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I have a retired 2000 GMC Savanna 250 with 225/75R16 tires that have plenty of tread, no signs of dry rot, and are only 3 years old.

My newer vehicle is a 2009 Ford E350 extended, and it needs at least two new tires, these tires are older and have more wear. It is labeled for 245/75R16.

Can I put the 225 tires onto the E350 rims, would it change the safety/traction/reliability of the vehicle, and if so, how much?

It looks like the bolt patterns are the same, would using the rims and tires from the GMC change the answer?

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  • Define "better". Also when it comes to deciding if rims fit, we need the offset of the rims to know if they could fit or not. Include the offsets of both sets of rims if you know them. – Ellesedil Feb 1 '16 at 15:26
  • @Ellesedil I've removed the "better" sentence, hopefully this is more clear. I do not know the rim offset. – Adam Davis Feb 1 '16 at 16:14
  • Are you just planning on changing out the two tires, or all four? – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ Feb 1 '16 at 16:37
  • @ᴘᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 That's an interesting question which I was going to ask about once I understood whether it was possible and safe first. What are your thoughts? – Adam Davis Feb 1 '16 at 16:38
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    Change all four or nothing. You could possibly be messing with ABS and stability control (if so equipped) if you mix sizes. Also, an E350 is a big van. You are putting smaller tires on there than is meant, stability in and of itself from that may cause you issues. Personally, I'd replace with new versus switching out, but it really depends on the pocketbook. I believe safety will be compromised, but it would be hard to put a "compromised by what value" on that statement. Probably not a huge amount, but it will be compromised. – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ Feb 1 '16 at 16:42
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As was pointed out, the outer diameter isn't quite the same, but it's not a major problem. The sole distinction I would be worried about would be load range. For example, an E350 van most likely wants to have a LT, E load rated set of tires installed. However, if the tires on your Savanna are P rated (i.e. not Light Truck), I would not install those on your Ford.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=55

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  • The tires are marked LT225/75R16 so it sounds like I should be fine, save for the diameter difference and resulting speedometer difference? – Adam Davis Feb 1 '16 at 16:13
  • Looks like those tires will be safe to run, then. Best of luck. – Roll_Fizzlebeef Feb 13 '16 at 4:19
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https://tiresize.com/calculator/

Diameter is 4% smaller Width is about 9% smaller

Since you are going to a smaller tire...
The speedometer will read higher than your actual speed by about 4%
You will not need to worry about rubbing.
Traction may be less, but should be sufficient.

I am not familiar with tire pressure monitoring systems, so I cannot comment on that.

I would say go for it.

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    Less sidewall could also impact the ride quality of the vehicle. Tire height plays a role in absorbing bumps and impacts, along with the rest of the suspension system. – Ellesedil Feb 1 '16 at 17:42

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