Need some suggestions for 2500HD build

[w0lf]

No prob man...

Ok, your stock tires should be around the same weight rating as my stock E rated Michelins were. 3600lbs at 80psi. Times 4 tires =14,400lbs total weight that you could essentially make that truck weigh and the tires hold it up. For one, you have a small block, so there is 500+ lbs less on the front end from the lack of a Dmax.

Now, say you are going to pull a heavy gooseneck. Most 'necks are going to give somehere between a 10-20% tongue weight depending on how you load your trailer. If you were going to pull a heavy 'neck that say weighs 15K (the max you probably can tow, if over the manu' rating) you are going to have a tongue weight of around say 2K or so.

Now, back to your tires. Your truck probably weighs 6,500lbs in stock condition, thats essentially around 1,625lbs on each tire. With the gooseneck, that puts you around 2125lbs on each tire, roughly. Thats a long way from 3K+ that your tires are rated at. Where you could run into some weight issues is filling the bed with something really heavy. Say sod, that crap is heavy.... Then if you could manage to stuff 3-4K on the bed somehow you could creep up to where an E rated tire is needed, but there again no Dmax so there is an extra 500+lbs not on the heavy part of the truck, which is the front end.

A slightly larger tire with a load D rating will be adequit. I run 33x12.50x16.5 Cooper Discoverers on my Ram that has a much heavier Cummins up front and a big D60. They have a 2,910lbs at 50psi rating and it's still weight capacity to pull my gooseneck with anything on it. BUT, I never fill my bed full of heavy stuff, I just pull a trailer if it's anything big or heavy enough to matter.

GM, tire companies, internet sites are going to say you need an E rated tire, because thats what the manufacturer calls for, but you just have to read between the lines and figure out what you are going to actually use the truck for, and unfortunately, most of these heavy duty trucks don't get used for much more than commuter cars anyway.

Does that help some?

wow, that is a GREAT explanation, thank you for taking the time to kick me some knowledge.

The heaviest usage model i have right now would be as follows:

Approx 1000 lbs in bed of truck
towing heavy trailer with 2 quads, gear, etc. weighing around 6000 lbs

There is a chance that we get a 21' toy hauler, which would then mess this all up, but it would move all the weight onto the tongue, and out of the bed. i don't know what this weighs (est 10k based on what the new ones are), but does that change my decison basis now any?

 

[rjfguitar]

I still say you would be completely fine with a D rated tire. Even with a large toyhauler weighing around 10K or so.

Lets just say you add bigger tires, wheels, a tool box in the bed, stuff the cab with wife/some kids/ and misc. gear tucked behind the box in the bed.

Lets just shoot basically too high and say your truck would weigh 8K at this point. Thats 2K on each tire. Your 10K toy hauler is going to give a 15% tongue weight, thats 1,500lbs. Thats an estimated 2,400lbs on each tire. You've still got an extra 500lbs per tire left in reserve with an average 2,900lbs load D tire.

Just in case you are wondering.... "Then why would you need a dually with two extra tires? Duals in the back are more about lateral stability than anything else. More rubber on the ground to help keep big loads stable in windy weather, ice, rain, etc.

 

[BigEasy]

I still say you would be completely fine with a D rated tire. Even with a large toyhauler weighing around 10K or so.

Lets just say you add bigger tires, wheels, a tool box in the bed, stuff the cab with wife/some kids/ and misc. gear tucked behind the box in the bed.

Lets just shoot basically too high and say your truck would weigh 8K at this point. Thats 2K on each tire. Your 10K toy hauler is going to give a 15% tongue weight, thats 1,500lbs. Thats an estimated 2,400lbs on each tire. You've still got an extra 500lbs per tire left in reserve with an average 2,900lbs load D tire.

Just in case you are wondering.... "Then why would you need a dually with two extra tires? Duals in the back are more about lateral stability than anything else. More rubber on the ground to help keep big loads stable in windy weather, ice, rain, etc.

All of that is only IF you can get the load distributed 100% evenly, which is almost impossible. With a 1,500 pound tongue weight, you know there's going to be a heavier load on the rear & you'll be right at the load rating for the tires. For this same reason, I run the 265/75/16 Toyo M/T's on 16"x10"s with my '05 2500HD. Fills out the wheelwell nicely, doesn't stick out, and the tires are great. I shredded through a set of Nitto Terra Grapplers before I went with the Toyo's and there's no comparison.

w0lf- PM me if you'd like to see a couple pics of my truck for comparison.

