We just helped our son purchase a '99 4X4 2500 Cummins. Probably more truck than he needs, but he has done a lot of research over the past 12 months and this is the only truck he would consider. It is a red truck and in very good shape. The only thing I would like to change is the 10" Mickey Thompson wheels with 305/270/R16 tires. They have an pretty agressive offset which makes the tire stick out and seems to grab bumps and surface changes on the road and pull the steering. I put it in the shop yesterday and spent $1200.00 replacing most of the tie rod and other front end stuff. The steering is better but again, I think it will handle better with, maybe a 8" wheel and 285/75/R16 tires. He likes the Mickey Thompson Classic II and the B.F. Goodrich All Terrain T/A KO tire. Would this be a good solution for this truck? Is there another size suggestion? Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Narrower wheels with a less aggressive offset will definitely help reduce the grabbing on cracks, or tramlining as it is often called. You can run teh 285s or even 265s if you want. The All-Terrain TA KO is a very capable tire for on and off-road use. I do not have any 16" wheels to offer for that truck, but I do have the tires.

 

O.K. now we have sort of changed direction in our thinking. I am installing a 2" level on this '99 4X4 2500 this weekend. My son really would like to keep at least a 9" wheel. The biggest problem that I have with the 10X16's that are on it now, is how far the stick out past the fenders. It looks like if I go with a 9X17 wheel, I can bring the wheel back in a full 2". This is something that we both will be o.k. with. If we do this my tire options look like 285X70X17 or 315X70X17. I think I like the 315 option on a 9" wheel better. This will be a 35" tire. Will this fit? it looks like it might with a 2" level, but will be tight? How do you think this will look? Would a 285 work better? Hopefully, someone has done this exact setup and can share experiences. Any help or recomendations would be appreciated.

P.S. - Ben, what wheel do you have that looks like the Mickey Thompson Classic II that will work on this truck?