85 vs 75 tires on dually

[burningman]

I’ve got a 4x4 dually that has stock-spec 215/85/16s on it. (They’re BFG Commercial TAs)
Some time this year it’s gonna get new shoes.
They work fine but I just think the 215s look wimpy.
I’m looking at maybe going to 75s in whatever is the widest that’ll fit on the rear duals without rubbing. 245-255ish probably. I might even consider spacers and 265s.

My question is about handing.
I used to have an ‘83 Chevy dually that came with 16.5 wheels and really low profile tires. It needed polished aluminum wheels, like all duallies. The 16.5 size was all but extinct so it got 16s and 235/85s.
It immediately handled a lot mushier. It had been rock solid on the low profile 16.5s.

Have any of you swapped from 215-235 85 16s to something like 245-265 75 16s and noticed a real change in handling, especially with your camper on?

And who else puts kahlua on their chocolate ice cream?

[burningman]

I know what fits. And I know how to make anything I want fit.
That’s not the question...

[jp3731]

I have a 1997 f350 dually and it calls for 215s. I bought it used and it had 235s. So when it needed new tires I went with the 235s and never had any problems until I tried some Goodrich commercial t/a tires. I had always used Cooper tires before but after seeing so many good reviews on the Goodrich I tried them. They were so soft that I had to run them at 80lbs to barely keep the duals from touching when loaded. Eventually I had to put 1/4" spacers to feel safer. With the Coopers I can run at any pressure and have plenty of space between them. Both tires were 235-85x16s. The Goodrich may be good on a four wheeler but not on a dually.

[okan-star]

If your keeping aluminums , bolt on spacers might be the only alternative to larger tires , may be able to fit 235/85r16`s if you have room to loose 1" between, check the concentric part of the hub on the dually dana 80 axle ,it steps down so there`s only about an inch that's fully available to capture the rims , meaning you cant use slip on spacers ,I used 1/4" spacers on my 99` Dodge dually W/ 17" steel rims from an 04 up truck w/ 255/80r17 tires , handling
was fine w/ TC
Some tire shops wont mount tires rated for rims that are smaller than in specs
Bolt on spacers will make it harder to use the TC , to wide to load

[Kayteg1]

The main advantage of aluminium rims is that due lighter weight not only they increase payload, but lighter suspension makes for smoother ride.
Not big difference to notice that without some measuring equipment, but that is why people spend money on aluminium.
Personally I've seen wheel covers looking much better than Alcoa rims, but let's leave cosmetics on side.

[wanderingbob]

If they work , whats wrong with "wimpy "? Throwing money away that could be spent on beer !

[Reddog1]

burningman wrote:
... Its not really accurate to say aluminum Alcoas are fragile and troublesome.

I don' see where anyone has made that statement, but unless I missed it, this is the first time you said you were considering Alcoas. My neighbor has had two Alcoas on his Ford F250 crack at the lug holes. The only problem I have had in over nine years of use with my Aluminum Vision 19.5s is the stick on wheel weights coming off.

What tire sizes are you running on your other two one-ton duallies with aluminum Alcoas? Could you put a set on your camper truck and check for fit? How much clearence do you have on each side with your Stable Lift? How much clearence would you have with the wider tires and wheels you are considering?

[CapriRacer]

Burning man,

You first need to measure the dual spacing - the distance from the centerline of one tire of the duals to the centerline of the other. My books don't list that, but my experience is that most vehicle manufacturers only spec enough to fit the stock tire.

Then, you need to see how it lines up with these minimums:

LT215/85R16: 9.9"
LT225/75R16: 10.2"
LT235/85R16: 10.8"

The reason I only listed those 3 sizes is that your truck came stock with 6" wide wheels, and only those 3 sizes fit. If you want any size larger, you'll have to buy wheels with both a larger offset and a wider width.

Oh, and operating a vehicle with tires too wide for the rim width results in a "darty" vehicle, sensitive to both the wind and the ruts in the pavement.

[burningman]

Just had to mention, I currently own two one-ton duallies with aluminum Alcoas, both have been on over 15 years. None of those supposed disadvantages ever happened. They haven’t cracked or bent or lost their balance weights.

They do look great, weigh less, and don’t rust! And they will always polish, no matter how tarnished you let them get. Its not really accurate to say aluminum Alcoas are fragile and troublesome.

[Camper_Jeff___K]

I went to the smaller profile tires for the increased weight rating 3400 each as opposed to the stock OEM 3048 each. I wanted to improve my safety margin. As far as handling, my F250 handles quite nicely for a truck. That may be due to having large front and rear anti-sway bars and Rancho 9000 shocks. The 5.4 liter gas engine is also a few hundred pounds lighter than the diesel.
Kahlua is great on ice cream whoich is off my diet. I put a little in my mocha sometimes. Also a treat straight.

[Reddog1]

I run LT235/80R17 on my '04 Dodge DRW. Stock steel wheels. Outside to outside of the tires is 96".

I considered aftermarket wheels and oversize tires before buying my tires and painting my wheels. I see no advantage to aluminum wheels. More likely to be damaged with road hazards, during tire repair, wheel cracking at lug holes and balancing weights coming off. Just for bling-bling? After more thought, oversize tires did not look so good. I would need wheel spacers so they would not rub, they would sling mud on the side of my truck and TC, I would need wider Camper Jack extensions now and questionable if I could live with the width needed to reinstall my Stable Lift. Just for bling-bling?

I understand it is a personal preference, but I don't think you need aluminum wheels with oversize tires to have bling-bling. You don't have to have OEM Chrome wheel covers. You can be creative with stock OEM gray steel wheels. I have had more people volunteer positive comments on my painted OEM steel wheels and LT235/80R17 tires than I have ever had on my 19.5 Aluminum wheels and 19.5 tires.

[Reality_Check]

To answer the question, no, not yet. But I'm going to try it... 😉

[burningman]

TDWebster wrote:
If you can find a set of 17" steel dually dodge wheels, that might be an option

I’m allergic to steel dually wheels.

[TDWebster]

If you can find a set of 17" steel dually dodge wheels, that might be an option

[SidecarFlip]

In as much as mine is a SRW, I run 285 x 75's which is neither here nor there but Kahula on Chocolate ice cream sounds good. I'll have to try it.