E250 2wd tire size.

[dbhosttexas]

So an observation I have RE: a stock suspension 93 E250 Sportsmobile. I was needing to replace the factory size tires / highway treads. Looking to go wider but not necessarily taller. I needed floatation for beach driving and southern muddy road driving, not height for rock crawling.

I found the max size I could fit without having to trim or modify anything is a 245/70R16

I was in a sitaution of I need tires now, but will be replacing them later as I stash some cash for a 4wd conversion, so for now I have gone with...

Power Venom Terra Hunter X/T All Terrains in 245/70R16, and I wanted to show the size difference between these, and the OE size of 225/75R16, I will show for the same make / model tire so we know what we are looking at...

Specs are: Dimesnion | 245/70/R16 | 225/75R16 | difference in specs.
Overall Diameter | 29.53" | 29.29" | .24"
Section Width | 9.76" | 8.78" | .98"

So basically only roughly 1/4" larger diameter, or 1/8" taller radius, and a hundredth of an inch shy of being a full inch wider. At full compression and sweeping the wheel right to left we clear the front bumper, not by a big comfort margin, but enough I am disconcerned with the tire meeting the bumper, no issues at the back of the fender / wheel opening.

As we all know tire MFGs tend to round numbers, up for their benefit, these tires are effectively 30x10/R16, which in floatation size is odd enough, but wider enough than the more common 30x9.5/R16, to make at least a shave of a difference...

Am I going to go hog wild with this thing? Of course not, but it will get me where I need to go, and presume I have another rig with me that can pull me out of trouble should I get there.

These have a look VERY much like the BFGoodrich All Terrain TA KO2, with a changed up shoulder lug pattern, but going down the road there is a difference noise wise. These things howl like mud tires, not all terrains. It does generate some odd looks...

I did take them onto the beach on a fairly well travelled / camped hunk of Texas beach to test them out, and they behaved exactly as I expected, so yes, looking forward to actually camping this setup... And definately tossing my traction boards, shovel, and recovery bag in there for good measure!

[1der]

Do you air down for the sand?

[dbhosttexas]

Originally Posted by 1der

Do you air down for the sand?

Yep. Highway pressure 55 front 70 rear, probably not right but need input from Venom Power on their recommendations, Air down situations I go down to 20 psi. The nice thing about the 245s, I can air them back up with a little 12v inflator pump, at least get them to 55 / 60PSI, finish the reard at a gas station...

[Twoxentrix]

Originally Posted by dbhosttexas

I did take them onto the beach on a fairly well travelled / camped hunk of Texas beach to test them out, and they behaved exactly as I expected, so yes, looking forward to actually camping this setup... And definately tossing my traction boards, shovel, and recovery bag in there for good measure!

Ha, That's my old stomping ground...are you a Bolivar Peninsula enthusiast, or do you prefer farther south towards Padre? We've had some great times on those beach's!
The last I heard, there are still over 200 miles of beach to travel on by vehicle (and camp).The 60 mile trek at Padre Island National Seashore is our favorite. The Gulf isn't great for surfing, nothing like Half Moon Bay...but wind surfing is a blast.
A night on the beach with the noise of the surf and a bonfire is so relaxing, especially when accompanied by a cooler filled with Corona Lights & some good friends to share them with! Sorry, just realized I kinda deviated from your topic, but your comment brought back a lot of fond memories.

[dbhosttexas]

Originally Posted by Twoxentrix

Ha, That's my old stomping ground...are you a Bolivar Peninsula enthusiast, or do you prefer farther south towards Padre? We've had some great times on those beach's!
The last I heard, there are still over 200 miles of beach to travel on by vehicle (and camp).The 60 mile trek at Padre Island National Seashore is our favorite. The Gulf isn't great for surfing, nothing like Half Moon Bay...but wind surfing is a blast.
A night on the beach with the noise of the surf and a bonfire is so relaxing, especially when accompanied by a cooler filled with Corona Lights & some good friends to share them with! Sorry, just realized I kinda deviated from your topic, but your comment brought back a lot of fond memories.

Bolivar is close, I am in Galveston County already, so it is a quick run across the causeway and then the ferry. PINS is nicer but my van isn't 4wd... yet...

Fishing is good, and late night strolls on the beach help clear the mind, not to mention days of beer on the beach end up much better if my bedroom is right there... Safety first after all...

No deviation at all actually, Bolivar has the advantage that it is close, and the sand is well packed. Really a win win win. I have a few remaining foibles to iron out before I pull an overnighter with the van, but you can be sure Crystal beach will be the destination... Far enough to give it a workout, close enough to retreat back home if I need to...