2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Stock Steel vs. Stock Aluminum wheels

[Jrork]

Which is stronger? I have the stock chrome steel wheels and have a friend with some wheels off of a 2001 that are the stock aluminum 8" wheels that I can get for cheap. I haul a very heavy camper so capacity is very important.



If the aluminums would work, I could put some 285s on the back (I have 265s on the front) and gain some additional capacity per tire (3415 vs 3740).



Thanks very much... ... john

 

[Allnew2Me]

The stock wheels on my year truck (01) are forged, not cast like many aftermarket wheels. They are very strong although you can destroy anything if you try hard enough.

I recently bought new tires and tried to find a stamping on the wheel that listed the rating but found nothing inside or out. I have heard that these wheels are stronger than the steel wheels, they certainly weigh less.

With load range E tires in the stock size of 265/75/16 I know that the wheels are rated at least at 3415.

If you get higher rated tires that doesn't mean you can carry any more than the GVW rating of the truck.

 

[Jrork]

The stock wheels on my year truck (01) are forged, not cast like many aftermarket wheels. They are very strong although you can destroy anything if you try hard enough.

I recently bought new tires and tried to find a stamping on the wheel that listed the rating but found nothing inside or out. I have heard that these wheels are stronger than the steel wheels, they certainly weigh less.

With load range E tires in the stock size of 265/75/16 I know that the wheels are rated at least at 3415.

If you get higher rated tires that doesn't mean you can carry any more than the GVW rating of the truck.

That's great news. I was curious if there was any stamping on them as well.



As far as the GVW, I am overloaded and am aware of it. I have weighed my setup fully loaded and wet and am just short of the capacity of my current tires. I have traveled many roads with this setup but would really like some added wiggle room that the 285 M55s would provide me. I wish Dodge had made a SRW 3500 in the second generation model but they didnt.



Thanks for the reply... ... john

 

[DieselDoghouse]

It goes like this… aluminum wheels CAN be load rated as well as the OEM steel and they sure are lighter and a fuel savings. BUT if you slam them hard enough they will crack, where the steel rim will bend and can be reformed. Points to ponder. I ride on ARC aluminum now but am aware of the limitations of any wheel structure.

 

[Allnew2Me]

Almost every SRW 3/4 ton pickup with a camper on it is overloaded. You have a

2-wheel drive which gives you a little more weight to carry but my truck with the clubcab, longbed and 4X4 option only gives me a cargo capacity of around 1800 pounds. Not many campers are even close to that.

The Dana 70 I believe is rated by Dana at 7500 pounds but the limiting factor on our trucks if you want to stay legal is the tire and wheel capacity.

Higher rated tires will give you a little more room and be safer than a lower rated tire, but if you ever are involved in an accident, even if you didn't cause it, you might have other issues if you are over the sticker weight on the rear axle.

 

[Jrork]

Almost every SRW 3/4 ton pickup with a camper on it is overloaded. You have a

2-wheel drive which gives you a little more weight to carry but my truck with the clubcab, longbed and 4X4 option only gives me a cargo capacity of around 1800 pounds. Not many campers are even close to that.

The Dana 70 I believe is rated by Dana at 7500 pounds but the limiting factor on our trucks if you want to stay legal is the tire and wheel capacity.

Higher rated tires will give you a little more room and be safer than a lower rated tire, but if you ever are involved in an accident, even if you didn't cause it, you might have other issues if you are over the sticker weight on the rear axle.

Yep, I'm right there with you which is exactly why I want to upgrade the tire situation. One nice thing I have is that I have the stick which gives me the Dana 80. Other than one trip east in some high cross winds the truck has handled this camper really well. I just like the added wiggleroom of the higher rated tires. In a perfect world I would have some 19. 5s but I dont drive the truck loaded that much and from what I've read the 19. 5s aren't the best in snow/mud/sand. I will say that is not a huge issue since I'm 2wd but never the less is worth keeping in mind.

 

[Rattler]

Hi Jrork, do some checking before you get those wheels. It seems that the rear brakes on your truck are larger than the ones from an 01 causing a clearance issue. Not saying this is a sure thing, but seems i remember this being an issue. Randy

 

[Texis]

Wheel fitment discussion, today...



https://www.turbodieselregister.com...ission-discussions/220066-wheel-question.html

 

[Jrork]

Thanks guys. I'll look deeper into the fitment issue. I hadn't thought about the drum vs disc issue. You're probably on to something there.

