2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Tire Question

[JDriscoll]

Hey guys,



I'm looking for a set of tires for my 02 2500. I was just curious to see what everyone else is running for tires. The majority of the driving I do is highway, mostly unloaded (pulling a drift boat but I'd be surprised if it weighs 1000lbs). I do a little bit of off roading, mostly during hunting season. The tires that I'm replacing didn't last very long at all, maybe 15k. I don't want to mention the brand because I know it was my fault, I didn't rotate them like I should've #@$%!. They are cupped so bad the whole truck shakes at highway speeds. I would like to find a tire that is good in snow and for the little bit of off road stuff that I do, but also lasts. Anyone have any reccomendations? One last question, I have one friend that rotates his tires everytime he changes the oil, This seem a little nuts to me, but after the lesson I learned this last go round it doesn't seem so bad, how often is everyone rotating their tires? Thanks





John

 

[FLynes]

When I had my '05 2500 they came with Michelin LTX and I loved them. I changed over to the BF Goodrich tires that come on the Power Wagon and really loved those. They're a bit bigger than stock and I had the dealer program the truck to adjust the speedo.



My '97 2500 had these big old 305/70's on it, when I bought it. I switched to Michelin LTX and never had a lick of problems.



My $. 02

 

[kenny61]

I use the 19. 5 they cost twice as much but last 3 times as long

 

[SRath]

I try different (cheaper) tires from time to time, but each time I come back to BFG Mud Terrains and promise myself never to waste a dollar on anything else. They suit my needs well and wear like iron. Even on gravel roads which tend to eat up tires with siping. Hunting, snowplowing, offroading, everyday driving. They get my vote as the best all-around tire.



I look at this way: I have a 4x4 for a reason; why degrade it's capabilities with "mellow" tires? And when gnarly lugs aren't enough, I also have a set of diamond pattern tire chains which work as good in mud as they do in snow and ice. When I get stuck, it isn't because my tires wouldn't bite or packed themselves smooth (which any All-Terrain or All-Season tire will do immediately in mud)!



Your cupping is not so much a matter of rotating as it is poor alignment and/or probably worn steering and suspension components, which includes shocks. Once a tire begins to cup, you cannot stop it no matter what you do. Take care of that problem before putting on new tires or you'll experience the same thing with any tire.

 

[EKlem]

I agree with SRath that if you have cupping, you should get the truck aligned immediately after getting new tires.

Michelin LTX's are probably the best highway tire that I have driven(last long and drive well) but they are not good for off road or snow.

BF Goodrich All Terrain TA's are popular tires. They have a relatively hard rubber compound that means they last a long time but do give up a tiny bit of traction because of it. They are decent in the snow and decent on dirt and rock. The lugs are too small for mud. Also, the sidewalls are not as tough as some real off road tires so if you drive in areas that put pressure on them, you may destroy a few tires.

Toyo MT's are popular for people who split time between offroad and on road but they don't last that long due to soft rubber. This is a good option if you are going to be in enough mud that the BFG AT's don't cut it.

I have tried lots of cooper tires and they all have had good traction but they don't last long due to a soft compound.

It is all about trade offs. If you don't want to run different sets of tires for different seasons, you have to find a happy balance. For me, that was the BFG AT's.

 

[DodgeWarlock]

The more you rotate the more even the tires will wear. That being said unless you do it yourself it is not cost effective to pay to have it done too frequently. Oil change intervals vary from 5,000 on up on these trucks. Proper air pressure can also have a big effect on cupping and should be watched anyway. Rotating and increasing tire pressure on our 01 stopped a cupping problem that occurred during a long road trip last year. Make sure the load rating of the new tires is adequate for the truck. There has been a lot of debate over this in other threads. I like E-rated, alot of people have had good results on D-rated, C-rated are available and are not a good idea on a truck this heavy. The more aggressive the tread the more likely to cup. With these trucks you should always check alignment and inspect front end when buying new tires. Read the threads. Talk to friends with diesels. Make your own choices.

