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.

1. Do I need a 5" backset or will a 4.5" backset clear ok.

2. Are there any reasonable price rims available in a 16x8 8 hole Chevy
bolt pattern?

3. What kind of problems am I likely to run into if I run 4.5s with a .5
spacer?

"Bob La Londe" <nospam (AT) nospam (DOT) no> wrote

On Sat, 31 Jan 2009 00:26:02 -0700, Bob La Londe wrote:

Billet is totally different than rolled. If it really is rolled it is
illegal to call it billet.

6061 is pretty tough stuff, but it can still flex and compress
First check with the tire manufacturer to see if the desired tires will fit
on the rims. If not, a wider rim needs a larger backset or you risk
wearing out your wheel bearings quickly and I believe there is also a
potential problem with alignment and tire wear if you don't increase the
backset. You need to keep with the original ratio for the offset.

Mike D.