 

[bowtiepower00]

If I were you, I'd run a 255/85R16 BFG MT. Thats roughly a 33x10.5. They will fit stock wheels w/o rubbing. You may even be able to fit one where the stock spare fits.

For tire storage, the Tiregate looks like a decent choice.

 

[BB402Blazer]

I have a 04 2500 HD In which I use to tow with also. I did the 2 inch leveler kit and I am currently running 325/75-18's. I get minor rubbing on full lock turns. I did have to trim the front valence too. I have a 6.0L with 4:10 flowmasters and a GMS programmer. I find that the towing ability is rather good, seeing that it is a small block. I tow a 26 ft toy hauler when fully loaded weighs in at 10,000 pd. I am not going to win any 1/4 mile runs but I seem to stay up with traffic pretty well. (and pass a hemi if needed ). If you want to stick with the stock rims, I agree that the 255/85 bfg work well. but there is not alot of floatation to them.

 

[w0lf]

All of that is only IF you can get the load distributed 100% evenly, which is almost impossible. With a 1,500 pound tongue weight, you know there's going to be a heavier load on the rear & you'll be right at the load rating for the tires. For this same reason, I run the 265/75/16 Toyo M/T's on 16"x10" AR Chrome Bajas with my '05 2500HD. Fills out the wheelwell nicely, doesn't stick out, and the tires are great. I shredded through a set of Nitto Terra Grapplers before I went with the Toyo's and there's no comparison.

w0lf- PM me if you'd like to see a couple pics of my truck for comparison.

the good news is, i can go with either size in the Toyo MT's in E rating either way, so i'm in good shape there.

BE, please send me some pics i can't PM for some reason, sorry.

 

[w0lf]

If I were you, I'd run a 255/85R16 BFG MT. Thats roughly a 33x10.5. They will fit stock wheels w/o rubbing. You may even be able to fit one where the stock spare fits.

For tire storage, the Tiregate looks like a decent choice.

i'm definitely interested in keeping it quick and easy, and don't want to do ANY cutting at all. I'd also like to keep the stock rims if possible to save some $$ ( I can buy headers with that money ).

yeah, it's really the only game in town unless i get something custom made,

 

[w0lf]

I have a 04 2500 HD In which I use to tow with also. I did the 2 inch leveler kit and I am currently running 325/75-18's. I get minor rubbing on full lock turns. I did have to trim the front valence too. I have a 6.0L with 4:10 flowmasters and a GMS programmer. I find that the towing ability is rather good, seeing that it is a small block. I tow a 26 ft toy hauler when fully loaded weighs in at 10,000 pd. I am not going to win any 1/4 mile runs but I seem to stay up with traffic pretty well. (and pass a hemi if needed ). If you want to stick with the stock rims, I agree that the 255/85 bfg work well. but there is not alot of floatation to them.

sounds like you and i are in the same boat then. the hard core wheeling capabilities are definitely a nice to have, i just want it look good and it sounds like everyone likes the Toyo MT's, so that pretty much solves the tire choice as well.

Thanks

 

[rjfguitar]

All of that is only IF you can get the load distributed 100% evenly, which is almost impossible. With a 1,500 pound tongue weight, you know there's going to be a heavier load on the rear & you'll be right at the load rating for the tires. For this same reason, I run the 265/75/16 Toyo M/T's on 16"x10" AR Chrome Bajas with my '05 2500HD. Fills out the wheelwell nicely, doesn't stick out, and the tires are great. I shredded through a set of Nitto Terra Grapplers before I went with the Toyo's and there's no comparison.

w0lf- PM me if you'd like to see a couple pics of my truck for comparison.

Also, IIRC he said in 5th wheel form. He is going to get the weight distributed quite well with a 5th wheel. He would have more weight on the rear, even in a goose/5th configuration, but he is also heavier in the front to start with. He would have plenty of room, as he'd have an easy 500lbs reserve for each tire anyway.

 

[gmc4cw]

wow, that is a GREAT explanation, thank you for taking the time to kick me some knowledge.

