C20 tire sizes?

[White70C20]

Ok, I was looking at the tires on my C20 the today. They're almost bald and very weather checked. The tires are 270R16s. I put my junkyard spare that has a 280R16 up next to it. I like the look of the taller tire on my truck (it is a 3/4 ton after all). It does have the Custom Camper pkg. What tires did those come with. My truck looks like a 1/2 ton with those smaller tires on it. Since I need new tires anyway, I thought I'd put the factory size on.
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[Sillyoldman]

Mine are 16.5"x 9.5". '71 Cust Camper.

[viking427]

The stock 16x6.5, 8 lug steel wheels wear LT235/75R16E or LT245/75R16E nicely with stock width & ride hieght. You can go a little taller (235/80, 225/85) for a pizza cutter look, but handling will suffer, especially with any kind of towing. You can also go a little wider such as 255/75 but should go to a 7" wide rim, like the Ford 16x7 8 lug steels.

[Mike C]

On my '70 Sierra Grande Custom Camper I ran 265 75 16 which were a great fit IMO. No rubbing and filled wheel well completely. About 32" 11.5 in inches.

[Sicklajoie]

IMO 265/75/16 are the perfect fit and look for C/20's

[martindc1]

That looks sharp. Are those GM wheels? As noted above the 16x7 Ford steel wheels can be used and will accept a dog dish style hubcap like ones shown above. Last time I looked at tires it seems like the manufactures list a 7 inch wide wheel as the the minimum width for 265/75/16s, but we know that those tires are common on the GM 6.5" wheels.

[jocko]

i agree with sicklajoie and mike!

[Sicklajoie]

Originally Posted by martindc1

That looks sharp. Are those GM wheels? As noted above the 16x7 Ford steel wheels can be used and will accept a dog dish style hubcap like ones shown above. Last time I looked at tires it seems like the manufactures list a 7 inch wide wheel as the the minimum width for 265/75/16s, but we know that those tires are common on the GM 6.5" wheels.

I hate to admit it, but mine are indeed F*rd rims...

[martindc1]

Originally Posted by Sicklajoie

I hate to admit it, but mine are indeed F*rd rims...

No worries, I too bought the Ford rims with the intent of getting them sandblasted and powder coated white, but I never got around to getting that done, just ran 'em in their factory gray.

I like them though because I think they look like the narrower versions of the OE 16.5 rims but there are way more tire options and tires are much easier to find. They are common and available with a street price of $25-35 per wheel. Plus I think they widen the track width a bit and thus give the trucks a good looking stance.

[dads longhorn]

Sicklajoie, nice truck. I like that it looks pretty original. Thank you for that
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[g mcmaine]

I like the look also,what are the Ford models and years are they from?Maybe I can find a set in my local salvage yard.Thanks,Gerald.

[Sicklajoie]

Originally Posted by g mcmaine

I like the look also,what are the Ford models and years are they from?Maybe I can find a set in my local salvage yard.Thanks,Gerald.

Any truck or van rim that has a 8 x 6.5 bolt pattern will work. Don't know the exact years though..

[viking427]

What 16x7/8x6.5 Fords left in bone yards today are mostly 90's E250 and E350 van. They're easy to spot from a distance because their fill valve is centered over a "window" where the GM and Dodge wheel's valve is centered over a "spoke". Ford and Dodge also had them in 16x6 that look identical, so make sure sellers know exactly what they have, I see the three mis-advertised all the time. The Dodge version looks like they used the same wheel blanks as GM, but added a small Chrysler Pentastar symbol on the face b/n the lugs and only came in 16x6 I believe, not sure if Dodge kept the smaller GM hub hole diameter or went with a larger hole like the Fords though. Any of them look good painted up with nice wheel covers and trim rings if you're really going out on the town