How much tire is enough?

[Jerry D]

I'm very happy with my new 2500HD but I have to admit that I'm more than a little concerned about the size of the stock wheels and tires. I'm starting to get concerned about pulling the fully loaded 5th wheel on a long trip. Am I being overly nervous or should I be thinking about switching to a larger tire? If so, what size? How about larger wheels? 17's? 19.5's?

I'd love to hear comments.

[HowieE]

The size of the tire is an asthetic thing. What you should be looking at is the load rating of the tires.
Get the hitch weight of the 5th and add it to the rear axel weight of your truck and you have defined the load rating of the tires you need. Add a little for the junk your wife will bring along.
Michlin has a web site with the tire pressures for light truck tires that will help select your tires.

[tanker]

Tire size can add to the carrying capacity of your truck. I switched from 245/75R16-E, to: 265/75R16-E which at 80psi allows 3415lbs per tire. GM 2500-SRW get the 245's and the 3500-SRW get the 265's which along with the extra spring leaf and helper bumps the GVWR from 9200lbs, to 9900lbs.
Just don't forget the weakest link in the chain story. If you load heavy you may wish to go with a larger tire, then the speedometer will be off from just a tad with 265's to whatever depending on what size you go up to. This also affects the final drive ratio, more so with large tires. One size up will not affect that much. GM's fender clearance is not that good for bigger tires without other modifications. smile.gif

[1822]

I went to 225x19.5 and could not believe the improvment. High initial cost but they will be the last tires you will buy for a long time. Check our Ricksontrucks.com. Good people to deal with.

[DA BIG ONE]

Originally posted by 1822:
I went to 225x19.5 and could not believe the improvment. High initial cost but they will be the last tires you will buy for a long time. Check our Ricksontrucks.com. Good people to deal with. What brand tire?

My tire guy will not install anything less than an "E" rated tire on my 2500 Burb no matter how much $$$. He says because some smart lawyers are now sueing tire dealers, and vehicle owners on the basis that the underrated tires contributed to the "loss", and have been winning in court!

He also gave me a lesson on GMs steel rims, and aftermarket, while 16x6.5" steel wheels may look the same, they are not, they come in welded and riveted versions. GMs welded steel rims and most aftermarket steel rims are not rated for most 2500 and up GMC/CHEV trucks, while the GM riveted wheel is. All revited wheels have a letter code next to the valve stem and must be matched to the manufactures origional code.

I have seen upwards of 800lbs curb/max. cap. weight difference just in 2500 series Burbs, surely other 2500 series trucks have the same issue.

[ 10-09-2004, 04:19 AM: Message edited by: DA BIG ONE ]

[1822]

DA BIG ONE- General LMT-400. In the future I will put LMT-460 on the front and 400 on rears.

[CleviteKid]

DA BIG ONE:

You have just mentioned another "benefit" of living in Florida, in addition to Hurricanes, and that is lawsuits.

I know quite a few lawyers who have moved from New York and New England to Florida, and have imported their litigious demeanor as well. The lawsuits you mention are not just limited to undersize tires. They also sue if the tires are OVERSIZE, on the theory that the manufacturers designed the trucks for just one size tire, and anything else will "degrade the handling and stability" of the vehicle.

I had a case with a Toyota pickup truck with 31x10.50R15 tires retrofitted to a 2WD truck, in which a high school girl ran off the road into a ditch, hit a culvert and flipped the truck end-over-end "to avoid hitting a bunny-rabbit in the road." The tire dealer that put the 31's on got sued for causing the "roll-over". When I pointed out that these were the standard tires on the 4WD version of the same truck, the plaintiff lawyer had a lot less to go on.

Dr. Lee :cool:

[moondoggie]

Good Day!

Sounds like the People's Republik of Minnesota, where "if it isn't illegal, it's probably mandatory!" I'm 52; the way this stuff is going, I'm glad I'm not going to be around in 50 years. Apparently "personal responsibility" is an oxymoron. Our founders are turning in their graves

[DA BIG ONE]

Originally posted by 1822:
DA BIG ONE- General LMT-400. In the future I will put LMT-460 on the front and 400 on rears. Nice wheels and tires, I am drooling now.
I like the aluminum w/Dunlop, or GoodYear M/S rated 245/70/19.5.

Now to make up some far fetched story to give my wife as to why I need them.

DOCTOR LEE: BAR members seem out of control!

Moondoggie: How do we say "AMERIKA"? A shame indeed.