New Guy with a Wheel/Rim Question.

[Condor1970]

Hey all. I just registered, and thought I'd start off with a rather simple question I'm sure many of you on here have had in the past.

I have a 1999 Suburban LT (older body style from the 90's), 5.7L, K1500 4x4.

I'm getting a new set of tires, and I'm planning on also getting a set of aftermarket wheels. The reason I want some wheels, is because the tires are slightly oversized from stock P245's.

I have been running P265/75R-16's forever, but one thing I notice with the stock Chevy rims, is I get a small amount of rub on the steering linkage on the inside when I do a full tight turn. It's not much, but just enough that I really want to get a new set of rims to help alleviate this issue.

I think the reason why, is that the side bulge of the tire is greater with the stock 16x7 rims, so it just barely touches on the inside. What I would like to do is go with a 16x8 rim. I'm hoping that a standard 16x8 with Zero offset will work without needing offset or some spacers to prevent rubbing. Not completely sure if this will solve the problem though.

I just wanted to know what y'alls experiences have been when upsizing your tires to this size, and needing a set of rims for these model years to prevent rubbing. Any sugegstions on what rims to get for the 265/75R-16 size would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[zora]

tire rack lists 16x8 wheels with zero offset for your application. You will have to determine what the current offset/back spacing. The 265 vs the 245 is a 20 mm larger cross section or just a hair more than 3/4". That 3/4" means about 3/8" more on the inside so depending on your current offset the zero offset may correct that 3/8" but you are also increasing the wheel width by 1" . The increase of wheel width just makes it more difficult, why aren't you just sticking with the wheels you have now and using a 3/8" spacer?

 

[Condor1970]

tire rack lists 16x8 wheels with zero offset for your application. You will have to determine what the current offset/back spacing. The 265 vs the 245 is a 20 mm larger cross section or just a hair more than 3/4". That 3/4" means about 3/8" more on the inside so depending on your current offset the zero offset may correct that 3/8" but you are also increasing the wheel width by 1" . The increase of wheel width just makes it more difficult, why aren't you just sticking with the wheels you have now and using a 3/8" spacer?

Well, I thought about spacers, but after searching, the OEM rims I found are listed at 16x6.5 and 16x7" (not sure which is right), and have 31mm offset, according to everything I have found on the net.

Now, the tires I am getting are rated for 7-9"wide rims, so these rims are at the minimum, and do have a noticeable bulge because of this. They run fine, but you can tell they are a bit on the narrow side. I just wish I had a slightly wider rim for a better fit.

If the OEM is a 31mm offset, then to stop the inside rub, I think something like a 20mm offset or less would probably be sufficient. Sound about right?

 

[zora]

Instead if relying on what you find on the net cannt you measure the wheel that is currently on the vehicle to determine what you need to do to get that extra inside clearance. Remember that when measuring the width it is the bead location that is listed when they give specifications on a wheel. So if they list an 8" wheel the actual width of the wheel is somewhat larger, figure 9". That is why you have offset and back spacing. Back spacing being from the inside edge of the wheel to the mounting surface of the wheel and offset the distance from the center of the wheel to the mounting surface. You can find more information at tire rack.
http://www.tirerack.com/FAQ/index.jsp?category=Wheels