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Old 09-01-2013, 04:47 PM
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Alpo Alpo is offline
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Default Anybody do tires for a living?

I'm wondering what the smallest tire I can safely run on a standard 15" white-spoke wagon wheel?

I'm currently running 10.5-31 15s.

It occurred to me that, since I don't go woods-running any more, I don't need off-road tires. Put street tires on it and save some money. Plus have a quieter ride and MIGHT even get better mileage.

So the last one I bought, to replace the spare, was a street-tire, but still 10.5-31 15. And it was still 150 bucks.

Then it occured to me that I probably did not need 10 1/2 inch tires on that truck. I run 235/75 15s on the pickup. That's 9.25-29 15 - more or less. That oughta work on the Bronco, too.

Will they stay on my wheels? I'd like to run cheaper tires, but I'd hate to have to buy new wheels to do it.
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Old 09-01-2013, 05:00 PM
Duster340 Duster340 is offline
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That depends on the width of your rim. Most tire sites have the max/min width for a given rim size.

Pat
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Old 09-01-2013, 05:01 PM
finesse_r finesse_r is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpo View Post
I'm wondering what the smallest tire I can safely run on a standard 15" white-spoke wagon wheel?

I'm currently running 10.5-31 15s.

It occurred to me that, since I don't go woods-running any more, I don't need off-road tires. Put street tires on it and save some money. Plus have a quieter ride and MIGHT even get better mileage.

So the last one I bought, to replace the spare, was a street-tire, but still 10.5-31 15. And it was still 150 bucks.

Then it occured to me that I probably did not need 10 1/2 inch tires on that truck. I run 235/75 15s on the pickup. That's 9.25-29 15 - more or less. That oughta work on the Bronco, too.

Will they stay on my wheels? I'd like to run cheaper tires, but I'd hate to have to buy new wheels to do it.
It would depend on the width of your current wheels, you can go up or down some, but there are limits. I looked a lot of that up years ago on line, but I no longer have that data and it was specific to my vehicle and tire size anyway.

You might consider listing on craig's list for a swap since most people are looking to trade for wider wheels. You might get the size you want and pick up a few dollars. Also you might just find someone who took off wheels you need with fairly new tires for a real low price and then sell your over sized wheels.

Just make certain that the lugs will line up as they often vary from make and year in the same make.
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Old 09-02-2013, 12:22 AM
allthumbs allthumbs is offline
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You can go to Car & Truck Tires, Custom Wheels, Car Rims & Truck Rims - Discount Tire and just put your vehicle in and it'll give you the stock sizes and the optional sizes for what ever you drive. Tires got really expensive when the oil prices went crazy because they are made from petroleum products, just like asphalt.
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Old 09-02-2013, 08:05 AM
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Alpo Alpo is offline
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Thanks, allthumbs, but that appears to be another place that is unaware that people drive older vehicles.

I plugged in 'YEAR" 1981. I plugged in "MAKE" Ford. Under "MODEL" I had a wide choice. Mustang or Mustang, or possibly Mustang.

Apparently the only 81 Ford they sell stuff for is the Mustang.

Oh well. Appreciate the thought.

I did find a site that said the original tires were 215/75/15, so I guess 235s won't be too small. IF they will fit the rims.
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Old 09-02-2013, 12:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpo View Post
I'm wondering what the smallest tire I can safely run on a standard 15" white-spoke wagon wheel?

I'm currently running 10.5-31 15s.

It occurred to me that, since I don't go woods-running any more, I don't need off-road tires. Put street tires on it and save some money. Plus have a quieter ride and MIGHT even get better mileage.

So the last one I bought, to replace the spare, was a street-tire, but still 10.5-31 15. And it was still 150 bucks.

Then it occured to me that I probably did not need 10 1/2 inch tires on that truck. I run 235/75 15s on the pickup. That's 9.25-29 15 - more or less. That oughta work on the Bronco, too.

Will they stay on my wheels? I'd like to run cheaper tires, but I'd hate to have to buy new wheels to do it.
Since you don't give any information about your vehicle except it is a Bronco it's kind of hard to look it up for you. Unless the wheels were replaced there wouldn't be a problem with going back to the original factory size, which should have been somewhere in the 215/225/235-75-15 range. I seriously doubt if it came from Ford with the 10/5-31s on it.

Go here: Car & Truck Tires, Custom Wheels, Car Rims & Truck Rims - Discount Tire Even if you don't have a Discount Tire in your area the search feature still will give you what you need to know.

For a 1996 Bronco the options shown are P235/75/15 and P265/75/15. 265 mm is 10.4+". The cheapest thing they have is Hankook for $65 and Kumho for $96 each. These are 235 and in my market.

Discount has stores in Pensacola and Tallahassee, also Gainesville & J-Ville. All depends on what you meant by North-West.

Discount is full service. I have been dealing with them for nearly 20 years and don't even look elsewhere anymore. You could say I have been satisfied with their service! And, NO, I have no affiliation except as a customer.
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Old 09-02-2013, 12:30 PM
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TireRack shows 10 selections for 215/75/15

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSe...75&diameter=15
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Old 09-02-2013, 02:37 PM
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I also doubt it came from Ford with 10.5 31s. But then, I doubt it came with white-spoke wagon wheels. Pretty sure that's not a factory option.
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Old 09-02-2013, 02:56 PM
dswancutt dswancutt is offline
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I run 235/75-15 on all my 76-79 Chevy trucks and on my moms 96 Ford F150 4x4. My 78 K-10 had 10.5-31's from the factory but I now run 235 and it was a change for the better.
The rims run the the width of 6" for the white steel to 7 or 8" for the ralleys. I think the Ford aluminum rim is 6.5".
235's will give a good ride and handle better since you have a little more tire contact with the road.
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Old 09-02-2013, 03:30 PM
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Most of the wagon wheels are 8". 235's will stay on the rim but look like balloons.

If you were running 10.5 x 31's a good compromise would be 255 70 15's.

A little more $ but look good and should provide a good ride. I put them on my Dads '66 F100.

Sorry, I don't have better pics but these rims are 8".....
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File Type: jpg dz wheelz 075.jpg (82.0 KB, 24 views)
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Old 09-02-2013, 08:47 PM
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Looks like the wheel is 8 1/2 inches, inside to inside. The old tire is still on it, so it was "push the tire out of the way and run a tape measure down", but that's what it appears it is. I'll try to get a better measurement tomorrow in the daylight.
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Old 09-03-2013, 11:20 AM
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The size is likely stamped into the wheel.
Bob
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