Towing tire confusion
Hello. New to the community and I am hoping someone can clear up some confusion on tires. I recently purchased a 2024 chevrolet 2500 hd custom with 20" wheels w/ 275/65/17 tires. In the towing sectio...
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Reality, put a smaller diam tire, your actual ratio will get lower numericly, making it easier to start a given load, you are running a few rpm more which equates to more HP at a give speed ....
From a manufactures warranty ratings standpoint, yes those tires can change the ratings. As a 2" smaller diam Ture will make a 3.73 effectively a 410. Like wise, a 2" diam larger tire will make a 4.10 effectively a 3.73.
Something you're not taking into account, tires with the same diam, say 31.5" iea 265-75-16 vs a 265-70-17 vs a 265-65-18. The 18" tires will be overall lighter assuming the same rim metal. As rubber tire part is heavier than aluminum. Steel rims it's the other way. The 18 will be slightly heavier. You need less HP to turn lighter rim tire combos, which gives you a higher trailer tow ability.
Also, a 65 series tire vs a 70, 75, series tire with leads sidewall, braking and acceleration are better due to less tire flex.
A 235-85-16 tire, vs a 265-75-16 tire. Same diam, same sidewall height, but one tire is an inch wider, has better handling than the narrower one. I had 235 snows, and 265 summer tires on two trucks. The 265 8 ply tires handled loads way better than the 235 10 ply tires. Both had 3000 lb capacities.
Reality, put whatever tire you want into on. A lighter overall combo, slightly wider has usually been better for me.
Tow ratings, are not enforceable from a cveo/Leo standpoint. Only axle ratings are used. You will NEVER hit the max to be consider over weight where you will have issues with an enforcement officer.
Marty
If you are drag racing, the weight of the tire and aluminum vs steel rims can make a difference as you have to accelerate that extra weight. Towing...technically it will make a difference but such a small one that it won't be detectable.
Larger diameter is likely the reason for the change in rating, though in the stock sizes mentioned by the OP, it's more like going from a 3.73 to a 3.95. Assuming the OP is towing mostly in flatlands, it won't be very noticeable other than with the 10speed transmission, it might pick a different gear and run at pretty close to the same RPM. It's only in the edge cases where it might really make a difference. If you are loaded to the max, going up a steep grade and the transmission runs out of gears to drop down, it may eventually fail to get up the hill with the larger diameter tires but so long as it doesn't run out of gears, it will wind up running about the same speed & rpm.
This is different from the old days of 3 speed transmissions where huge change in gear ratio every time you dropped a gear and very quickly, you found yourself in 1st gear. Also, the new 8/10speed transmissions, 1st gear is basically an extra deep granny gear, so you might be going slow but you will keep going.
What I don't understand is buying a truck with a 12/14.5k limit when you know you have a 16k trailer that you pull.