 

[Texis]

Jrork,



let us know what you find. .



Thanks

 

[Allnew2Me]

Just for your information, if you have a 2500 with the stick you have the Dana 80 hybrid. It is not the true 80 that the 3500 has. If you look at the axle tube near the wheels you will see that it is a reduced diameter as compared to a one-ton Dana 80. I don't know what the rating is on this one. It may be physically higher than Dana rates the 70 but you are still limited (legally) by the sticker on the door.

 

[Mactruck]

Backspacing on the steel wheels are 4. 75".
The 2001 Forged Alloys have a Backspacing of 6. 25".
They will not fit. see -
Dodge Ram Specifications

 

[Jrork]

Backspacing on the steel wheels are 4. 75".

The 2001 Forged Alloys have a Backspacing of 6. 25".

They will not fit. see -

Dodge Ram Specifications

Thanks Mac. I did some searching and found others that have had problems but most talked about just having to machine a bump on the brakedrum. This certainly adds a wrinkle. Oh well, guess I'll keep saving my pennys for some 19. 5s

 

[Rattler]

Mactruck, that is the info that i was remembering, that there was an interference with the tie rod ends and the rear drums. Randy

 

[Garlic]

After I bought the 96 there was a vibration at freeway speeds. I did not like the Goodyears that were on the truck because the would go out of balance in about 100 miles (I had alot of tire balancings in the first 36,000 miles to find this out). After Goodyear and the dealer said that I was on my own for tires, I began to look into what was going on. A new set of tires made the vibration consistent after 100 miles but it was still there. Still under warranty I had them check the rims after I balanced the tires myself. What we found was all 4 rims had a wobble and run out of up to 1/2". The dealer ordered a bunch of rims and on a Saturday we checked all of them for out of round and run out. Of the 30 we spun we found 4 that were with in 1/4". Changed the tires out and drove around the block and checked them again. 3 of the 4 were now 3/8" out of true. The rims had issues of thier own. The problem finally got solved at 100,000 miles when we treated the truck to a new set of Aluminum Center Lines and 285 Bridgestones. The vibration went away and every one was happy. Now these were the stock chrome plated steel rims. The Center Lines we installed were 16 X 8 with a 0" offset. I really hate the cockroach, stick out of the fender look (Here it is popular with the Ferd crowd), they fit inside of the body lines of the truck and out side of minor contact on the palstic inner fender when you back up and turn the wheel real hard to one side they work and look real good. Fo me the stock steels are a no go.

 

[AlSmith]

Garlic, my 96 had the same issues with the stock wheels. I made the dealer find true running wheels to correct the problem. It still cost me with worn out tires. I had to buy new tires at 7k miles. I prefer aluminum wheels which are truer and run cooler. Ask any trucker which they prefer and they will usually say aluminum.

 

[SDrake]

It is amazing. My original Firestone tires ran smooth so when I started having wheel shake I just knew that any shake that showed up in new tires was the tires fault or the installers fault and I went through endless cycles of trying to get my Michelin replacements balanced. But shake was always annoying. After having a different type of balance, I forget what they call it, Hunter balancer that takes into account out of round, my truck would run smooth for a while but then the shake would come back.



One day I bought a dial indicator and measured the tread runout and was shocked at the amount, over 1/2" as I recall. Had read a little about rims and so bought some 02 Aluminum wheels on E-bay, checked them and they were very true. Put some Michelin 265's on and finally at last after years of shake I had a lasting smooth ride.



Checked the old rims for runout and decided to not sell them on E-

Bay. All of them had way excessive TIR. I don't remember the numbers now but it was way beyond the max allowed by any standard I could find. I would not wish these wheels on any but my most hated enemy. It is inexcusable for Dodge or anyother car company to sell wheels with so much runout. It is stuff like that that made me determined that i would avoid at all extremes giving Dodge any of my parts money. They wanted over $600

for a pre 2/7/94 trackbar, which they sold for under $300 for later versions, same trackbar except the ball joint was way too small for the 2500. I went to Lukes link instead and so it has gone with along list of parts needs.





Thats my wheel rant. It wasn't fun getting no help from Dodge.