2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission A tire Delemma since I weighed my truck/camper

[wcjp]

I'm also running a rear antisway bar. It's an IPD now sold as Roadmaster.

 

[BGuilty]

i have 295/75/r16 on stock steel rims i still have the 245/75/r16 spare on the bottom about to get it swaped tuesday

 

[LVJUNIOR]

One thing you need to realize about any load rated item whether it is a tire or a hitch is that the load rating is not the engineered maximum failure load. All engineers design with a factor of safety. A part with a #500 load rating may not fail until #800-#1500. The maximum load rating on your tires is designed to handle heat at the maximum load. I wouldn't worry about your ties at all until you exceed the maximum load.

 

[BGuilty]

One thing you need to realize about any load rated item whether it is a tire or a hitch is that the load rating is not the engineered maximum failure load. All engineers design with a factor of safety. A part with a #500 load rating may not fail until #800-#1500. The maximum load rating on your tires is designed to handle heat at the maximum load. I wouldn't worry about your ties at all until you exceed the maximum load.

the max load rating that is on the item that you buy is 60% of what the max is... . but think shock force would you really want to push it... i see wire rope slings, nylon slings, and chains break all the time

 

[Crazy Horse]

So..... I would really appreciate some real world experiance.

I was down this road years ago. . . An 11,000 lb plus gvw on a truck rated for 8-9,000 lbs.

The #1 issue is legal liability of current setup..... let alone the handling problems that can be encountered driving the rig as is or modified. IMHO>>> Error on the side of caution for your own benifit.

Dually or lighter camper. Unbelievable difference between a dually and SRW no matter what you do to the truck. Just my opinion.

 

[LVJUNIOR]

I never recommend exceeding the maximum load rating. But the manufactures load rating should take shock loads from normal driving conditions into consideration. If you hit a 6" deep pothole at 60mph it doesn't matter if you are running at the maximum rating or not the shock load is going to cause damage

 

[HBarlow]

Personally, I think it is very risky to pretend that you can routinely exceed the tire manufacturer's maximum rated weight without risk of tire failure. Sure, engineers calculate max rated load leaving a margin before the tire will almost certainly fail but the max rated load is what the manufacturer is reasonably sure the tire can handle all day at highway speed on hot pavement. I wouldn't exceed the the rated weight.

 

[Road Dog]

The manufacture's rating also accounts for manufacturing variation -- not all tires are equal.

 

[Jrork]

Wow, I havent been on here for a bit. Here's an update...



Well, after a ton of running we've put the rig away for the winter. All in all, no worries. I took my heat gun and always took readings to see if my tires were getting hot. Highest reading I ever saw was 101 degrees on the tread one time when I was running I90 for quite a distance. Side walls were always cool. One thing that I found surprising was we had some friends following us with their 3/4 ton Ford Powerstroke and at a rest stop my tires were cooler than theirs even though they were just towing a small trailer.



So, is it the perfect rig for the camper? Probably not, but so far it has worked extremely well and other than encountering some big winds in eastern washington where I slowed to 45mph (and ran with the truckers) I've had no drama whatsoever.

An Exhaust Brake, upgraded rear brakes are in order along with a backup camera. Tires and wheels will absolutely be changed when there is money available.



In a perfect world, I would prefer a dually but so far, I don't see a big enough need to offset the added expense. We'll see... ... . john



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Thanks everyone... ... .

 

[SBall]

I'm afraid I have to side with Curious Dave and Crazy Horse on this one.

I believe the manufacturers have posted GVW ratings for a reason and that the GVW values are based on the design attributes of all mechanical systems taken as a whole; (tires, brakes, frame, suspension, etc).

The fact that you have 2wd is in your favor and perhaps why you're managing it, as your effective payload rating is higher than a 4wd truck, and your vehicle center of gravity is lower which is a benefit in turns and cross-wind situations.



Like Crazy Horse, I've been there/done that too.



I'd like to see a photo of your rig with the jacks up, and how it settles the suspension?

 

[Jrork]

I'd like to see a photo of your rig with the jacks up, and how it settles the suspension?

Here you go during one of our trips... .



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[SBall]

Here you go during one of our trips... .



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Thanks for posting that photo too.

Wow, I see no sag in the rear what so ever. Did you install air bags or any rear suspension goodies?



Steve

 

[Jrork]

No worries Steve. I have bags (set at 80lbs when hauling), Rancho 9000s (set on 7) and a Hellwig swaybar (to be installed over the winter).



It really surprises me how well the truck drives.



Thanks again everyone for all your input... ... ..... john

 

[Jrork]

Well, another year of hauling with zero troubles. A dually looks to be financially out of the question and I'm thinking about tires and wheels. 19. 5s would be cool but I dont like the appearance of Ricksons nor the vague delivery dates that they seem to provide.

I'm not considering some Alcoas with some Toyo M55s unless folks know of some other rims that have the rating that a quality rim like the Alcoa has.



I'll keep updating this and I finally settle on what direction we go.

 

[bcbigfoot]

I believe there could be a option 5 to consider that being 3rd gen 17" wheels and tires. I think you can get up to 3750 lbs rated tires for the 17" rims.



Are your present rims factory aluminum, if they are they are not rated as high as your 3400lb tires and they tend to crack with weights much less than thier rated cap. .



Opps just noticed when you first posted.

 

[Jrork]

Thanks Bigfoot. I'm running the stock steel rims at the moment but I realize I cant run the larger M55s on them hence the search for strong/wider rims (I need 7")



Your idea of the 3rd Gen is great. Does anybody know what the capacity of the 3rd Gen rim is?



Thanks again... ... ... John