Do it. Stuffed look is awesome

 

I have the same truck...well it's a 2500 with 265 70 16s no leveling kit yet. looks fine feels fine ..but I want what's best for towing with this truck

 

It will take just a little more power to get taller/heavier tires moving and it likely will affect your MPG slightly. It's worth it.

 

if you look on a site like tirerack.com for example, you can pick a tire you like and view specs for all sizes. It will give you a table comparing the important details (height, width, weight, tread depth, etc) Here is a Toyo open country a/t III for example. If going from standard load to LT "E" rated each tire is about 15 pounds heavier so it will affect fuel economy slightly but how much depends on other variables... driving style, gear ratio, etc. Due to the increased diameter your speedometer will be off by about 3mph at 60mph. not a big deal because you fix it with a handheld tuner.

 

I had those on my truck when I bought it. It looked good but rode terrible. Figured out they were 8 ply E rated tires. Installed standard P tires and the ride was much improved.

 

I ran 285’s on my 01 with keys turned up a bit. No lift in the rear.

 

I believe the specs for the 2003 (like my 2001) were figured on the 245/75/16 tire as the standard size. The 265/75/16 was an optional size. If you like the look and don't mind the tiny bit of sacrifice in mileage and power, go for it.

 

They will probably rub in the front, maybe just slightly or maybe more than slightly. That's the size I run in summer, I can get the driver side front to rub while turning and reversing at certain angles, it is very minimal but sounds terrible lol.

You don't have a body lift like my 2500HD so it is going to fill those wheel wells for sure. This tires size does look really nice on this body style though.

285/70/17 wheels here (same tire diameter as 285/75/16)

285/75/16 wheels here

 

Loss of power, more strain on the trans and shifting in hills, more money, worst economy, harder on suspension....or looks cool and you gain a 1/2" clearance. Your choice.

 

Oh no I lost 5 trq and I spend $1.50 more at the pump noooooooooooooo

 

i ran 285s on my 01 suburban, it did fine. minor rubbing when at full lock and suspension articulated. looked much better, and didnt feel any different

 

Some of us use a truck to haul/tow full capacity and losing power sucks. What's the point? looks? Mall crawler?

 

i use my 1500 to tow over 7500 and i run 33x12.5 bfg ko2s. no issues. empty, i can average 24+ mpg going 60 and 21-22 mpg going 65-67. seems pretty good to me

 

If you are using a 1500 to tow/haul at full capacity you are doing something wrong.

 

That would be called using your truck for what it was intended.

 

I think your truck looks good the way it’s pictured. If it were mine I would not want to accept all the negative aspects to change something that already looks good.

 

I appreciate everyone’s helpful thoughts on this! What a great community! After weighing the pros and cons I am sticking with 265/75/r16’s. However, I am going to put a set of BFGoodrich KO2’s. Now to put the white letters out or not…that is the question!

 

Why not bump it up a little wider and go with 275/70R16’s BFG’s? It would fill the wheel well out a little without being too tall. I run BFG’s on my rig with the letters in, however, if you’re old school kool rock the letters out 🤷🏻‍♂️.

 

White letters in or out is a personal preference obviously. And it’s a preference that can change depending on which vehicle is in question. I currently have Tacoma wheels on my 01 2wd and the tires have white letters out. I got these wheels and tires for free. I actually like the look of letters out on this vehicle. I plan to refinish the wheels eventually and when I get new tires, I’ll probably go white letters out. These are Cooper 265/70-16

 

Could you not get a 275/285 70 16 tire?


2013 Sierra SLE 2500HD CC 4wd Z71 6.6 Duramax

 

Just to clarify what changes performance wise with tire size changes. There two things to consider. Power and torque. A heavier tire will eat up a little more horsepower regardless of its diameter. A taller tire will change the torque multiplication. The taller tire will have less overall torque being applied to the pavement.

So when you go taller and heavier, you’ll be loosing in both torque and power

 

Certain tire sizes are more popular so you end up with many more options. My looking at 285 widths has found that they are mostly E rated (heavier) and much more expensive than I care to spend. I would suggest a 275/70R16 for a bit more width and only very slightly taller. Speedo is not much effected. If you stick with a standard load tire, the weights are not going to be much more than your current size, so minimal negative effects.

275/70R16 Tires

275/70R16 tire conversion. Convert 275/70R16 tire size to inches and compare prices on available tires from the top brands online.

tiresize.com

| Tires | Discount Tire

Discount Tire

www.discounttire.com

 

Whites out! 285/75/16s here too.

 

Your truck looks great on those 285's with the white letters out!

 

Went with the 265/75/r16’s white letters out! I turned the keys slightly to get her level. It rides nicely!

 

^^^Your truck looks great.

 

@lawr3nc3m2020 Then stay 265s on stock wheels.

 

Have a new question...285 75 16. Or 275 70 16, which would be better for my 1999 silverado 4x4