Everything You Need to Know About Chevy Silverado Wheels

There are many styles of truck rims such as:

• Modern
• Classic
• Spoke
• Beadlock
• Drag style
• Billet

With so many different styles to choose from it can feel overwhelming as each style offers something different. Every style of wheel has its pros and cons. When you weigh them out you can get a good idea for what is right for your build. 

The best truck wheels for offroading in your Silverado are going to be ​beadlock wheels. Modern style wheels typically come in multiple finishes, and will sometimes have a faux beadlock look. Some designs break the mold from the typical straight spokes and go for a more stylized look, using more curves and angles in their design.

Modern style Silverado wheels are more closely associated with the show crowd and street builds rather than off-road builds. Generally speaking, modern style wheels are about providing head-turning looks and also fitting a set of some meaty rubber.

Classic style Silverado wheels are your tried and true approach to wheel design; a timeless look just as appealing on a 2018 Silverado 1500 as it is on a 1970 C10. Classic style wheels will often use a somewhat minimalist design that is incredibly function driven in its form. Classic style wheels will sometimes have five to six bars and a clean center cap, with the focus being on the truck tire you are running. 

The classic style Silverado wheel is a nice balance of looks and performance that complements any truck. It won’t steal the show per se, but it will subtlety visually support the rest of your build.

Spoke style wheels fall into the modern style bucket, however they are popular enough that they deserve their own callout in this guide. Spoke style wheels are any wheels that use multiple straight spokes in their design. Spoke style wheels have become incredibly popular over the past ten years and are one of the top wheel choices for enthusiasts. The designs that fit into this category stretch the spectrum and use everything from thin spokes to thick spokes, creating a stylish yet aggressive look. 

Beadlock wheels are the preferred style of wheel for serious off-roaders. Deriving their name from their design, beadlock wheels lock on your tire using a ring of beads that goes around the edge of your wheel. This means your tire won’t become separated from the wheel, allowing it to take much more abuse and harsh conditions. Beadlock wheels tend to look best with a set of fat rubber and thick treads, giving you maximum traction and performance off-road. 

Over the past few years, more and more wheel designs have been incorporating a faux beadlock look. It doesn’t provide any of the benefits or advantages of a true beadlock wheel. If you are interested in beadlock wheels, be sure to check the product description to make sure it is a true beadlock and not a beadlock lookalike.

Adding a set of beadlock wheels to your Silverado will be a major step in the direction of having a serious off-road truck. If you do go that route, you will want to be able to optimize your setup and should consider upgrading your suspension and getting a few more inches of lift clearance as well.

Believe it or not, some people do drag race their Chevy Silverado, but that shouldn’t be too surprising. There are a handful of excellent truck racing series like Stadium Super Trucks, Nascar Trucks, Baja 1000, and more where you can see the Silverado racing; it is quite a capable and adaptable platform that can take on just about anything, including drag racing. 

Drag style Silverado wheels use a 5 or 6 spoke design, usually found in chrome, with some designs using a locking center cap. Drag wheels also come in some wider and smaller sizes than normal as the ideal drag setup uses skinny front-runners to minimize resistance and wide rear tires to maximize traction and grip. As strange as it may sound, a set of drag wheels on a Silverado looks downright devious.

The best off-road Silverado wheels are going to be ​beadlock wheels. Beadlock wheels will properly equip your vehicle to off-road where it may have to get over a rock or log, possibly withstanding a few drops. Beadlock wheels are designed solely with the intention of conquering trails; it is just a pure coincidence that they also make your Silverado look badass.

While this is up for some interpretation, ​prevailing wisdom is without serious modification you can fit up to a 26” wheel on your Silverado. Going any larger will likely incur some clearance issues. With that said, I’d be willing to bet a dollar there is someone on a forum who has done it. Considering that, I’d still say your safest bet is to stick with going no larger than a 26” wheel. 

Some enthusiasts really enjoy that heavy forward raked look to their vehicle and try and achieve that with running larger wheels in the rear. Unless it is a purpose built drag Silverado, I would not recommend doing that. It can throw off the handling of the vehicle and make it perform differently under braking.