1983 Ford F350 tire sizes & fitment
Approved tire and wheel sizes for the 1983 Ford F350, sourced from manufacturer fitment data and refreshed monthly.
Approved fitments
| Tire size | Rim size | PCD (bolt pattern) | Offset | Load index | Speed rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 215/85R16 OEM | R16 | 8x165.1 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 235/85R16 OEM | R16 | 8x165.1 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
1983 Ford F350 wheel bolt pattern & specs
| Bolt pattern (PCD) | 8x165.1 |
|---|---|
| Center bore | 124.9 mm |
| Source | bolt-pattern.com |
Best by use case
Four tires, four jobs
See the best tires for the Ford F350, ranked by category →
Tire recalls & safety complaints for the Ford F350 →
Plus-size and winter-downsize options for every Ford F350 factory size →
Compatible alternative sizes for 215/85R16
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
185/85R18 |
-0.03% | plus 2 | Safe |
245/85R14 |
0.03% | alternative | Safe |
225/70R18 |
0.04% | plus 2 | Safe |
245/80R15 |
0.14% | alternative | Safe |
245/75R16 |
0.26% | wider | Safe |
For the full list of alternatives with comfort/handling impact, see 215/85R16 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 215/85R16 and verdict using the ETRTO ±3% rule.
Common upgrade paths
- Plus-1: 225/75R17; one rim size up, -0.34% OD change. Sharper steering, mild ride penalty, modest cost premium.
- Plus-2: 185/85R18; two rim sizes up, -0.03% 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 1983 ford F350
The 1983 Ford F350 ships from the factory on 215/85R16 tires mounted on R16 wheels. 2 approved fitments are documented for this model year, allowing some flexibility between performance, comfort, and winter compounds. The Compatible alternative sizes table above lists every safe substitution within the ETRTO ±3% overall-diameter tolerance.
Tire choice on the Ford F350 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 1983 Ford F350 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 1983 Ford F350, 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 1983 ford F350
Top issue category: Tires (General)
Reported across: 1983 – 1983 (1 year)
What owners described
Tread or belt separation appears in 23% of these reports; about 1.7× as often as across all tire complaints. Percentages are shares of the 13 reports covering every model year of the Ford F350 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 | 23% | 13% | 1.7× |
| Blowout or sudden deflation | 23% | 20% | 1.1× |
| Loss of control, rollover or collision | 15% | 8% | 1.8× |
| Sidewall failure | 8% | 15% | 0.5× |
In owners' own words
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA about Ford F350. Reports are published by NHTSA as filed and are lightly cleaned here only to remove intake codes.
DATE OF TIRE FAILURE IS THE MOST RECENT FAILURE. THREE PREVIOUS TIRE FAILURES HAVE OCCURRED AT ABOUT SIX TO NINE MONTH INTERVALS. WHILE EACH OF THESE TIRES HAD BEEN USED CONSIDERABLY, THE TIRE FAILURE IN EACH CASE HAS BEEN IDENTICAL. THE FAILURE IN EACH CASE HAS BEEN A SEVERE AND DRAMATIC BLOWOUT. THE LOSS OF TIRE PRESSURE IN EACH CASE HAS BEEN INSTANTEOUS AND COMPLETE. THE BLOWOUT IN EACH INCIDENT HAS BEEN TRANSVERSE INVOLVING ALL OF THE TREAD SURFACE AND BOTH SIDEWALLS LEAVING ONLY THE TIRE BEADS INTACT.
CONSUMER NOTICED A 2 FEET SPLIT IN TREAD, WHICH EXPOSED THE TIRE CONSTRUCTION,NO AIR WAS LOST,TIRE REPLACED BY FIRESTONE,COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A ROLL OVER, ACCORDING TO THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE GOODYEAR IS CONDUCTING A SILENT RECALL ON THIS TIRE. LOCAL DEALER SAYS AT IS A WORSE PROBLEM FOR TREAD SPLITS.
SERIAL # ANOR LT U460. TIRE HAS 10/32" TREAD, TREAD PEELED OFF LIKE A RECAP RIPPING OUT FRONT AND REAR SIDE PANELS, HAD TO BE TOWED FROM SCENE. WE HAVE THE TIRE AND THE PEELED OFF TREAD FOR INSPECTION. IT LOOKS AS THOUGH RUBBER WAS NOT PROPERLY BONDED TO CASING. WE CONTACTED U.S.ROYAL WHO DENIED RESPONSIBILITY. THIS COULD HAS BEEN A DISASTEROUS ACCIDENT HAD THE VEHICLE BEEN GOING FASTER, VEHICLE HAD JUST STARTED FROM STOP SIGN, TURNED RIGHT AND STARTED GOING UPHILL WHENN TREAD PEELED OFF WITH TREMENDOUS NOISE DAMAGING SIDE OF VEHICLE. TIRE WAS PROPERLY INFLATED AND VEHICLE WAS NOT LOADED WITH MORE THAN 150 LBS PLUS DRIVER. WE FEEL THAT MANUFACTURER IS TURNING AWAY FROM A POSSIBLE RECALL SITUATION. WE HAVE TIRE CASING STILL MOUNTED ON RIM AND THE TREAD COMPLETE WHICH SEPERATED FROM CASING. PLEASE COMMENT.
THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED THE FOLLOWING WITH THE TIRES: RIGHT REAR BLOWOUT, LEFT TIRE SEPARATION, RIGHT FRONT DEVELOPED A LARGE BUMP, FRONT LEFT WAS TAKEN OFF FOR SAFETY, AND THE REAR LEFT BLEW OUT WHILE STANDING IN THE GARAGE. (TIRES-KUHMO/MARSHAL VENTURE) SCC
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 1983 Ford F350?
What is the bolt pattern of a 1983 Ford F350?
Can I run a different tire size on my 1983 Ford F350?
Where can I buy tires for my 1983 Ford F350?
What is the recommended tire pressure for the 1983 Ford F350?
Can I fit winter tires in a different size on my 1983 Ford F350?
How often should I rotate the tires on my 1983 Ford F350?
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 F350 is the authoritative source for OEM tire size, load index, and cold-inflation pressure for your specific trim.
- NHTSA SaferCar; recall lookup for the 1983 Ford F350.
- 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 2026-10-07.