Tire Recommendation Appreciated

CoastLife · 12-04-2021, 06:10 PM

I have a recently purchased E350 RB 4x4 Diesel. Current tires BF Goodrich Baja Champions 285/R7516. They are about 4-5 years old with about 5,000 miles. I will be doing 75% Highway driving (getting to the destination) with the balance beach and light off-road with no rock climbing. Any suggestions appreciated. Thank you.

Twoxentrix · 12-04-2021, 07:56 PM

What year Van?, how much lift? Have you had the van weighed?
Beach driving can be tricky because not all the beaches are the same, and the sand characteristics many times change with the season. The wider and taller the tires the better - bigger footprint atop the sand, this way you are better prepared for all types. To choose a tire you would need to take each of the first three questions into consideration - difficult to provide credible advice without these.

larrie · 12-04-2021, 09:52 PM

We run BFG KO2 all terrains and am very happy with them. They seem to handle the sand on the Baja beaches very well.

CoastLife · 12-05-2021, 10:30 AM

Thank you for the response. My van is a 2003 E350RB with the 7.3 L Diesel. The buildout was an "RB50"by Sportsmobile West. Primary options include Quigley 4x4 system, penthouse top, stovetop, refrigerator, sink, propane furnace and rear seat that becomes a bed. There are no modifications post build. I go up to Pismo where the sand is fairly well packed. I do not get into the surf. I do not know the weight of the van.

REF · 12-05-2021, 03:55 PM

So many tire threads exist already, the search function is your friend.
The BFG A/T has long been the standard bearer for the all terrain tire, but so many other great choices are available these days from Cooper, Nitto, Toyo, Goodyear and others. It’s all very subjective and conditional.
I’ve run several different tires over the years, currently on my 3rd set of Goodyear Duratrac’s, I’ve found them to have the best balance for on/off hwy use with a pretty aggressive tread for an A/T tire for off road use, relatively quiet on road, decent tread life and hwy manners and very good in mountain snow and sloppy conditions.
Whatever you end up with, make sure it’s a E rated tire. It also sounds like you’ll be wanting the ability to air down, invest in a good 12V compressor like an ARB to air up after running on the beach

Twoxentrix · 12-05-2021, 04:42 PM

I’m going to guess your van weighs between 9-10.5K lbs. With 4x4, I’m thinking you should be able to fit 35’s on it (stick with E rated) - but I would change the wheels at the same time to 17’s or 18’s since down the line you may want to consider upgrading your brakes...the 17’s/18’s will posture you for that.
I would suggest at some point soon you weigh your van. You’ll want to make sure the tires on the rear axle have a load rating comfortably above the weight they’ll be tasked to cope with.

REF · 12-05-2021, 08:23 PM

I meant E rated tires in my post above, I fixed it…

clicker44 · 12-05-2021, 08:57 PM

Falken Wildpeak AT3w -- E rated.

Nathandeuel · 12-09-2021, 09:56 AM

Yeah I'm loving our Falkens. Only thing is braking on the highway is a bit less reliable than a regular slick tire. About to go to Colorado for three weeks over the holiday and hope to test them out on some fresh snow! (PS: We have a Chevy 2500 with a CCV poptop and a homebrew interior)

HIGHCOUNTRYMIKE · 12-09-2021, 10:53 AM

CoastLife,
I have the same van as you less the stovetop. My gross weight is 9,4000.
I run the BFG K02 235/75 R 16 E tries. They are what Sportsmobile installed from SMB West in September 2003. My driving is very similar to yours except I'm in the desert not the beach. My tire shop recommends 70/80 PSI. Another move I made was to use the "COUNTER ACT WHEEL BALANCE SYSTEM". I am very pleased with the results and it's a one time balance. I agree there are a lot of choices out there.
2003 FORD E350 SMB EB 4X4 7.3 297,000 miles