17 inch wheels vs 18 inch on tow vehicle

[huchieglide]

We have sold our TT and the 1/2 ton truck is next. We are planning to purchase a 5th wheel in the 10000 pound range. Today we shopped Chevy Duramax 3/4 ton trucks. Looked very capable of handling the job. Question is: Some had 18 inch wheels and some 17 inch. Both were load range E. Door jam stickers were the same. Would one be better than the other for towing the 5th wheel? Seeking advice before purchase.
Thanks

[rhagfo]

Me Again wrote:
Seeing that you have not yet purchased a truck, I strongly recommend that you look at 3500's vs 2500's. 3500 SRW trucks are only a few hundred dollars more and provide much better numbers for towing 5th wheels. Time you put a diesel, 4x4 suspension and HD tranny in a 2500 the curb weight really cuts into total capacity and rear axle rating. Then DW decides she wants a larger trailer.

Chris

X2! You beat me to this one Chris!

If looking at a 5er, get at least a 350/3500 SRW. The issue with 250/2500 is the artificially low 10,000# GVWR. Most 250/2500 with a diesel have very low payloads due to the 10,000# restriction.
If you don't have an issue towing over your GVWR, then a 250/2500 will work, just if buying new the cost difference is so little why not get the greater payload.

I am so far over GVWR it is silly, but still within the axle ratings, and way within the optional factory tire size for my TV.

To you question about rim size, get the 18" far greater carrying capacity per tire!!!

[Passin_Thru]

I find it funny that Ford F 350s can haul 260lb than 250s. That's a lot of moola for another adult to ride in your truck. HA! 1 inch of tire makes little difference. Here"s a good article on tires dia. http://ask.cars.com/2007/09/large-tire-and-.html

[Me_Again]

Seeing that you have not yet purchased a truck, I strongly recommend that you look at 3500's vs 2500's. 3500 SRW trucks are only a few hundred dollars more and provide much better numbers for towing 5th wheels. Time you put a diesel, 4x4 suspension and HD tranny in a 2500 the curb weight really cuts into total capacity and rear axle rating. Then DW decides she wants a larger trailer.

Chris

[huchieglide]

Thanks for your replies. Today we ended up buying a Duramax 3500. It came with the 18 inch wheels. Even though both sizes were load range E on the 3/4 ton, the 18 inch tires had about 400 pounds more load capacity. So with the tires and 1 ton truck I now have more capacity. As many of you know, when you finally pull the trigger on the camper it tends to be larger than originally planned. Even if we don't upsize we now have a greater margin of safety.

[Terryallan]

huchieglide wrote:
We have sold our TT and the 1/2 ton truck is next. We are planning to purchase a 5th wheel in the 10000 pound range. Today we shopped Chevy Duramax 3/4 ton trucks. Looked very capable of handling the job. Question is: Some had 18 inch wheels and some 17 inch. Both were load range E. Door jam stickers were the same. Would one be better than the other for towing the 5th wheel? Seeking advice before purchase.
Thanks

I don't believe there would really be a difference. Both trucks will have tires rated to carry the weight you need, and both will be geared to account for the tire size the manufacturer installs on them.

As mentioned before. Only real difference would be height. Lower tire may be better to level the 5er

[Need-A-Vacation]

Grit dog wrote:

Second Chance wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

Trackrig wrote:
Has anyone found a chart showing the load carrying capacity of different diameter tires? Let's say load range Es in 16", 16.5", 17", 18", 19" and 20" if they exist. And yes I know different brands of tires in LR E have different weight capacities.

Bill

In general, the greater width/ aspect ratio equals greater weight capacities.
To the original question, 17" rims are fairly limited in higher capacity tires, but with only a 10klb 5ver in tow, you'll likely not exceed the standard 17" tires of 3195lb cap.
18s and 20s have many more brand tread, size and weight cap options.
Don't let the 17s pull you away from the right truck, as takeoff wheels are plentiful for sale used on Craigslist if you can shop near a big city and somewhat in the country too.
Lots of 18 and 20" takeoffs for sale from guys that buy big aftermarket tires and new rims. Sell the 17s and you're only out a small amount of $ to upgrade if you need.

I beg to differ: I have 20" rims on my truck (came with them) and I have far fewer choices in tires. The 20" tires mostly come in lower profile (so the outside diameter doesn't get to big for wheel wells, etc.) which means I cannot get a load range F tire for my wheels. It's air volume plus tire construction that determine load range. The tire size calculator at tiresize.com will help you determine what you can fit in your wheel wells without changing the gear ratios too much (you don't want taller gear ratios for towing):

Sire size calculator

My advice is to shop for the tires first and then determine the correct rims. At 10k, though, I don't think you need to worry about it.

Rob

Less than what? 18s? I agree. But more choices than 17s. Heck I think there may be more choices in 16s still than 17s.
You're absolutely right that tire construction is a factor. It's the primary factor, but when shopping apples to apples, size and load rating (E vs D etc) the weight ratings are almost dead on for the same size tire, different brand. There are exceptions, but generally speaking.
And the new load range F Light truck tires are jsit marketing. Look at the load ratings. No more than E tires, until you get into real medium duty tires, but we are not talking 19.5s here.

While there are a few more 20" E rated tires available now, last I shopped the 17" and 18" choices still outweighed the 20" choices. When we first bought our '13 HD (Sept '13), there were two choices for 20" E rated tires availabe, the stock ones and the GY Wrangler Adventure I think it is called.

