clarkely
Harleysville, Pa
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What are th pros & cons of wheel size in regards to towing set ups.
I have a 2008 Suburban 2500 coming and it has the stock 16" wheels......i personally do not care for the appearance, they look to small, I am going to have 17" Wheels put on.
ANy pros/cons......or should I go larger...to 18's? I wouldn't go larger than that.....
Opinions....information please!!
I'd Rather be camping!!!
2004 298BHLGL Springdale (Hopefully newer & Bigger soon!!)
2004 1500 Suburban (soon to be 2008 2500
1 Wife, 4 kids & a Dog......Bigger is Better!!
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Rollincool
Always Rollin
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Joined: 08/10/2007
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clarkely wrote:What are th pros & cons of wheel size in regards to towing set ups.
I have a 2008 Suburban 2500 coming and it has the stock 16" wheels......i personally do not care for the appearance, they look to small, I am going to have 17" Wheels put on.
ANy pros/cons......or should I go larger...to 18's? I wouldn't go larger than that.....
Opinions....information please!!
Its not the "wheel" size that will make a difference, it's the tire size. A bigger sidewall tire will react differently when towing.
2008 Chevy Silverado 4x4 3500 RC/LB 6.0 
2007 Chevy GS Yellowstone 5290 6.0
2007 Chevy HHR Toad 2LT 2.4
1967 Chevy Camaro Pro Street 468 BBC 
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TubaPete
Comstock Park, MI
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I bought a Silverado 2500. Like you, the 16" is standard with the 17" as an option. I chose to stay with the 16" because I was concerned about the height of the bed rail. (I pull a 5th wheel.) The dealer also told me you lose a little on towing (i.e. pulling) capacity with the larger wheels because you lose a little torque to the road with the larger diameter.
Tuba Pete
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troll3193
SouthWest, MI USA
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I have 17s... There are some tires I cannot find in a 17" that I would be interested in trying...
Specifically the BF Goodrich Commercial TA.. Other than that 17s have been ok with me.
Bryan
2006 RAM 3500 MegaCab w/Cummins Turbo Diesel
Mopar Exhaust Brake
2004 Dutchemen 31BK
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donn0128
Pronounced Ore-gun
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Cost of tires will he a hugh consideration.
Donn
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carringb
somewhere in Europe
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17" wheels will allow you to run a slightly lower apsect ratio with the same height tire. All else being equal, the lower aspect ratio will result in better lateral tire stability. Also, most factoy rims are 6.5" which is the bottom end of what a 265 tire should be mounted on. Going aftermarket will allow a 7" or 8" width.
Downside... Check the ratings. Many aftermarket rims don't have enough capacity for the rear end of a 2500 'burb.
Going to 18" narrows your LT rated tire selection a bit, and price goes up even more.
Bryan
2000 Ford E350 DRW Wagon (14-pass all captains chairs)
V10 w/ Banks PowerPack, Diablo Predator, 4.56 LS, 230,000+ miles
Had: Weekend Warrior 41' FSW (still looking for its replacement)
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clarkely
Harleysville, Pa
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troll3193 wrote:I have 17s... There are some tires I cannot find in a 17" that I would be interested in trying...
Specifically the BF Goodrich Commercial TA.. Other than that 17s have been ok with me.
Bryan
I found Cooper Tire to offer a lot.......
I currently have cooper Discover ATR (E-rated) Tires on my 1500 suburban......they made a world of difference!!
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blt2ski
Kirkland, Wa
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A 265-75-16 has the same diam, revs per mile, contact patch etc as a 265-70-17! also a 245-75-16 and a 245-70-17 are equal as well.
As mentioned, just because you go to a larger diam rim, does not mean you will lose tow power! The stock 16" 245-75-16 vs the optional 265-70-17 is an inch in diam, or half an inch in radius bigger. You will have teh same loss of power etc even if you put 265-75 tires on your current 16" rims.
Keep in mind some things Bryan mentioned, the stock 6.5 is acutally a half inch to narrow for a 265 tire! It is done, but my experience vs an 8" rim, I'll take the 8" rim any day of the week over a 6.5" rim for handling purposes etc. Along with the fact that with a 6.5" rim, you do NOT get the full wt rating ont he sidewall. You need a 7.5" rim to get that rating, going smaller lowers the rating, going wider makes it a big more capacity.
marty
05 Chev CC D/A LS Dooley
92 Navistar dump truck, 7.3L 7 sp, 4.33 gears with a Detroit no spin
00 Chev C2500, V5700, 4L80E, 4.10, base truck, no options!
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8.1 Van
Millstone NJ
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Put some LT265/75R16E's on HD 16x8" alloy wheels like I have on my 3500 Van.
FKA PSDExcursion
2002 Chevy Express LS 3500 8.1 155" WB passenger van 3.73 posi (GT4/G80)
41 Ft 2003 Thor Citation 41-ZBSR TT w/ Hensley Arrow
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cjoseph
WV
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Less sidewall to flex in the 17 and maybe more room for the brakes to breath. Just my guess.
Chuck, Heidi, Jessica, Nicholas & Tan Puppy
2008 3/4-ton Yukon XL, Flagstaff 831BHSS
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