Is this where I ask about tires?

[colotow]

your other alternative, with spacers, is 305/85R16 buckshot or coyote radials, the buckshots are a lug, the coyote as a more mild pattern.

that works out to APPROX 36-10.50r16. they'd fit the stock rim, be crowned a little in the center (not as much as a 12.50) and i ran 2 sets until worn out on a 3/4 tn gmc, i thought they were pretty good, handling/rain/snow etc.

plus, they are cheap compared to about anything close to the same size

 

[XOC]

your other alternative, with spacers, is 305/85R16 buckshot or coyote radials, the buckshots are a lug, the coyote as a more mild pattern.

that works out to APPROX 36-10.50r16. they'd fit the stock rim, be crowned a little in the center (not as much as a 12.50) and i ran 2 sets until worn out on a 3/4 tn gmc, i thought they were pretty good, handling/rain/snow etc.

plus, they are cheap compared to about anything close to the same size

Do you think the 1/4" difference in diameter front to rear would damage the transfer case?

 

[colotow]

won't hurt anything in 2wd, 4wd might be a problem if you ran on straight in a road with good or reasonable traction. (forgot to shift to 2wd, etc)

there will always be a small difference, weight of engine in a single front vs weight of empty truck on dual rears, air pressure, corners, etc.

another problem would be, you'll need a spare that matches the rears, if you had a flat loaded, and the rears don't match, the shorter one will scrub and the taller one will carry most of the weight by itself.

 

[XOC]

Hmm good points. Btw, if I have no load and no trailer, would it be ok to limp home with 1 rear tire out? I've never even thought about that before.

 

[nascar_fan28]

yeah dually's are bad ass with big fat tires on them..if i could handle somthing that big i wouldve got one.. but went with the single rear tire 350....

 

[colotow]

if your spare matched the rears, wouldn't be a problem, and would be fine on the front to get home

empty or loaded, problem is heat. flat and/or overloaded (as a single) will generate alot more heat. tires can come apart, or catch fire.

remember, i'm not an expert, and alot of this is based on driving big wreckers for the last 10 years. i've had to limp in many wrecks on the hook, often with a flat, or duals that had been singled.
there is no straight one size fits all answer. depends on tire condition, load, inflation, road surface, temp, etc.

i might have gotten you over worried, a short (<10 mile) +/- at slower speeds, no worries. 100 miles, at night, loaded, coming home from camping, towing a boat, probably not a good idea.

i think a 1/4" difference, front to rear, probably won't hurt anything. enjoy the look, polish the rims, and shift to 2hi when it the road/trail improves.

 

[XOC]

colo- No worries. If you've done wrecker service for 10 years I'd say that makes you more of an expert than most. And no I didn't get overworried. Just that a lot of this stuff is new territory so ... you know it's like ... I don't know what I don't know. But yea I hear you about running with a flat. I would never try to make major mileage with a tire out, but it seems like with a dually you might have a bit more leeway with 1 out that having a single go out.

nascar - Agreed. I was on the fence about dual vs single rear, but I was looking at used vehicles and this one was the truck I couldn't pass up. I'm still not expert at parking or judging my turning radius in general, and I still get a little nervous on freeways with really narrow lanes (especially since the steering is sloppy), but I'm getting the hang of it now.

Drive anything long enough and you get used to it. Once on a roadtrip I took a turn driving an old Checker sedan ... now THAT was scary. Seriously. The steering wheel was just a big toy that kind of suggested to the car where to start heading, and the brakes had 2 modes: off, and locked up.