Need your help...im confused. *Noob

Well, I've decided it's time to start lookin for some new wheels and tires for the taco. The stock 15s just ain't cutting it...so, I've been doing some research on tire sizes and stuff but I'm still a little confused as to what it all means. I just have 3 simple questions:

1.) What is the biggest tire I can go staying with the stock 15inch rims with no rubbing issues and NO LIFT ?

and

2.) If I went from a 15x7 to a 15x8 wheel, will that fit stock with no modifications ?

I've been looking around and I just have no idea where to really begin. Trucks are new to me and I'm lost. I'm looking to keep the same size 15inch wheel but I'd like to get a littler bit of a wider tire. I've been looking at the BF Goodrich AT's and that leads me to me next questioin..

3.) Will a 235x75x15 tire fit the stock wheels or do I need to get a wheel with a 15x8 measurment ? I'm assuming the 235 is way to big. I was doing some calculations and the websites recommend staying within 3% of the diamater of the original tire or risk brake failure.

Sorry for all the newbie questions, but I just don't want my truck looking ridiculous. Any help is appreciated and it really helps me out. Thanks a lot guys!

 

The only real concern with 15x7 or 15x8 is backspacing & tire width.
Backspacing is the location of the mounting surface in relation to the width of the wheel. I don't know what the stock wheel backspacing is. You can get different backspacing on new wheels. Just do some research and find out what backspacing everyone is using.

When it comes to tire width - you can only run a certain width tire on a 15x7 rim to ensure proper tire wear at the recommended tire pressure. If the tire is too wide, you'll have to run a lower tire pressure to ensure a 'flat' tread pattern on the pavement. This can also depend on the overall height of the tire.

Please pardon - as I'm accustomed more with standard tire sizes....

You'll be pefectly fine running a 235x75xR15 (28.9x9.4xR15) on the stock 15x7 rim. The previous generation trucks came with 31x10.5xR15 (267x76xE15) on the stock 15x7 rims from the factory. I actually ran 32x11.50xR15 on my 96 for years but I had to run a lower tire pressure. A 10.5 (76) width tire is probably the max you should run on stock 15x7 rims.

15 x 8 is a different story....I have 35x12.50xR15 tires on my jeep with 15x8's & 4" backspacing. That's probably the most popular combination with that tire size.

If you ever plan on going with bigger tires in the future, I'd get the 15x8 rims now so you won't have to upgrade them again in the future.

 

From what I can gather, most people are running 15x8's with 4 to 4.5 inch backspacing. So, hypothetically, could I run a 15x8 wheel with 235/75/15 AT's with no rub an no lift ?

What I'm trying to achieve is a tire width that sits flush with the fender lip. However, I have no lift and I've heard wheel spacers is just asking for trouble. I can lift if neccesary, but I'm thinking if I stay with the stock 15's for now and stay at a 75 profile I shold be okay. I'm just worried about rubbing. Any recommended sizes for what I'm trying to achieve ?