New Truck, need tires

[RollWithIt]

Hey gang.. Just picked up my new to me truck. 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 Diesel with the HO 5.9. Only big problem is it has factory size tires which will need replaced soon. I know I can step up to 35 inchers. Two questions.

Can I run these tires without getting the 2inch leveling kit?

Can anybody get me a good deal on tires in this range that will not be overly obnoxious to run on the street? Most of my driving will be on road so I dont need mudders. Ive run BF Goodrich ATs and Cooper Daytona's on my Dakota and have been happy with both.

[RollWithIt]

I guess I should add in that it currently has the 260 series R17 tires. So I need to stay with a 17 inch rim. Any thoughts on Dick Cepeck, BF Goodrich or Nitto's??

[RLJ676]

I have Cooper STT's and love them.

They are as quiet as a "mud terrain" could be, and should get 40K+ miles if rotated (according to my research), look great, are E load rated, and best of all are MADE IN THE USA.:26:

[ChristianGott]

hi..
picking tires is kind of like picking props, the right tool for the right job...
i've run dunlop rovers on all my chevy's with excellent results, good ride/mileage/wear/price
just got a set of what i'd call hi-way tread generals for my new F250, must say i am very impressed for the price...but i've only 7000 miles on them.
being "mostly on road" like me, be sure to pick a tread that pushes debris out from the center of the tire and definitely choose the right load range....if you do go off road, just drop the tire pressure a few pounds for a better bite!
c

[insanity]

I've been able to stretch A/T's out to about 70K miles, when it comes to truck tires I usually stick with BFG's. Put some 35 M/T's on my play truck, but I've only put about 3K miles on those and they are beasts in the mud and really not too bad on the road either. Actually those are 17's too.

[MarylandMark]

I think Buck does this kind of work- may be worth the trip to see him!

[RollWithIt]

I do believe Buck is in the truck biz too. As stated before, most of my offroad stuff is simple dirt trails and roads. Nothing severe. If I want to do that, i'll get a old jeep and trick it out. Ive run the BFG AT's before and liked them. Most of the tires Im looking at online all have 3000lbs load ratings or higher. My big thing is the different use of 35x12.5x17 vs 280/70R17. How can you tell the measured size when they use the LT rating in the second example? Which one would be equivalent to 34 or 35 inch tires?

[Pit]

Hey gang.. Just picked up my new to me truck. 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 Diesel with the HO 5.9. Only big problem is it has factory size tires which will need replaced soon. I know I can step up to 35 inchers. Two questions.

Can I run these tires without getting the 2inch leveling kit?

Can anybody get me a good deal on tires in this range that will not be overly obnoxious to run on the street? Most of my driving will be on road so I dont need mudders. Ive run BF Goodrich ATs and Cooper Daytona's on my Dakota and have been happy with both.

I think you will need the leveling kit for 35s.

[NOMOGOFAST]

Call Mark @ Lightning Motorsports 727-863-5099, He's the man when it comes to what works and how. Tell him Don from Factory Engine Exchange told you to call. I buy all my tires and wheels from him.

[insanity]

How can you tell the measured size when they use the LT rating in the second example? Which one would be equivalent to 34 or 35 inch tires?

Usually listed on the manufacturers websites.

For example: http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/specs/all-terrain-t-a-ko/44.html

I just noticed they came out with a new tread design for the M/T too, interesting.

[Sydwayz]

Contact Mitchell aka "Mama Tryed" on OSO. He can get any tire drop shipped to your door at great prices. I've got his number if you can't get ahold of him.

[Mitch32]

Contact Mitchell aka "Mama Tryed" on OSO. He can get any tire drop shipped to your door at great prices. I've got his number if you can't get ahold of him.

Thanks Brian, 35's might be tough without the 2inch lift, give me a call and I'll try and answer any questions, size, width, etc,, 800-231-2295 ext#129

Mitch

[RollWithIt]

Thanks for the responses guys. I'll give you a call. The big thing is if i wanna spend the extra coin now and get the kit or just run a smaller tire till i get that.

