Tires?

[traveltunes]

I am looking to put 265/75/16 on my TV. I have been looking at the BF Goodrich rugged trail in the above size. On our Silverado it has 6.5 inch rims and I can't find a tire in that size that will mount on those wheels. I guess the question is can you put a tire which says it's for 7to8 in. rims on a 6.5 in. rim? Do any of you out there have these tires on your Silverado 2500HD's. It seems the BFG has the best load rating's from what I read. Thanks for your help.

[rickety]

I have always been told that to put and 8 inch tire on a 6 inch rim is inviting disaster.
I think you run a very high risk of rolling the tire right off the rim.
My memory is not what it used to be. Changing tire sizes from original on the diesel also changes speedo readout and tranny shift patterns. I put an oversize set on my silverado and took the tires back to sears after about 3 weeks and went back to stock because of the different shifting, the different "feel" from the engine and the fact that the tires felt "squirrely"

[traveltunes]

Does anyone know of any other brands of tires I can get in a 265/75/16 that will fit the trucks 6.5 rims?

[LonnieB]

traveltunes,

I have sold and mounted on 6.5 inch wheels, more LT265/75R16E tires than I care to count, and I have never seen a tire roll off the wheel because it was a half inch narrower than recommended. The LT245/75R16E's that came on your truck from the factory are 30.7 inches tall with a tread width of 7.5 inches. The LT265/75R16E's that you want to install are 31.8 inches tall with a tread width of 8.1 inches. This means the 265's are 1.1 inches taller, and .6 inches wider than the factory tires. The RPM ( Revolutions per mile ) on the 265's is 655, and on the 245's it's 679, a difference of 24 RPM.

As Rick said, it will cause your speedometer/odometer to give false readings, something that can be remedied very quickly and inexpensively at any GM dealer. It just requires resetting the computer to the new tire size. As far as the transmission shifting is concerned, you may notice a little difference. It would be like going to a slightly higher gear ratio in your rear differential.

As far as I know, all LT265/75R16E tires have the same load rating of 123/120 which means 3420 lbs single, and 3080 lbs dual. All the tires in this size, that I have references on, also recommend a minimum 7 inch wheel width.

All that being said, I will add this. I am in no way telling you what you should do, I'm just informing you of a few facts, and letting you know I have replaced many LT245/75R16E tires with the LT265/75R16E tires, and have had no problems. I recommend you do whatever you feel comfortable with, after reading what the rest of our members have to say about their experiences.

[traveltunes]

LonnieB,
That was the kind of feedback I was looking for. I wanted information from someone with your knowledge and experience. Thank you for your advise. I will go ahead and get the BFG's I wanted.

Rickety,
Thanks for the information on the speedometer, I will get the computer reset to the new tire size. What brand of tire did you take back to Sears??

[Dave e Victoria]

I ran 265's on my 2003 GMC with no problem. However, on my truck the computer change fixed the odometer and all of the digital calculations but DID NOT correct the speedometer needle. I read about 5% low just like Lonnie's calculation predicted.

BTW, I bought Michilens and was very happy with both ride and longevity.

[dscott]

I just put Firestone Tranforce AT ser E 265/75/16 replaced my Bridge Stones They work great on my GMC 2500HD 8.1 Bigblock pulling a 2007 3400 RL.

[Fordzilla]

On my previous TV when I put on new BFG tires on they were a little squirrelly when new but after they got 300-500 miles on them they settled down and road very well. I was told and have had other new tires that seem greasy when new and they settle in and perform as expected after a week or two of driving.

[bob]

Travel tunes the original wheel does not have enough weight capacity the 16x6.5 is to light of wheel the 265x75 R16 is rated at 3400 lb cap 245x7516 has a 3042 cap you need the extra cap at the the wheel if not it is the week link 3500 srw steel wheels have a 3400 lb cap alcoa 16x7 have a 3750 load cap the point is that your wheels are not rated for the extra weight if you have more questions email or call I also own a tire shop & repair shop 30 yrs plus

[Mudchief]

I just put a set of 265/75/16 on my truck. Tomorrow I am hauling a load to Iowa. It far exceeds the weight of my 3400RL. Therefore I will get to find out how it handles and if I see any difference in the shifting of the transmission.

[rickety]

Thanks Lonnie, I knew you could straighten this out. As far as having the computer reset for the new tire. The computer for the Duramax cannot be reset for oversize tire. I was told this by my Dealer. Said it was because of the transmission shift patterns and a whole bunch of other stuff that I can't remember. I took back Michelin XL4 E rating. aaand just exchanged them for the proper size in Micheling. Love these tires!!!! I replaced the roiginal Bridgestone at 20,00 because I didn't like them at all.

