Tires: F150 wheel size, tire placard, ford wheels

Question
Hello,

I have a 2001 F-150 4x4 supercrew short cab with a 5.4 V8.  Currently, I have LT285/70/R17 tires on, and I'm looking to buy some Studded Tires.  I found some OEM aluminum ford wheels on craigs list with 235/70/16 studded tires.  Will these fit my truck?  I'm trying to avoid a long drive to find out they are the wrong size.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Ryan

Answer
Ryan,

On every vehicle sold in the US, there is a sticker – commonly called the tire placard - that lists the original tire size and the proper pressure for that size.  The placard is usually located on a doorpost or in the glove box – but sometimes it is located in the trunk or on the fuel filler door.

Tire Guides says the placard says the original tire size was P265/70R17 inflated to 32 psi front / 35 psi rear.  Please check your placard to see if this is correct.

Based on this information I would recommend against using those tires as they have less load carrying capacity than the originals and that might lead to an overloaded tire failure which sometimes has tragic results.