Tire Size Question

[Richard Dobson]

I have a fleetside 71 C10 with 8" Chevy ralleys. What is the widest tire I can put on the rear. My truck is lowered 3" in the rear. It now has 235/70/R15's on it.

[70c10]

Since your rim is only 8", I probably wouldn't go over a 295/50. That might even make the sidewalls bulge some. I run 275/60/15 on all four corners to fill out the wheel wells but I want wider in the rear also!. I'm looking for a set of 10" rears.

[Tx Firefighter]

I agree with 70c10 on this. There are basically two tires worth considering. The 295/50 and 275/60.

The 295 is a bit wider, at the expense of being 26.6 inches tall.

The 275 is a bit narrower, but is a full 28 inches tall, which is basically stock height.

I prefer the taller 275 tire to keep the speedometer accurate and the rear end ratio normal. A much shorter tire like the 295/50 will cause quite noticeable increase in engine RPM due to it's smaller circumference.

I have them on the back of my lowered 72 in my signature.

[Richard Dobson]

70C10 & Tx Firefighter thanks for the replies, I rechecked, mytruck's drop is 2-1/2" front and 3-1/2" rear. That's with a 6cly 3 spd which is being swapped out for a 396 w/400 turbo. So I guess the front will drop further. I like the sound of the 275/60/15, since the gear ratio will be more like stock (which is 373:1).
Do you think this setup will look and run well? Thanks again.