Time for new tires this year. Will likely move up in capacity as well from current 265/75R/16 (3415#). So what are the advantages/disadvantages of 285/75R/16 (3750#) vs 19.5”?Going to 285’s will give me 7500# capacity on the rear axle, which is sufficient for our load. The 19.5” will give even greater (but not necessary) capacity.Either will require new wheels as well.• Cost?• Will either/both require a leveling kit or cutting fender well?• Some Folks report that 285 are too squishy due to sidewall height?• Some Folks report the 19.5 are very harsh riding on a ¾ ton and not worth it and have switched back to conventional sizes.• Some Folks report the 19.5’s are not good in the snow/ice. (Here in New England I need a good winter tire and would like to run one tire all year)Current tires are 265/75R/16 BFG Commercial TA Traction which have been great in the snow, tread wear has been OK (will get ~ 40k mi-running heavy), sidewalls could be stiffer (see heavy load comment). Truck is 2006 Duramax Crew Cab 4x4 SB.Would like to hear from those that have been there/done that with SRW trucks.Thanks, Bill

19.5s on my previous '06 Ford Srw were more harsh. Unbearable? No. My Hankook DH-01s had excellent traction. My change was from 18s to 19.5s. If you have the same diameter, the 19.5s will have quite a lot less sidewall height and with even stronger tires you will have less body roll.I made the change for more room for error although I usually only ran 80 in front and 95 in rear. Don't forget you can't air them down that much. My current F450 came with 19.5s.

Im going to les schwab to get the front aligned today. I'll ask them about the new about 3900 pound stock wheel tires they are supposed to have now.

I went from 275/70R18E to 245/70R19.5H tires and have about 20k miles on my 19.5's:1. Even if the tires have the same weight rating, the 19.5" have stiffer sidewalls making a loaded ride better and unloaded worse.2. The GM trucks can use 225/70R19.5 without modifications. If you want to go up to 245 or 265, there are clearance issues in the front fender wells when at full turn lock unless you make modifications.3. The 19.5's do well in mud, snow and ice because they cut through instead of float on top. Due to this characteristic, they do not do as well on soft sand or other areas where you want flotation over the top of the ground surface.

19.5's here, they are not "harsh" but you do feel the road more.They are the smoothest tire I have ever ran, and also the most stable with a load. They really are worth the cost to upgrade to if you are heavy. I only have a little bit of snow/ice time on these but I am very impressed. I have the M608z in 245/70R19.5 LRG.

265'x16 won't support your rear weight ? I thought you looked into that when you bought this new camper . Those OEM GM wheels have a 3500/3700 rating. tires = 6830. You might need a spare tire too, check into that. If you do, where will you carry it ? Under the truck in the OEM carrier ? Maybe , maybe not depending on the size. You have limited slips in your 4x4 , so be careful with tire size on the same axle.Look into swapping one of the fronts to the rear and maybe you could get away with running 2 diff diameters on the front for a short ride if you had to. As I have found out , a lot of places are closed on Sundays , so finding a new tire to match a 19.5 might take a few days . The new tires will raise the height of the whole package, you might feel that in crosswinds. I know it's only an inch but it's a 16 ft long inch on a SB truck. I assume your warranty is expired . GM might not like the idea of a tire swap. There are a lot of extra expenses that tag along with the 19.5's (mount and bal., off set ) Look at it on the Rickson Wheel website. The trade value of your truck plus the money $4-5k spent on upgrading it to fit the new camper might be a down pay on a new or different (new to you) truck heavy enough to do what you need w/o mods.

Oh no...not more tire/wheel ?'s | Good Sam Community

69 Replies

AH64ID
Explorer
May 05, 2014
ticki2 wrote:
ah64id wrote:

Do you know the bore diameter of the OEM wheel?

The hub bore for 2001-2010 2500/3500 is 4.60 and is a pretty snug fit . The 2011 to present have a different lug diameter so not interchangeable .

Pretty tight for sure, about 0.2mm difference to the hub. You don't see many hubs that tight with conical lug nuts.
ticki2
Explorer
May 05, 2014
ah64id wrote:

Do you know the bore diameter of the OEM wheel?

The hub bore for 2001-2010 2500/3500 is 4.60 and is a pretty snug fit . The 2011 to present have a different lug diameter so not interchangeable .
billtex
Explorer II
May 05, 2014
ah64id wrote:

Do you know the bore diameter of the OEM wheel?

I don't think you will find a mixed setup, if the lug nuts are conical it's lug centric. A tight wheel just helps with installation, but it probably a bigger gap than needed for hubcentric.

Dodge lug centric have a 1.7mm difference, which is small when you look at radius. DRW wheels on a Dodge have a 0.1mm difference, and that is what is needed to be hubcentric for centering and weight transferring purposes.

