What would you do 42-48 1/2 ton p/u

will.rynerson

will.rynerson

Senior Member
Hi all,
I’m trying to decide what size rims and tires I should put on my 45 Ford 1/2 Ton Pick up. I have 16x4.5 with a 5 lug and 5.5 bolt pattern. But 3 different rims. Ugh…

I’m considering 15X5 or 6 but I am not sure if tires will be hard to find or look funny and I’m not sure of backspacing and the affects on steering….

So if you’ve done the work and you have pictures or can give some advice that would be wonderful.
 
Factory recommended tire size is 6.00x16 front and rear. Or 6.50x16 on the rear, for 4.700 lbs. GVW.
Something to keep in mind, a wide wheel/tire combo on the front exerts a lot of stress on the steering box mount and can cause them to crack around the mounting bolt holes from flex (fairly common).
I'm using 16"x4.5" wheels all around, with 6.00x16 tires on the front and 7.00x16's on the rear. I went to this size on the rear to keep my gear ratio where I wanted it using the taller rear tire, for a bit of rubber rake with the factory ride height, and a slightly bigger contact patch to help with traction (hot rod :) The 16"x4.5" wheels and 6.00x16 tires on the front help to keep the stress down on the steering components, due to the wheel's shorter backspace and tire's smaller contact patch, while filling the wheel opening for a better look.
It's my opinion, 15" wheel/tire combos look out of place on these trucks, unless the suspension has been lowered, helping to fill the fender opening.
Just my two cents worth....
 
Are your original rims/wheels in bad shape? Why the change. You can get a lot of tires in various sizes bia or radial.
 
If you want to retain the stock hub caps you can use 15" Ford pickup wheels up to 1966. There's a wide variety of 15" tires out there and they would probably be cheaper than 16s.
 
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