[07DominatorSS]

Hey gang.. Just picked up my new to me truck. 2003 Dodge Ram 3500 Diesel with the HO 5.9. Only big problem is it has factory size tires which will need replaced soon. I know I can step up to 35 inchers. Two questions.

Can I run these tires without getting the 2inch leveling kit?

Can anybody get me a good deal on tires in this range that will not be overly obnoxious to run on the street? Most of my driving will be on road so I dont need mudders. Ive run BF Goodrich ATs and Cooper Daytona's on my Dakota and have been happy with both.

MICHELINS! I've had two sets on my Excursion 7.3. They are 285/75 r16 LTX M/S. D rated. The first set I was able to get 85000 miles out of, and the current set on my truck, I'm on 85000, and probably will get 95 to 100K out of them. They might be a little more money, but well worth it.

[jmeng]

My big thing is the different use of 35x12.5x17 vs 280/70R17. How can you tell the measured size when they use the LT rating in the second example? Which one would be equivalent to 34 or 35 inch tires?

Go here (http://www.s-series.org/htm/calc/tiresizeconv.htm) for a calculator to convert from metric to inches. Better to go to the tire manufacturers website and get the actual size though.

[Madpoodle]

I'm about to replace a set of BFG AT's on my Superduty. I'm sticking with em, great tires. FYI, they are on the same carcass as the Michelins, just different tread. I run construction sites daily, have had one nail penetrate one of em, drove it for a week before I went in to get it fixed. 60K miles on them, could go further, but for some strange reason the rears are getting thin..

[FastDonzi]

I just bought new Cooper Zeon LTZ's, what a Kickazz tire, it's a hybrid between a street and off road tire, check them out, I couldn't be happier.

[RollWithIt]

jmeng.. thanks.. I like that link. It at least gives a close proximation of the size

[cigdaze]

For what it's worth, my BFGoodrich Rugged Trail T/A's have 65,000 miles on them. They've been great tires, perfect balance through their whole life, no problems. I'll get another 5,000 out of them easily. They're a great highway tire and are aggressive enough for some occasional mild off-roading. They're E-rated 10-plys.

[RLJ676]

I do believe Buck is in the truck biz too. As stated before, most of my offroad stuff is simple dirt trails and roads. Nothing severe. If I want to do that, i'll get a old jeep and trick it out. Ive run the BFG AT's before and liked them. Most of the tires Im looking at online all have 3000lbs load ratings or higher. My big thing is the different use of 35x12.5x17 vs 280/70R17. How can you tell the measured size when they use the LT rating in the second example? Which one would be equivalent to 34 or 35 inch tires?

That measurement gives the width in mm/sidewall as percent of width/tire size.

So, take width/25.4 (mm/in), than times the percent (70%) here, times 2 (one for each sidewall), and add to the 17.

((280/25.4)*.7)*2+17=32.4 in high

So... a 35 would be considerably larger.

[Dan The Man]

Try www.suspensionconnection.com under Dodge leveling kits and you can raise the front 2" in less than 2 hours for under 150 bucks. Nice looking truck by the way. Just my .02 cents worth. Good luck and enjoy.

[RollWithIt]

Thanks. Im gonna look at a couple tires in person and go from there. The conversion chart helps alot with the simplification. Im familiar with reading the tires in that the 70 is the percentage of the width 280 and gives the height of the sidewalls. I just hate that some tires are in inches and the others in metric..

[buck]

RWI,

I just now saw this thread. If I had payed a little better attention I would have answered your questions so you wouldn't have to look me up like you did.

You have the info I've given you, take that for what you paid for it and nothing more. It's just an opinion.

If you decide to order tires vs purchasing from someone local I would recommend MamaTryed like has been mentioned. He will be better equipped to get them shipped to you at a decent rate. I can get the tires at what I feel is a fair price, but I am not in the business to distribute across the nation. By the time I had them shipped, the pricing wouldn't be worth the trouble even at my cost. If you were a walk in customer, or we were talking about a smaller item, I feel like I could meet your needs fully.

Truck looks great. Keep me in mind if you have any more questions.