 

[tgordon]

I am running Yokohama A/T's and they are a nice tire for th emost part. Unfortunatly they are a soft compound(Wear faster, but are great for ice and snow) They are also only a D rated tire. I am going to try something in a E rating next, now that I can afford something more.

 

[RHebert]

I'm running Michelin LTX M/S. I'm about 1,500 miles shy of putting 100 K on these tires and have almost half the tread left. As stated above, they're not the tire for offroad, but on the highway, they're hard to beat. Keep them properly inflated and rotate between 6 -10 K miles and they should last awhile.

 

[JDriscoll]

Thanks for all the info, I think I'm going to go with the BGF TA's. I was checking prices around town yesterday, and The best price I found was at Walmart. $165 per tire. It is a lot less than I paid for the last set. SRath and EKlem, thanks for the advice, the first stop I make after the new tires will be to get the truck aligned. Thanks again for all the responses.

 

[SRath]

Wow! That is a pretty good price for BFG TA's. Which model and size? I did not even realize Walmart carried any BFG's except the el-cheapo chainstore ones (not real Mud Terrains or All Terrains). I forget what they call those cheaper ones. . ?



When you have that alignment done, BE SURE a really good tech inspects ALL of your steering and suspension components first! Otherwise, you'll be wasting your money if any component is worn and the alignment will do nothing.



Case in point: My Ram. I bought a new set of Cooper Discoverer tires and nice forged mags for it right after buying the truck. I had a local frame and axle shop do the suspension check and alignment the same afternoon the tires were installed. They gave it a clean bill of health and I went on my merry way with new rubber. I did not know how bad the suspension and steering was in general on these 2nd gens then and did not belong to TDR, either.



I was unhappy with how the truck still pulled to the right, so I had a second shop (Goodyear Tire) redo the alignment and suspension/steering check within a month. Again, everything was supposedly "A-OK".



By the second month, my front tires were already cupping. I quit being lazy, trusting, stupid, etc. and got under the truck myself while my son cranked the wheel back and forth with the motor (power steering) running. I immediately saw the trackbar was shot. I bought a new one from Napa, but it was too late to save those front tires. They continued to wear very badly and by the end of the second year, the truck was death-wobbling so badly it wasn't safe to drive. Plenty of (badly cupped) tread left, but the tires were actually egg-shaped by then.



So, I spent about $1000 for a set of 285/75R-16 BFG Mud Terrains. They have lasted many years, but now the rest of my steering/suspension is shot and the fronts are cupping again. I have been slowly gathering all the good TDR-recommended stuff to upgrade and fix it (stabilizer from Solid Steel, Moog T-configuration tierods, tubular adjustable upper and lower control arms, etc. I still have to buy a 3rd gen adjustable trackbar and conversion bracket as well as ball joints and shocks. But THIS time, EVERYTHING will be new and upgraded before the new BFG's go on. It's just the cost of longterm ownership of one of these 2nd gen Dodges with their crappy front suspensions... And given the weight of my Boss plow, nothing but the best will do.



Also, I saved the following excellent Dodge alignment info and specs article for when I have the next alignment done. You may find it useful, too. If your alignment technician can't or won't do this or doesn't understand it; go somewhere else!:



FYI - alt. autos. dodge. trucks | Google Groups

 

[tgordon]

Thanks for all the info, I think I'm going to go with the BGF TA's. I was checking prices around town yesterday, and The best price I found was at Walmart. $165 per tire. It is a lot less than I paid for the last set. SRath and EKlem, thanks for the advice, the first stop I make after the new tires will be to get the truck aligned. Thanks again for all the responses.

Puchase with caution. I asked the local tire shop and they said the Wally World tires are not as good of quality as the standard ones. The casings are thinner etc. He will not even think about repairing them.

 

[DodgeWarlock]

Puchase with caution. I asked the local tire shop and they said the Wally World tires are not as good of quality as the standard ones. The casings are thinner etc. He will not even think about repairing them.

That is just BS, he told you to confuse you. BFG's are BFG's no matter where you buy them. My wife works for BFG and they do not make special tires for WalMart or Sam's. They are however their single largest customer and get huge discounts on them due to national volume purchasing.



