I am only getting about 10,000 miles per set of tires. I got nearly 15k out of the factory tires. I am going on 38k and it is time for another set of tires.

I do mostly highway with a modest amount of offroad in fields and such on jobsites but at this point I would stick to an all season to get more miles out of the tires.

Can anyone suggest a good tire for my 2003 Dodge Ram stock 17" wheels? I carry a LOT of weight in the truck and I do haul a lont of weight on a tongue pull trailer. i.e. today will have about 3,500 lbs in the bed of the truck and in two weeks will be pulling about 21,000 lbs behind me.

I need a tire that will last longer and have a huge load rating.

Please help.

Eric

 

Obviously, you're operating well above the design specs of the 3/4 ton truck, so short drive axle tire life is not a surprise. Since I have a 2nd generation truck, I don't know what 17" tires might have been released recently, but if you're looking at significantly improving your tire load ratings (the manufacturer's ratings obviously won't change), you might see if Rickson has a 19.5" wheel/tire kit available for your truck. Besides, significantly upgrading the 17" tires to higher load ranges (and air pressures) may just expose the next weak link - what is the load/pressure rating of the stock wheels?

Rusty

 

First, did your truck come with bfg,s or michelins when new? michelins ltx will give you about 10000 more miles over the rugged trail with the way you use your truck, as long as your tire pressures are at 80psi and you rotate them frequently. Make sure your buying a load range E tire (10 ply).

 

My truck came with the Michelin's. I got about 18k thousand or so with them. I am about to purchase my third set since then.

My problem is finding a 10 ply E tire for a 17" wheel. Any suggestions??

 

If you're willing to spend the $$$, these will fix your problem for good.

 

Not many 17in load range E tires; BFG Rugged Trail OEM, Michelin LTX A/S OEM, Cooper Discoverer ST (?), Toyo Open Country AT, and I think that's it. I'll guess that the Michelin will do best in mileage, but from my experience last winter I'll be getting a studded set of the Coopers as a winter tire unless something better comes along. The 19.5in tires look attractive, and I'll guess that if you do the load calculations it's what you should be using.

Any comments on how the 19.5in tire offerings compare to say a Michelin LTX M/S, or BFG A/T ?

 

Thank you EVERYONE for your information. I am very tire illeterate and knew I was probably exceeding expectations of my tires but the truck just keeps pulling anything I throw at it.

The 19.5's is the perfect solution for my problem and I am going to make a decesion in a few days and either go for the michelen above or hop to the 19.5's.

Does anyone know how the 19.5's handle and hold up under huge loads?

Eric

 

We have a 23,000 lb GVW Ford low profile medium duty truck at work that runs 245/70 19.5's. It doesn't have tire problems except for road hazard damage. It's usually overloaded by a couple of tons....

DTR member njoverkill has a set on a 2500 that he's using for hotshot work, you might PM him for advice. Here is a thread about 19.5's you might find useful.

 

3500# in the back of the truck is right at the limit of your tires, if your rear axle weighs 2500# stock, 2500+3500 = 6000. Do you have them inflated to 80 PSI?

19.5's are costly but may be your answer.

 

No, I did not have them inflated to 80 psi. I also misttated the tire brand too I believe I am running right now. I am running a Bridgestone tire at the moment.

How much of a difference does 80 psi make? I have problems keeping tires loaded or unloaded though. My tire wear sucks all the way around.

ERic

 

I didn't know Bridgestone made load range E tires. If you read the Tire guide that came with the truck it should have told you to run somewhere around 65psi in the front and 75 in the rear for a full load. But that is with the OEM tires. The ride will be hard but it will allow the tires to handle the load properly. This will also help extend your tire life.
I currenlty have 27k on my original OEM BFG's but of course I only have all 5 rotated and balanced every 3 months or 7k miles and I change the air pressure according to the job I'm doing

 

Wow! that's terrible mileage. I have 20k on mine and they are still new looking. I have the BFGs on my 03. You can go to www.tirerack.com and they will show you the best ratings on tires for your truck.

 

The 19.5's handle loads GREAT!

I haul a 4100 lb, 11ft 6in tall slide-in truck camper on a SRW '01 2500, AND tow a 7000lb cargo trailer.
Have scaled 7130 lbs on the rear axle.

Handling and mileage with the 19.5's are like night and day compared with 16 in. E tires.
Once you get 19.5's, you'll NEVER go back...

www.ricksontruck.com

------------------------------------------------