Hey gents, i have an '87 Ford F-250 6.9L. I am putting on a campershell (Lance Squire 800) on and have a question.The wheels are stock and there are 235/85/R16 tires on it now( which are toast). Bfg all terrains come in a variety of sizes and to my thinking since a lower profile would mean lower center of gravity, combined with an extra little bit of width (245/70/R16 or 245/75/R16) it would be a sensible purchase over a taller tire.I'm thinking the stock wheels could handle a slight increase in width.Is this correct? Anyone in the know please advise me.Thank You in advance! Bulltuno.

 

235/85R16 can be a bit rolly/squishy in my experience. 245/74R16 may help a touch, but the weight rating is no better. (3045#) A friend of mine put 265/75R16 on her '94 F250 for daily driver use.

265/75R16E is ~3400#
285/75R16E is ~3750#

Last year I hauled my 8' Okanagan camper on 295/70R17 Toyos (3900# each). The beefiness of the tire more that compensates for the ~1" raise in center of gravity.

 

Thanks man, tried calling some camper sales places but none of them wanted to be quoted as giving advice (liability??), but whatever.Point is in most cases a lot wider tire doesn't seem to do any harm at all

 

Width won't hurt much and should add stability but watch tire height with that 6.9 and the camper. Braking,acceleration and mpg will take a hit.

 

Liability rules these days. They would never suggest anything that might exceed mfr's ratings.

I've found the heavier the actual # rating of the tire is, the more confident and stable it is at lesser loadings. I've been rolling on strictly 3750-4800# rear tires for the last 7 years and it really adds some peace of mind for when you load the thing up to the max GVWR (or beyond).