1987 Ford F150 tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 1987 Ford F150, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 235/75R15 OEM | R15 | 5x139.7 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1987 Ford F150 wheel bolt pattern & specs
| Bolt pattern (PCD) | 5x139.7 |
|---|---|
| Center bore | 87.1 mm |
| Source | bolt-pattern.com |
Best by use case
Four tires, four jobs
See the best tires for the Ford F150, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Ford F150 →
Compatible alternative sizes for 235/75R15
Sizes within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter safe-fit tolerance. Each row links to the size's own page.
| Alternative size | %Δ OD | Category | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
215/70R17 |
-0.10% | plus 2 | Safe |
205/80R16 |
0.12% | plus 1 | Safe |
235/70R16 |
0.26% | plus 1 | Safe |
235/80R14 |
-0.26% | alternative | Safe |
235/65R17 |
0.52% | plus 2 | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 235/75R15 upsize options. To check an arbitrary size pair, use the tire compatibility calculator.
Check a different size against this vehicle
Type any tire size below; we'll compute its overall-diameter delta against the OEM 235/75R15 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 205/80R16; one rim size up, 0.12% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 215/70R17; two rim sizes up, -0.10% OD change. Noticeable ride penalty, higher pothole risk, meaningful tire-cost premium.
Use the plus-size calculator to evaluate any rim step against the OEM size.
How to choose tires for the 1987 ford F150 4wd-pick-up
The 1987 Ford F150 4wd-Pick-up ships from the factory on 235/75R15 tires mounted on R15 wheels. Only one approved fitment is documented for this model year, so replacement options should match the original size exactly unless a plus-size upgrade is being considered. The Compatible alternative sizes table above lists every safe substitution within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter tolerance.
Tire choice on the Ford F150 comes down to three trade-offs that matter more than brand loyalty: load index (must equal or exceed the OEM number), speed rating (must match or exceed the placard), and UTQG treadwear (higher means longer life, lower usually means stickier rubber). Owners replacing factory tires with the same compound class, for example all-season for all-season, generally see no change in ride characteristics or fuel economy. Switching categories (performance summer to all-season touring, for example) is where the trade-offs show up at the contact patch.
For 1987 Ford F150 4wd-Pick-up owners considering a plus-size upgrade, the safer option is a Plus-1 step (one rim size up with a 10-point aspect drop and ~10 mm of additional section width). Plus-2 is technically viable on this chassis if the alternative-sizes table lists a Plus-2 candidate within tolerance, but expect a meaningful ride-harshness penalty and a tire-cost premium of 30–60% per tire relative to the OEM fitment. For winter use the recommended pattern is one width step down (e.g. from a 235 to a 225) with the aspect ratio bumped up to preserve overall diameter; narrower tires apply higher contact pressure per square inch on snow, which translates directly into shorter braking distances. The plus-size calculator evaluates any specific rim step against this OEM size.
Before purchasing, verify the tire size on the driver-door placard of your specific 1987 Ford F150 4wd-Pick-up, since trim levels and option packages can shift the original fitment from what is documented here. The placard reading is the authoritative source per FMVSS 110, and dealers will reference the placard rather than aftermarket catalogs when validating warranty claims.
NHTSA-reported issues for 1987 ford F150
Top issue category: Tread / Belt
Most reported: Tread / Belt (4) · Tires (General) (1)
Reported across: 1987 – 1987 (1 year)
What owners described
Tread or belt separation appears in 29% of these reports; about 2.2× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 38 reports covering every model year of the Ford F150 that include a written account; a single report can describe more than one problem, so they do not total 100%.
| Reported problem | This subject | All tire complaints | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread or belt separation | 29% | 13% | 2.2× |
| Cracking or dry rot | 18% | 9% | 2.0× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 13% | 20% | 0.7× |
| Sidewall failure | 11% | 15% | 0.7× |
| Bubble or bulge in the tire | 3% | 6% | 0.4× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 3% | 8% | 0.3× |
Mileage at failure
14 of these reports state an odometer reading. The middle report is at 15,551 miles, with 8 in 10 falling between 10,573 and 65,070 miles.
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Ford F150. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
PE00 020; CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 70MPH ON T HIGHWAY, AND HEARD THUMBING NOISE. HE HAD CONTROL OF VEHICLE BY HOLDING ON THE STEERING WHEEL. THE TIRE POPPED, AND THEN HE VEERED ONTO THE ROAD. FRONT RIGHT TIRE TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM WHEEL. TIRES WERE FIRESTONE #ATX. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED.
PE00020, TIRE TREAD SEPARATION: WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 60 MPH, REAR TIRE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE EXPLOPED. TIRE SIZE P23575R15, ORIGINAL TIRE EQUIPMENT, AND DOT # VNHL. TIRE MILEAGE ABOUT 50,000. TIRE WAS TAKEN TO A FIRESTONE DEALERSHIP. *AK THE CUSTOMER ALSO DISCOVERED THAT THREE REMAINING TIRES HAVE CRACKS NEAR THE EDGE OF THE TREAD AND BELIEVED THEY ARE SAFETY HAZARD.
I NOTICED PEOPLE ARE REPORTING PROBLEMS WITH FIRESTONE TIRES AS BACK AS 1992 BUT ACTUALLY I EXPERIENCED SIMILIAR PROBLEMS WITH FIRESTONE TIRES BACK IN 1982. I REPLACED ALL THE TIRES SHORTLY AFTER THE RIGHT REAR FIRESTONE TIRE SEPARATED IT'S STEEL BELTS. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 15R75 )
00 T 005 000/TREAD SEPARATION: RIGHT REAR FIRESTONE FIREHAWK ATX TIRE EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION WHILE TRAVELING AT 70 MPH WITH DRIVER AND ONE PASSENGER IN A 1985 FORD F150, AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT INSTALLED AT 65070 MILES; 31X10.5/R15, DOT# VD60AP352. VEHICLE LOST CONTROL/ FISHTAILED AND ROLLED OVER. DRIVER/PASSENGER RECEIVED INJURIES. *AK *SLC
Complaints are voluntarily submitted to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation and are not verified by NHTSA; they represent owner-reported problems, not proven defects. Counts can be useful as a relative quality signal across comparable tires or vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
What size tires fit a 1987 Ford F150?
What is the bolt pattern of a 1987 Ford F150?
Can I run a different tire size on my 1987 Ford F150?
Where can I buy tires for my 1987 Ford F150?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 1987 Ford F150?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 1987 Ford F150?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 1987 Ford F150?
For broader tire questions; replacement timing, UTQG, EV-specific tires, winter swaps; see the tire FAQ.
Sources for this page
- Vehicle owner's manual tire & wheel placard; door-jamb placard on the Ford F150 is the authoritative source for OEM tire size, load index, and cold-inflation pressure for your specific trim.
- NHTSA SaferCar; recall lookup for the 1987 Ford F150.
- ETRTO 2024 Standards Manual §2.3; overall-diameter math used for the alternative-size verdicts above.
- Tire & Rim Association 2025 Yearbook; load-index to maximum-load reference.
Last verified 2026-09-02.