For the 17" vs 18", I would probably narrow the trucks down to two or three possible choices, and go from there. Maybe look at what replacement tires that you like are available in each size and let that help you make the final decision.

[Grit_dog]

Second Chance wrote:

Grit dog wrote:

Trackrig wrote:
Has anyone found a chart showing the load carrying capacity of different diameter tires? Let's say load range Es in 16", 16.5", 17", 18", 19" and 20" if they exist. And yes I know different brands of tires in LR E have different weight capacities.

Bill

In general, the greater width/ aspect ratio equals greater weight capacities.
To the original question, 17" rims are fairly limited in higher capacity tires, but with only a 10klb 5ver in tow, you'll likely not exceed the standard 17" tires of 3195lb cap.
18s and 20s have many more brand tread, size and weight cap options.
Don't let the 17s pull you away from the right truck, as takeoff wheels are plentiful for sale used on Craigslist if you can shop near a big city and somewhat in the country too.
Lots of 18 and 20" takeoffs for sale from guys that buy big aftermarket tires and new rims. Sell the 17s and you're only out a small amount of $ to upgrade if you need.

I beg to differ: I have 20" rims on my truck (came with them) and I have far fewer choices in tires. The 20" tires mostly come in lower profile (so the outside diameter doesn't get to big for wheel wells, etc.) which means I cannot get a load range F tire for my wheels. It's air volume plus tire construction that determine load range. The tire size calculator at tiresize.com will help you determine what you can fit in your wheel wells without changing the gear ratios too much (you don't want taller gear ratios for towing):

Sire size calculator

My advice is to shop for the tires first and then determine the correct rims. At 10k, though, I don't think you need to worry about it.

Rob

Less than what? 18s? I agree. But more choices than 17s. Heck I think there may be more choices in 16s still than 17s.
You're absolutely right that tire construction is a factor. It's the primary factor, but when shopping apples to apples, size and load rating (E vs D etc) the weight ratings are almost dead on for the same size tire, different brand. There are exceptions, but generally speaking.
And the new load range F Light truck tires are jsit marketing. Look at the load ratings. No more than E tires, until you get into real medium duty tires, but we are not talking 19.5s here.

[N-Trouble]

Go 18"... 17s are becoming dinosaurs and frankly look silly on these trucks. Lots of choices in 18" and they still privide a good balance of ride quality and load rating. Any E-rated tire will be sufficient for a 10klb 5er.

[Second_Chance]

Grit dog wrote:

Trackrig wrote:
Has anyone found a chart showing the load carrying capacity of different diameter tires? Let's say load range Es in 16", 16.5", 17", 18", 19" and 20" if they exist. And yes I know different brands of tires in LR E have different weight capacities.

Bill

In general, the greater width/ aspect ratio equals greater weight capacities.
To the original question, 17" rims are fairly limited in higher capacity tires, but with only a 10klb 5ver in tow, you'll likely not exceed the standard 17" tires of 3195lb cap.
18s and 20s have many more brand tread, size and weight cap options.
Don't let the 17s pull you away from the right truck, as takeoff wheels are plentiful for sale used on Craigslist if you can shop near a big city and somewhat in the country too.
Lots of 18 and 20" takeoffs for sale from guys that buy big aftermarket tires and new rims. Sell the 17s and you're only out a small amount of $ to upgrade if you need.

I beg to differ: I have 20" rims on my truck (came with them) and I have far fewer choices in tires. The 20" tires mostly come in lower profile (so the outside diameter doesn't get to big for wheel wells, etc.) which means I cannot get a load range F tire for my wheels. It's air volume plus tire construction that determine load range. The tire size calculator at tiresize.com will help you determine what you can fit in your wheel wells without changing the gear ratios too much (you don't want taller gear ratios for towing):

Sire size calculator

My advice is to shop for the tires first and then determine the correct rims. At 10k, though, I don't think you need to worry about it.

Rob

[Fulltimer50]

The size of the tire determines tire height not the rim size. When I went from 16" wheels to 17.5" wheels on my trailer the l7.5". where .5" shorter than the 16"s.

[MFL]

Another consideration is truck height. With the one inch larger wheel, you will likely see taller tires. In the size FW you are considering, many will have 15" tires/wheels. The taller the truck, the more nose high the FW. Yes, there is some adjusting to the hitch and pinbox, but often not enough. Many are towing nose high, but a FW tows best when level.

Jerry

[97chevor]

Smaller rims tires cost less.

[Grit_dog]

Trackrig wrote:
Has anyone found a chart showing the load carrying capacity of different diameter tires? Let's say load range Es in 16", 16.5", 17", 18", 19" and 20" if they exist. And yes I know different brands of tires in LR E have different weight capacities.

Bill

In general, the greater width/ aspect ratio equals greater weight capacities.
To the original question, 17" rims are fairly limited in higher capacity tires, but with only a 10klb 5ver in tow, you'll likely not exceed the standard 17" tires of 3195lb cap.
18s and 20s have many more brand tread, size and weight cap options.
Don't let the 17s pull you away from the right truck, as takeoff wheels are plentiful for sale used on Craigslist if you can shop near a big city and somewhat in the country too.
Lots of 18 and 20" takeoffs for sale from guys that buy big aftermarket tires and new rims. Sell the 17s and you're only out a small amount of $ to upgrade if you need.

[Trackrig]

Has anyone found a chart showing the load carrying capacity of different diameter tires? Let's say load range Es in 16", 16.5", 17", 18", 19" and 20" if they exist. And yes I know different brands of tires in LR E have different weight capacities.

Bill