Help with Big Tires - SAFETY CONCERN???

[LewisD]

I bought a used 2011 Mega DRW with 42k miles on it and it has 315/70R17 tires on it. It also has the lift kit and spacers for the rear. The tires are worn to the point that I want to replace them so I ordered 7 new tires (315/70R17) from SAMS club and they won't install them because it's out of their recommended spec for the 6" wide rims. I have a place that will install them but I am concerned about the saftey of using such and oversized tire on this rim. I have searched and found others using this size tire without any complaints or safety concerns so I am hoping to reach out to the community for additional info.



I have given thought about taking it back down to the original size but I would have to remove the lift kits and spacers or it may look odd. I'll take odd looking over a safety concern any day though but it sure would be nice to leave it as is. Oh it also has an 8' bed on it.



Here is some eye candy

 

[JR]

I know of people running 315/70 on factory wheels although they are on a single wheel truck not drw and have no issues. Its quite common for shops to refuse putting anything other than the factory sized tire on your vehicle, if you really want to mount em its just a matter of finding someone that will do it. Now personally I would run something smaller mainly for fuel economy reasons not to mention your putting extra stress on front end stearing components with the larger tires. But again thats just my preference.

 

[jgillott]

How does everything line up for towing that trailer you have in the background currently? I'm just wondering if removing the spacers and going back to a smaller tire may help you out there.

 

[Road Dog]

Nice truck. A 315/70R17 specifies an 8"-11" rim so 6" is a lot under sized. To get the tread flat means low pressure which means heat when you're loaded. I think factory alloy wheels on the SRW are 8". You can always go with a 255/80R17 but they're not common.

 

[BigPapa]

... factory alloy wheels on the SRW are 8".

There's the winner. Beat me to it.

 

[BDaugherty]

Looks great. If it were me, I would run everything just as it is. If you're really concerned about the advertised rim width, get wider wheels. There are just so many people out there running the above combination that I think if you were really asking for trouble we would have heard more stories about it. I'm way more concerned about keeping the rear spacers tight than running slightly wider tires on narrow stock wheels. As to pressure vs. irregular wear, how has your current set worn? If your current set of tires didn't wear out prematurely due to poor wear characteristics, then just have at it and do it again.

 

[EGroeneveld]

I like what you have, I'd look for wider dually rims which there are a few available this would help with the tires and the spacer issue.



Costco and Walmart/Sam's Club will basically only do ''stock size tires'' or OEM size tires as company policy. It has nothing to do with your safety, it is them covering their own butts.

 

[LewisD]

Thanks for all the replies! The current set of tires are worn severley in the middle as expected, not sure how many miles they have on them but the truck has 42k. I decided to go back to 235/80R17's for now. I'll lose 3 inches in height but that's ok, it saves me from putting a lift kit on the 5'er

I really like the look of the 19. 5's but I'm not ready to add that expense yet.

Thanks again!
-Dave

 

[Road Dog]

You only lose half the difference which would be 1. 25" (34. 5" vs 32").

 

[MoparBob]

I do believe that is the only long bed mega cab dually I have ever seen, Nice!