What rims will fit on my 03 2500?

[Ozymandias]

And what is the highest weight rated one?

121 is standard for that Tire/Rim size.

 

[Regcabguy]

And what is the highest weight rated one?

Method NVHD 4500#

 

[SnoKing]

Method NVHD 4500#

Tire. It was my understanding nothing above 3195(load range 121) single anymore. A few years ago 17" were labeled as an unwanted step child, no load rating above 3195.

 

[Regcabguy]

Tire. It was my understanding nothing above 3105 single anymore.

18's sorry.

 

[cerberusiam]

NO, I am staying with what I have. Lots of choices in 17" and they are usually less money.

Those tire are not rated for what your truck can do. They are cheaper because they are made cheaper, too much sidewall for anything other than standard cab DD truck running on smooth roads. That same tire in an 18" is adequately rated, closer to a true 35" tire, and will outlast its poor 17" cousin. If you want e true working tire that will go the distance ditch the 17's, cheaping out on tires is like buying engine parts form Advance Auto instead of Cummins. Nothing good can of it.

 

[Blakers]

My truck has 313,000 miles and I don't load it heavy. Most of the time it's driven to work and back. If I had a set of 18" rims, I'd buy tires in that size, but I don't want to go out and buy new rims now. And I need something by the end of the month.

 

[Ozymandias]

I ran the 315/70-17 and they had a very slight rub on full lock steering. So I GUESS your 285/75-17 should clear just fine.

Right now I run the 35x12.5-17 Toyo, even bigger and they run a little more but still fine.
These Toyos have a grandfathered in 125 LI.

All on OEM rims.

 

[Blakers]

And what is the highest weight rated one?

These Toyo AT3 are rated at 3195 lbs single. The General ATX I last ran in 315-70-17 were rated at 3197. And the BF Goodrich Rugged Trail that came on my truck new in 265-70-17 were rated at 3197. So why won't the AT3's work?

 

[Blakers]

I ran the 315/70-17 and they had a very slight rub on full lock steering. So I GUESS your 285/75-17 should clear just fine.

Right now I run the 35x12.5-17 Toyo, even bigger and they run a little more but still fine.
These Toyos have a grandfathered in 125 LI.

All on OEM rims.

Ok good! Thanks, that's what I was looking for. I know they'd work on the H2 rims, but the stock rims are tucked in a little closer to the truck, so I wasn't sure.

 

[Blakers]

Well guys, I just learned a lot about tires that I did not know! THANK YOU. I did not know that 18" tires were so much stronger than 17". When did they stop using 17" on these trucks? My truck came with the 121's so I figured they were adequate. Maybe that's why I have a hard time with new tires getting out of balance even under regular highway use with little load on them?
I wish I knew this 6 months ago when I had time to look for a set of rims.

 

[Ozymandias]

Gen4 went to 18" from what i know, with 20" optional.

121 is adequat as long as you stay within the factory weight ratings and a little in top..

 

[SnoKing]

Well guys, I just learned a lot about tires that I did not know! THANK YOU. I did not know that 18" tires were so much stronger than 17". When did they stop using 17" on these trucks? My truck came with the 121's so I figured they were adequate. Maybe that's why I have a hard time with new tires getting out of balance even under regular highway use with little load on them?
I wish I knew this 6 months ago when I had time to look for a set of rims.

Like I said earlier, the tire industry declare the 17" offerings the un-wanted step child several years back and the 121 load limit became the max for any size. This happened I believe around 2010 or so. So the engineering effort to make them better pretty much got abandoned.

Like I said earlier, a set of 18" with the offset to fill the wheel well with your flairs the way you want would be the best route.

 

[Blakers]

Like I said earlier, the tire industry declare the 17" offerings the un-wanted step child several years back and the 121 load limit became the max for any size. This happened I believe around 2010 or so. So the engineering effort to make them better pretty much got abandoned.

Like I said earlier, a set of 18" with the offset to fill the wheel well with your flairs the way you want would be the best route.

What is the offset and backspacing? Will Chevy rims fit? Just want to know what to look for.

 

[SnoKing]

What is the offset and backspacing? Will Chevy rims fit? Just want to know what to look for.

A knowledgeable tire store or 4x4 shop would be your best bet.

 

[cerberusiam]

What is the offset and backspacing? Will Chevy rims fit? Just want to know what to look for.

Stock 3rd gen wheels have a 6.25" backspacing, to stay within a reasonable spec and not over leverage the ball joints and unit bearings you can run between 5.5 and 6.25" of backspacing. 4th gen wheels went to 6.5" backspacing so it tends to have issues with clearance depending on the tires and wanting follow runs more than normal.

Most aftermarket wheels can be had in a 5.5-5.75" backspacing, Fuel wheels can be in most styles and they are rated a little better than the factory rims for weight also.

Chey wheels are almost always 4.5" back spacing which so many are available in that spec. They can be run and if the truck is lightly used they will work. If you use it hard on bad roads ball joints and unit bearings will suffer.

 

[Blakers]

Stock 3rd gen wheels have a 6.25" backspacing, to stay within a reasonable spec and not over leverage the ball joints and unit bearings you can run between 5.5 and 6.25" of backspacing. 4th gen wheels went to 6.5" backspacing so it tends to have issues with clearance depending on the tires and wanting follow runs more than normal.

Most aftermarket wheels can be had in a 5.5-5.75" backspacing, Fuel wheels can be in most styles and they are rated a little better than the factory rims for weight also.

Chey wheels are almost always 4.5" back spacing which so many are available in that spec. They can be run and if the truck is lightly used they will work. If you use it hard on bad roads ball joints and unit bearings will suffer.

Thank you! I've been running Hummer H2 rims with no problem for years. I assume 18" wheels with the same backspacing would work well.

 

[cerberusiam]

Yes, H2 rims have a little over 5" of backspace so they are close enough to not create issues in normal usage. Finding a rim in 9" with that backspacing is pretty hard as most of them are going to be 5.5 to 5.75 or 4.5". As long as the tire you use is not hitting the fenders it should be close enough to work well in almost all scenarios.

An 9x18 rim with 5.75" backspacing is a good choice because you can get a 35" tire without a really wide face that is rated at 4000 lbs per tire. That is pretty optimal for manual trans or auto with 4.10s. Enough to haul well, handle heavy loads, and a little better efficacy for cruising. With 3.73s', an NV5600, a set of 37" tires might get you better efficiency. Just depends on location, driving style, and tire tread.

 

[Blakers]

Yes, H2 rims have a little over 5" of backspace so they are close enough to not create issues in normal usage. Finding a rim in 9" with that backspacing is pretty hard as most of them are going to be 5.5 to 5.75 or 4.5". As long as the tire you use is not hitting the fenders it should be close enough to work well in almost all scenarios.

An 9x18 rim with 5.75" backspacing is a good choice because you can get a 35" tire without a really wide face that is rated at 4000 lbs per tire. That is pretty optimal for manual trans or auto with 4.10s. Enough to haul well, handle heavy loads, and a little better efficacy for cruising. With 3.73s', an NV5600, a set of 37" tires might get you better efficiency. Just depends on location, driving style, and tire tread.

Thanks! This was very helpful.

 

[bighammer]

For a couple hundred bucks, a local welding/fabricating shop soda blasted my H2 rims and powdercoated them black. It's a good look with the chrome Ram center caps.

 

[Blakers]

For a couple hundred bucks, a local welding/fabricating shop soda blasted my H2 rims and powdercoated them black. It's a good look with the chrome Ram center caps.

Great! I was thinking of doing that. A gun metal gray would look good.