The stock tires on my truck are 265/70/17 which is almost 32". How would runnning 275/65/17 (.5' smaller) affect my 1/4 times?

What size tires would be best on 17" rims that dont look retarded?

 

half inch smaller won't make that big a difference. it ends up helping your gearing out which will help you move out a little quicker. taller tire reduces the gearing numerically which will make it move slower out of the hole.

 

Careful that you do not go to short on the side wall as you need that flex to hook at the track.... shorter sidewall will go around the corners quicker but just spins on launch.. I had the 275/50/17s 25.75 diameter 450 Extreme Nittos and they only weighed 55 lbs for the wheel and tire combo and I dropped from 14.30s to 13.90s with just the switch from the lighter than stock aftermarket 20's but there was no traction and I had to leave from and idle and slow feather for a best 60' of 2.09 ....
It is all a balancing act and no one truck is the same for what will work for you...
good luck!

TJ

 

Launching in 4 will take care of my traction issues.

What size would be good for track/street combo?

 

I'm running 275-55-17's on mine with 3.73, and going from the stock generals 255-75-16 to these, I could definitely tell a difference, seat of the pants. These are just slightly over 1" shorter than the stockers.