I added this to my update on the Agilis tire and wheel swap out discussion, but will put it here also because it is a safety issue.
A problem has come up in relation to the 17X17.5 aluminum Silverado and Sierra wheels mentioned for our recent upgrade to them.
THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO OEM GM WHEELS IN ANY WAY, EITHER USED OR RECONDITIONED, SO THOSE ARE JUST FINE WITH NO ISSUE.
The problem is with the very easily found REPLICA wheels that look identical to the factory wheels but cost less than reconditioned OEM.
The replica wheels are listed by application for, I think, all of the 8 lug 2500HD and 3500 pickups from about 2000 to 2010 and they do fit them.
The problem is that they DON'T HAVE ADEQUATE LOAD CAPACITY for any of the applications they list, including 2500 Suburbans and Yukons with 8 lug holes.
The wheels are marked at 1150kg or about 2500# so 5000# on a single wheel axle. The pickups listed have the same 6048# rear axle load rating as our Chevy class Bs on the 3500 chassis so clearly will not be adequate to support the load.
I never would have even known this, as the load capacity is not listed on any spec list, on any seller's site, and manufacturer is still unknown (only that they are in Indonesia as that is marked on the wheel).
After the reconditioned wheel vendor messed up and shorted me one wheel I scrambled to find another, and did at a local yard so the ones on the van are good. I ordered another reconditioned from a vendor and was sent a replica instead, so I then saw the load rating on it. It was accepted back, but the distributor that actually shipped it (dropship so dealer never saw it) went dark when asked why they could sell a wheel that doesn't meet specifications for the recommended vehicles. I contacted about a half dozen other sellers and only one even answered the question and did state 1150kg but went dark when asked how they could sell it for the vehicles listed.
The sellers all tout meeting all the same specs as the GM wheel, including SAE J2560 which is also on the wheel itself. They clearly violate J2560 section 3.5 which addresses the load ratings issue so I notified SAE of that.
The selling dealer, who was not happy about it but it was a first time of selling a replica of that type and from that vendor, is working with me to find out how to keep these wheels from being sold for those vehicles listed in the application listing. I have a complaint into NHTSA about it, SEMA has been notified and is looking into it, as well as SAE.
It is kind of scary knowing the the pickup coming down the road meeting us may be loaded to max capacity and pulling a 10K trailer besides. A collapsed wheel could be a major crash problem. Those pickups, especially because the earlier years of them are non DEF for the diesels, seem to be pretty popular in the towing crowd.
WARNING about replica wheels for Chevies
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