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Anyone regret goin to 16.00r20 Tires on M923a2?

Glen1978

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Buena Vista, CO
Need to replace some tires on my m923a2. From what Ive found I can put 6 XZL 16.00r20 tires on cheaper than I can do 4 14.00r20 XZL tires. I live at 8300' so I have mountains to contend with. Just dont want to regret it. Thanks
 

kubotaman

Well-known member
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Keep this in mind. There is less than 2 inches of clearance between the rear tires. You kick up a small rock, and you are in trouble
 

74M35A2

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Livonia, MI
Good question. I am soon doing the same. Stories I hear are they rub slightly in the front on a full turn, and rears can hit the bed at full articulation. Also, slight loss of low end power. I am wicking up my 8.3L this summer, hoping for over 400hp (pump, injectors, timing, turbo, charge air cooler), so I am disregarding the power loss portion.

Also looking forward to hearing from any who have done it.
 

simp5782

Feo, Fuerte y Formal
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Mason, TN
Other issues are control. They do not handle that great on the front ends in my opinions. Not to mention that when you hit a bump with 14.00s the rear feels like it is going to fly apart. I don't want to feel unloaded with 16.00s. It does look meaner. 395s are an inch shorter than 14.00s and are about the same price.
 

fuzzytoaster

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Having 395s on my M923A2 and stepping up to 16s I know I will loose power from a dead start so some tweaking will be required. I do know a majority of my driving will be highway so the trade off is worth it to me. I will be running HEMTT rims in the front (if not all) to have the offset to reduce any rubbing in the front. My current 395 MVTs are a good tire but the reduction in top end speed now makes me too slow for highway travel (at least feel that way) or dog the engine too much.
 

98G

Former SSG
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Driving lindsey97's Weedtruck (not what you think) on HEMTT rims and 16's is a joy. The ride is better than G177s. I theorize that the taller sidewalls flex more.

The effective final drive ratio makes the shift points noticeably different. Top speed is only limited by your sanity.

We had rubbing up front with 5ton combat rims, but no rubbing with hemtt rims.

His is an A0.

All that being said, I think in your hilly environment, at altitude, you want 395s. (And I'm not just saying this to sell you a set)
 

grendel

Member
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Location
Derry, NH
I have them on my Bobber... can't say about the rear duals. I cut an axle off. Driving the 16's is not much different than driving the 14's... then again, I went with better rear brakes and turned up my motor. Over all, I like them better than the 14R20's on my Wrecker.
 

162tcat

Active member
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Location
Washington
I run them with Hemtt rims and it was a huge improvement. Rides smoother and sidewall flex is reduced which improves cornering while loaded. Lower RPM at cruise so didn't really notice an mpg change. Power was bumped on the 8.3 so no issues there either. Originally I swapped my A0 11r20's for these and that was night and day, the 11r20's are not enough tire for such a big heavy truck. Going from 14's to 16's on my other truck definitely smoothed out the ride. Other than a bigger step getting in, I've yet to find a down side.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk
 
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Glen1978

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Location
Buena Vista, CO
Good info guys! Keep it coming. I do plan to do some airbox and pump mods to mitigate the power. I have found 6 of the 16.00 XZL shipped from Arizona to my door in Colorado for $1050
 

74M35A2

Well-known member
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Location
Livonia, MI
I also saw a lead on eBay in AZ for $100 a tire plus shipping for 16.00 XZL's.

I really like the availability, tread pattern, and higher speed rating of the 395's, but I do not want to drop in tire height either.
 
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lindsey97

Member
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18
Location
wynnewood, oklahoma
I have a M923A0 With 16.00r20 on it, with HEMTT rims. The rims provide approx. 2.5" more negative backspacing on the front axle, which stops the rubbing issues when in full lock-to-lock steering. With regular 5 ton combat rims, the left steer tire WILL rub the pitman arm. 5 ton combat rims would probably work better on the back, because they are lighter and would reduce rotating mass.

At first I was apprehensive of the 16.00's because of the change they make in the final drive ratio, but after having them on my truck for a while, I like them, and would convert another truck over to 16.00's if given the chance.
The negatives to them is that they are heavy, and HEMTT rims are heavier also, along with a heavier run flat. When going up a hill with a strong headwind, the bigger tires do affect the truck's ability maintain road speed. Use your shifter to control up shifts and leave the shifter a gear low when going slower or in hilly terrain to keep the transmission from gear hunting as much. Your speedometer will be approx. 11 mph slow when using 16.00's on an A0 truck, and will be approx. 5 mph slow on a A1 or A2 truck when using the correct adapter box that was installed with 14.00s.

I believe the best place to correct the performance issues is inside the transfer case, via changing out the overdrive gearing with something closer to direct drive 1:1 at the output shafts. This will be much cheaper and exponentially easier than regearing 3 axles.
 
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