Why the draw to factory Alcoa dually wheels?

Detroit80

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I've seen a number of posts of people trying hard to find the factory Alcoa dually wheels, and curious what the draw to these are...is it just the rarity of aluminum dually wheels? Just liking that particular look? Do they give the ability to run larger/wider tires than the steel wheels?

The thought came to me recently when I saw an almost complete set of the 5 spoke wheels for sale locally - 3 aluminum, 2 steel...I did think they would look good on the truck, but only being 3 aluminums - bummer..but it did make me wonder if that might be the way to get 245/75R16 tires on the truck without having to run spacers? I've heard there is some wheel that I can get that will clear a 245. I have a virtually brand new set of Michelins on my Chevy that are 245/75R26, and I'm getting ready to sell the Chevy. But my F-350 needs new tires on it. I've read that 245/75 tires won't fit well on the duals in the back due to wheel width/offset when loaded down, and my truck will definitely carry a lot of weight on the bed.
 

u2slow

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I think the attraction is hopes of finding used ones cheap.... vs buying new aftermarket. They are still 16x6" as far as I know.

There are some offset differences between 2wd and 4wd F-series dually wheels. And the E-series dually wheels are different again.

With the size and capacity available for SRW nowadays, I have little interest in dually. At least not unless I need a legit 14-16k# GVWR (F450, etc).
 

Detroit80

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Admittedly, part of it for me is the look. Not in the "I want a truck that looks bad-ass!!!" kind of way, but rather that I have a DRW width flatbed on the truck, and it just looks silly with single tires under it. But I also feel like the truck is more stable on duals vs single tires out back when I'm really loaded down with weight, either in the bed or on the hitch....or both.

Granted, I haven't done a ton of comparisons back and forth, mainly due to not being able to run larger tires up front...I don't really want to go spend hundreds on a set of SRW bits for the front axle only to find out that I still prefer the duals anyways.

The other side of this being that I already own the dually. While yes, a late model SRW is likely even more capable than my ancient dually, and even the gas models get better MPGs than this diesel, that's also a considerable amount of cash outlay to upgrade, and I absolutely refuse to take on another car loan. Especially so for something that isn't a daily driver.
 
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u2slow

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If you run one of the wider diffs, then SRW looks fine under a 7' wide flatdeck.

As far as weight capacity, I meant tires specifically. 3750-4000# rating (each) when you go to 33-35" range.
 

Detroit80

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I have a pickup DRW Sterling under there now. It still doesn't look right with SRW wheels, and especially so with DRW wheels on the front axle, and SRW wheels on the back LOL

Plus, my flatbed is over 7 feet wide..it's a homebuilt, not a commercially made bed based on standard measurements. Same with my trailer - I intentionally made it wider than normal, and it's actually just a hair over the legal width in many areas. Dragging it through some really old downtown areas with narrow lanes gets interesting at times.

I forget the exact measurement now of the bed, but it overhangs even the duals by quite a bit.
 

79jasper

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On the rear drw axle, it is narrower than a srw, so probably explains it not looking right...

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Detroit80

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On the rear drw axle, it is narrower than a srw, so probably explains it not looking right...

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You've got that backwards...DRW rear is about 5" wider WMS than SRW. Has to be to keep the inside tire in the same position in the wheel well as an SRW axle, otherwise you'd need massive wide inner wheel wells in the pickup beds.

If you try to mount a dually wheel facing inward on an SRW axle, the tire will hit the springs...

A C&C DRW axle is the same WMS as a SRW pickup axle, but with narrower perch spacing as the frame spacing is also narrower.
 

u2slow

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I have a pickup DRW Sterling under there now. It still doesn't look right with SRW wheels, and especially so with DRW wheels on the front axle, and SRW wheels on the back LOL

Plus, my flatbed is over 7 feet wide....

Gotcha - your deck is wider than most. 7' is a pretty common deck/bed width for C&C trucks.
 
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