Our current TV is a 2010 Chevrolet Express G3500 12-passenger van. It started as a basic fleet white van and we've slowly upgraded a few things over the last year to help it look more like a private vehicle.The tires will be due for replacement soon and I'm considering upgrading the wheels (it currently has the gray painted 16" ugly wheels).I want to upgrade the looks without sacrificing performance. I'd prefer to go to 18" wheels, but I'd like some input on the LT E-load range tires I'd need to couple with them. Questions off the top of my head:- If we went to 18" wheels, would the ride be significantly rougher or noisier?- Are the tires significantly more expensive in 18"?- Should I be looking at 17"?- Should I leave well enough alone and just get custom 16"?Any other advice or things to think about? I'd prefer to keep the total diameter about the same so that I don't change the gearing of the rear end or mess up the accuracy of the speedometer.

Look on your tires, or on the VIN/info sticker on the driver's door, and tell us what your stock tire size is. Once that is known, some size recommendations in 18" can happen.

Raising the center of gravity is not good for towing but yours is minute.

Stock size is 245/75/r16eMy BIL works for Firestone, so we'll probably stay with brands we can buy through him on his discount. He's worried that 18" will limit my tire options and disproportionately increase my cost becuase the van wheel wells aren't quite as big as the HD truck wells. He's advising to go for the 17" wheels, but I'm still undecided.

Remember that if you increase wheel size while keeping overall size the same you decrease the sidewall distance and the amount of air cushion of the tire. This results in a much rougher ride. I can't imagine a 3500 has a very smooth ride to begin with so making it even rougher wouldn't be my idea of a good ride.

Tirerack.com runs a great site for info.It list a 16" wheel as factory and a few wheel options:http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/results.jsp?autoMake=Chevrolet&autoModel=Express&autoYear=2010&autoModClar=G3500+8-LugIf you are going to mod from this, here are the considerations:- anything but the 16" wheel is going to noticeably decrease side wall height --- and with it, many other problems come into play including much harsher ride, lower compliance, and so on.When you hit your first pothole with a heavy load, a lower profile tire wheel combo risk being real seriously damaged vs. the standard profile.- getting low profile tires (as opposed to trying to fit bigger tires in the wheel wells is a challenge as few low profile tires are made in Load Range E or better, the only range you can use.Then there is the question about the wheels itself.Will the wheels you are getting (8 lug) be certified for this application (a light truck wheel for this load range)?I'd hate to see a wheel come apart on you.Edit:If your vehicle is equipped with Electronic Stability Control, the new wheel / tire sizes will probably not be supported by the software.Unknown what it will do with ESC.

Changing wheel sizes - advice welcome! | Good Sam Community

fickman
Explorer
Aug 19, 2013
ktosv wrote:
fickman, what did you decide to do? Did you get new wheels for your van? If so, how does it look and what did you end up going with?

I actually picked up a set of the GMT800 HD aluminum wheels that were so popular that I am refinishing to put on our van.

My BIL found me some 17"x8 Dodge 2500 HD OEM takeoff wheels that had the same bolt pattern as my Express; I went with the 245/70/r17 load range E tires. Pic now in signature.

Couldn't be happier with the setup.
ktosv
Explorer
Sep 14, 2012
fickman, what did you decide to do? Did you get new wheels for your van? If so, how does it look and what did you end up going with?

I actually picked up a set of the GMT800 HD aluminum wheels that were so popular that I am refinishing to put on our van.
Snow_King
Explorer
Jun 04, 2012
SoCalDesertRider wrote:
I think you mean 265/75-16. That is the common size. 265/70-16 isn't a common size.

NO he means 265/70R16. Look back at my posts and I found those for him that have a similar diameter to 245/75R16's. They will not adversely effect his gearing.
SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer
Jun 04, 2012
blt2ski wrote:
If you go with a 265, get a 7-8" rims as is called for. Having driven 265-75's on 16x6.5" rims and 7.5" rims, major difference in how things handle IMHO. Yeah teh 6.5s work, but not near as well as the proper width rim.

Marty
I fully agree with that.

I had 265's on the stock 6" rims on my old GM dually, on the front axle only. The truck was wallowy and rolled in the turns and didn't steer right. Put 235's back on the front and the handling improved quite noticeably. Never messed with 265's on 6" rims again.

Too wide tires on too narrow rims isn't a good thing, especially on the front axle.
fickman
Explorer
Jun 04, 2012
SoCalDesertRider wrote:
I think you mean 265/75-16. That is the common size. 265/70-16 isn't a common size.