The heaviest usage model i have right now would be as follows:

Approx 1000 lbs in bed of truck
towing heavy trailer with 2 quads, gear, etc. weighing around 6000 lbs

There is a chance that we get a 21' toy hauler, which would then mess this all up, but it would move all the weight onto the tongue, and out of the bed. i don't know what this weighs (est 10k based on what the new ones are), but does that change my decison basis now any?

no matter what, your GVW for the truck is 9200 lbs. the truck weighs around 6000 lbs. I have scaled lots of them and I sell them new so I have all the charts. A "D" rated tire would be enough. Until you get into a situation where you are illegally overloaded or towing way more then you should gooseneck or tag along then you will be fine.

 

[BB402Blazer]

I am using the Toyo Open Country A/T. They are so wide that Traction hasn't been a prob. Even when The truck hits second gear under heavy acceleration it tries to lift the front before breaking loose.

 

[BigEasy]

Also, IIRC he said in 5th wheel form. He is going to get the weight distributed quite well with a 5th wheel. He would have more weight on the rear, even in a goose/5th configuration, but he is also heavier in the front to start with. He would have plenty of room, as he'd have an easy 500lbs reserve for each tire anyway.

With either a gooseneck or 5th wheel mount located between the wheelwells in the bed, the majority of the weight is still transferred to the rear end. But after reading through the thread again, I see that he only has an extended cab with the 6.0. Even loaded down with a bunch of stuff it should only weigh around 7,000lbs. The D range tires would most likely be fine in his case. I chose to use E rated tires because of the extra weight of the crewcab & the Duramax engine in my truck. With the stock rims it shouldn't be a problem, but with aftermarket wheels their weight rating should be taken into account as well...

 

[rjfguitar]

I chose to use E rated tires because of the extra weight of the crewcab & the Duramax engine in my truck..

I completely agree.

 

[supersize75k5]

I feel the d- is fine as well, rj and others make good points, the stock rims are sexy though, looks like there are tire options if you want to keep them.

 

[JpEater]

I run 315 BFG Mt's on my stock 2500HD wheels with no problems. I have had them on since the day after I bought my truck new and now have 11k miles. They are not wearing funny at all and are in fact wearing flat like they should be. FYI I also run a full size 315/75R16 spare tire in the factory location with no clearance problems. My tires are also load range D and they do fine towing. I towed my 11k lb. truck trailer combo 4k miles @ 80-85 mph to Moab for Blazer Bash without any issues or worries.

 

[misterfnygy]

Spare tire fits

On my 315-75-r16 tires- the spare fits fine in the stock location- couldnt be any bigger though. My dual exhaust run out the back diagonally to miss the tire. I bought a set of Toyo AT- ran them for 32k and switched to the MT. Les Schwab still gave me the pro rated discount even though the first tires were not worn down all the way. That is why I went with Toyo in the first place- 50k warranty on big tires is a plus.

 

[az-k5]

Try 255-85-16 for a size. There are more than a few brands available. Neat size actually. As for load rating, well, it is complicated and simple.

Simple, will you ever put more than the max load of a D rating over the axle? Probably not. You will be fine.

Complicated, an E rating handles better (and is available in 285's BTW) due to its stiffer sidewall. It also hold more weight for the same reason. E's tend to hold about 300-500 lbs more per tire. That really is only a 10% difference when you are near the max load.

The tire manufactures (not the companies that sell them) came out with a safety release a little over a year ago. This said that 285-75-16's had to be mounted on 7.5" or wider rims.

 

[camarossguy2]

Try dieselplace.com
I have a 2003 K2500HD with the duramax in it and plane on a about 8'' and 36-38s tires.

Dieselplace.com has forums for the gassers as well and lot of info for tires and suspension.

 

[rjfguitar]

You could always try www.towrig.com too, it's our sister site.

 

[w0lf]

Try 255-85-16 for a size. There are more than a few brands available. Neat size actually. As for load rating, well, it is complicated and simple.

Simple, will you ever put more than the max load of a D rating over the axle? Probably not. You will be fine.

Complicated, an E rating handles better (and is available in 285's BTW) due to its stiffer sidewall. It also hold more weight for the same reason. E's tend to hold about 300-500 lbs more per tire. That really is only a 10% difference when you are near the max load.

The tire manufactures (not the companies that sell them) came out with a safety release a little over a year ago. This said that 285-75-16's had to be mounted on 7.5" or wider rims.

D'oh...

So just when i thought I had it, you just messed me up again..

Five people have told me they are running 285's on stock '05 2500HD rims, which i believe are not 7.5" (are they)? Now you are saying that i can NOT do that?

Which one is it?