# Bigger tires for a 1990 Ranger?



## BigSigh (Jan 31, 2001)

My dad passed away recently and I am thinking of buying his 1990 Ranger XLT from my mom. He never took it off-road so it has stock sized tires on it. It looks like there is enough room in the wheel wells for 30" or maybe 31" tires. Will these fit ok? The truck has 15" wheels but I don't know if they are 6", 7" or 8" wide (I will find out which) but I have no idea of the wheel backspacing. So my questions are how tall a tire I can fit and how wide? I'm thinking 31" x 10.50" would be ok.

Oh, this truck has the 2.9L V6 (140 hp). Will larger tires pose any problems with the tranny? Could any other problems pop up because of larger tires? The reason I want larger tires is 1) to look better and 2)to increase clearance & off road performance.


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## lawnmower man (Aug 13, 2000)

BigSigh, The biggest tires I've seen on a stock suspension ranger were 29-8.50-15 I saw one with 30-9.50-15 but these rubbed the fenders when fully compressed (Happens alot when off-road) With a 1.5-3" lift, you could go to 31-10.50-15 without a problem - you just need a slight backspace. 
Larger tires will put more of a strain on the tranny, give you slower acceleration but higher top end speeds and fuel economy, and your speedometer will no longer be accurate. You could install a higher ratio gear in your rear end and this will help take some strain off of the tranny and give you more torque - a good thing espesially when in the woods. Depending upon how large of a tire you go with the steering components (mainly the power steering pump) will also take on more strain and will wear out quicker. Your best bet for answers to your questions would be to go to a truck customizing shop. These people deal with this kind of modifications and could set your truck up to do exactly what you want it to do.


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