Had the same BS speech from a local welding supply on a Lincoln welder about Home Depot. I called Lincoln and they had a fit. Said he was lying through his teeth and they hear this kind of thing all the time from businesses who can't purchase in large enough quantities to get the good pricing(or who want to overcharge you).



If you don't like WalMart, don't buy there. I personally hate WalMart, but I still shop there sometimes. I don't buy tires there becuase at my local store they don't even know what a load rating is. Just don't let somebody give you that BS line.

 

[HHhuntitall]

Being in agricultural production, I go through a lot of tires a year. So many, in fact, I started my own purchasing company to buy tires. I have my own machines to mount, balance, and repair most of my own tires. I unfortunately also purchased all the tools to do my Pete and tractors. The bad thing about that is that you have no excuse for not doing them yourself, then.



Anyway, I see a lot of tires, as I also sell tires to the local farmers and neighbors around here. I think that BF Goodrich tires are the best for the money if you are looking for an all around tire to get off the road with occasionally. I don't use them on my work trucks as they very seldom make it to a point where the tread depth is an issue. Being off road a large amount of the time, I and my ranch crew manage to find every mesquite thorn, catcus patch, and oak stub there is in the pastures, and almost all our tires end up being replaced at around 30-40% tread life. BFGs are a good tire, but they don't hold up any better off road than a Toyo, Tempra, or General. The Toyos I'm running right now on my '03 up 3/4 tons are a 325/70 17(equivalent to a 35x13. 5x17). Occasional tire rub occurs at incident angles, but that is almost unoticable considering the brush abuse they take on a daily basis. On my older Dodges, I run a 315/75r16(35x12. 50x16). These larger tires give more flotation and a better ride than a stock 265 could ever dream of. And concerned about the load rating? Read the weight capacity before you make any decisions. The 8 ply, load range D tires have a carrying capacity of 3300 lbs!?! The 10 ply, E rated tires in 235/85r16 or 265/75r16 are capacity limited to 3029 lbs. Air volume and sidewall length is the key difference. One of the best tires I've seen as far as sidewall endurance are the Goodyear MT/R, although they hydroplane terribly on pavement and just go far enough in the mud to get you really stuck. I've seen a great deal of sidewall failures and cord seperations lately, too. The Toyo MTs look promising, but I've not a chance to test them offroad much, yet. The one truck I've put them on, they have worn much better than the Nittos they replaced. Remington and Mastercraft make a good abuser tire in their Mud Brute and Courser lines, but the wear is rather fast, and I only recomend them for excessive off road use like most of my trucks see. For high mileage, I suggest Michelins or Firestones. Just be sure to use the tread in three years or less, or else they will begin to dry rot and seperate, which is kinda rough on the fenders on these new trucks. Yokohama tires are also an excellent tire, but you are really limited in selection.



As a final note, I have several sets of BFG Rugged Trail tires out there, and they are wearing better than I ever expected. I hope to see 60k out of two sets, both on '03s in 17 inches. Remember, the taller the tire, the less revolutions per mile, the longer the tread life. Just be sure you have the power behind them to pull the higher gearing!

 

[pmcnulla]

I have a 01. 5 2500 ex-cab, used mostly loaded, 91500 miles. Went 56K on original Michelin M/s 265/75/16, ran smooth on road but no traction on wet grass. Replaced them with BFG 265/75/16 commertional t/a; two years ago, they were $110 at either Sam's club or costco but now they are up to $150 each. Got 35K on these and still have almost 50% tread left. No flats or problems on either set.

 

[Mombo]

Michelins and rotation

I got my Michelins at a "Big O" tire place in my home town.

Road guarantee, free flat repair and free rotation every 5000 miles.

I just drive in if they're not busy and they rotate and balance the tires in about 20 minutes... ... ... ... ... and they use a torque wrench.

I hope all the Big O stores are the same.

 

[SRath]

Warlock, I understand and agree with what you're saying, butI don't think any of us are saying Walmart sells seconds or inferior BFG's model-per-model.



