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I bought my '98 from a DOT auction and it came with highway tires. In 4 wheel drive, I would get stuck on damp grass on a very gentle slope. I ended getting the Bridgestone AT Revos in 285/75 R16 (33" diameter). This was before I found this site. It brought my revs down by about 6%. Anyhow, it was about the largest tire that would easily fit without rubbing. I can't speak as to how it affected FE since I wasn't tracking back then, and was getting fuel for a dollar per gallon. I was looking for something that had good snow and mud performance without being noisy inefficient knobbies.
To choose the right tire, you will need to know what gearing your truck has. I believe there were 2 common ratios; one that emphasises pulling power, the other fuel economy. If you're pulling heavy or up steep grades, you might not want a larger diameter. For snow you generally want a narrow tire, and for mud a wide tire.
Then you have to consider what tires are available by load rating. It can get very complex trying to find the right tire for the job, so more info is needed. Decide on a diameter based on your gearing needs, then go with the narrowest tire you can based terrain, and finally, check out tirerack and compare the available tires in that size. They have various ratings for noise, wet performance, wear, etc.
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