I saw a thread on here recently that the round shaped tires will follow groves and ruts worse than the square shaped ones. That may be your problem also. I deff noticed a difference when I went to 35's. They also tend to follow the wear ruts in the road worse than the 265's that were on it. Balance had nothin to do with it.

 

BlueH3 = Have had these tires on for roughly 20,000 miles now and I still love 'em. As far as handling, they are awesome in the rain and I had the Hummer in a foot of fresh snow and the truck handled like a champ. Couldn't be happier with the performance of these tires overall. I still get tons of attention and I notice people looking at my wheels all the time in traffic. The black wheels are unique, but I think people are more drawn to the aggressive design of the tires. They have gotten a bit noisier as they've worn in, but nothing excessive - I personally don't like 4X4's with huge lifts and gumbo mudders you can hear coming a mile away. I like the subtle hum of the DuraTracs to be honest - nothing too obnoxious. Still recommend these tires!

 

Are those fac wheels that you painted black or did they come like that? I love the look of the black wheels but scared to start painting on them. I thought I remember a thread on here where someone did it with a spray can!?! Will it hold up and continue to look good for very long?

 

Man, I was going to buy a set of these next week in 315/75/16, but after
seeing yours in the 285/75/16 I am going with that. I am sure it will ride a
lot better. They look awesome.

 

I'm not ******* the Duratracs, yet.

Probably, just need to get used to them being I'm moving from a different type of tire (BFG KM 1). I really like how the Duratracs look, and ride on the non-grooved roads. They had great traction on the wet road surfaces during our last rain.

For what it's worth, here's what the 315s look like on my truck...

 

@Slumlord: The wheels aren't painted but rather are factory black wheels and genuine black Hummer centercaps. My '07 was part of the limited edition run of the Tactical Edition which came with black wheels amongst other goodies. Can't speak to the wear-and-tear of painting the wheels you're concerned about, but I do recommend going with black wheels - people seem to really like the look overall (I certainly do!).

@WDIHummerH3: Thanks for the compliments. I had a Lexus IS-F before this, and I actually have much more fun in the Hummer!

@whatever: Looking good. Love the all black them you have going there and the tires look great.

 

where can I find some wheels like those? I'm wanting a second set of wheels for my wheeling trips, and those look better and seem like they'd hold up better to abuse. These are mine right now. I haven't gotten them messed up yet, but I know it's just a matter of time.

 

I'm finding sets of used H3 rims on craigslist all the time, anywhere from $40 a wheel to $500 for a set. I am considering the same and will probably pick up a set as cheap as i can find and have them powder coated. I think a rattle can paint job will only lead to ugliness as it will not really "bond" and be prone to chipping. Love the black look though.

 

Prep is the key to painting wheels, They need to be scuffed up good. Couple coats of self etch primer, paint and clear. Biggest problem with people painting their wheels is they have no patience grab a couple cans at home depot and expect to be done in two hours. It takes a couple days to do properly and cure. Powder coating is typically done at too high of a temp for aluminum wheels, It needs to be done by a place that specializes in wheels. If you actually wheel, Painting lasts and can be touched up if you gouge them, Powder coating cannot and has to be redone.

 

Those are 17x8 Cepek wheels powder coated satin black.