Recently purchased a 06 GMC Dually that is in need of some tires. The factory size is 215/85/16. I am thinking of going up to a 235/85/16. The problem is I don't like how the skinny tires look on the front. I have read different places of people putting a different size in the front. For example a 265/75/16 with the 235/85/16 in the rear. The tires are the same height and have the same revs per mile. Anybody have any thoughts on this? It is a 4x4 truck.
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Tires for my dually
- Thread starter gmctodd
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You can do it but may lose rotation ability. Don't go too wide in the rear and cause rubbing between the two.
gmctodd
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My brother has 255/85/16's on his 04 dually but they are pretty hard to find anymore. Based on what I'm reading the 235/85's should be ok. I'm just wandering how close the 265 /75 will be on the narrower wheel. The specs they give for the tire qare based on a 7 inch wheel not the 6.5 inch that is on the truck
First there's the problem of dual spacing in the rear.
GM was not in the habit of providing anything more than the minimal spacing with its duals, so an LT235/85R16 will likely rub under certain conditions - and that causes some very unusual failure modes.
But you can check the dual spacing. You're supposed to measure from Centerline to centerline - but the easy way is to pick a feature on one of the duals - like a groove. Then measure to the same point on the other dual.
For an LT215/85R16, the minimum dual spacing is 9.9". For an LT235/85R16, it is 10.8".
For the front, the problem is the width of the rims. According to Tire Guides, the stock rims are 6.5" wide.
That means the biggest tire you can fit is LT245/75R16 or LT255/85R16.
If you put a wider tire on than that, the tread face will arch and you'll be riding on the center - which leads to center wear and a tendency to follow the grooves in the pavement and a sensitivity to cross winds.
I would think that would be very bad for the steering feel.
But you have a 4X4 which means you need to have the same size all around - so if the dual spacing is what I think it is, you're stuck with the stock size!
GM was not in the habit of providing anything more than the minimal spacing with its duals, so an LT235/85R16 will likely rub under certain conditions - and that causes some very unusual failure modes.
But you can check the dual spacing. You're supposed to measure from Centerline to centerline - but the easy way is to pick a feature on one of the duals - like a groove. Then measure to the same point on the other dual.
For an LT215/85R16, the minimum dual spacing is 9.9". For an LT235/85R16, it is 10.8".
For the front, the problem is the width of the rims. According to Tire Guides, the stock rims are 6.5" wide.
That means the biggest tire you can fit is LT245/75R16 or LT255/85R16.
If you put a wider tire on than that, the tread face will arch and you'll be riding on the center - which leads to center wear and a tendency to follow the grooves in the pavement and a sensitivity to cross winds.
I would think that would be very bad for the steering feel.
But you have a 4X4 which means you need to have the same size all around - so if the dual spacing is what I think it is, you're stuck with the stock size!
I have a '97 Dodge dually that originally came with 215/85R16 tires. I switched to 235's with no problem. There is plenty of room in my application. I use different tires on the back than I do the front so I don't rotate them. Right now, I have Dunlop Rovers, previous tires were Michelin LTX. For Fronts I use a real truck tire. Michelin XPS are on now, but looking at Bridgestone Durvais in the future. I would go with the 265 tires in the front as they give more footprint. My truck has the Cummins engine and the weight is a killer on tires. The rear tires have it easy as they never come near their rated capacity.
The problem with duallies is the rear wheel spacing. Typically duallies aren't set up with more than minimal spacing between the duals. If the sidewalls of the tires touch, there is a risk of sidewall failure - very bad.
So before you go too far, you need to measure the dual spacing. Officially it is from centerline to centerline, but you can meausre between the same point on the adjacent tires - like a rib to the corresponding rib.
So before you go too far, you need to measure the dual spacing. Officially it is from centerline to centerline, but you can meausre between the same point on the adjacent tires - like a rib to the corresponding rib.
fwiw...I run the cummins dodge as well, only ours is the 3/4 ton. It came with 245/75's from the dealer when we bought it, but they were not the factory size label on the door, which is 265/75's.
When the set of tires that came with the truck wore out, we opted for 265/75/16's and like them so much better...they do give wider foot base and the truck feels a bit more stable.
right now we have bridgestone revo's on this truck, but they are wearing out pretty quickly....but all tires seem to on this beast; when these are done, we're moving to Goodyear Duratrac tires.
When the set of tires that came with the truck wore out, we opted for 265/75/16's and like them so much better...they do give wider foot base and the truck feels a bit more stable.
right now we have bridgestone revo's on this truck, but they are wearing out pretty quickly....but all tires seem to on this beast; when these are done, we're moving to Goodyear Duratrac tires.
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