Ideal Truck Wheels/Tires for towing?

[jsmiracle]

I have looked at several different truck tire/wheel combinations. I want good treadwear, weight handling (towing), smooth ride, and looks (in that order). I have had good experiences with Bridgestone tires, but am open to other makes.

The 6.5" OEM wheels limit how wide one can go with tires before needing to get wider wheels. Even 265's are recommended to mount on 7.0-8.0" rims.

I appreciate any thoughts. I want to hear what you think the ideal LT wheel/tire combination is for the Duramax and equipment in my signature.

Thanks,
Jim M.

[Tough Guy]

17" wheels seem to have the most sizes and tread patterns...

I really like the looks of the Nitto Dune Grappler...I have heard great things regarding Revos...I just bought a set of Dick Cepek MountainCat 285's they are a little noisy, but look great and look as if they would go anywhere!

Chris

[JeffsTowTruck]

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Firestone&tireModel=Transforce+AT
I do not have a 4X4 but here is what I just put on my truck. I put the " HT " on mine. I would like to get a set on Alcoa wheels but that will have to wait on $$$$.
The " AT " above said it is for a 4X4.
Mine do ride good and most all of the local delivery trucks here use them so tread wear must be good.

[mark45678]

If you tow heavy (over 6000lbs) I would not go to a taller tire. A 245/75/16 E is about the widest tire that should be on a stock 6.5" wide wheel... Ihave found that all 3 of my duramax trucks laydown right at 1800 rpm , any slower engine speed and there just isnt enough TQ to make even small hills while towing. Taller tires will put you into this area where the motor has to down shift to pull hills and there goes your fuel economy. Bridgestone Dueler REVO or Michelin LTX AT's are the only two tires I will run, one set of michelins I put over 107,000 miles on... They still had 4 /32" tread at that point!

[WILLYD-MAX]

My 05 is probably a twin to yours and I put Michelin 265 75 M/S on it before I drove home from the dealer. I have around 46k on them now and probably will get another 15k out of them. I tow anywhere from 15k to 28k gcw and they handle the wieght just super. I would put the same thing back on it when these wear out. I need the extra 400lbs. per tire over the stock 245s. As far as the wheels being to narrow for those tires I have not noticed any adverse effects and I usually have some pretty heavy tongue wieght on the gooseneck trailer I pull. As far as power at low rpms I think it does great and I don't have a tuner of any kind. Very quite ride on the highway also.:)

[jsmiracle]

As far as the wheels being to narrow for those tires I have not noticed any adverse effects.... As far as power at low rpms I think it does great .... Very quite ride on the highway also.:)

Thank you, all ...

The RPM's should only decrease by approx. 4% as the 265/75/16's are only about 4% longer in circumference than the 245's. I didn't expect a significant change in towing performance.

I am mainly concerned about the high loads placed on the tires (i.e. when towing) which are mounted on 6.5"(?) OEM wheels. The Alcoa wheels that I am considering are only 7" wide and cost approx. $1k for a set of 4 (fairly substantial cost for additional 0.5" width).

What width wheels are OEM on the newer 3500 SRW's (OEM tire size is 265/75/16)?

Jim M.

[mark45678]

Thank you, all ...

The RPM's should only decrease by approx. 4% as the 265/75/16's are only about 4% longer in circumference than the 245's. I didn't expect a significant change in towing performance.

I am mainly concerned about the high loads placed on the tires (i.e. when towing) which are mounted on 6.5"(?) OEM wheels. The Alcoa wheels that I am considering are only 7" wide and cost approx. $1k for a set of 4 (fairly substantial cost for additional 0.5" width).

What width wheels are OEM on the newer 3500 SRW's (OEM tire size is 265/75/16)?

Jim M.


Jim the wheels on a 3500 hd single rear wheels are 7" wide and they only come in steel ! that one more reason all 265 tire should be mounted on 7" min wheels. I can honestly say you will not have any tire wear problems on a 6.5" wheels but if you tow with and with out the 265 you will notice your 4% differance in the hills. at 1850+ rpm these motors pull really good from 1800 and slower they roll over and play dead until it down shifts. I am not sure how fast you run your truck towing but there is time when traffic just will not let you hit a hill at 70 mph. I do agree these trucks need a taller tire and look better with them, the extra load cap would be nice too.

[Dave]

My 05 is probably a twin to yours and I put Michelin 265 75 M/S on it before I drove home from the dealer. I have around 46k on them now and probably will get another 15k out of them. I tow anywhere from 15k to 28k gcw and they handle the wieght just super. I would put the same thing back on it when these wear out. I need the extra 400lbs. per tire over the stock 245s. As far as the wheels being to narrow for those tires I have not noticed any adverse effects and I usually have some pretty heavy tongue wieght on the gooseneck trailer I pull. As far as power at low rpms I think it does great and I don't have a tuner of any kind. Very quite ride on the highway also.:)

Are you running stock rims? Are you using spacers for the back end? If so what spacers, and how wide?

I think 265 would really improve the looks of the truck. Stock 215 just look plain stupid on the 3500 drw trucks.

[Dave]

Thank you, all ...