[dsprik]

I am replacing my 265/75 x 16 with new Michelin LTX M/S (LT245/75R16/E - 3042#). I have pulled my 3400 and driven this truck for almost a year now. No problems, but hard to figure gas mileage, mpg, etc using the 5% rule.

I figured I would go back to the tire size that GM is adamant about not switching away from. As Rick said, the dealership cannot and will not adjust the computer for a bigger size tire. An experienced MOCer recommended these tires.

[rickety]

Dave, Great Tires. That's what I've got and the computer is spot on when it figures mileage.

[Montana Sky]

Dave,
It is my opinion, but your on the right track by going back to the 245's.

If one is already out of factory warranty then it is personal choice, but if you are still within warranty I would sure think twice about putting larger tires and or wheels on my truck.

I was at a factory car auction the other day and got some interesting info. The auctioneer was announcing that certain trucks had "frame damage" due to mounting of 5th wheel or goose neck hitch. While the frame is not damaged, by factory standards because the frame is no longer 100% in tact, it has to be declared to all buyers. Also, they were running a few repo vehicles through and "could not provide actual odometer statements" due to larger wheels and tires that have been put on vehicle. Come to find out, the factory will not honor warranty claims on parts that have been modified away from the factory specs. This includes larger wheels and tires, air cleaners, computer chips and programmers, and exhaust to name a few. I also heard rumor that starting on the 2008 vehicles, the consumer can no longer access the "computer box" on vehicles. The dealership will now have to call the factory direct to get a log in and password from the manufacturer to access the computer. This is to prohibit the use of programmers and computer chips. Interesting stuff.....

[Snownyet]

Not trying to be offensive but I kinda think some of you guys are being a bit anal about 265's on these trucks. Check out the forums at dieselplace.com, guys are running 285's and 305's on these trucks and I cant say Ive ever heard of an issue, would I tow a heavy 5er with a 285 No but the point is I see them every day and people are doing it without incident that Im aware of. I personally want the taller tire for the gear ratio change, anything I can do to get my RPMs down is good for me and my pocketbook. I guess Im of the opinion that if by chance youve got yourself in a position where you think changing to a 265 tire on a gm 2500 is creating danger, youd better start looking foer a bigger truck cause youre probably already in that danger zone with the 245.

[Bill and Ann]

The main reason I changed to 265's was because of the tire weight capacity. I was very close to the max. cap. of the tire with the 245's. I am now getting ready to replace the Michelin LTX M&S 265's as they are getting close the the wear marks. One or two trips over the scale to get my hitch weight was enough to make me change to the 265's. That factor alone is enough reason to go to the bigger tire. My GPS show me how fast I am going as the speedo is out about 3 mph. Gas mileage is good with the D/A so I don't worry what the computer is saying.

[Montana Sky]

Bill,

Curious, did you notice a change in shift points after switching to the 265's??

[Snownyet]

I was just reading thru again and noticed the comments about dealers refusal to reprogram for the tires that Id missed previously. When shopping for trucks i spoke with the HD service advisors at each shop, every one told me absolutely no problem using 265's and they'd be more than willing to reprogram... for a fee, all 3 also told me no way for 285s and all 3 told me 285s would void the warranty on 06 and newer allison equipped trucks, while 265's were fine, thats just my experience.

[Bill and Ann]

Dave: Do not notice any diff. with the 265's at all. The only noticable diff. is the speedo and mileage. The GPS takes care of the speedo, but I know it is out about 3 - 4 mph.
Re the programming of the truck. Some models cannot be reprogrammed. Mine is one of them. The 03's cannot be done.

[skypilot]

3-4 mph difference from speedo to GPS -- wish that was all I was off; Stock Dodge 2006 DRW and my speedo / odometer is off by 6 plus at 30 (shows I'm doing 30, GPS shows 24) at 55 indicated, GPS shows 50; at 65 GPS shows 62. Just did 1900 plus mile trip and difference between odometer and GPS is 23.7 miles (odometer higher). Took it to the local Dodge dealer and they gave me the - 'its within tolerances' answer. Plus -- 'if you have something go wrong just a little past warranty we'll take care of it' reply as well. By the way, truck just turned 10,000 miles while returning on this trip. Guess what I'm trying to say is there is so much variation in odometer / speedometer calibrations due to different makes of OEM tires to begin with, I don't think you will have a problem with tire height. I'd much rather have a little extra cushion on weight tolerance myself.