Scuba_Dave

Has anyone had a problem with a Tire store refusing to mount a non-standard size on their F150 ?

My stock tire is a 255/70R17 on a 2005 Ford Super cab Flare side XLT, 4.6
Went to buy 265/70R17 & Sullivan tire refused to sell & mount them
I actually wanted to go to 285/70R17 as the 255's look really small

I've ended up having to take tires & rims off & bring them to my local shop to have them mounted off the truck
Local shop probably would have mounted them all, but due to time & not being able to drop the truck off I'm stuck with this method

I know 4wd is different but on a car I owned (Turbo) I even had different rims/tires on the back VS the front
Is this specific to 4wd/trucks where they don't want to be legally responsible ??

I drive less then 4,000 miles a year....so I'll be "stuck" with the 265's for a while...unless I hit the lottery
They look much better then the 255's....but the 285's would have been nice
285's would have made speedo read 3mph low -not a huge concern for me
Spare tire will still be a 255, I've only had 1 flat in 9 years -so not a concern (with 265's)
Would have been more of a concern if I had gone to the 285's

BassAckwards

It's just policy of some shops to reduce liability. At Discount Tire we have a few specs that must be met in order to do it.

1: Load Range must be equal to or greater than door sticker.

2: Wheel must be in the recommended rim width range of the tire (for oversized tires)

And that's about it really. 8-ply and up on 3/4 ton+ trucks. Few exceptions on that.

Scuba_Dave

The new tires the load range & speed rating were better then the old tires

Width was OK
Local shop did the mounting without an issue
I could have just dropped the whole truck off, they didn't see an issue with the new tires VS the old tires
So I won't be going back to Sullivan tire again
Too bad...been going there for over 15 years

BassAckwards

It's all about liability man. To many stupid people suing company's for things that aren't even there fault.

We used to not make a big deal about Rim Width, it was just a rule to have a conversation with the customer about what negative effects they may see by not following the guidelines, but they've cracked down on it now.

No more 285/70R17 on stock Chevys, gotta have wider aftermarket rims.

Scuba_Dave

Yeah I figured it was about liability
I was just curious as to what tire/shops etc that people went to & did not have a problem
Wish I had gone with the 285's....the 265's still look small
265's are on the back.....255's still on the front for now
I had a belt failure 2 years ago so 1 front tire only has 8k miles on it
2nd front tire another belt separation this year -so less then 2k miles on that tire
Basically what prompted me to replace the rear tire
Only 35k miles on them.......but not worth the risk as they are approaching 10 years old

New rear tire & stock front tire before cleaning
Plus stock tire on the rear -opposite side

Still loads of room in the wheel well, stock suspension










After Cleaning: not too shabby for 9 years
I also gave the spare tire rim a touch up of black paint & the spare tire holder
Then I used the rest of the can touching up other areas under the truck -rear diff etc