Truck Question

[Lunge motorsport]

People will do what they do. However if you must do what you do do it safely. I present a link to rim/tire size. Follow the links on the page to determine other important mechanical factors. https://www.tyresizecalculator.com/tyre-wheel-calculators/wheel-rim-size-calculator

And people will say what they say.

Over the years, all my running gear mods are based on safety and performance, if good looking accompanies that, it is an added bonus. Manufacturers recommendations are just that, recommendations. Having an extensive automotive background has been helpful to me in determining which mods are most beneficial and which are "not so much". I will say that I have made mistakes in the over 40 yrs of building high performance vehicles. If you don't make mistakes you don't learn from them. Some of the things that I have modified have not met with the intended results. Different camshaft grinds for example make power in different rev ranges. They work well at some tracks and not others. If you want to go fast all the time, gear changes, wheel and tire changes and even camshaft changes can make the difference between a top 3 finish and an also ran.
Street vehicles are a different animal, but, wheels are a HUGE influence on performance for a heavy duty truck. When I say performance I believe I need to clarify something. I drive a street car like your Grandmother, mostly at the posted limit and mostly out of everyone's way. I have no intention of showing everyone what I or my vehicle are capable of. My intention is to travel at a reasonable pace with very little excitement. I do however want my vehicle to perform at it's maximum when called upon out of necessity. It's why I modify. I try to stay away from blanket statements but one I believe in, and have the most faith in is...under nearly all conditions, a well thought out wheel and tire combination increase in width will almost always yield superior results compared to doing nothing. Singularly the most under rated of all mods you can perform.
Take a look at the average 10k coach. Mine happens to be rated at 10,3k and came with 15x6'' wheels, my 86 VW Jetta came with 6'' wide wheels 35 yrs ago and weighed 2500 lbs! My coach has the wheels recommended by the manufacturer, do you think it was determined by a safety consideration or that they are the absolute minimum that they were required to provide. Guess what the manual recommends in regard to changing wheels.
BTW, I appreciate the link you provided to the site with wheel and tire sizing info. It's a little too conservative for me but is a helpful reference to someone interested in making a performance change within industry standards. It's just that my standards are higher than the recommendations I read there. But...you do you, it's okay with me.
Anyone interested in viewing some of the mods I have done are invited to view them in the gallery with my screen name attached.

Cheers

 

[Retired]

Just because it fits doesnt mean you should do it.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Guess what the manual recommends in regard to changing wheels.
BTW, I appreciate the link you provided to the site with wheel and tire sizing info. It's a little too conservative for me but is a helpful reference to someone interested in making a performance change within industry standards. It's just that my standards are higher than the recommendations I read there.

Most people here ask questions only because of safety concerns. Most consider that Auto manufacturers understand liability and steer to avoid issues. We have grown all to familiar with aftermarket usually meaning lower quality than factory standard.

Now onward. Sway bars, Air shocks(maybe), On @Lunge motorsport idea, lower profile large dia rims keeping tire radius the same(remembering that low profile tires frequently fail with road hazards) they do however have a better feel when it comes to handling. All these will help with stability. I will maintain there is nothing better than stock profile. Weather windows are a big thing in safety. I think we will agree that white knuckles are the result of bad conditions more often then bad choices in equipment unless we really under do on equipment. Well, the condition that seems most prevalent is improper loading.

 

[Lunge motorsport]

Most people here ask questions only because of safety concerns. Most consider that Auto manufacturers understand liability and steer to avoid issues. We have grown all to familiar with aftermarket usually meaning lower quality than factory standard.

Now onward. Sway bars, Air shocks(maybe), On @Lunge motorsport idea, lower profile large dia rims keeping tire radius the same(remembering that low profile tires frequently fail with road hazards) they do however have a better feel when it comes to handling. All these will help with stability. I will maintain there is nothing better than stock profile. Weather windows are a big thing in safety. I think we will agree that white knuckles are the result of bad conditions more often then bad choices in equipment unless we really under do on equipment. Well, the condition that seems most prevalent is improper loading.

Nowhere in my posts is there a recommendation for lower profile tires and lager diameter wheels. In fact, I have specifically advocated for using the same tire and wider wheels. While this will slightly reduce the aspect ratio number, the rolling diameter of the tire will be nearly the same. Sidewall flex will be greatly reduced which will improve tracking and also reduce the influence a trailer has on pushing around the tow vehicle.

Sway bars have little effect on a bumper pull travel trailer as there is little influence on body roll from a trailer attached to a receiver.
I still like the idea of sway bars as they limit body roll of the tow vehicle. Note that at the limit of traction, roll stiffness will increase understeer or oversteer depending on which axle roll stiffness was in increased.

Air shocks are a bad idea in my mind. They provide very little controlled dampening through suspension articulation compared to a high quality shock absorber like a Bilstein. I want to allow the shock to perform it’s intended duty with dampening and not act as a spring resisting suspension travel.
Air bags on the other hand will help with ride height leveling while allowing proper dampening through the shock absorbers travel.

I’m willing to PM with anyone who has questions regarding these mods but I’m pretty much talked out on this thread.

Cheers

 

[Retired]

Air shocks are horrible. They transfer the weight of the vehicle from the suspension to the shock mounts. The shock mounts are not designed to carry the vehicle weight and can easily fail.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Thanks to those that fell for my bait and switch. I maintain the builder of your vehicles know what they are doing and set up their trucks to limit liability.

Once again thank you for your input in this important topic.