The Exact 265/70R17C Meaning on a 4×4 F-150 FX4 LT Option
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What the C on your F-150 FX4 tire size actually means
On a 2021–2026 F-150, LT265/70R17C is a light-truck tire, and the C is its load range. It is not a European commercial-tire code.
The short answer
Ford never made this tire standard on the FX4 Off-Road Package. Its order guides list it as an FX4 option. That option was 4×4-only for 2021 and limited to fleet orders by the 2024 model year.
Which part of this page you need
- Cross-shopping FX4 builds? The year-by-year table shows who could order it.
- Replacing tires on a truck you own? Read the look-alike trap and the replacement checks.
- Need every factory size? The F-150 specs by configuration matrix covers them.
ℹ️ Safety Note: Tire load range and load index set how much weight each tire can carry at a given pressure. Fitting a tire rated below what your truck’s placard calls for affects braking, handling and heat build-up, not just ride. Use this page to understand the specification, then match against your own truck’s placard.
📍 Check your own vehicle first: Specifications vary by build date, package and market, and two trucks with the same badge can be built differently. Before you buy anything based on this page, confirm against the tire and loading information placard on the driver’s door jamb and the size string on your tire sidewall. If your vehicle disagrees with this page, your vehicle is right.
Reading LT265/70R17C character by character
Only the first and last characters of this size are unusual; the middle reads like any tire.
- LT: built to light-truck load and inflation tables, not passenger (P-metric) tables
- 265: section width in millimetres
- 70: sidewall height is 70% of that width
- R / 17: radial construction, fits a 17-inch wheel
LT: built for light-truck load tables
Size for size, an LT tire needs more air than a P-metric tire to carry the same load. That’s why the placard pressure matters more than the maximum molded on the sidewall.
C: Load Range C, the old 6-ply rating
Load Range C is a construction grade, formerly called 6-ply rated. The letter doesn’t tell you the weight the tire carries. The load index on the sidewall does.
🔍 What This Spec Means: Think of the load range as the class of tire and the load index as its actual weight limit. When you replace tires, you compare both.
Which 2021–2026 F-150 FX4 builds got LT265/70R17C
Ford’s order guides show this tire narrowing from a retail FX4 option to a fleet-only order.
| Model Year | How It Could Be Ordered | Applies To |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Option with FX4 (55A) | 4×4 only; not with 3.0L Power Stroke diesel |
| 2022 | Option with FX4, code T7C | XL and XLT only |
| 2023 | [fact pending verification — editor to confirm] | — |
| 2024 | Fleet only, code T7C | FX4 builds |
| 2025–2026 | Fleet only, code T7C | FX4 builds (FX4 listed for XLT, Lariat, King Ranch, Platinum) |
Source: Ford Division F-150 order guides and price lists, 2021–2026 model years. See Ford’s 2026 F-150 order guide .
2021–2022: retail option on 4×4 FX4
A retail buyer could tick this box on a 4×4 FX4 truck. For 2022, it was restricted to XL and XLT.
2023–2026: fleet-only order
From 2024, a used retail FX4 with 17-inch LT tires either came through a fleet order or had its tires changed later.
The 18-inch sibling: LT265/70R18C
Ford also lists an LT265/70R18C all-terrain (code T8C) as an FX4 option, and it still appears on the 2026 price list. For the full 2026 lineup, see the F-150 tire size chart.
LT265/70R17C vs 265/70R17: same numbers, different tire
The shared numbers describe the shape, not how much weight the tire is built to carry.
What stays the same
Both sizes share the same nominal width, aspect ratio and 17-inch rim diameter. Overall diameter is nominally equal, so the size swap alone doesn’t change gearing.
What changes with the LT construction
The LT tire is rated on light-truck load tables and uses a load range letter; a P-metric 265/70R17 uses Standard or Extra Load. Compare the load index branded on each sidewall. A matching size doesn’t mean a matching load.
The Euro commercial “C” tire that looks the same
A second tire family uses almost the same string, and the C means something else there.
How to tell them apart on the sidewall
Look at the front of the size. LT265/70R17C starts with LT. A Euro-metric commercial size has no LT prefix and ends in C.
Why the C means something different there
On a Euro-metric commercial tire, C marks a commercial construction rated by load index, not by a load range letter. The two can’t be compared by the C alone.
🚫 Fits But Shouldn’t: A 265/70R17 with a C suffix but no LT prefix mounts on the same 17-inch wheel as Ford’s LT option, yet it is rated under a different system. What settles it is the branded load index versus your door-jamb placard, not the matching size.
Replacing LT265/70R17C: what the new tire must match
Match the replacement to your truck’s placard, not to the tire the last owner fitted.
Load index at or above the placard
The replacement’s load index should equal or exceed what the placard specifies for your truck. Load capacity also ties into what your truck can carry; see the F-150 payload capacity chart.
Load range, speed rating, pressure: placard first
Inflate to the placard’s cold pressure. Don’t step down from an LT load range to a passenger tire without confirming the load index still meets the placard.
✅ Do This: Before buying, ask a tire shop to read your placard with you and confirm, in writing, that the replacement’s load index meets or exceeds it at the placard pressure.
Three places to confirm your FX4 has the LT option
Your own truck settles the question faster than any listing.
Door-jamb placard
The tire and loading information placard on the driver’s door jamb lists the original tire size and the recommended cold pressure.
Window sticker and build sheet
A factory LT option appears as its own line (T7C for 17-inch, T8C for 18-inch). The tire sidewall confirms what is actually mounted now.
FAQ
1. Is 265/70R17C a commercial tire?
On an F-150 FX4, LT265/70R17C is a light-truck tire with Load Range C, not a Euro commercial size. Check for the LT prefix.
2. Is Load Range C the same as 6-ply?
Load Range C is the grade formerly called 6-ply rated. The load index, not the letter, gives the tire’s actual weight capacity.
3. What PSI should LT265/70R17C run on an F-150?
Use the cold pressure on your driver’s door-jamb tire placard, not the maximum molded on the sidewall.
4. Can I replace LT265/70R17C with P265/70R17?
Only if its load index meets or exceeds your placard’s requirement at the placard pressure. Confirm with a tire professional before buying.
5. Did every FX4 get LT265/70R17C tires?
No. Ford’s order guides list it as an optional FX4 tire, 4×4-only in 2021 and fleet-only by the 2024 model year.
6. What is option code T7C?
T7C is Ford’s order-guide code for LT265/70R17C BSW all-terrain tires on the F-150 FX4 Off-Road Package.
7. Is 265/70R17 the same as LT265/70R17C?
They share nominal dimensions, but LT265/70R17C uses light-truck load tables and a load range. Compare the load index on each.
8. Does the LT option change tire diameter?
The LT265/70R17C and P-metric 265/70R17 share nominal dimensions. The difference is load construction, not overall size.
9. Is there an 18-inch version of this tire?
Yes. Ford lists LT265/70R18C all-terrain tires (code T8C) as an FX4 option, still on the 2026 price list.
10. Where do I find my F-150’s tire load rating?
The load index is on the tire sidewall, and the required size and pressure are on the door-jamb placard. Compare the two before buying.
Getting the right tire for your FX4
The C in 265/70R17C is Load Range C on a light-truck tire, and Ford made it an optional FX4 tire, not a standard one. Before you buy a replacement, read your placard and match its load index at the placard pressure.
