None technical post here so be warned... Anyone got any aftermarket 16" wheels they like and can recommend with some pics?  I'm not looking for anything too flashy and my stock rims are just fine. Just thinking of dressing my truck up a little.  Think my truck has too much chrome at the moment.  

Biggest thing is finding the right offset. I did modular mags but the offset was wrong so about 1 inch of tire hung out of the wheel wells. This is bad being driving in snow or rain it slung mud and debris up the side window to the point you can't see the mirror any more.

 

Be aware most cool looking aluminum wheels are typically for wide tires. My problem is trying to find wheels that look cool but keep my 245/75 R16 I'm using a narrow stock steel wheels. Bit heavier but not likely to crack like aluminum wheels did to me.

Food for thought. If you picked up some 17” wheels you could upgrade to third gen brakes. Made a huge difference in stopping power for me.  

18 minutes ago, Threadzy said:

Food for thought. If you picked up some 17” wheels you could upgrade to third gen brakes. Made a huge difference in stopping power for me.  

 I have to ask, what is the difference in the 2nd gen to 3rd gen brakes? Sorry, to lazy to look it up this morning.

 

 As far as a wheel upgrade, what wheels are you running now? Mine has steel 7 hand hole wheels (dually) covered up by some chrome wheel covers. I could remove the covers and change the look of the truck.

28 minutes ago, Doubletrouble said:

49 minutes ago, Threadzy said:

 

 I have to ask, what is the difference in the 2nd gen to 3rd gen brakes? Sorry, to lazy to look it up this morning

Bigger pads and rotors in the front. All I did was get 3rd gen caliper brackets, pads and rotors. The calipers are the same. 

It should be noted that for 3rd gen conversion, 17” rims minimum required. I have 18” and its close. Some trimming of rod end threads may be required.

I have the 16x8 Aluminum Alloy Polished 5 Spoke rims now. They're solid. Thinking of a steel wheel in black for a change. 

 

Could consider sanding wheels a bit and rattle can black. I ran like that for a while and liked the look. Current wheels did the same to.

 

the stock rims are weight rated and light. Forged? Hard to beat from a stock performance perspective.  If you move to aftermarket steel, probably heavier, and not rated..

 

Pic of 4th gen? 18s with 3rd gen brakes

Savalin -those are sharp looking. I think I'll keep the stock as is. I'm curious on these Black Rocks. Like the look and not that pricey. Good load capacity. Some good reviews/some mixed from other 2nd gens w/these. 

 Nice looking wheels.

 I've thought about painting my steel wheels and running without the wheel covers. Would make checking tire pressure alot easier in the rear. Wheels are 7 hole, covers are 4 hole. They don't line up to get to the valve stems 

I'm running the stock steel/chrome wheels from factory and fit the 245/75 R16 like a glove. No outward offset to sling mud and slush on the side windows. As seen in my signature pic. MUCH stronger that alloy wheels which my factory wheels cracked after 200k miles. The other problem was road salt ate into the aluminum as well. Aluminum wheels out here are very known for bead leaks and the local tires shop deals with way too much. Steel wheels no issues and seem to hold up MUCH longer without issues. 

20 minutes ago, Mopar1973Man said:

I'm running the stock steel/chrome wheels from factory and fit the 245/75 R16 like a glove. No outward offset to sling mud and slush on the side windows. As seen in my signature pic. MUCH stronger that alloy wheels which my factory wheels cracked after 200k miles. The other problem was road salt ate into the aluminum as well. Aluminum wheels out here are very known for bead leaks and the local tires shop deals with way too much. Steel wheels no issues and seem to hold up MUCH longer without issues. 

 I remember your stock Aluminum wheels lasted around 250,000 miles, which wasn't too bad, What killed them where the cracks from age.

 

Forgive me... when I see blue hair I get very contrary!

I’m on the fence to swap out my stock chrome 5 spokers. They only have 90K on them. Just need a change and I think something solid in black sounds like a good plan. 

I've seen even aftermarket wheels crack and fail. Aluminum wheels are not very strong when dealing with lots of weight and rough roughs like out here the back country roads will beat up wheels quickly. Steel wheel hold up much much long without bead leaks and cracking issues. You might add a few pounds of rotational mass but over all life span will out run any aluminum wheels. 

 

@JAG1 I'm sorry you have a problem with color... If you look at the animal kingdom the males always have the flashy colors and females are typically rather plain. So why is it that humans woman are flashy and males are bland? Hmmm... Just think about it...

Michael Nelson I know about the colors on birds. I want to give you a hard time with some smiles is all.

 

To continue my contrary, the Alcoa website shows a video of an actual forged aluminum wheel, not cast aluminum like most, next to a steel wheel getting crushed under the same pressure. The Aluminum bounces back in shape when the steel wheel stays deformed from the same pressure. Cast aluminum is a cheaply made wheel when compared to a forged aluminum which is a very expensive process and used on a majority of large semi trucks and trailers today because of its higher strength metallurgy. Alcoa is a leader in the forging process so that is why I bought 3 sets of the 95 thru 97 forged aluminum Ford rims off Craigs. Two sets I paid around 200 for ea. set and the closest near to me where 75 bucks but, had to pay to toss /remove the old tires. When you find them you need to put on high pressure stainless stems to avoid corrosion between unlike metals.

 

The biggest problem for me is that the offset makes the front tires stick out 11/2''  in the front and about 3/4'' in the rear. Have to be honest... I don't like the offset out like that but, hauling heavy with the camper, I like having the confidence in running strong wheels. My work truck has cast aluminum factory wheels which are flush with the front fender.

Thought I’d update this thread with the new wheels. Think I like them. Will take a bit of time to adjust. Still have the stock chrome wheels so i can always go back to them. What. Do you all think? 

Looks good to me....

 Looks good

On 6/3/2022 at 7:28 AM, Threadzy said:

Food for thought. If you picked up some 17” wheels you could upgrade to third gen brakes. Made a huge difference in stopping power for me.  

Or upgrade to an exhaust brake having better braking power. Best part brakes last over 250k miles if used properly. No added rotational mass like you end up with on heavier rotors, which will lower MPGs as 3rd Gen brakes will do.

1 hour ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Or upgrade to an exhaust brake having better braking power. Best part brakes last over 250k miles if used properly. No added rotational mass like you end up with on heavier rotors, which will lower MPGs as 3rd Gen brakes will do.

 What's the cost of an exhaust brake compared to 17" wheel and upgrading to 3rd gen ? Curious. 

1 hour ago, Doubletrouble said:

 What's the cost of an exhaust brake compared to 17" wheel and upgrading to 3rd gen ? Curious. 

Close to the same. Near or over 1k. Depends how much the rims cost, can get a powerstop kit from rockauto for about $500. I saw a BD exhaust kit for around 1100. There was a decent write up on CF for the 3rd gens.

 

Its two different theories of braking. If long hauling, exhaust and down shifting works real well. Or if immediate stopping power, larger brakes.

 

I found a LARGE improvement in stopping distance converting to 3rd gens. 

 

Also swapped down to 275/65R18 from 275/70s because of the dang fuel prices. Acceleration is better, also lie o meter saying 24-30mpg while cruising 60 now.