16.5 Wheels & Tires - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

Indy72 · 01-22-2011, 10:28 PM

I traded for some 16.5 aluminum slots,the fronts are 9'' and the back one's are 10''.My truck(C-20 2wd)has 16.5 steel wheels with 8.75x16.5 tires on it,are these tires too narrow for these wheels?Any opinions on what tire size would look the best? Thank's

Longhorn Man · 01-22-2011, 11:05 PM

measure the tread width of the tire. It should be pretty close to the rim width. The taller the tire, the more forgiving it'll be.
I've run too narrow of a tire on a wide rim, they were tall enough to take up the slack. It looked stupid and handles like crap, but no real issues

**Stocker** · 01-23-2011, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

measure the tread width of the tire. It should be pretty close to the rim width.

This is an old rule of thumb that still holds true.

For more specific recommendations, check tire manufacturers' web sites or http://www.tirerack.com/.

**special-K** · 01-23-2011, 07:12 AM

Are you sure the wheels are 9 & 10"? The 10 sounds right,it's actually 9.75. But,I've only seen those and 8.25s. The thing with 16.5 tires is they are low profile by their own nature,unless you get into big off road tires. They were created in the "Wide Oval" era when these trucks were made. I always ran 9.50s on 8.25s.

Indy72 · 01-23-2011, 09:54 AM

So what size would look and handle the best?

**special-K** · 01-23-2011, 10:43 AM

9.50s on front and 12.50/33s on rear. The 8.75s might be ok.It's only 3/4" narrower and still wider than the wheel...if it's 8.25.
Here's a '71 C/20 I had with the sizes I suggested:

01-22-2011, 10:28 PM	#1
Indy72 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Bedford,Indiana Posts: 64	16.5 Wheels & Tires I traded for some 16.5 aluminum slots,the fronts are 9'' and the back one's are 10''.My truck(C-20 2wd)has 16.5 steel wheels with 8.75x16.5 tires on it,are these tires too narrow for these wheels?Any opinions on what tire size would look the best? Thank's

01-22-2011, 11:05 PM	#2
Longhorn Man its all about the +6 inches Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Hilliard Ohio Posts: 2,693	Re: 16.5 Wheels & Tires measure the tread width of the tire. It should be pretty close to the rim width. The taller the tire, the more forgiving it'll be. I've run too narrow of a tire on a wide rim, they were tall enough to take up the slack. It looked stupid and handles like crap, but no real issues

01-23-2011, 07:12 AM	#4
special-K Special Order Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mt Airy, MD Posts: 85,858	Re: 16.5 Wheels & Tires Are you sure the wheels are 9 & 10"? The 10 sounds right,it's actually 9.75. But,I've only seen those and 8.25s. The thing with 16.5 tires is they are low profile by their own nature,unless you get into big off road tires. They were created in the "Wide Oval" era when these trucks were made. I always ran 9.50s on 8.25s. __________________ "BUILDING A BETTER WAY TO SERVE THE USA"......67/72......"The New Breed" GMC '67 C1500 Wideside Super Custom SWB: 327/M22/3.42 posi.........."The '67" (project) GMC '72 K2500 Wideside Sierra Custom Camper: 350/TH350/4.10 Power-Lok..."The '72" (rolling) Tim "Don't call me a redneck. I'm a rough cut country gentleman" R.I.P. ~ East Side Low Life ~ El Jay ~ 72BLUZ ~ Fasteddie69 ~ Ron586 ~ 67ChevyRedneck ~ Grumpy Old Man ~ Last edited by special-K; 01-23-2011 at 07:12 AM.

01-23-2011, 09:54 AM	#5
Indy72 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Bedford,Indiana Posts: 64	Re: 16.5 Wheels & Tires So what size would look and handle the best?

01-23-2011, 10:43 AM	#6
special-K Special Order Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mt Airy, MD Posts: 85,858	Re: 16.5 Wheels & Tires 9.50s on front and 12.50/33s on rear. The 8.75s might be ok.It's only 3/4" narrower and still wider than the wheel...if it's 8.25. Here's a '71 C/20 I had with the sizes I suggested: __________________ "BUILDING A BETTER WAY TO SERVE THE USA"......67/72......"The New Breed" GMC '67 C1500 Wideside Super Custom SWB: 327/M22/3.42 posi.........."The '67" (project) GMC '72 K2500 Wideside Sierra Custom Camper: 350/TH350/4.10 Power-Lok..."The '72" (rolling) Tim "Don't call me a redneck. I'm a rough cut country gentleman" R.I.P. ~ East Side Low Life ~ El Jay ~ 72BLUZ ~ Fasteddie69 ~ Ron586 ~ 67ChevyRedneck ~ Grumpy Old Man ~



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