New Tires

yo,
Some advice; ensure that the tires you decide on buying are not discontinued (not now manufactured by the tire maker). Ask around - don't rely on verbals by just one dealer.

Because; A tire slasher messed my plans up $ wise in JAN when he slashed two 32x11.50 Daytons; they were just a year old at the time.
I found that Dayton stopped making em (in 32s) right after I bought them and None are avail anywhere....; so I ended up w/ two Michelin LTX® M/S 32x11.50R15 in an emergency buy that late Saturday afternoon; guess what? right, they stopped mfg em too!

Prob is finding tires in the future to replace the Daytons that have an actual inflated diameter close enuf (see below) to whatever is in in-place so that we can do the std rotation & don't rip up the Xfer case, etc.

This is by BW for its Xfer cases, esp the 1356;
Diameter & Pressure Difference for Transfer Case Operation; "...Before attempting any diagnostic work or trouble shooting on the transfer cases, make sure that the tire pressures and circumference are all the same. Do not just compare tire sidewall labels, you must measure each tire around the center of the tread. A stagger gauge will let you do this with the vehicle on the ground in 5 minutes. The tires must match in size to ¼” (.250) if they do not sell the customer on a new set of tires and again measure them again..."
Source: by BW via Mike at rsgear.com

If you want to buy on-line, after picking out the combo you need, go to a local privately-owned tire shop and see if they'll beat/match total installed cost w/free life-time rotations and anything else you can get (road hazard...etc.)

Worthy said:

Please explain, fresh meat here doesn't understand?

Click to expand...

yo!
Ok, no problem; make sure that the tire pressures and circumference of all tires are the same. The tires must match in inflated diameter to ¼” (.250") .

I had to get 2 new tires and had to match the actual new tires' inflated diameter to the 2 old tires; so when using 4x4 mode, the transfer case won't break-down.

OLD Slashed tires were Dayton Timberline AT 32x11.50R15 Overall Diameter 31.5" Section Width 11.4" OD Measured at 30.2 inches via chalk mark method

Tired I bought to replace the Dayton's - selected them because Overall Diameter was close enuf.

Michelin LTX® M/S 32x11.50R15 Overall Diameter 31.7"; Section Width 11.6 on 8.0" wheel OD Measured at 30.2 inches via chalk mark method
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Here are some tires I may get to match the 2 tires I bought last JAN 2009;
Yokohama GEOLANDAR ATII 32x11.50R15 Overall Diameter 31.8" Section Width 11.5 Source: by yokohamatire.com
Set of 4: $508.00 @ Tire Rack + $90.00 shipping May 2010
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Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar 32X11.5-15 Set of 4: $744.00 Overall Diameter 31.8" Section Width 11.4" Set of 4: $744.00 Tire Rack MAY 2010 Source: by tirerack.com
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Hankook DynaPro MT RT03 32x11.50R15 Overall Diameter 31.8" Section Width 10.8" by hankooktireusa.com
$195.00 each by discounttiredirect. May 2010
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Kumho Road Venture AT KL78 32x11.50R15 Overall Diameter 31.4" Section Width 11.4 on 9.0 Set of 4: $436.00 Tire Rack + $82.24 Shipping May 2010 Source: by kumhousa.com
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Mastercraft (Cooper) Courser MT 32x11.50R15 Overall Diameter 31.4" Section Width 11.4 on 9.0" wheel
Source: by mastercrafttires.com
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Pro Comp Radial All Terrain 32x11.50R-15, Overall Diameter 30.7" $179.99 at 4wheelparts.com JUN 2010 or $161.99 new at 4wd.comSource: by procomptires.com

GL:thumbup

stress the chain/gears and will destroy something on dry surfaces; if only one tire is a different diameter the axle that this tire is on will try to spin @ a different speed. This creates a bind in the system, and either the tire will slip or the transfer case will bind up.

I must add that in snow/wet road it won't be that big of an issue but when going into dry patches of road while still in 4x4

I just found this in my site; I had a syntax error and it was lost in programming heaven;
it;s by Tire Rack;
"The ability of four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles to divide the engine's horsepower between its four tires is especially useful on loose or slippery surfaces such as sand and dirt, as well as on wet, icy or snow-covered roads. However it's important to remember that in order to transfer this extra power, the four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicle's driveline mechanically connects the tires so they work in unison.

Four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles are equipped with additional differentials and/or viscous couplings that are designed to allow momentary differences in wheel speeds when the vehicle turns a corner or temporarily spins a tire. However, if the differentials or viscous couplings are forced to operate 100% of the time because of mismatched tires, they will experience excessive heat and unwarranted wear until they fail.

This necessitates that four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles use tires that are very closely matched. This is because different diameter tires roll a different number of times each mile as a result of the variations in their circumferences. Tire diameter variations can be caused by accidentally using different sized tires, tires with different tread designs, tires made by different manufacturers, different inflation pressures or even tires worn to different tread depths.

As an example of different tire diameters resulting from tires worn to different tread depths, we'll compare two 225/45R17-sized tires, a new tire with its original tread depth of 10/32-inch and a second tire worn to 8/32-inch of remaining tread depth. The new 225/45R17-sized tire has a calculated diameter of 24.97", a circumference of 78.44" and will roll 835 times each mile. The same tire worn to 8/32-inch of remaining tread depth is calculated to be 1/8" shorter with a diameter of 24.84", have a circumference of 78.04" and will roll 839 times per mile. While the difference of 1/8" in overall diameter doesn't seem excessive, the resulting 4 revolutions per mile difference can place a continuous strain on the tires and vehicle's driveline. Obviously, the greater the difference in the tires' circumferences, the greater the resulting strain.

This makes maintaining the vehicle manufacturer's recommended tire inflation pressures and using "matched" tires on all wheel positions necessary procedures to reduce strain on the vehicle's driveline. Using "matched" tires means all four tires are the same brand, design and tread depth. Mixing tire brands, tread designs and tread depths may cause components in the vehicle's driveline to fail.

Mismatched tires or using improper inflation pressures for all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles can also result in immediate drivability problems. Some Control Trac equipped vehicles in 4Auto mode may exhibit a shutter on acceleration and/or a noise from the front driveline and transfer case while driving. Some all-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles may exhibit axle windup or binding while driving. Some four-wheel drive vehicles (manual or electronic shift) with a two-wheel drive mode may refuse to shift "on the fly" into 4x4 Auto or 4x4 High at highway speeds..." read more, esp. Matching Tires By Shaving Them to Maintain Equivalent Tire Tread Depths

Also, "...Ford typically builds 4WD trucks with a slightly faster/numerically lower front gear ratio than the rear so that off-road steering is enhanced. So a truck built with 3.55 rear gears will have 3.54 front; 3.08 rear - 3.07 front; 4.11 rear - 4.10 front, etc..."
Source: by Steve83
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I'll look for the chain info later; have to roll now