Tires

[bigflatdaddy]

Just put the Kore (lowest) system on my truck and they say it should be able to handle 35/12. 5/17 tires. Couple of questions...



1) Who makes this tire in an E-rated version?

2) What would be a similar tire in the other system of measurement (315, 305, etc)?

3) Who has the best deal?



That exact size is not a big deal. I prefer the load rating over the size, but would still like a larger tire at a decent price.



Thanks - Paul

 

[Coolslice]

Just put the Kore (lowest) system on my truck and they say it should be able to handle 35/12. 5/17 tires. Couple of questions...



1) Who makes this tire in an E-rated version?

2) What would be a similar tire in the other system of measurement (315, 305, etc)?

3) Who has the best deal?



That exact size is not a big deal. I prefer the load rating over the size, but would still like a larger tire at a decent price.



Thanks - Paul

Good luck! :-laf

 

[Coolslice]

Just put the Kore (lowest) system on my truck and they say it should be able to handle 35/12. 5/17 tires. Couple of questions...



1) Who makes this tire in an E-rated version?

2) What would be a similar tire in the other system of measurement (315, 305, etc)?

3) Who has the best deal?



That exact size is not a big deal. I prefer the load rating over the size, but would still like a larger tire at a decent price.



Thanks - Paul

Toyo makes that 35x12. 50x17 in an E range, but I'd say it will be real tough to find and if you do find them, be prepared for a large portion of your bank account to disappear.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

I understand the Terra Grappler 295/70/17" have approx. 3500 lbs rating even though the website says 3195. Vaughn

 

[AlexWV]

Good luck finding a 295 Terra Grappler as well.



Here is my tire and wheel story. Truck came with chrome clad steel wheels. I wanted to change those and put on BFG 315s. So I got the Weld Cheyenne 8, 17x8. 5. Same wheel as the Kore Weld wheel but 4. 5" offset. I found out about the Kore Weld wheel later and was going to switch to that but there is only one tire for it near as I can tell, The Toyo 35x12. 5x18, another hard to get and pricey tire. But load range E.



So I just put on the wheels and tires I had. I don't like how far the 4. 5 backspace wheels stick out. Yesterday I scored a set of the stock aluminum wheels (and tires), centers, lugs, off of eBay from a guy who drove straight from the dealer to the tire shop. They have 150 miles on them. I decided I would sell my wheels w/ BFGs mounted as a set and started to consider tires again.



I like 295 as a size. Ran those for years on my F350, 7. 3L. Not too big, not too small. The BFG 295/75R16s I was using were rated 3400 lbs. I towed 12,000 pounds for 10s of thousands of miles on those. As far as I knew up until yesterday nobody had a 295/70R17 then I found out about the Nitto 295. Called around on those and, as I mentioned in another thread, there is nationwide backorder on them and won't be available till who knows when.



I was glad of that actually because it got me thinking about putting on a size of tire where there is only 1 choice or a hard to find tire. You're going to pay more and you might not find one when you need one.



In your case if you want a 35" tire other than the Toyo, I don't think there is one in load range E. BFG 315 AT are rated 3195 pounds, same as the E-rated Michelin 265s that came stock on my truck.



Me, I've decided to go 285 and be done with it. BFG AT. Rated at 3195@65psi.



Reason I went 315 in the first place on my Hemi and now, temporarily, my 3500 is there was no 295s around in 17" and next size down was 285 which I previously decided was too small. Now I have mellowed I guess.



Ok then. True confessions over. Anybody want my wheels, tires, let me know, I'll make you a good deal.

 

[bpenrod]

I see the weight rating being mentioned by a lot of people but that is not thesame as the Load rating. A D rated tire that has the same weight rating as a smaller sized E tire still only has the 8 ply vs the 10 ply for the E's. I went with the 265 17 Toyo AT. Belle Tire told me it was on "Inter-galactic" backorder. Went to Discount Tire, they said they were on Backorder as well. I told them add me to the list and they called like 4 days later saying the tires were in, come get them mounted.

 

[B-52]

The Parnelli Jones Dirt Grip is avail in an E-rated 35x12. 5-17 - check ntwonline.com. Interco also appears to be working on releasing these sizes in the Swamper Trxus MT and STS Radial.



Although not availble in 17", I have Mickey Thompson Baja ATZs and love them.



Best of luck on your search

 

[AlexWV]

I see the weight rating being mentioned by a lot of people but that is not thesame as the Load rating. A D rated tire that has the same weight rating as a smaller sized E tire still only has the 8 ply vs the 10 ply for the E's.