But what they do NOT sell, at least around here, are the top-shelf BFG models like the Mud Terrain or All Terrain. They sell cheaper BFG tire models that may look similar, but do not have tri-guard sidewalls and all the other stuff that make the Mud and All Terrains the best. They also have different model names on them (like Geolander or something like that).



Believe me, when I saw a BFG on their display, I promptly went to the service counter to ask how much a set of Mud Terrains would cost. They said they do NOT carry them; just a few lower-end (lower priced) BFG models.



Maybe that has changed. But if it doesn't say Mud Terrain or All Terrain right on it, it isn't, and, though it may still be a decent tire, it is inferior to them. Those are BFG's best, not their lowest priced.



Just read the load ratings and know exactly what you are buying. I'm sure you can find a peformance evaluation for any make and model somewhere on the internet.



One more thing: Some of the best deals and tires I have ever bought have been factory blems. I still have a set of 35-12. 50-16. 5 BFG Mud Terrain blems on my K30. Been there for over 10 years. Great tires! I specifically ask for them if available. I could care less about the (lack of) white lettering or whatever cosmetic issue they have. Especially given the huge savings on price, which was $50 per tire when I bought those. And I still got a road hazard warranty, too. They are still 100% structurally safe and good tires or BFG could not and would not sell them. There is a huge difference between a blem tire (cosmetic only) and a defective tire. Blems will have "BLEM" branded right into the sidewall, so you know what they are.

 

[Coalsmoke]

With these heavy front ends and IMHO a some-what under-designed IFS holding everything together, these trucks like to eat lugged tires, just the nature of the beast. If you need / want a lugged tire, be sure to rotate them often, even if your alignment is fine. I get my alignment checked now and then, its apparently better than the specs say is easily attainable, but with a lugged type of tire I will get slightly uneven wear patterns on the outside larger lugs if I don't rotate the tires. I get free tire rotation from the place I bought the tires from every 8,000kms / 5,000mi which I'm told is the recommended interval for these trucks.



I'm a big fan of Toyo's M-55 tires. I have about 80,000kms on them now, (50,000mi) and I just checked them with my tread depth gauge and am at 8/32" where stock is 18/32", which means they have about 40% tread left, or 30% actual usable life left. Now, keep in mind, my truck is loaded to the max and sees a lot of rock and some rough off-road conditions, but these tires take it all in stride and I've never had a puncture out in the bush yet (knock on iron). They aren't for everyone though, unless you're like me and actually enjoy the sound a industrial truck tire makes at highway speeds:-laf

 

[SRath]

"They aren't for everyone though, unless you're like me and actually enjoy the sound a industrial truck tire makes at highway speeds"



After listening to 18 of them for 12 to 14 straight hours every work day, my pickup's mud tires are practically silent, tire chains sound like jingle bells, and even the Dodge suspension feels smooth. Its all relative. 10-4.

(My wife and kids assure me it's my singing, not my tires, that's obnoxious. )

 

[DodgeWarlock]

Srath, I had the same type experience with my local WalMart(s)on the tires. They do not stock the higher end A/T's and M/T's. One store's dept manager did say he could order them, but the pricing was not pretty. I was only referring to "apples to apples".



I too have had good experience with Bfg cosmetic blems. Unfortunately, BFG has stopped releasing blems according to management. They said the liability after the Ford/Firestone thing got too high.



I actually prefer the commercial tires when I can find them in the size I need/want. E-rated, tough carcasses, good mileage, and so far good manners. After weighing my options for this next set, I'm going with 285/75/16 E-rated BFG A/T's.

 

[Coalsmoke]

"They aren't for everyone though, unless you're like me and actually enjoy the sound a industrial truck tire makes at highway speeds"



After listening to 18 of them for 12 to 14 straight hours every work day, my pickup's mud tires are practically silent, tire chains sound like jingle bells, and even the Dodge suspension feels smooth. Its all relative. 10-4.

(My wife and kids assure me it's my singing, not my tires, that's obnoxious. )

haha, I hear you loud and clear. :-laf