Before you get all hot and bothered, this is NOT another thread about 'how big can our tires go without a lift?!'
Ok, so, it is a bit of a noob question, but it's 3am and I'm feeling lazy. I want to get new rims, but in order to look decent they will need to be at least 17". For new tires, what sizes can I get? Obviously they must be R17 now, but what about the other two measurements? Can I still not go over 275? How low can that first number be? If I'm not mistaken, the middle number is how far the rim is from the edge of the tire? Is 50 too low for that?
I am still unsure whether to go all terrain or street so keep that in mind...
Thanks for input~

 

a lot of it will depend on backspacing, just for refrence, with my 16x8 aftermarket wheels, and a 4 or 4.5" backspace, there was no way possible to clear a 265x75x16, i had to go with a 245x75, which is same hight as stock 265x70 but an inch narrower, and also the 265x75 is an inch taller than thoes, and i had a leveling kit on at the time

 

Yeah man, its possible. I'm running 265 50 20, but like trucker said, research the backspace to ensure they will work.

 

i have 255 75 17s (mud tires) on 17x8 ram rims not sure of the back spacing, but they clear very well. over all that is a 32x10 approx.

 

I know mine are 18s but I am running 265-60 R18s

265 is the width in mm, 60 is the percentage of the width that equals the sidewall height, for this situation 265 x .6 = 159 mm and of course you know what 18 means...

 

I have a 16x7" styled steel wheel sitting around (got bent). I will measure the backspacing this weekend. 4" or 4.5" sounds about right.

The rims that Tirerack.com says are compatible with 05+ Dakotas have 4.5" backspacing.

The same backspacing on an 8" rim vs. a 7" rim would push the outside edge of the tire an inch farther out. Is that where the rubbing problems are occuring for guys with wide rims?

 

i have 18 by 8 with 265 on them

 

Sweet, thanks for the input.

 

I think you'll find this useful. Plug in a tire size you know works on 16's then try plugging in some different 17" tires and check out how they compare.

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTireMath.dos

 

So... I have heard this before and am not sure on the math... if I got tires with a shorter CIRCUMFERENCE than the stock tires...say 245s over 265 stock, does that make the vehicle quicker? Gas mileage?