently replaced them with 255/70/16's. Dramatically imrpoved the truck ride and handling!! I bought the General Grabber HTS based on excellent reviews on many web sites inclduing Tirerack. My question is, what impact on the truck will going to the taller tire have, if any? My speedo may be slightly off, but will there be any other impacts? Shop manager where I had the tires installed siad he did not think there would be any impact since this tire size was an optional size and the percentage in height change was within the range to usually not impact the speedo, but I keep reading about gear ratio differences based on tire size from the factory. Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[Scott Tanner]

ON MY 4X2, I WENT FROM 235'S TO 265'S, AND IT MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE DOH.. Caps... the ride got stiffer, but it handles great... I went to E's because i tow an RV, and the original tires were affected by crosswinds and other vehicles passing... The new tires took care of that problem completely!! The Speedo with the bigger tires was right on the money. the 235's, the speedo read 3-4 mph fast... I now run 245LT lires, and the spedo is 1 mph fast...

 

[Steve McKellop]

The 255/70R16 was an optional tire size. No problems other than a very slight speedometer variance.



Personally I'm a big fan of "E" rated tires on heavier vehicles. (LaRue, maybe you just need more padding on the old backside! :bwahaha

 

[EddieS'04]

the 255/70-16 came with 4;10 gears. the other size 3;73

 

[Steve McKellop]

Eddie, correct. My '01 came with 255's and 4.10 gear, my '02 235's and 3.73 gears. My '02 now has the 255's.

 

[gyates]

Steve, have you noticed any "difference" on your '02 with the larger 255 tires on it?