K10 Wheels / Tires

[RyanAK]

Hey gang. It’s time to consider wheels and tires for my ‘78 K10 Suburban. Posting here rather than the ‘burb sub-forum because this is applicable to both squarebody trucks and SUVs.

Details - 1978 Silverado K10 Suburban. New crate 350, TH350 with full-time NP203. Stock suspension.



Wheels and tires are up on the list as I go through the driveline/suspension and try to make the truck as smooth and reliable as possible. I’m chasing rattles and vibrations. You know how it goes. But I want to eliminate wheels/tires from the variables as I do that.

The rig currently has stock 15x6 steel wheels and caps and has 235/75R15 Toyo Open Country tires. The tires are 12-1/2 years old. I had them balanced... no help with the vibrations and such. Tread is fine, but I’m not convinced that they’re out of round or have some other issues. So time to replace.

The goal is to make this a reliable family truck. We go up into the state forest quite a bit. And I have a once-a-week 260 mile round-trip that is majority interstate at 70mph+. So an all-around vehicle.

While I really like the look of the stock steel wheels and caps, the 15x6 size really limits tire selection. So I’m trying to decide which direction to go. I’d like a taller tire to get the RPMs down slightly on the highway, plus gain a little bit of clearance and fill up the wheel wells. I’ve considered 15x8 or 16” white wagon-style wheels, but not sure a white wheel will work well with the tan secondary color of the truck. 15x8 WV OEM-style wheels with caps would be good if they’d ever be in stock. Maybe chrome wagons or another aftermarket choice? Mostly leaning to BFG ATs or General Grabbers for rubber. I’m definitely after the best performance for my situation. Looks are obviously a consideration though...

Thanks in advance!

Any and all thoughts appreciated.