98 c3500 cab and chassis tire upgrade?

[Buzz44]

Have a 98 single cab c3500 2 wheel drive cab and chassis. She's a work horse but trying to figure out what size tire I can upgrade to without the duals rubbing together. Has 225/75/16 on the rear and 255/70/16 on the front. So looking for front and rear tire size and recommendations for a nice aggressive load E tire I can haul stone, dirt and potentially haul trailer with. Will 235/85s fit and make it look better or bigger?

 

[someotherguy]

Lots of people run 235/85/16's on the C3500's. They generally should fit without issue. They are quite a bit taller overall than the 225/75/16's though, almost 2.5" taller. This will cause your speedometer (and odometer) to no longer be accurate, showing a lower speed than you're actually going.

The 225/75/16 is probably the original size tire for your truck. Check the sticker in the door jamb. That's a 29.25" tire, where the 235/85/16 is closer to 31.75"

Richard

 

[Buzz44]

Thanks, I kind of figured they would but just wondering what everyone else runs or if they just keep it stock. I do believe 225/75/16 is stock but the truck has been painted and the door jam sticker is no longer there.

 

[someotherguy]

Thanks, I kind of figured they would but just wondering what everyone else runs or if they just keep it stock. I do believe 225/75/16 is stock but the truck has been painted and the door jam sticker is no longer there.

The original tire size will also be indicated by the RPO codes which are printed on the sticker inside your glovebox (otherwise known as the SPID label - service parts identification) though of course you'll have to look up the RPO codes. If you run your VIN through a friendly dealer, or the Compnine website, a list for a 1998 will probably have the descriptions right next to the RPO codes. On many earlier models you have to look up the list and decode them yourself (easy, just a little more work.)

My '93 C3500 (regular pickup, not a C&C) came stock with 225/75/16's. When I bought it last year, it had 235/85/16's, again it's a common size people go with.

Comparison pics:

235/85/16 - I personally think they're a little large, but they do fit.

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225/75/16 - some might feel they're too small. I was preparing to lower the truck so it was the best size choice for me. There's still plenty of heavy duty tires offered in that size, by the way. I went with BFGoodrich Commercial T/A which is a load range E tire, max inflation 80psi, load capacity at 80psi is 2680lbs/ea.

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Richard

 

[Keeper]

As usual @someotherguy is spot on

Since you asked about bigger... On a regular K dually, no crank, the fronts won't rub until you get to the 285/75 or 255/85. So that adds the 265/75's to your rub-free options IF you add a rear spacer. The 265's are about the same height, but are an inch wider, than the 235's. Since the 2" rear spacer has no lug stud clearance issues, it is usually the preferred spacer size. If you don't mind some minor hard-crank rubbing up front, or doing some quick front bumper chopping, you can then also fit 285/75's or 255/85's all around using the same 2" spacer.

Hopefully, @KansasOBS will be along shortly to show us how he properly sizes a dually tire