Does anyone have any experience towing with wheels that are not factory original?
I wanted to put some American Racing Baja wheels on my truck. They are aluminum. But, I'll also be towing (someday in the near future), a travel trailer that will weigh about 5500lbs loaded. Tounge weight will be around 600lbs or so.
I didn't want two sets of wheel and tires, so I was wondering if this was safe? Since it will be two years before the trailer, and towing only about 5 times a year, I didn't want to be a slave to the RV setup. I have no idea if there is any load rating on the wheels, or if they even need one.
Any advice?

 

All wheels are load rated. You just have to check with the manufacturer. The wheels should have a higher rating than the tires, which should have a higher rating than the expected weight of the truck.

I used to have American Racing wheels on my F250 and never had a problem towing. Generally, lower profile tires are better for towing than high profile tires.

Ian

 

Like Ian said check the wheel with the manufacturer for the load rating.

My main consideration would be the size of tire. If you change the profile you change the drivetrain ratio and change the towing ability. For example I have the 16" factory wheels. The 17" factory wheel would have lowered my trailer towing capacity by 500LB. You could go to a larger wheel but then put a lower profile tire on to keep the tire height the same.

 

Thanks. I neglected to mention that they will remain 16" wheels (Stock size for me), and will be holding onto some LT tires. Again, stock size. I'm not going to mess with changing any sizes.