16 inch tire pictures

[murguia]

Getting started on my truck and I really like the original look of the 6 ply 6.5x16s that are currently on the truck. Looking for some picture examples of similar style black wall tires.

Love the original look, but slightly larger tires to fill the gap well.

Thank you in advance.

[Killer Bee]

you can use tire size calculator to find the metric sizes closest to the standard tire size dimensions listed here STA Super Traxion for example

245/75R16 is shorter than the 9.50x16.5x8 or 7.50x16x8 that came on these longhorns but much more common size and easy to find just about anywhere

biggest drawback is revs/mile if truck is low geared and travels a lot of highway, I'm a slow-poke so don't really care about that

the rears could take a size or two up but would overfill the front, I wasn't interested in separate sizes front and rear although that was common years ago

the ochre longhorn came with some pretty big rears compared to the fronts but obviously not interchangeable



tall and skinny just isn't as common in modern radials as the old bias options like STA offers

maybe a 235/85R16 in a radial would look closer to original if you can find them in stock somewhere

metric sizes typically go wider as they go taller by aspect ratio, eventually you run out of width allowance for stock wheels to get good height

255/70 wider same height, 255/85 taller but need wider wheels, etc.

then at some point they just look too fat for factory classic trucks, 2wd anyways, 4wd they look more at home or customs and resto-mods they look great

otherwise, old standard size bias are still available from a few manufacturers and possibly some radials could be found in those sizes too

I was pursuing some STA OE standard size bias tires for my '65 C20 and one of my '71 suburbans but probably end up settling for modern radials for sustainability, can't trust these specialty companies to keep making old tire sizes forever

there are several specific 16" wheel/tire threads in here that may be useful if you can find them

good luck!

245/75R16 BFG ATKO2 on 16"x6.5" wheels



lightened this shot previously to show tires




245/75R16 Goodyear Wrangler on 16"x7" wheels

[special-K]

You probably want an 85 series tire. 235/85-16s are commonly available. A bit wider than the 6.5s, closer to the old 7.50s. But, will fit the factory 6-lug 16" wheels. This size was a standard for 3/4t trucks forever, and before it was 7.50s in bias ply. 235/85s are about 30"-31" tall. If you search stock C/20 pictures you'll find more examples than looking at C/10s

[dave6672]

235/85-16's on both my C20 and K20.

[dagnabbitt]

235 85 16s

[72c20customcamper]

I went with 265/75-16 on the 72 and the 85

[Killer Bee]

Originally Posted by Killer Bee

<snip>
maybe a 235/85R16 in a radial would look closer to original if you can find them in stock somewhere
<snip>

Mark, we can be different

['68OrangeSunshine]

I'm running 235/85/R16s on my '68 C/10 Stepside.
And 235/75/R16s on my '71 GMC Jimmy K/1500.

[chevmn]

Search the forum for Ford Accuride. There are a lot of threads on using those wheels in 16x7 then you can run a little wider 16 inch tire. I am attaching a photo of what will eventually make there way onto my C20 (project stalled for a bit, but hope to get going soon). The tires are a P rated tire and I believe are 265/70 which should help ride since they are not heavy load rated tires, and I have no real plans on doing heavy towing. I think the wider rim/tire helps fill out the wheel wells. Just something to consider. I was looking for aftermarket wheels when I ran into this combo, and to be honest I dislike most aftermarket rims on the older trucks.

[murguia]

Thank you everyone. Likely going to go 235 85r16

I found some nice 7.5x16s. Would those work on my stock 6x16” steelies I have in there now?

[Killer Bee]

^ to add to what chemn posted

older thread - Questions on 16 inch Ford wheels that fit C20s

I had a dozen Ford 8 lug 16"x7" steelies blasted and powdercoated for $60ish/ea (memory fading) at Primo's in Huntington Beach couple years ago

example of a Ford fitment group reference that fit our trucks to the best of my knowledge but please confirm

16" Steel OEM Style Wheel for Ford Trucks and Vans - X45337
16" x 7" steel oem wheel with 8-6.5" bolt circle.
FITS:
1992-2020 FORD E250/E350 VAN (7") Traction: RWD
1992-1996 FORD F250 PICK-UP (7") Traction: RWD& 4X4
1992-1998 FORD F350 PICK-UP (7") Traction: RWD&4X4

the red longhorn above is riding on a set of these salvaged OE Ford four nub wheels from these periods

with factory GM caps that fit great, at least one set I know of from chevmn

[special-K]

Originally Posted by murguia

Thank you everyone. Likely going to go 235 85r16

I found some nice 7.5x16s. Would those work on my stock 6x16” steelies I have in there now?

Yes. That was the most common size these trucks ran originally. Then came radials in 235/85 for a long time. More recently tire sizes exploded into many different profiles/configurations to the point there is little detectable difference between some profiles, like fractions of an inch.

[murguia]

Thanks for that info, that’s exactly where I plan on taking my rims in a couple of weeks.

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by murguia

Getting started on my truck and I really like the original look of the 6 ply 6.5x16s that are currently on the truck. Looking for some picture examples of similar style black wall tires.

The 6.50 x16 tire is associated with C 10's, not C 20's which came with larger tires. You probably have a 5 1/2" wide rim. IMO, the 215-85-16 is the best tire for your rim and has the tallest, most narrow look. Member Lou Boffa C 10 with the 16" wheels.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Originally Posted by factorystock

The 6.50 x16 tire is associated with C 10's, not C 20's which came with larger tires. You probably have a 5 1/2" wide rim. IMO, the 215-85-16 is the best tire for your rim and has the tallest, most narrow look. Member Lou Boffa C 10 with the 16" wheels.

My '68 C/10 Stepside was a fleet truck. The fleet operator ordered 5.25x17.5 rims w/ 6x5.5 lug spacing, for some obscure reason. [It's on the SPID] Original tires were 700x17.5 bias 6-ply. [Probably a military size, or a special order municipal tire to prevent employees from stealing tires.]
A tall thin profile was the result. I went with 8.00 tires when the 7'' became obsolete. I liked the free lift.
When the OEM rims wore out, the tire shop got me 7 x 16 white spoke rims. 238/85/R16 tires approximated the prior stance. 23 years later, after a collision, I had to replace one of the rims. After much searching, I found out I'd been running Trailer Rims on my half ton Stepside. Since I'd had no issues with them in over 20 years and 200,000 miles, I kept them.

[D.B]

Here is my 72 C20 with 16x8 front and 16x10 rear.

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