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285/75/16 tires on stock rims?

Bruce03Silverado

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Bruce03Silverado Enthusiast

Bruce03Silverado

Posted
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Anybody here have 285/75/16 tires on stock rims? I'm looking at buying 285/75/16 BFG All Terrain TA's for my 03 4x4 and I've done a search on here but I didn't really get the results I wanted. I don't plan on cranking the t-bars either. Anyone have any problems? I haven't heard of any as of yet. Thanks in advance!! :fume:

Big Boy Enthusiast

Big Boy

Posted
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The guy at my local 4x4 shop said he'd give me $500 if I put 285's on my truck and they didn't rub.

 

From what I'v seen here and on other boards. 285's don't really fit. more than a few folks seem to have been able to crank the tbars enough to (1) reduce or eliminate the rubbing or (2) they have not noticed it or (3) learned to live with minimal rubbing.

 

Cranking the T-bars enough to fit 285's is going to wear CV's out faster than if you didn't (something that lots of folks are willing to live with)

 

Putting 285's on the Stock 6.5 wide wheels is questionable practice as well. Its a wider tire than that wheel is supposed to accomodate.

 

Consider 255/85/16 Also a 33" tire but acceptable for those rims. May still need to crank the T-bars to keep them from rubbing.

DSZ71 Enthusiast

DSZ71

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Well I can say that you can safely give your torsion bars a few turns before it starts to give a negative affect on your CV angles. So in practice, you can fit 285s with only a slight crank on the torsions.

 

Also, a 285/75/16 is a 32" tire and a 305/70 is a 33" tire. If you have the Z71 model truck, your rims are 16x7", which can safely hold a 12.5" tire.

Bruce03Silverado Enthusiast

Bruce03Silverado

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My truck is a 4x4 and it has the 16" rims not 16.5" or 17". Will it be a problem with the 16"? It's a 4x4 Z85 not Z71 will this be a problem with the 285's? I don't really want to crank the t-bars if I don't have to. It seems to me that the consensus is 50/50 as to whether or not they will work. My truck is a daily driver and I do not do any serious off-roading..just some fun in the snow and mud evry once in a while. Now I'm torn as to what to do. I have to make my decision by Wed. because that's when I'm ordering them. Please keep the opinions coming. Thanks! Some pics would be helpful as well!!

asepgrad98 Senior Enthusiast

asepgrad98

Posted
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take it to a tire store and have them put on the 2 fronts and drive it around the parkin lot and see it they fit well before you put rears on and pay. they should be willing to do this because they want the commish off a 700$ sale

chevelless502 Enthusiast

chevelless502

Posted
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Well I wish that guy would have offered me the $500 to put them on mine and not rub. I have a 99 Tahoe old body style and I have 285/75R16 Wrangler AT/S GoodYears on cadillac esdalade rims. The suspension is stock and they dont rub anywhere. I run 35-40 psi in them and they fit great. I have some pics if anyone wants to see them.

 

Andy

Bruce03Silverado Enthusiast

Bruce03Silverado

Posted
  • Author
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Well I wish that guy would have offered me the $500 to put them on mine and not rub. I have a 99 Tahoe old body style and I have 285/75R16 Wrangler AT/S GoodYears on cadillac esdalade rims. The suspension is stock and they dont rub anywhere. I run 35-40 psi in them and they fit great. I have some pics if anyone wants to see them.

 

Andy

that would be great for pics....are your rims 16" or 16.5"? just curious because my rims are just the stock 4x4 16".....decisions, decisions...thanks for the input guys and please keep them coming!! :fume:

mdub Enthusiast

mdub

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All factory rims were 16" (diameter) from '99-'03. In '04 the Z71 wheels are 17" x 7.5". I'm not sure what the concern is about 16.5" rims -- they haven't been used as factory rims for a very long time. In any case, you CANNOT install 16" tires on 16.5" rims, or vice versa.

 

If you have a Z85 (not Z71), there's a good chance that you have the steel wheels, which are only 6.5" in width. You can identify these wheels by the chrome or painted finish (NOT brushed aluminum). You should not install 285mm width tires on 6.5" steel rims -- that's just too much tire for such a narrow rim, and you will end up with excessive tire wear in the center of the tire.

 

If you have '03 factory aluminum wheels (Z71 style, 16" diameter X 7" width), you can very likely get away with 285/75/16 tires. I had them installed on my '03 Z71 factory wheels for a couple weeks with no torsion bar cranking, and there was absolutely no rubbing. I eventually cranked my torsion bars anyway, but only because I wanted to level out the truck.

 

I'm quite sure the Z71 and the Z85 1/2 ton trucks are adjusted to the same ride height from the factory, so that should not be a factor. You may want to check by driving to your local Chev dealer and measuring the height of a Z71 truck from the center hub of the front wheel to the fender well lip (this measurement ignores different tire sizes). This measurement should match the same measurement on your Z85 truck.

 

And technically speaking, a 285/75/16 inch tire is even too wide for the stock 7" rim (Z-71-style), but many of us do it with minimal tire wear problems. As Big Boy (and BF Goodrich) point out, you really should have at least a 7.5" rim width for a 285 tire. Again, the stock 6.5" steel wheels (chrome or painted steel) are just too narrow for a 285mm width tire. If you want to purchase a set of Z71 wheels, they're a dime a dozen on Ebay (OK, around ~$150). The factory '04 Z71 wheels (17x 7.5") seem to be going for around ~$300 a set.

 

And I wouldn't get too concerned if you have to crank the torsion bars up to an inch. IMO, more than an inch is bound to cause rather steep stub axle angles, and an obvious increase to normal CV joint wear. If you crank the torsion bars any (or the tire shop does it), be sure to have the front end alignment done.

 

Good luck.

 

Mdub

Bruce03Silverado Enthusiast

Bruce03Silverado

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Do you have steel or aluminum wheels?

I have the aluminum wheels....they are not steel and I do have the Z85. I have the list of RPO codes from my truck. I have the aluminum wheels with 245/75/16 Goodyear Wrangler ST's. According to your comments above, since I have the aluminum wheels they are 16x7 and that's what most guys have that are running the 285's.

mdub Enthusiast

mdub

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I agree, sounds like you have the 16 x 7 wheels -- I think you'll be fine with 285/75/16 tires. You still may want to measure your front-end height compared to a Z71 -- if it's the same height, that's further confirmation that the tires will not rub.

 

Since your stock tires are 245/75/16, you might want to have a dealer adjust your computer for a 265/75/16 program (that's the tallest tire dealers can accomodate). This would help to semi-correct your speedometer, and possibly the shift points. In any case, you'll notice a slight loss of power, especially at highway speeds becasue of the higher gear ratio. Of course, this is normal, and we all live with it for the sake of enjoying the better appearance of the 285s.

 

Good luck!

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