2005 Chevy Avalanche 2500 w/ 16" Wheels

ShootinTheBreeze · 12-26-2005, 04:10 PM

I purchased a 2500 Avalanche to tow my 31' Sonic. I love the truck but would like bigger wheels and tires to make the truck look better. If I upgrade the wheels and tires what will that do to the tow rating? Will I need to change or reprogram the chip and what finishes for the whells should I consider since I'll be launching the boat in salt water sometimes? And who has a good selection of wheels to choose from? Thanks

Sean H · 12-26-2005, 04:23 PM

look up sydwayz threads, he has the same truck....

JPD Motorsports · 12-26-2005, 05:51 PM

you can do a what most call plus sizing the wheels, going inot an 18-20" wheel is ok as long as the load rating is up to the task in that tire.

Sydwayz · 12-26-2005, 06:26 PM

You have to be VERY careful with wheel size on the Avalanche. The wheel wells on the front are very narrow. Not too mention none of the wheel manufacturers/installers know a 2500 Avalanche exists.

I had 16x8 inch American Racing Outlaw II rims with 265/75/16 Cooper tires. They rode well, and very little rubbing, unless backing at a full lock turn. The torsion bars were cranked up a bit to lift the front of the truck about an inch or so. This will require a re-alignment.

When one of the Cooper tires blew out, I bought Helo Maxx 8 Wheels in 17x8 with BFG Rugged Trail 265/70/17 tires. There is no rubbing whatsoever. (I tried 18x9 inch wheels with Nitto tires, no go.)

Go with chrome wheels. I have two programmers that will change your speedometer calibration; but they are married to 1 truck at a time by VIN number. One/both are/will be for sale when the truck goes. Also, go with a local wheel/tire place so you can test fit before you chalk up the cash. All AVs are different.

Where are you located? I am about to trade in my Avalanche. I have done EVERYTHING you would want to do to the truck. You will want to add rear wheel spacers to space out the rear wheels to the same track as the front (front axle is 4" wider). I have also installed rear Air-Lift 1000 airbags which make a world of difference in towing, and you need to swap out your hitch to a Putnam XDR Class-V hitch unless you plan on adding a Weight Distribution Hitch to your truck/trailer. Your 31 Sonic is roughly 10K lbs on the trailer with fuel, and you are over the rating of the factory hitch when using a Weight Carrying Hitch setup.

Also check out: http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/
They are the OSO of the Avalanche community.

Check out this thread for all you want to know about hitches:
Big and Heavy (hitch) Balls

Check out this thread for more info:
OT: 2500 HD vs Avalanche 2500 Pros/Cons?

Brian
703.362.6444

First pic has ARE Outlaw II Wheels 16x8
Second pic has Helo Maxx 8 Wheels 17x8

UNSANE · 12-26-2005, 07:51 PM

Greatly increasing the rim size on any vehicle adversely affects the braking. It will take a lot more effort to stop the truck so be cautious with going "too big". If the truck is a 4x4, that might explain the small rim size. My Titan is 4wd and came with 17" rims instead of the 18" on the 2wd models. This allows for more tire flex over rough terrain. You might want to check with an expert for safety's sake, just my 02.

Sydwayz · 12-26-2005, 07:59 PM

I have upgraded brakes too. The stock 16x6.5 wheels are heavy as hell.

There are folks putting 19s and 20s and bigger on Avalanches, but NOT on 2500s. The front axle is too wide to allow for any turning of the wheels/tires once installed. When we tried the 18x9 wheels on my truck, I could not get 1/2 turn of the wheel before contact with the fender well.

My truck tows MUCH MUCH better since I went to a bigger and wider wheel/tire package. I did one 500 mile roundtrip towing my 12K lbs (on trailer w/ fuel) 37AT with the stock wheels and tires, and it was DAMN scary.

mopower · 12-27-2005, 07:05 PM

I just switched from 305-60/16 to 305-50/20 and the overall diameter is almost identical so no brake probems . Eaglle Alloys rated at over 3000 lbs eack and Goodyears GTs"extra load" rated at over 3000 lb each , so no weight prob.
Look way cool , too.
Not an Avalance...just a tire and wheel example

ShootinTheBreeze · 01-11-2006, 09:00 PM

Hey man thanks for the reply regarding my 2500 Avalanche. Where can I find that Putnam XDR Class V hitch you referenced? Do you have any idea of the cost and is that what you have on your truck? Also I'm in Manassas VA.

Bill272 · 01-20-2006, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShootinTheBreeze

Hey man thanks for the reply regarding my 2500 Avalanche. Where can I find that Putnam XDR Class V hitch you referenced? Do you have any idea of the cost and is that what you have on your truck? Also I'm in Manassas VA.

I know Sydways and I both have the XDR hitch on our 2500's, as do many on the Chevyavalanchefan.com site. I got mine from this site -

http://www.etrailerpart.com/Receiver...tavalanche.htm

It says it's for the 1500, but it fits the 2500 perfectly. I did have to trim some of the cladding to the right of the hitch and make a couple of small notches where the frame of the hitch touched the cladding at the bottom of the bumper. Nothing major at all and that part took maybe 5 minute with a dremel cut-off wheel. I can post a pic later.

I also got a 15K# shank and ball and it came to under $200 shipped. The hitch alone was $128 + $22 shipping.

HiPerf2000 · 01-20-2006, 12:47 PM

I'm surprised the Trout Man hasn't chimed in yet