I see ply rating being mentioned by a lot of people but I go by the weight rating. The ply rating is the way tires were rated when tires were bias ply. The tires we put on our trucks are radials and none of them have 8 or 10 plys. The new letter ratings are sometimes given along with the old ply ratings even for radials. The equivalence is D = 8ply, E = 10 ply but it does not mean you have 8 or 10 plies in your radial tires.



"A light truck tire's ply rating and/or load range does not count the actual number of body plies found inside the tire, but indicates an equivelant strength based on earlier bias ply tires. Most radial light truck tires actually have one steel or two or three fabric body plies. "



Here is what it says on the label of my BFG285/70R17, Load Range D tires: 3-Ply Polysester Carcass, 2 steel belts. Rating is 3195lbs@65psi.



The stock Michelins were Load Range E. Rating 3195lbs@80psi.



Your Toyo 265s are Load Range E also. Rating 3400lbs@80psi.



I used to run BFG 295s which were load Range D. Rating 3400lbs@65psi.



What I'd look at is the weight rating and the construction. I ignore the Ds and Es and 8 or 10 plies.

 

[bpenrod]

Thanx for the info! I never really knew how the system worked but it seems to make sense now. So far the Toyo's seem like a great tire for a stock size replacement. It looks like the bigger tires carry more weight with less air if I'm looking at things correctly but doesn't a bigger sidewall allow for more "flex" or less lateral stability? Just thinking out loud. I'm sure there will never be a perfect tire for all people and all applications.

 

[AlexWV]

I think that must be right about more flex with a taller sidewall. Some people don't like it I guess.



As I mentioned in one of my posts in this thread, I did a lot of reasonably heaving towing on 295/75R16 BFGs. Those have a sidewall of 221 mm and I wasn't bothered at all by wiggling or swaying.



To compare that sidewall to some common sizes used on the 17" Dodge wheels.

315/70R17 = 221 mm sidewall. Lots of guys use this size for towing.

285/70R17 = 200 mm

265/75R17 = 186 mm



Personally, I don't know if I would even notice a difference in flex on a 285 vs 265. The 315/70 has the same sidewall as the 295/75 and that didn't bother me.



Maybe the 65psi vs 80psi will make a difference in the "feel" as well.



Others will have wildly differing opinions on this matter, I'm sure.

 

[BHolm]

I'm curious as to why you want the heavy rated tires period. With the lift and a 35" tire isn't the truck way to tall for any type of fifth wheel or gooseneck towing? That or a slide in camper are about the only way you could come close to regualrly needing the capacity. No offense intended but when guys go for the lift and the big meats, don't you pretty much give up on the real utility of the truck anyway? In that case, I bet a C range tire in a 35" size should easily suffice. It might open up your choices some. I also suspect this is why so few heavy rated tires exist in the "big mudder" sizes, it just isn't practical.

 

[Razkul99]

I have 35s on my truck with a very slight lift (2. 5" in the front, 1" in the back). I would hardly say it has lost its "utility" abilities - gooseneck or 5th wheel are still very practical options.



One reason looking at/for the higher load rated big tires is stiffer sidewalls...

 

[Kry226]

These trucks weigh 7k by themselves. Now a D rated tire might have the weight capacity needed, but you still have to worry about considerable sidewall flex and possible instability (around corners, etc. ) with a truck this heavy.

 

[Tim]

No offense intended but when guys go for the lift and the big meats, don't you pretty much give up on the real utility of the truck anyway? In that case, I bet a C range tire in a 35" size should easily suffice. It might open up your choices some. I also suspect this is why so few heavy rated tires exist in the "big mudder" sizes, it just isn't practical.

1. No, that is ridiculous. The reason you put the lift on and bigger tires is so you can work the truck HARDER. For most people it's not an appearance thing.



2. A C load range tire in most sizes couldn't even hold up my front axle in the empty truck, much less loaded.



3. Heavy rated tires don't exist in the bigger sizes because the manufacturers can't figure out what size wheel they want to run. Two years ago, 16s came out in damn near any size. You can get D's and E's in 35s for 16" rims all day long on every street corner. Then they decided that 17s would become the new norm. Well there aren't many 17s to be had yet, especially since 17s previously were for bling-bling, and sports cars. So, the tire manufacturers are catching up. Now, Ford is doing factory 18s, and I imagine Dodge will follow, which is only going to make things worse.



They need to decide what size wheel they're going to use and that's it.