GM wheels are hub centric w/conical lug nuts.
Best of both worlds...
AH64ID
Explorer
May 05, 2014
ticki2 wrote:

#2 is a very good question . At first glance hubcentric seems to be a stronger method . The GM 2500 and 3500 SRW actually employ both , they are hubcentric and use cone lug nuts . The 3500DRW is hubcentric and uses swivel washer lug nuts . I think the real reason for this is the washer type lug nuts have a larger contact area to apply more clamping force which is where the true connection strength comes from , and need to be hubcentric to center the wheel . In order for the hubcentricity ( is that a real word ) to add to the strength it would have to be a press it , which it is not . It seems that hubcentric is more of a centering devise than anything else . Lug centric wheels take a little more care in mounting to make sure all the cone nuts are seated properly AND they have the correct taper . I'm still learning:)

Do you know the bore diameter of the OEM wheel?

I don't think you will find a mixed setup, if the lug nuts are conical it's lug centric. A tight wheel just helps with installation, but it probably a bigger gap than needed for hubcentric.

Dodge lug centric have a 1.7mm difference, which is small when you look at radius. DRW wheels on a Dodge have a 0.1mm difference, and that is what is needed to be hubcentric for centering and weight transferring purposes.
billtex
Explorer II
May 05, 2014
Did some housekeeping this weekend and got the 265/75R/16 tires mounted on the (proper) 16 x 7 OE steel wheels;
7" on left 6.5" on right

6.5" old wheel on left...if you look close you can see the difference in sidewall bulge

Old

New

New with "chrome" covers. Looks just like the OEM chrome steelies.
Took a quick trip for some mt biking and a (cold/windy) day at the beach. The new wheels and super springs feel great. Firmed up the ride, no roll in the corners. Life is good!
Here is the finished product;
ticki2
Explorer
Apr 24, 2014
billtex wrote:
ticki2 wrote:

Aftermarket wheels sometimes have higher weight ratings but not always, be sure to check . Very few if any aftermarket wheels are hub-centric as OEM .

Has anyone found hub centric after market wheels?

And...why is hub centric important for heavy hauling?

Tx, Bill

To answer #1 , the only ones I have found are Stockton wheels , they will make them any way you want .

#2 is a very good question . At first glance hubcentric seems to be a stronger method . The GM 2500 and 3500 SRW actually employ both , they are hubcentric and use cone lug nuts . The 3500DRW is hubcentric and uses swivel washer lug nuts . I think the real reason for this is the washer type lug nuts have a larger contact area to apply more clamping force which is where the true connection strength comes from , and need to be hubcentric to center the wheel . In order for the hubcentricity ( is that a real word ) to add to the strength it would have to be a press it , which it is not . It seems that hubcentric is more of a centering devise than anything else . Lug centric wheels take a little more care in mounting to make sure all the cone nuts are seated properly AND they have the correct taper . I'm still learning:)
billtex
Explorer II
Apr 24, 2014
Joe417 wrote:
I've been looking for a 7 - 8" hubcentric wheel but haven't found anything in the 16".

I'm still running the OEM 6.5" wheel which will cause faster wear in the center.

I'm running Firestone LT285/75R16E Destination A/T's. They feel good with a 6700# rear axle load. The sidewalls are quite stiff. Just checked for sidewall info but couldn't find it easily.

The M/T version is advertising it has 3 full body plys in addition to the tread plys.

Find some GM 3500 wheels...they are 16 x 7 and hub centric.
Joe417
Explorer
Apr 24, 2014
I've been looking for a 7 - 8" hubcentric wheel but haven't found anything in the 16".

I'm still running the OEM 6.5" wheel which will cause faster wear in the center.

I'm running Firestone LT285/75R16E Destination A/T's. They feel good with a 6700# rear axle load. The sidewalls are quite stiff. Just checked for sidewall info but couldn't find it easily.

The M/T version is advertising it has 3 full body plys in addition to the tread plys.
billtex
Explorer II
Apr 24, 2014
ticki2 wrote:

Aftermarket wheels sometimes have higher weight ratings but not always, be sure to check . Very few if any aftermarket wheels are hub-centric as OEM .

Has anyone found hub centric after market wheels?

And...why is hub centric important for heavy hauling?

Tx, Bill
billtex
Explorer II
Apr 24, 2014
Area13 wrote:
I purchased new 16X8.5 Rims with 305X70X16 BFG All terrains last summer before I decided to get a TC. They are the same 33" as 285X75 but about an inch wider. I have no complaints, but would have probably gone with 285X75X16's just for a little more capacity which is 3750 compared to mine @ 3550. I'm a little under 7,000 pounds fully loaded rear axle, so not a lot of wiggle room but am glad the wheels are 8.5", think this helps a lot over stock 7".
BTW, love the BFG's. They seem pretty stiff aired up and then I air them down when not hauling my TC. Older Ford Super Duties have a very rough suspension. These tires seem very well built.

area13...what 16 x 8.5 wheels did you buy and are they hub centric?

Tx, Bill