So I'm in the process of slowly piece by piece fixing up my 1982 ford f150 4x4, 4 speed and I'm now ready to do the tires.. my knowledge about wheels and tires is very little and my question is should I stick with the stock rims and tires? Stock is 235-75-15 or should I change the tire size to something else? Also should I stick with the 15 inch rims or go bigger like 16 or 17? I'm not restoring it all to factory so keeping the wheels and tires stock size only appeal's to me if that's just the tire and rim sizes that would look and operate best for what I use the truck for

When it comes to the use of my truck.. I work construction and I use it to haul stuff and on the weekends I sometimes like to go off-road and hunt/fish and occasionally find a muddy place to try and get her stuck. That being said I do not do 4x4 mudding nearly enough to make that the focus point of anything.
Thanks for your advice in advance

 

The taller the tire, the more likely it will hit the body when the suspension articulates; but the smoother it will roll over bumps, and the more engine torque it takes to make it roll (worse acceleration), but the farther it carries the truck per revolution (higher top speed). The wider the tire, the more likely it will hit the frame or body when steered hard, but the lower ground pressure it applies (less likely to sink in soft soil). For each inch that the tire height changes, the ride height (ground clearance) changes 1/2 inch. Don't choose tires for looks - choose them for the performance you need. If you're not sure, then you probably need to stay with the stock size. When you find that it doesn't do something you need done, that's the time to consider a small change.

Wheels are less-critical because they merely connect the truck to the tire. Compare the cost of a stock 15" tire to one with the same outside dimensions, but on a different rim size (with the same backspacing, lug pattern, & center hole size). If you can get a set of wheels so cheaply that you save money going to a bigger wheel, it would make sense. But that's not likely, so stock is probably best, again.