16.5 to 16 or 17 in rims

[bill emery]

 i have a 1985 e 350 ford rockwood rv. i am thinking about changing the rims. what do you think will work better 17s or 16 in rims? it has 16.5 rims on it now

[Lakota Wolf]

Seems like 17 inch would be the better choice, (check clearance with turn wheels). I converted to 17 inch from 16 inch on my one ton truck Only because the load rating was higher on a 17 over a 16 and the value cash wise, the 17 was the bargain and better warrantee.

IF YOU DO CHANGE,,,,,,,Your speedo will be OFF !!!!!!

If you have a Tach, you can quickly observe the difference. With 16.5's drive at 55 and see where Tach is running,, document it,   (example)(55 mph @ 1700 RPM's).

If you drop to a 16 inch or up to a 17 inch, Drive again at 55 mph and notice the difference. Drop or excellerate till RPM's are at the 1700 mark, (previous example, yours will be what you documented earlier in the first test drive on the 16.5's)

Example,, say your cruising at 1700 Rpm's with larger tires,, the actual mph will be faster, Larger tires cover more ground per revolution then smaller tire, 

ALSO,, The* Height* of the tire etc, may not even change speedometer/speed settings.

I have had smaller tires with high profiles and switch to larger tires with smaller profile and everything stayed the same. So take all that in concideration, tire height, side wall strength, tread etc. PLUS along the road, MOST truck tire centers have more 17's in stock then they do 16's, without having to order them, Hope this helps.

[bill emery]

 i like the idea of 17 in rims, i am not sure about clearance on the front. i am not too worried about the speedo, i drive slow. i have found out i have to find a ford dually van to take the rims off. i am not sure if a pick up truck rims will work. still looking into all this

[Lakota Wolf]

95% of Ford 1 tons use same axels as motorhomes, 8 lug is 8 lug, and 10 lug same way. Van or truck, both use same axel

[Matt Millegan]

I have an 1984 Shasta that has 16.5" rims on 3 sides. LOL The right rear is a single 16" rim while Right front, left front and left rear are 16.5".  The previous owner and a 16" rim laying around and decided to put it to use since all 6 tires had severe dry-rot. I am going to be switching to 17" rims in the near future.

About the Ford 1-tons, I had a 2000 Ford F-350 that had 16" rims.  Most of the trucks from that era were on 16" rims.  

Good Luck!