I have been looking at going to a little wider tire on my 2500HD. I currently have 265s on a 6.5 stock rim and its ok for most things, but there are a couple place I go where it is just barely enough tire. I am looking at 285 75 16 as the next step up in a decent all terrain radial. I am not necessarily shopping for the cheapest deal, but I neither need nor want to "pimp my ride" either.
Most of the 285 75 16 tires I have looked at show an 8 or 8.5 inch rim width as optimal giving me close to 11.5" of width on the "road" or in the dirt. I found a bunch of rims that are affordable with a 4.5 inch backset. One local tire dealer told me that I really should have a 5" backset, and then proceeded to tell me there aren't many made like that. Well, so far I haven't found any. Just lots of 4.5 backsets and many at a reasonable price.
Then I got the "bright idea" to look at spacers. All of the spacers I have looked at are made from 6061 aluminum billet (probably mill rolled sheet really). 6061 is pretty tough stuff, but it can still flex and compress some.
I guess I have some questions.
- Do I need a 5" backset or will a 4.5" backset clear ok.
- Are there any reasonable price rims available in a 16x8 8 hole Chevy bolt pattern?
- What kind of problems am I likely to run into if I run 4.5s with a .5 spacer?