It's tire height that dogs your truck out with 3.55 gears, not width. Fatties won't slow ya down anymore. They will still help crap out your gas mileage though.

16x8 is totally fine for 12.5 wide tire actually it really helps eliminate chances of rubbing.

If you think you're going to go wider than that I'd get a 10" or wider wheel depending on how wide you're gonna go. Most 33 and 35 inch tires don't come wider than 14-15 inches.

 

where at in alabama?

 

So I would get better mpg's running 285/75 v 255/85?

 

10" wide rim is the recommended size for 12.5 wide tires....8" is minimum rim width......I will state again I had 9 inch rims with 12.5 wide tires and my 32" by 11.50 wide tires were wider on the 10" rims than the 12.5 on the 9"s....I also noticed the tires were wearing hard in the center and the edges still had the nobbys on them.....this is not ideal for tire wear....and like others have stated you have to run your wider tires with less psi to regain for contact with road and this hurts other things this way like gas mileage for one....Not saying not to do it but like the other poster stated....why? when the bettersuited more stable size rim is the same price and has more future possibilities? if you went with a 10" wide rim with 5" backspacing you would have the best of both worlds since it would be less stress on your axle and wheel bearings plus the corner of the tire would actually clear the fender a bit better (and the frame) since the tire wont be bulging over the edge of the rim as much and will be siting more square on the rim.

 

the wider tires will slow the truck down but no where near as much as taller ones.....think about it they are heavier, bulkier more resistance to wind and the road since more surface contact..(just like most mud tires get slightly less mpg than street tires of the same size).. and if you get the offset rims with less backspacing its adds more stress to axle and components.....(thats why larger load carrying trucks like diesels have almost the whole tire on the backspacing offset) it takes most of the stress off of the criticle parts of the axle and puts them on the rim and tire as well as center of axle where its stronger.

 

So by the sounds of it a 16"x10" wheel with a backspace of 5" is the way to go over a 16"x8" wheel with a backspace of 4" for a 33"x11.50" bfg all terrian if I want the wheel to poke out alittle bit past the fender. Thanks. O and I have 285/75/16, thats 33"x11.50 correct?

 

depends on the tire... i have 285/75 16 and they are more like 31.5 tall.

 

I would go with a 16x10 and 305/70/16. I think you would be stretching that 285 to far on a 16x10.

 

+1 there gipper

 

I have 265 70 16 on 10" rims. Does good for me. But they are only 30.6" tall which I like as it is very close to being the same as the 245 78s that came on it.
Within .2" if I remember correctly.