We were actually looking at the 70s (pending pricing and availability) to keep the overall diameter from increasing. I know they're not as common, but I REALLY don't want to mess with the gearing or risk hitting the wheel well.

We'd also have to ensure that the sliding door wouldn't be impeded by the wider tire. I think one size up should be fine.

blt2ski wrote:
If you go with a 265, get a 7-8" rims as is called for. Having driven 265-75's on 16x6.5" rims and 7.5" rims, major difference in how things handle IMHO. Yeah teh 6.5s work, but not near as well as the proper width rim.

Marty

Noted. . . when I had my '05 Chevy 2500HD pickup, the guy who put the 285/75/16 tires on it didn't buy the right width of wheels, and I could DEFINITELY tell. My BIL will make sure to match the wheel to the tire for us.
blt2ski
Moderator
Jun 04, 2012
If you go with a 265, get a 7-8" rims as is called for. Having driven 265-75's on 16x6.5" rims and 7.5" rims, major difference in how things handle IMHO. Yeah teh 6.5s work, but not near as well as the proper width rim.

Marty
SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer
Jun 04, 2012
I think you mean 265/75-16. That is the common size. 265/70-16 isn't a common size.
fickman
Explorer
Jun 04, 2012
.I think we've narrowed the search to 265/70/r16 or 245/70/r17 tires and are down to a handful of wheels. Thanks everybody for the input so far, we've taken most of it into account to narrow the options.

I'm probably leaning a little more towards the 265/70/r16 option and sticking with a 16" wheel. Going to a machined finish or chrome will still have a dramatic effect on the looks.
SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer
Jun 03, 2012
Jarlaxle wrote:
NewsW wrote:
fickman wrote:
Consider me successfully talked down from the 18" ledge.

Are all of these concerns just as valid for the 17"? To keep the same overall diameter the same, I believe I'd go from 75 ratio tires to 70.

I'll definitely ask around about the stability control. It's still under warranty, so the local dealership is always helpful with random queries.

A few answers to questions from other posts:
- Unloaded on city streets, the 3500 can be pretty rough. It smooths out on the highway and is like butter with a camper hooked up, but we're in between RVs right now and only take one out (my parents' or my inlaws') a couple of times a year.

- i'm not opposed to staying with 16". The main goal is to continue to transition from a fleet look to a private vehicle look.

- my BIL said the price difference for LT tires in 16" and 17" is reasonable ($20/tire)

Thanks a ton for the advice so far, it's really been helping me think through this!

Be aware that any one with a risk of liability is going to be real quesey about answering questions about a passenger van and mods that affect handling and stability.

Example: Wally I have been to will no longer install wheels and tires that are non-standard size (defined as those not listed on the manufacturer's door sticker).

I would love to show up there with my father in law's Firebird and watch them try to figure out exactly what an H70-R15 is! What do they do if the sticker is illegible or, as is the case with my Caddy, Liz's GN, and my first Caprice wagon, simply missing? Or the OEM tire size is simply no longer available? (220/55R390, anyone?)

Having said that, if you are seeking comfort, why are you going lower profile?

Why not keep what you have, but drop the tire pressure to what is required to carry your load (check with tire manufacturer chart)?

Door stickers pressures assume a full load --- and you are not carrying one now.

Your cheapest transition from fleet to private vehicle look is to get some hubcaps!

No, that will make it look like a fleet van that someone is trying to make look like it's NOT a fleet van.
They usually look up the tire specs in their computer data base which covers most cars on the road. There are size conversions available for the old sizing nomenclature. To properly convert, all you need is a metric tire with a similar width, height and weight rating, not the same actual tire size nomenclature printed on the tire side wall.
BenK
Explorer
Jun 03, 2012
Here is an example of how wheel offset affects

My GMT400 Suburban's OEM wheels are 16x6.5 with a 1.5" positive offset (rim
center line moves inwards from the hub contact surface)

My 16x10 wheels are 1.5" negative offset. Rim centerline is outwards
of the hub contact surface.

So my wheels has a total of 3" negative offset from the OEM stock offset. Why
my track is over 10.5" from stock (wider stance) It corners and handles
like it is on rails, but there is a down side

The cost for that re-engineered suspension setup is that now my Sub is in the
shop for a new steering box and linkages.

Did not help when off roading being too lazy to go out and move the rocks and
small bolder by hand...touch the boulder with the front wheel and turn the
steering wheel to have the steering system move that boulder... :(

That extra leverage wore out my steering box at just over 155K miles. I've also
adjusted the steering box many times and there is no more left to adjust.

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