ISO Advice: Tire Wall Size or New Wheels?

[Starwood]

Hey Fellas -

Just reaching out to ask what you might do if this was YOUR Truck to finish off the look of my suspension upgrade.

HISTORY: When I got this about 6 months ago, it was slammed wayyy too low - there wasn't even any room for bump stops. It had a ghetto lowering job and rode like, well...you know. I got a few estimates, some as high as $10K for a complete suspension swap to coil, etc. - but settled on upgrading existing leaf spring setup - for obvious reason$.

I'm definitely getting rid of the cheap Chinese Low Pro's and I'm just looking for your take on the best size tires to complete the look or if you'd maybe put on bigger wheels as well? There's a lot of well room to fill.

Fronts are currently 245/40/R18 and Rears are 265/35/18.

Any takes would be appreciated as I truly respect the knowledge on this board. Please reply if you have a minute to spare.

Thanks Fellas

[Starwood]

[jayoldschool]

18s are fine, but those tires are way to short for a truck. I ran 18s on my Impala SS for years, and used taller tires than those! Mine were 275 40 18/295 35 18. What's the width on the wheels? 8.5 front, 10" rear? This will allow us to suggest appropriate size tires.

[Starwood]

Originally Posted by jayoldschool

18s are fine, but those tires are way to short for a truck. I ran 18s on my Impala SS for years, and used taller tires than those! Mine were 275 40 18/295 35 18. What's the width on the wheels? 8.5 front, 10" rear? This will allow us to suggest appropriate size tires.

Yeah - those tires are gonzo for sure.
You're correct, the wheels are 8.5 Front and 8.10 in rear.
Thanks for the reply.

[kens65fb]

Originally Posted by Starwood

Yeah - those tires are gonzo for sure.
You're correct, the wheels are 8.5 Front and 8.10 in rear.
Thanks for the reply.

Do you mean 10 inch in the rear, or 8.10 in the rear

[oldtrux]

it very much depends on what tire overall height you are after.and what rpm your engine is happy at hwy speeds etc.what rear gears and trans all are part of choosing tire height.there is some good rpm calculators online you can use.
dan

[jayoldschool]

Ok, give me a bit, I'll find some good tire sizes for you later this afternoon.

[Starwood]

Sorry Fellas -

Truck was at shop - now home so I gave it a quick measure.
Front wheels are 18x9, rears are 18x10.5

Thx again for the input. I appreciate this Board.

[geezer#99]

Good looking ride!
Wheels look good.
Tires a couple inches taller would help.
If you measured from wheel lip to wheel lip and got 9 inches on the front and 10.5 on the back, then you need to subtract one inch from your measurements to get the wheel width.
Rim width is measured bead to bead.

[jayoldschool]

Ok, here are my suggestions. These are based on comparable height 235 75 15s, a good truck height tire.

Fronts:
255 55 18
Rears:
285 50 18

No idea about availability in those sizes. Use this comparison site to experiment:

https://tiresize.com/calculator/

[kens65fb]

Originally Posted by jayoldschool

Ok, here are my suggestions. These are based on comparable height 235 75 15s, a good truck height tire.

Fronts:
255 55 18
Rears:
285 50 18

No idea about availability in those sizes. Use this comparison site to experiment:

https://tiresize.com/calculator/

235/75/15 tires are approximately 29 inches in diameter, isn't that a little tall for a lowered truck ??

[Starwood]

Thx for the replies - will check these options out for sure.

I'm going to go down to support local business and work with a smaller tire shop nearby. Spend a little time and actually put a few different ones on there before I pull trigger.

Might sound crazy - but I'm even considering an all-terrain tire to give it a unique, bulkier look. Anyone ever seen tires like that on a lowered truck?

[LVPhotos]

295/45/18 (28.5") and 245/45/18 (26.6") Nitto 555

[kens65fb]

Originally Posted by LVPhotos

295/45/18 (28.5") and 245/45/18 (26.6") Nitto 555

Wheels & tires look PERFECT !!!

[mongocanfly]

heres a tire size chart thatll tell you tire sizes...https://tiresize.com/conversion-chart/
your fronts are 25.7 tall and your rears are 25.3 tall....I would be looking at a 27-28in tire

[forestb]

you know what they say about opinions. I wood look at the wheel and tires thread and find a tire size that you like the look of and ask the owner what they are.

[bigmoe]

This is not my truck but I saved the pic and info because I like the look for mine. I wouldn't go less than a 50 sidewall.

Front is 17 x 8 with 225/50
Rear is 17 x 9.5 with 275/50

I'm waiting until my truck is reassembled to measure for backspacing, etc.

[Starwood]

Well, I was limited in my options given the extra wide rear wheels (18 x 10.5) so I decided on 245/45/R18 in the front and 275/40/R18 in the rear.

I also had my spring shop drop it about 1.5" more in the front for a grand total of $40! A1 Springs in Oakland are the Real Deal...

The truck rides like a magic carpet and the subtle drop is more my style than the slammed look.

Anyway - here is the final, and thanks a lot for the input and suggestions.

[jayoldschool]

Looks great, congrats.