Different size tires on front and back?

[jponder]

I almost posted this on the post for info on largest tire that will work on the 4X4 2500 with no lift. It seems that people have used 305 75s and also 315 75s.



The front wheel is the limiting rim right. The back could go larger than 315.



Has anyone run different size front and rears and besides the problem of carrying two spares what other problems did you have? It would seem in 2 wheel drive you would be okay but what about 4 wheel drive in mud or sand. I geuus your back tires if they werent slipping would kinda push the the front tires that would be turning slower. Of course I would only use 4 wheel drive in mud or sand. Any thoughts or experiences with this. Man a set of those 37 inch Baja BFG would look awesome on the back of my truck!!!

 

[DennyDay]

Don't try to run two different size tires on a 4X4! You'll cause more troubles than it's worth. In 2wd you won't have a problem, but put it 4X4 and the wheels will turn at a different speed, causing a bind in the drive train on hard pan, and in soft stuff they will be fighting each other.

 

[DAWG-1]

I would agree that 37" BFGs would look great. I wanted to run the 37x12. 5R17 on my truck but I could not come up with a 2 1/5" lift setup. I did not want to go with the 4 1/5" lift. I am able to clear Goodyear MT/R 315/75R16 on Centerline Extreme 16x9. 5 with 2 1/5" lift . If the inner fender liner was redesigned to allow more aft clearance we might be able to run 315s stock.

 

[Guest00]

If you have 4 wheel ABS you will probably run int trouble running diff sizes on a 2x4

 

[Cooker]

Different size (height) tires front and rear on a 4x4 is bad.



-Ryan

 

[Deezal Man]

Different size tires

DO NOT RUN different size tires on a road worthy 4wd vehicle... . period. This is one reason we are told to rotate our tires frequently.



BUT, since money doesn't grow on trees at my house either... If you are faced with running a set of 3/4 tread tires and a set of 1/2-1/4 treads. Run the 3/4's up front..... not the rear. This variance is small enough that it won't harm anything. Especially if you are using 4wd in loose terrain conditions. Pavement is hard on any part-time 4wd system.



Having said that... . 4wd tractors overdrive the front axles by about 2%. This is done for two reasons.



1st. to reduce front wheel "plowing" when turning.



2nd. since the fronts are usually smaller, and are used for turning... . they tend to wear down the treads a little quicker than the rears. Meaning the ratio will be about ~0% when the tires are worn out.



Overdriving the fronts by a very small percent is "OK", Underdriving them is VERY, VERY bad. Notice I'm using the word "VERY" in this sentence.



Keep in mind, the drivetrain on a tractor is designed to operate in 4WD under full load conditions all the time.

 

[NVR FNSH]

Who says?

I run 315/75R16s/factory alum wheels on my '00 2500 WITHOUT any lift. The tires DO NOT rub the fenders - they DO rub the control arms on the front end before full steering lock. I do not off-road my truck - fire roads are about the worst it sees.



Brian