I am mainly concerned about the high loads placed on the tires (i.e. when towing) which are mounted on 6.5"(?) OEM wheels. The Alcoa wheels that I am considering are only 7" wide and cost approx. $1k for a set of 4 (fairly substantial cost for additional 0.5" width).
Jim M.

Where have you found 7" wide Alcoa wheels? They list three models that fit the 01 and new duallies, the Hotshot, Classic and the Magnums. All are 16 by 6.5 rim with a 8 on 6.5 bolt center and a 4.599 hub for the hub centric fit on the 01.

[jsmiracle]

Where have you found 7" wide Alcoa wheels?

Dave,

The Alcoa wheels I'm considering are for an '05 SRW 2500HD. They are here http://www.alcoa.com/car_truck/en/products/product.asp?country_id=999&market_id=29&market_cat_id=369&cat_id=807&prod_id=1164.

Jim M.

[DmaxMaverick]

Dave,

The Alcoa wheels I'm considering are for an '05 SRW 2500HD. They are here http://www.alcoa.com/car_truck/en/products/product.asp?country_id=999&market_id=29&market_cat_id=369&cat_id=807&prod_id=1164.

Jim M.
Those wheels are marketed for TRAILER use. NOT drive/steering wheels. They are not interchangeable.

Check out Centerline's Extreme Duty wheel line. They are offered in many different sizes, and are designed for truck mounting.

[Dave]

Dave,

The Alcoa wheels I'm considering are for an '05 SRW 2500HD. They are here http://www.alcoa.com/car_truck/en/products/product.asp?country_id=999&market_id=29&market_cat_id=369&cat_id=807&prod_id=1164.

Jim M.

Some how I missed the fact these were for a SRW truck, I was thinking we were talking Rims for a DRW truck.

Am I missing some thing, those rims on your link are trailer rims.

[jsmiracle]

Am I missing some thing, those rims on your link are trailer rims.

Apparently so...I need to go back to the website and see what I missed.:confused:

Jim M.

[jsmiracle]

Check out Centerline's Extreme Duty wheel line. They are offered in many different sizes, and are designed for truck mounting.

Thanks.....are you happy with yours?

Jim M.

[DmaxMaverick]

Thanks.....are you happy with yours?

Jim M.

Very.

They are 16x8, though. Pic's of them are in the "Truck Stuff Pics" link in my sig.

[jsmiracle]

... Pic's of them are in the "Truck Stuff Pics" link in my sig.

DmaxMav,

Nice-lookin' wheels!! I think I will go with the "Falcon" (bi-directional?)wheel when the $$$ allows and the OEM tires get some more mles on them.

Q: Did you request centercaps that cover the lug nuts? I noticed your centercaps are different, in that respect, to the caps on their website.

Thanks,
Jim M.

[DmaxMaverick]

DmaxMav,

Nice-lookin' wheels!! I think I will go with the "Falcon" (bi-directional?)wheel when the $$$ allows and the OEM tires get some more mles on them.

Q: Did you request centercaps that cover the lug nuts? I noticed your centercaps are different, in that respect, to the caps on their website.

Thanks,
Jim M.
I ordered the caps separately from my tire shop. Pricey, but I think they set off the look real well. You need the "medium deep" caps to fit over the rear hub. The Extreme Duty wheels DO NOT come with caps, unlike some of their light duty lines. The caps they show in the brochure and on the website are "for display only" and won't fit your truck. I think there was some fine print or footnote that said that. No big deal, as they don't come with them, anyway.

I went with the "Comet III" wheels because they appeared to be lower maintenance. The slots and grooves are large, so they don't have a bunch of little slots to retain dirt/grime, and are very easy to clean. They will still shine up like new (if/when I get the notion to).

A thing you should note if you get Centerline (or any other brand for that matter) with threaded cap mounting holes....I didn't get the caps until a couple weeks after I installed the wheels, and had to install 4 Heli-Coils into the holes needed to mount the caps. They come with set SS screws in the holes, which are threaded into the aluminum (to keep the holes clean). 4 (of 8) were seized and had to be drilled out (on reflection, I should have done them all). When you get the wheels, have the tire shop remove the set screws and replace them with a good anti-seize if you don't install caps right away. In any case, use a good anti-seize with the bolts, which should be SS or brass. This condition isn't really anybody's fault, just the nature of the beast. Centerline should have used anti-seize, and maybe they do now, or maybe they just forgot mine. I was very pleased with the wheels/caps, despite this. At least if you have the tire shop (or supplier) do this first, it will be on their bill.

[Modified]

Thank you, all ...

I am mainly concerned about the high loads placed on the tires (i.e. when towing) which are mounted on 6.5"(?) OEM wheels. The Alcoa wheels that I am considering are only 7" wide and cost approx. $1k for a set of 4 (fairly substantial cost for additional 0.5" width).

Jim M.

You are getting more than just 1/2" extra width for $1K.
You are also getting a rim that's rated to carry 3750 lbs. Never saw anyone sure what the OEM rims are rated for. The far majority of aluminum forge rims seem to be rated only to 3100 lbs.
The price of these rims sure went up. I bought 4 Alcoa Classics 16X7 a couple of years ago from Southwest Wheel for $600 + $75 shipping.