Which size tire and why?

[CooperJohn]

Hello- I'm new to the TDR forum and this is my first attempt at posting. Also my first cummins as I made the switch from Fords. I need to upgrade my tires to handle wet conditions and dirt roads for the upcoming hunting season. Stock tires are Lt265/75r/17 Michelin LTX AS and they are squirley in the rain and off road. I tow a 10,000lb trailer up to 10 times a year. I have numerous e-rated all terrain choices in the stock size but would like to go up a size or two to LT285/70r/17 or Lt285/75r/17 and stay with the e-rating. Maybe Toyo or Nitto. Can I get away with this with the 3. 73 gears and still have a pleasant towing experience or should I stay with the stock size? Will the dealership try to deny my warrranty if I deviate from the stock size? Any and all responses are appreciated. Thanks!

 

[JDiepstra]

I like the BFG AT KO which I believe you can get in an E rating as a 285 70 17. I don't think you will have warranty problems. As far as the gearing... I'll let someone else answer cause I dunno!

 

[JVolpe]

You should be fine with moving up to 285s or even 305s. I am partial to the BFG AT KOs, but there are a number of AT type options in those sizes. If possible stay with an E rated tire for towing purposes. That said I have ran D rated for quite a while now but don't tow heavy or often. The 3. 73 gear will be ok, especially with the new 6spd auto. Much better rpm to speed ratio on the highway. Just my . 02.

 

[JHern]

i am running 295/70/17 toyo MTs on factory aluminum wheels they fit with no rubbing they are E-rated if i remember right over 4k weight rating per tire i use the truck to tow a trailer with 6 atvs & a Lance 992 camper with dual slide outs just the camper loaded is over 4k pounds trailer unknown & we go into the woods & sand dunes for hunting season & camping & they have been great not to loud but i have after market exhaust only draw back i have 15k miles on them & are probably half gone & pricy $$$ Toyo i think makes an AT tire in the same size or the 285s. As far as the dealer warranty my dealer sells trucks with lifts & big tires i dont think they could deny warranty for the tires. But not 100% i havent needed any warranty work & hope not to. sorry to drag on hope this helps

 

[CooperJohn]

Thanks for the posts so far. I know the Toyo M/T would work for me off road, however I'm reluctant to go down that road again( parden the pun) I wore out a set of BF Goodrich mt tires in 13k miles on my F350 but again I here the Toyo is good. How are they in the rain? If BF Goodrich made an all terrain Lt285 that was e-rated they would definitely be on my short list even though they don't like mud very much.

 

[JHern]

they worked good with the load i described earlier on memorial day weekend in the rain & snow at 6500 foot elevation they handled great no slippage we were coming down I 80 with heavy traffic into sacramento with no white knuckles i also attribute some of that to the exhaust brake. i know i wont get good millage out of them im hoping for 30 to 35k i pretty much only drive the truck with some kind of load on it approx 10k a year so every 4 years to get tires is good for me i am also looking at 19. 5 truck tires next time for a higher weight rating but money talks & bull____ walks hope this helps. if you drive a lot mts not the best but they look cool also think millage dropped with MTs

 

[Paddy McMahon]

I ran the Toyo Open Country AT tires in 285/70/17 and thought they were fantastic. great ice and snow traction with good (quiet) road manners. I love the off highway ride of the Toyo M/T I am running now, but they are soft and noisy on the street. The 295 size does bring the truck RPM's down below the sweet spot at 55mph. My truck seems to lug a bit on hills at this speed unless I turn off the overdrive.

 

[CooperJohn]

I'm leaning towards the Open Country AT in LT285/70r/17. It won't effect the gear ratio as drastically as the Lt/285/75r/17 and it's almost 16lbs lighter. It's rated at 3750 lbs with a 2 ply sidewall as opposed to 3970lbs with a 3 ply sidewall. The Lt285/75r/17 is a much stouter tire but I'm afraid of the loss of power, extra unsprung weight, speedometer changes and shift point issues. It's a tough call though. Maybe somebody will come out with the perfect tire in the next few months before the rain and mud and ducks start flying! Thanks for the info so far!

 

[BHolm]

I would get the heavier taller tire myself. The speedo is easy to correct, shift points are not going to be an issue, and this is a truck with a Cummins, not a Powerstroke, you are not going to have power issues. The extra unsprung wieght is a minor thing on a truck with beefy solid axles. You could always upgrade to a set of Bilstiens if you notice an adverse change.

 

[CurtLee]

I recomend the Nitto Tera Grapplers in the 285/70/17 size. They wont affect gearing and depending on the truck you wont even have to change the speedo. Also the last time i check they didn't cost as much as the toyos and are rated the same.

 

[CooperJohn]

Thanks to all who replied to this thread. I changed my mind again and bit the bullet today. Went with 5 Toyo Open Country MT'S in the Lt295/70r/17 size. Thought I would give mud terrains a chance on the Dodge. They will probably wear quicker than an All Terrain but will work much better on the roads I travel getting to the Duck Club. In the short drive home I passed a radar trailer and the speedometer is dead on at 45mph. Go figure! The tires are much quieter than I expected as well. Downside is I had to sell the house to buy them. Cha-ching! Thanks again to everyone who responded.

 

[JKloppe]

Good choice.



I would never consider running BFG AT, look at a toyo mt next to a BFG AT and you can tell that the toyo was made for taking a beating on a heavy duty diesel truck and the bfg was made for a heavy half ton (LOL. ) I have run bfgs, coopers, michelin and toyos. I like the toyos because they wear great, have low noise, and the side walls dont feel like jello while driving.



Toyo MT is a great heavy duty ALL terrain tire, and thats why it is so popular.



35s being put to use.

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[RLHannink]

Toyo MT all they way. The drillers out here in NV are getting about 20K out of them, almost all miles on gravel roads. Other tires might do that, but 20K with no rock flats is actually pretty good. The extra cost is nothing compared to having no tire problems. My . 02. Another one that works good is the Toyo M-55.

 

[CooperJohn]

Now that I've taken the plunge, what tire pressure are you guys running with the Toyos when unloaded? I'm limited to no less than 60psi in the front with the TPMS, but I can vary the rears from 45psi to 80psi. Looking for a pressure that will give me the best wear. Thanks!

 

[Paddy McMahon]

I run 50-55psi all around when loaded and only on the highway. I run 40psi front and 35psi rear when running the logging roads, gravel washboard, etc. Tire pressure makes all the difference in traction and ride comfort! The wheel hop with over 45psi on off road is crazy, especially on washboard. Around town with 500# in the bed I run the rears at 40psi. Unless you run with lots of weight on your truck 60psi in the front seems excessive to me.