I have aftermarket rims with 305/50-20 tires vs. my OEM spare with
265/70-17. This equates to going up 1.6in overall wheel size. Is it ok to run one wheel 1.6in bigger than the other three for say 150 miles and might even have a big 13k fifth wheel trailer hooked up or is this not good on the drivetrain ???

The aftermarket tire is a rare size so I likely would not be able to find a replacement until I returned home and ordered one so going to the closest tire shop likely wont be an option.

Would it be any better if the small wheel was on the front vs. rear on a 4x4 ???

In reality I think the wheel would be closer to only 1in bigger currently when you account for tire wear (AT tires).

Maybe even air down the other three to make up some more ??? I know not the greatest idea especially for highway and even worse with fifth wheel but maybe worth it to limp back home.

It is also interesting to note we have all probably ran different sized wheels when we dont pay attention to air pressure and one has a very slow leak and dont realize it until almost flat. Could have ran hundreds of miles at a similar overall size difference.

I will probably just buy a larger tire for the OEM rim to equal the aftermarket setup height as the aftermarkets tires are not cheap.

Just curious what the thoughts are on this subject in general.

Thanks a 3/4 ton in advance ...

 

Get a matching spare...

Now the smaller might get you to a tire shop, but you could damage gears/limited slip, etc, due to the different speeds of the wheel on either side....

 

if your in a bind and thats your only option, put the smaller tire on the front and have matching ones on the rear. btw dont use 4 wheel drive.

brett

 

Agree, put the smaller one in front. You will be slipping your diff the entire trip if it is in back

 

Any decent tire shop would recommend getting the same size spare as the other 4 tires/wheel. This isn't to make a sale as a decent tire shop should help you look after your rig. This is because repeat sales and recommending them to friends and others means much more in the way of sales than just one wheel and tire.

Count this as another vote for getting the spare the same size as the others, if you can afford the same wheel and tire just include it in your tire rotation schedule.

 

just for reference purpose Tire pressure wont affect the actual size of a tire. It will still be the same circumferance. IE it will still rotate the same amount of times in a mile at 60psi as it will at 25psi.Same size spare is definately essential.

 

will a 22.5 rim fit under 3500 dually?

 

The other thing to consider (not sure what size rim) but keep the stock 17, and try to find a tire that's the same as the others 305/50-20. Even though it's on a smaller rim, find a tire that's very close. what I did with my old truck, only had 35's, went to pep boys and put a cheep tire on there. It's the same size, but since i didnt' rotate, i at least had the same size spare. So you'll be able to get that tire patched. Or depending on why you need a spare (me for ripping the side wall off) I carry tire plugs, patches, ect. A lot of times you can jam a plug in air it up with a compressor and at least get to a tire shop.

Either way, get a matching spare, you don't have to have a matching rim or anything, the size is what gets you home (that sounded bad)