245/75/16 vs 265/75/16

2011etec

2011etec

Super Member
Years ago i went to the 265 size tire from the 245.2003 f150 4x4 4 door extended cab with the 4.6 litre motor.Time to get tires ,should i go back to the factory size of 245/75/16 ?With the wimpy highway gears would i get better mileage?I know ground clearance would be ever so slightly less but thats no big deal as thats where my ace 4 wheeler comes into play.Cost diff is substantial right now with 245 being on sale.Thoughts?Dealer is warranting my current 265 tires so i will be getting new 10 ply tires for a good savings just wondering if i wold be better off with 245 LT,S or 265LT,S?I believe i ave 308 or so gearing but i can check on that.
 
I believe the difference would be measured at the "ten butterfly farts" level....
(IOW, go with the wallet-friendly choice)
 
Im going to go talk with the dealer tomorrow first thing .If they will replace with the 245,s i could save extra money over the savings on the 265 warranty difference.As long as the 245,s i see they had in stock are 10ply i dont want 6 ply ever again im tired of flats in the boonies.If i can save an extra few hundred great.Those 265,s are not cheap for some reason.Why i get worked up over tires is beyond me ,it must be a guy on pension thing,lol.
 
The price difference for a fairly minor change in tire size is what bugs me. I've had my truck for 16 years now and I don't think the same size tires have been on it twice, and I don't think any of them have been the factory size either. Its a wallet thing. Every one has been pretty close to stock, but usually a little wider, some slightly taller. Nothing more than an inch difference total diameter from stock though. Its an S10, I buy car tires for it. They're cheap, which is handy.
 
gadget73 said:
... Its an S10, I buy car tires for it. They're cheap, which is handy.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think that is/was basically the OPs problem. Thought I recall reading he used "P" tires on his truck rather than "LT". P is fine if you use the truck lightly, more like a car with an extended trunk.
 
I had LT265/75-16 tires previously on my truck and now have LT245/75-16, and coincidentally load range E, which is a "10 ply" rated tire.

The 245s ride a little rougher, not a bunch, but a little. The ride is actually smoother on good, smooth asphalt because the 245s are a true highway tread, whereas the 265s were on/off road. But when there is roughness I could tell the difference with the 245s being more stiff. Got the 245s used and really cheap. $100 for a set of four...still on the factory aluminum wheels. Heck, I didn't even need add air when I swapped; LOL.

The engine RPM runs a little higher but in and of itself didn't seem to affect mileage much. I don't drive it much anyway so that I pay little attention to MPG in the truck. It did seem to actually improve towing a little though since it's like slightly lowering your gear ratio.

Appearance wise the 265s certainly looked beefier.

Bear in mind that "10 ply" rated tires these days most likely do not have 10 plies. That is simply a carry over from days past. A "10 ply" rated tire today probably has only 2 or 3 actual plies because the ply materials used today are stronger than what was used in the good old days when the ply ratings came to be.
 
Last edited:
whoaru99 said:
P is fine if you use the truck lightly, more like a car with an extended trunk.
Click to expand...

Thats pretty much all you can do with a 2wd S10 honestly. Putting heavy duty tires on a truck that doesn't have enough spring to allow enough load to justify the tires is kind of a waste. They're more truck-like than an El Camino but not by a bunch.
 
Don't know what year you pickup is, but back in the early 2000s all of the vehicles that usually came with 265s were changed to 245s because of whichever gigantic tire failure was going on at the time, and most the 265s being produced were going for replacements.

We bought a new Tahoe in 2002 and it had 245s for that reason.
 
Much like the tire hunt I'm currently engaged in. My 98 F-150 came with these well-worn 265s on it...worn tread with worthless traction. And as worn as they are, man do they sing! My neighbor (who runs a salvage yard) is on the lookout for two decent pairs of 245s...since 2 good pairs is cheaper than a set of 4. And I am cheap:)
 
Back to the 265lt tires i made a mistake looking at the autosite yesterday.Its not a exaggeration to say that crappy so so tires can get you in serious trouble where i live .In town everything is cool but north is just wilderness for ever,a fantastic playground that doesnt suffer fools too often.Heck 5 minutes out of town to the north your lucky to get cell service and off the transcanada highway forget about it.I use my truck like a truck vs a lot of people in town who use them as an open air grocery getter.So anyways thanks for the input guys i will stay with the big tires in a 10 ply version for my own piece of mind.Even though the truck is a 2003 i keep up on her big time and it runs just as well as a 2015 would .
 
2011etec said:
Even though the truck is a 2003 i keep up on her big time and it runs just as well as a 2015 would .
Click to expand...

My wife and I both use early 90s, full sized, GM SUVs, I upgraded both to bigger rims and tires. I think it is worth the pennies lost due to mileage... and the little bit of extra stress on the front end components. My Blazer is running 265/70r17 and the wife's Suburban has 275/55r20
 
Just got back from getting the LT 265 /75/16 tires mounted.Same brand as the others which were motomaster at2 total terrain tires(cooper).Went from p metric to LT which is going from 6 to 10 ply. Had the tires for 3 years ,new tire 285 each i paid 90 each as they warrantied my old tires .Now i wont be so paranoid going in the boonies about getting flats,lol.Best tires ive ever had on the truck ,great stopping power in the winter and good traction also .
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom