Need tire/wheel advice

[Stech]

I'd appreciate a little help with my new '06 Duramax. I want to dress it up with some nice tires and wheels, unfortunately I won't be lifting it and I'd rather not compromise ride or put up with a ton of noise. I'm getting conflicting stories out there regarding which combos will work--lots of people talking in absolute terms. I do a lot of heavy towing--skidsteers, heavy trailers up to 10,000 lbs, so I'll need a 10 ply tire.

 

Talk to me boys, should I be looking at the 265s, 285s, or how about the 305s and larger? I'm not afraid of some trimming, but I don't want a bunch of hassles with excessive wear, noise or required tire rotation every other week.

 

And while we are at it, is there a chip out there for the '06 Duramax that is working? I ran the Juice in my '03 Duramax and loved the power and mileage.

 

Thanks.

[mmmikkke]

Toyo makes an E-rated 285. 285's will fit without cranking the t-bars but you will need to trim the front spoiler just a bit. Click on my vehicles on the left and there's a pic of how much I had to trim on my 2005 2500HD. I show the trimmed spoiler and a little red mark where some of it is removed.

 

Keep in mind that the factory aluminum wheels are 6.5" wide, which is quite a bit below the 285's design spec (8 to 10 inch wide wheel). You'll definitely want to buy new wheels if you want to use all of the load capacity of the tire.

[Roofer]

Keep in mind that the factory aluminum wheels are 6.5" wide, which is quite a bit below the 285's design spec (8 to 10 inch wide wheel).  You'll definitely want to buy new wheels if you want to use all of the load capacity of the tire.

 

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Yes, this is true. I run 265's on stock wheels towing big trailers and I go through a set every 30K miles. Running high pressure makes the center tread wear down fast if there is not a load on it. I air up and down a few times a day sometimes.

[Burbman]

Roofer, I love those ProComp tires too, those are the same ones I have on my Suburban.

 

You ought to look at some 16x8" rims though...I got these American Racing wheels at $120/ea and they work great. 3500 lb load capacity too. I run my tires empty at 60R/50F and 80R/65F when towing the RV and have had no wear issues at all.

 

 

I see ProComp has wheels now, but a little pricey at $300-400 each

 

Stetch, don't forget that taller tires effectively lower (numerically) your rear axle ratio. Use this formula:

 

(Original Tire Diameter / New Tire Diameter) X Original Axle Ratio = Effective Axle Ratio

 

Going from michelin 245/75 to ProComp 265/75 reduced my rear axle from 4.10 to an effective 3.92.

[Shaners]

Stick with the "E"-rated tires and for best results go to a wider rim. Any time you go to a wider rim, your offset will change a little, and will most likely require some minor trimming, and a possible adjustment to your front torsion bars.