Tire size on 6 wheel 3500's

[gmeabon]

Anyone know what the max size tire would be on a 2005 3500 6 wheel, keeping in mind that this is a tow vehicle. :confused:

[Kirkes]

I put 235-85-16s on mine plenty of room could have gone bigger.

Brent

[Heartbeat Hauler]

First are you gonna tow anything heavy? If so, then at the risk of sounding like a broken record...Going to a 235/85/16 or larger may cause the duals to rub on each other (due to limited wheel offset and places the dual tires very close to one another)under load. This can cause excessive heat and result in a blowout. Not sayin' you can't do it 'cause I know a bunch of guys have, and have gone bigger and report no problems.
JP

[pgreen]

Couldn't you use a wheel spacer between the DRWs if you want a bigger tire?

Phil

[GMC Driver]

On our 1999 K3500, we recently put a set of 235/85 16s on it - BFG Commercial TA's. These are a 10 ply tire, and I have had no problems with rub. We daily load this truck up - it has an 11' dump body on it, and load it with excavated materials, soil, granulars, and different types of block that we install (landscaping). It also pulls a 1800 lb 16' deck-over float trailer with a 9000 lb skidsteer, and again no rub. I believe the extra plys have helped dramatically. We previously ran a set of 8 ply no-namers, and while we had no blowouts, the inside sidewalls were pretty weak when we replaced them. My advice: if loads are a concern, look at heavier ply tire. The BFGs on this truck look much like the same tread pattern as the BFG All-Terrain T/A, quite aggressive and great in mud and snow.

[Heartbeat Hauler]

Originally posted by GMC Driver:
On our 1999 K3500, we recently put a set of 235/85 16s on it - BFG Commercial TA's. These are a 10 ply tire, and I have had no problems with rub. We daily load this truck up - it has an 11' dump body on it, and load it with excavated materials, soil, granulars, and different types of block that we install (landscaping). It also pulls a 1800 lb 16' deck-over float trailer with a 9000 lb skidsteer, and again no rub. I believe the extra plys have helped dramatically. We previously ran a set of 8 ply no-namers, and while we had no blowouts, the inside sidewalls were pretty weak when we replaced them. My advice: if loads are a concern, look at heavier ply tire. The BFGs on this truck look much like the same tread pattern as the BFG All-Terrain T/A, quite aggressive and great in mud and snow. Correct for a 1999, however, in 2001 (new body style)the wheel was redesigned and the offset was decreased. As far as wheel spacers are concerned, the wheels are hub centric meaning the weight is carried on the hub not the wheel studs. So if a spacer is used the wheel no longer rides on the hub but on the lugs as the spacer pushes the wheel away from the hub. This can cause the studs to break and the wheel to go in a different direction than the rest of the truck... :D There may be some spacers that ae designed with the proper hub extension I just don't know which ones. On the other side of the coin, many forum members have run the larger tires with no alterations and report no problems, likewise with wheels spacers. I guess the choice is up to you. Might consider a set of Alcoa rims with the proper offset, but they are a bit pricey. Good luck.
JP