2013 3500 DRW Suspension like a brick after new tires

[Ozymandias]

Well you are running Michelins, all said.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Well you are running Michelins, all said.

True, but you know there are many Michelin haters. So I enjoy showing how they do. But the last set of same only made it 40k. But that was one of many sets with great results.

 

[slowmover]

True, but you know there are many Michelin haters. So I enjoy showing how they do. But the last set of same only made it 40k. But that was one of many sets with great results.

Hard to see why “haters” (what is it with the use of ghetto slang?). If I’d only gotten 60k from a set of Michelins I’d be severely disappointed as it’s just under half of what I received from each of the last two sets.

Vehicle Use is the first step. Occasionally loaded/towing heavy, or constantly? That division then determines the next step in tire choice questions (go see the dealers, not the discounters).

Bad tire choices are the norm.

“Big truck” gets awesomely deep into the decision tree questions. Hugely expensive to “guess” (fleet) which is what we see pickup owners do.

Don’t

Sample: what percentage of engine hours last month was spent in 4WD? Off pavement, or off road?

97% on pavement? Then that’s what matters most.
Which is pretty much question No. 2. (Not No. 1)

.

 

[AH64ID]

Only tires I’ve had exceed, or get close to, the mileage warranty was some Michelin Cross Terrain SUV’s. I really liked those tires on the 4Runner, but they have been discontinued.

Michelin doesn’t make anything anywhere near aggressive enough for how I use my truck, so I’ve stopped using them.

 

[bcbender]

Even 3% off road and I want more traction.... Nothing more aggravating than getting stuck nose down on some grass because the tires don't have enough grip... Only been there once and never again and that was on a set of BFG highway terrain (the OEM tire on my 04). I'll take an all terrain all day long and use it on the highway and eat the mileage penalty to not have to phone a friend..

 

[BigPapa]

My father used to get a kick out of pulling my RWD 2500 out of the yard with his S10 Blazer.

 

[Diesel85]

My father used to get a kick out of pulling my RWD 2500 out of the yard with his S10 Blazer.

I had to pull my 2002 RWD 2500 using my Cub Cadet garden tractor.

I made the very poor decision to back into a wet spot just like 3 feet off my driveway and it was the only device I had at my disposal at that time of day. All my other vehicles family was using.

I remember the feeling as the rear wheels just sunk. I spun them for like 10 seconds, and I'm like nope. Got a short chain and my little garden tractor, and believe it or not had just enough power to yank it out while the truck was in neutral. The tractor was on solid pavement.

 

[Cummins12V98]

My DRW is a pavement princess for sure! But I would wager my mileage would increase if I didn't tow my 5er 50% of the miles with a 6k pin weight.

I would buy 3rd ten take offs for my 98 12V. I would easily get 100k out of the BFG's and 120k from the Michelin's. Those were commuting miles in NW WA with a few to a couple thousand pounds in the bed. Same commuting my OE Michelin's on 81 VW Diesel PU rear tires made it to 150k with almost 3/16 tread when I had a flat and ran it to the tire shop a short distance and then changed them out. Fronts made it 100k, no rotation.

 

[slowmover]

Even 3% off road and I want more traction.... Nothing more aggravating than getting stuck nose down on some grass because the tires don't have enough grip... Only been there once and never again and that was on a set of BFG highway terrain (the OEM tire on my 04). I'll take an all terrain all day long and use it on the highway and eat the mileage penalty to not have to phone a friend..

A truck with an empty bed = wrong vehicle purchased. An empty bed pickup is just a hazard waiting to happen, whether bad parking or wet road.

Plenty of good off-pavement tire choices that are acceptable for highway. Different than “off road”.

Some pressure-treat boards fix the grass & sand “problem” past carrying the payload for which one ostensibly got the truck in the first place.

Go put it on the CAT Scale and get the rear axle on up. 50%? 70%? Won’t take much of a change from tires that’re highway-only, then. And that’ll last.

(6) sets of lower quality tires vs (2) sets of highest quality over 250K is a savings of about 1,000-gallons of fuel before factoring off-road open tread penalty. Which is at least (2) MPG. Probably another 4,000-gallons in that period.

$13,000 penalty @ $3.75/gl over 250k for that 5k gallons based on reported averages.

Tires are worth extensive research under realistic expectations past common sense truck use.

.

 

[bcbender]

A truck with an empty bed = wrong vehicle purchased. An empty bed pickup is just a hazard waiting to happen, whether bad parking or wet road.

Wow.. that's a bold assumption there...

Some pressure-treat boards fix the grass & sand “problem” past carrying the payload for which one ostensibly got the truck in the first place.

Hahahaah..... OK... so I'll go to Home depot in the town I am staying in so I can put a piece down while parking my truck overnight at the RV park's grass overflow lot.........

Ridiculous. Not all here care about squeezing every penny out of a tire when there are plenty of options out there that check both boxes..

 

[AH64ID]

Ridiculous. Not all here care about squeezing every penny out of a tire when there are plenty of options out there that check both boxes..

There are just so many more important things to life.....

 

[Turbo Terry]

Last time I was stuck was about 1993 out in rural Alaska. My 99 24v never was stuck in the 23 years I owned it. My next tire needs to be something that can do the ice and snow in Anchorage winters and the pot holes annd all weather roads hauling 3 k camper in the summer. I would like to be done changing tires twice a year

 

[slowmover]

Wow.. that's a bold assumption there...



Hahahaah..... OK... so I'll go to Home depot in the town I am staying in so I can put a piece down while parking my truck overnight at the RV park's grass overflow lot.........

Ridiculous. Not all here care about squeezing every penny out of a tire when there are plenty of options out there that check both boxes..

Didn’t comprehend what I wrote.
It ain’t either/or.

Been stuck once in last 17-years. A board fixed that, and loading the bed did the rest. Haven’t parked on pavement last 8-years. Uphill thru rim-high to hub-high flood water some times. Packed gravel & sand.

That ain’t “off road”. Just off-pavement.
Temporary.

Better tires pay. Analysis.

$10,000 or more ain't pennies.
.

 

[Igottaroll]

Well, I got the rears down 50 & the front at 65 & there was a significant difference (improvement) in the ride, but definitely still not the ride I remember. I am going to chalk it up to me getting older. Thank you to all that chimed in. (Good Advice Ozy, I definitely check the DOT dates on every tire and they are new)

 

[AH64ID]

Well, I got the rears down 50 & the front at 65 & there was a significant difference (improvement) in the ride, but definitely still not the ride I remember. I am going to chalk it up to me getting older. Thank you to all that chimed in. (Good Advice Ozy, I definitely check the DOT dates on every tire and they are new)

Take them all the way down to 35 in the rear. You’ll only need more if you exceed 7500lbs on the rear axle.