Anyone go down in tire size

[RiotfunK]

I tossed on 245/70/17 and get good amount of rub on the pinch welds/seams. Full lock is ok, but any type of off camber really pushes into the welds. Am lifted also. After pulling the wheel liner I see that it has the factory tack welds are not far from the outer edge near the tire. I’ve trimmed in other vehicles, but was just extra metal. Nothing structural or weld points. Even if I trimmed it, it still wouldn’t give me enough clearance since I wouldn’t want to remove the welds there. I mean I could run a bead down it and probs fix it, but I’m not gonna. My worry is even trimmed you don’t get a lot of clearance in the wheel well. Mud, snow, debris, etc. and then stuffing the tire in is gonna cause more issues than I can correct with trimming.
I’m gonna swap to same tire in 245/65/17 next week probs. The 70s work on street but actually off-roading not so much. Barely stuffed

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[Escape2Bronco]

I tossed on 245/70/17 and get good amount of rub on the pinch welds/seams. Full lock is ok, but any type of off camber really pushes into the welds. Am lifted also. After pulling the wheel liner I see that it has the factory tack welds are not far from the outer edge near the tire. I’ve trimmed in other vehicles, but was just extra metal. Nothing structural or weld points. Even if I trimmed it, it still wouldn’t give me enough clearance since I wouldn’t want to remove the welds there. I mean I could run a bead down it and probs fix it, but I’m not gonna. My worry is even trimmed you don’t get a lot of clearance in the wheel well. Mud, snow, debris, etc. and then stuffing the tire in is gonna cause more issues than I can correct with trimming.
I’m gonna swap to same tire in 245/65/17 next week probs. The 70s work on street but actually off-roading not so much. Barely stuffed

Thanks for the post. This has been the general consensus. Trimming the pinch welds on a unibody is not recommended. Adding a small lift doesn’t really help much either.

 

[13MikeH]

I apologize...truly curious in the title. Spec is either 225 or 235 upgrade as engineered by Ford. I know this beyond manuals and sales.
If you have 245s that's beyond the spec.fit...by "going down" you are specifically asking if anyone has gone down to OEM/Upgrade?

 

[RiotfunK]

Did you read anything past the title? I explained it above

 

[Mark S.]

After pulling the wheel liner I see that it has the factory tack welds are not far from the outer edge near the tire. I’ve trimmed in other vehicles, but was just extra metal. Nothing structural or weld points. Even if I trimmed it, it still wouldn’t give me enough clearance since I wouldn’t want to remove the welds there.

I've seen mod guides online (like this one) that bend the pinch welds over instead of cutting them off. I have no idea how or if such a mod would affect structural integrity.

The Bronco Sport is the result of an engineering exercise in trade-offs. We get a vehicle that's good at many things, but not really outstanding at anything. For a vehicle that's as capable as it is off-road, it has really good road manners. The OEM tires/wheels are a big part of the reason for that.

 

[Meanderthal]

Did you read anything past the title? I explained it above

This just seems to confirm that if you are going to go offroad then the 245/65/17 is the size limit without any trimming. A lift doesn't make any difference, other than the suspension needs to be compressed a little further before the rubbing starts. The ECU is mounted in the front of the driver's side wheel well, which is an area that needs trimming on some sizes of larger tires (not sure what diameter that starts at). All in all, 29.5" diameter is the "stock" limit, or maybe somewhere between 29.5" and 30".

 

[baja_bob]

I replaced my stock tires with 225 BFG K02s because I don't plan on doing any more than a trail or some light mud. This way there's no worry about rubbing or speedo being off, the biggest reason for changing to a A/T tire for me is winter driving and they look like they belong on there. With the stock size K02 my MPG is basically the same so far.

 

[Bluebaru]

I've seen mod guides online (like this one) that bend the pinch welds over instead of cutting them off. I have no idea how or if such a mod would affect structural integrity.
.

It would probably have a very minimal impact, on the integrity, but for those that look at the video, I would suggest using some kind of heat source, on the metal, where it will be bent. It would be both easier to bend and introduce less metal fatigue and therefore be stronger.

 

[RiotfunK]

I’m looking to use my vehicle on and off-road. So want best of both worlds. 245/70 is just too big even with the lift. And again I won’t cut into this thing. So that’s why I’m going to the 245/65. Also the minor loss of ground clearance is tiny so no big deal. But I’ll get better flex, performance off-road and not murder a wheel well where all the components are

 

[Codysooz]

235/70r17

 

[Meanderthal]

It would probably have a very minimal impact, on the integrity, but for those that look at the video, I would suggest using some kind of heat source, on the metal, where it will be bent. It would be both easier to bend and introduce less metal fatigue and therefore be stronger.

I would caution against that because of the paint (inside and out) as well as most seams will have a glue/sealant applied at the factory. If you heat it enough to allow it to bend easier, you will burn off other stuff. Not sure what is right behind that seam, but that could also be damaged by high heat.

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