First post... Hi!
This forum has been tremendously useful in these first two years of Duramax ownership, so I wanted to take a minute to document my DRW to SRW conversion for internet posterity since it's been frequently discussed but rarely described accurately.
The first question I always read was "Why not just trade it in on a SRW?" I inherited this truck from my Dad, so it has sentimental value, it's a better work truck than my last Denali was, and I've got two girls quickly approaching college, so it was just right for me :thumb:
The DFW airport valet wrapped the right side of my bed around a pole, so the project quickly got into high gear with their funding. Finding a clean long bed that hasn't been beat to death at work was a little challenging, but Craigslist eventually solved that.
I wanted to keep the dually axle if possible to keep costs down. The 2500 & 3500 SRW axle does have the same leaf pad width, so it is a bolt-on, but I decided to pick up a pair of '05 Suburban Quadrasteer flares. Trying to find a pair of these used was near impossible. My local dealer gave me 10% off list price, which was an exact match to gmpartsdirect.com's price after shipping.
The 3/4 ton rear flares are 1 3/8" wide on each side. The Quadrasteer flairs are 3 3/4" wide on each side, so I felt wheel backspacing was the key to getting the wheel/fender relationship in a normal range. I chose the XD Hoss in 22x9.5, 4.75 backspacing, 0 offset. Dually adapters came off and they fit like any other 3/4 ton, minor rubbing and all. I'm runing a set of Nitto 305/40-22's for now because I had them sitting around. It will eventually get 285/50-22 Nittos and a level kit.
This combo sticks out of the front wheel flare by 1 1/8" which I think is perfect.
Now that the test fit is done, I'm ordering the rear wheels in the same size. If my measurements are right, they will stick out 9/16" from the flare in the rear, which will also be perfect. I think the wider stance and quasi-dually look of the rear flares will be pretty sweet. :woott:
This forum has been tremendously useful in these first two years of Duramax ownership, so I wanted to take a minute to document my DRW to SRW conversion for internet posterity since it's been frequently discussed but rarely described accurately.
The first question I always read was "Why not just trade it in on a SRW?" I inherited this truck from my Dad, so it has sentimental value, it's a better work truck than my last Denali was, and I've got two girls quickly approaching college, so it was just right for me :thumb:
The DFW airport valet wrapped the right side of my bed around a pole, so the project quickly got into high gear with their funding. Finding a clean long bed that hasn't been beat to death at work was a little challenging, but Craigslist eventually solved that.
I wanted to keep the dually axle if possible to keep costs down. The 2500 & 3500 SRW axle does have the same leaf pad width, so it is a bolt-on, but I decided to pick up a pair of '05 Suburban Quadrasteer flares. Trying to find a pair of these used was near impossible. My local dealer gave me 10% off list price, which was an exact match to gmpartsdirect.com's price after shipping.
The 3/4 ton rear flares are 1 3/8" wide on each side. The Quadrasteer flairs are 3 3/4" wide on each side, so I felt wheel backspacing was the key to getting the wheel/fender relationship in a normal range. I chose the XD Hoss in 22x9.5, 4.75 backspacing, 0 offset. Dually adapters came off and they fit like any other 3/4 ton, minor rubbing and all. I'm runing a set of Nitto 305/40-22's for now because I had them sitting around. It will eventually get 285/50-22 Nittos and a level kit.
This combo sticks out of the front wheel flare by 1 1/8" which I think is perfect.
Now that the test fit is done, I'm ordering the rear wheels in the same size. If my measurements are right, they will stick out 9/16" from the flare in the rear, which will also be perfect. I think the wider stance and quasi-dually look of the rear flares will be pretty sweet. :woott:
Saw some in tenesse though..