Putting 17" wheels on older dually

etex211 · January 1, 2014

I've got a '96 model one ton dually truck that I use to pull our fifth wheel. We don't put a lot of miles on this truck, so I've been trying to just buy good used tires for it instead of new ones. New tires are a waste of money, because I will rot them off before I wear them out.

Good 16" used truck tires are getting hard to find. Everything out there is 17". I'd like to put some factory 17" steel wheels on this truck, if possible.

I've been doing some searching around to try to find out what my options are, and it's been confusing. Here is what I *think* I've learned so far.

1. The factory wheels on my truck are hub centric. The center hole on the wheel fits the hub, and that is what locates the wheel.

2. Factory 17" wheels from a Dodge have the correct lug pattern, but the center hole is different, so something would have to be done to locate the wheel on the hub properly.

3. Factory 17" GM wheels from perhaps a 2008 or 2009 might work, but the specs I can find on these wheels shows the hub diameter to be slightly different, 4.56" vs. 4.60"

Can anybody point me to a definitive solution to my problem? I'd like to find OEM 17" wheels that I can just bolt on my truck and not have a problem.

Or do I just need to bite the bullet and spend the bucks for new 16" tires? If I do that, I will pull them off after five years, and they'll probably only have 10,000 miles on them.

Thanks.

etex211 · January 3, 2014

I talked to the tech department of one of the aftermarket wheel companies today, and I was told that what I am looking for doesn't exist.

The only way to put 17" wheels on this truck is to either use lug centric wheels, or use a hub sleeve. I don't want to go down either road, so I will just stick with what I've got.

kstruckcountry · January 4, 2014

16" tires are usually pretty cheap. I don't think you would have made up the difference. Used ones are pretty common here because more people have older vehicles. I got new ones so cheap I didn't bother on my 1990.

etex211 · January 4, 2014

I paid $250 for the last set of six used tires I put on this truck. That was in October, 2011. Now, the rears need to be replaced again. The two on the front will be good for a while longer.

I can probably get four new ones for the rear for about $500. Then I won't have to worry about those for another five years. In the end, the annual expense for new vs. used isn't all that far apart.

Around here, there aren't a lot of good 16" used tires to be found. 17" tires are everywhere.

I've got a short trip to take with this truck in early February. The current tires will be fine for that trip. I've got a couple of longer trips planned in April. I'll need to get those rears replaced before then, so I've got nearly three months to find my best deal.

My wife works for a new car dealership. They sell tires. I'll probably get my best deal there.