Buck

[RollWithIt]

Thanks again Buck. I looked you up cause youve always answered my questions in the past and have been very helpfull. I appreciate your opinion and honesty. Now I just have to narrow down what brand I want to go with.. Im goin to nuts reading tire reviews. lol

[ZBODaytona]

Also look at the Mickey Thompson line. Their MT and AT are nice tires, load rated E, and I have had good luck with the mileage on them. I am going to put the AT's on the wife's dodge when the time comes to replace. I think we are going to stay with a 33 though...the 35 needs some lift, or atleast i have heard.

[buck]

Im goin to nuts reading tire reviews. lol

LOL! Good luck with that! Add in all the opinions you will get on the different brands and your hands are full. :ack2:

Buck

[Sydwayz]

Jason, don't rule out Cooper Tires. http://www.coopertires.com

I have run them on a few trucks and they are kind of an under-marketed quiet secret.

[RollWithIt]

Havent ruled them out. A buddy of mine here is running Coopers on his Ram 3500 diesel and loves them. His buddy owns a shop and he is supposed to get me some prices. I still need to call mamatryd but havent had the time with work.. Hopefully tomorrow. Cause we got a lil snow last night and this truck really likes to spin the tires in the snow. lol

[Mitch32]

I still need to call mamatryd but havent had the time with work.. Hopefully tomorrow.

I'm there 8.00am to 5.30pm Central time

[buck]

I'm there 8.00am to 5.30pm Central time

Homo...

Sorry to hijack your thread RWI, but that needed said. :rofl:

Carry on...

Buck

[Mitch32]

Homo...

Sorry to hijack your thread RWI, but that needed said. :rofl:

Carry on...

Buck

Handsome
Ole
Mitch's
Orgy

[RollWithIt]

Ok... I have no problem with hijacking threads... But Orgy and Mitch are not a combo I wanna see.. Sorry Mitch.

[NOMOGOFAST]

I have the identical truck to yours. I added the leveler kit and 20's w/ 35's. They don't rub at all. You just need to get the right offset of wheel. I didn't want the roller skate look so it took a little research to find the right tire/wheel combo. Lightening Motorsports did the work 727-863-5099 as k for Mark. Tell him Don @ Factory Engine Exchange told you to call. I have my stock wheels w/ bf's 285's for sale if you are interested. Two of the tires need replacing but the other two have 2000 miles on them. I got 50k miles out of them before replacing the front two.

[RollWithIt]

Thanks for the info NOMO.. Right now im trying to keep my costs down and am not looking to replace the rims too. Im thinking about going with the BFG AT's in the 315 size. They are not quite 34 1/2 tall and just under 12 1/2 wide. So it should not create much of a problem. Otherwise I would have to start looking at spacer plates to move the wheels out, etc. Or buy different rims. Ive got boat stuff to spend money on before I look into new rims for the truck. But thanks again.

[RollWithIt]

Ok.. I got new tires. After alot of hours of reading, scanning and frying my brain. I decided to go with the BF Goodrich AT KOs. I had these on my Dakota before and have talked with plenty of people who have been happy with them. I got them in the 315/70/17 size. So they are not quite 35 inches nor 12.5 wide. They do still rub the inner well and control arm a lil on a full lock turn but its slight. Actually, in real world driving I havent even had to turn the wheel that much so it shouldnt be a problem. The first noticed aspect of these tires is the ride characteristics. I knew going to a taller sidewall would soften the ride a lil. But, what I didn't expect is that there is a lil sway when you initially start a lane shift or turn. Its just the sidewalls flexing a lil from the weight shifting. This makes sense considering I stayed with the factory rims. So I get a softer ride but the truck is not quite as tight in maneuvering. Its a tradeoff. The only thing to change this would be to go to a bigger rim, say 19 or 20 inches with less rubber sidewall. But if I want nimble handling, I'll take the Vette.

Thanks to Buck, Mitch, Brian and all the others for your help and opinions. I hope others can use this information to help them.

[RollWithIt]

Here's how she looks with new shoes.. Much better than before. Now I need stepbars.. even for me!

[buck]

Looks great. Glad to hear everything worked out for ya.

Buck