| Author | Message | ||
     Ratbuell |
I cringe at starting a tire thread, but...my Cummins Ram 2500 is going to need new shoes soon so I figured I'd poll. I run it heavy most of the time (either loaded, or towing) so 10 ply is a must. I keep 80psi in them. I value my fuel economy. Currently I average 19.7 (Cummins, 3.54 gears, 6 speed stick, Edge Comp box, Banks 4" full exhaust, Glacier Diesel mechanical fuel pump, Banks wastegate elbow). Use is mostly highway, with some gravel and grass/fields. It's my company truck (live concert production), and during the summer I have a 10k lb 26' enclosed trailer with my equipment in it, and I do a lot of county fairs and other "field gigs". So, I need possibly-wet grass traction with a trailer, but I don't want (nor need) anything as severe as an MT. I won't go any less than a 50k mileage guarantee. Whether I get it or not, at least it indicates decent tread life (at 80psi I typically get closer to 75k a set). Wheels are 17s. I can go either 245/70 or 265/70. My thought is, a narrower tire will be less rolling resistance and thus possibly better fuel economy? I'm not worried about "filling the fenders" with the 265s, if the 245s offer better wear and fuel economy. If they look like crap, I can add wheel spacers. Ride quality...meh. It's a 3/4 ton diesel. If I want comfort, I'll drive my Grand Cherokee with air suspension. Considerations are Cooper Discoverer AT3; Toyo Open Country AT2; Nitto Dura-grappler or Terra-grappler; or....? I've had bad results with BFG - I put them on my last Ram and not only did they sing on the highway but I lost 2mpg. Not doing that again. Any thoughts? | ||
| Zac4mac |
I have Cooper Discoverers on my SUV, a Buick Ranier. I like them, excellent grip on snow/ice and quiet. They track straight on grooved roads too. Can't speak for longevity other than after 6 months they still look new. Z | ||
| Etennuly |
I know the initial expense is a problem for most of us but Michelins compare on the trucks the same as they do on the Uly. I have a lot of experience with dually trucks and motorhomes and customer trucks. The mileage for the dollar Michelins cost more but go much further than most. With motorhomes dry rot is a big issue. Michelins resist it better than most. And my pet peeve is to get just past the mileage guarantee to have one start to shake with decent tread left. Michelins usually never start shaking. OTOH I put new Cooper tires on my Vette. Less half the cost of Michelins. Been on a years a half now. 12,000 miles. Started out very smooth very quiet, hook up was excellent. Now they are getting harder, spin easier and have become noticeably noisier. Still at over 3/4 tread. My truck has six 19.5 tires, as does one of my motor homes with eight of them. At $450 each for new, I seek out used Michelin tires for them because they often sit for months at a time and are more subject to rot than wear issues. I would rather have a good used Michelin on them than new import tires. My brother, a Dodge Cummins guy and I both bought new 98 dually trucks. They came with Michelins. I sold my truck at 43,000 miles the tires still looked new about 75 % tread. Towed a 12,000 lb fifth wheel a lot. He drove his to 400,000 plus. He got 100,000 on the factory tires. Then ran others, none reached even 60,000, in spite of meticulous maintenance and alignments. The majority of my big truck customers who measure mileage costs, tread, fuel, and down time, run them too. I cannot afford them with all of the vehicles I have, so I do what I can. 46 tires in my fleet not counting trailers. 36 more there. I got to get some shit sold!! | ||
| Ratbuell |
Oh, I love the Michelins. LTX was our go-to at the Jeep dealer when I was writing service. But...they all have highway tread, comparable to the TransForce that I have on the truck now. Good for highway...not so much for the grass. Been considering a 19.5 conversion (Rickson) for the Ram, just to get access to high-mileage commercial tires, but can't justify the cost right now (nearly a grand for wheels; nearly 2 grand for tires). Noise? It's a Cummins. With a Banks exhaust (with a muffler, not a delete). I'm not sneaking up on anyone, regardless of tires! I guess I could go semi-aggressive, towards an MT style. I do have 2 sets of wheels; build one set for street and one for mud. Just a pain in the ass to swap 'em without a lift...otherwise it could be part of my gig-load process! | ||
| Fast1075 |
I have had good results with Cooper tires. Have a set of Discoverers on my truck right now with 68K on them. Vern has a point though. It is possible for them to age out before they wear out. Mine usually need replacement from wear before they start losing traction. | ||
| Fireboltwillie |
i have the Toyo Open County AT2 on my Ram 1500 (265/70-17) and have put about 10K miles on them. they still look new, roll easily, minimal noise and do well on gravel and snow. my previous vehicle was a Dodge Durango with Hankook Dynapro AT/M which is also a good choice. just my 2 cents... | ||
| Strokizator |
If you are already getting 75k out of your tires, keep that brand. I've got a 2015 Ram 2500 diesel that came stock with 20" wheels and Firestone Transforce AT (load range E). Not highly regarded on the forums but I routinely tow a 5er at 25k gross combined. 33k miles and they look like they have another 10k left. Goodyears are probably my next set but I don't expect anything better than 50k. | ||
| Etennuly |
My son put new Cooper Discovery tires on one of his pickups. They were excellent on the highway and for grass, wet or dry. I had to make him stop doing donuts in my field,it would not spin over the grass it would dig out the roots. He thought it would be OK to do when wet, not so! For what you are looking for they could be the ticket. | ||
| Shoggin |
I did the 19.5" conversion wheels to my Duramax and got the same wheels Rickson sells on e-bay for over 1/2 the cost! New.https://www.ebay.com/p/Vision-81-Hauler-Single-Mat te-Black-16x6-8x165-1-0mm-Wheels-Rims/1140342277?i id=292405911963&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSI M.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D47301%26meid%3D4b236309cf4b 404a85be30f3aebd4563%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt %3D6%26sd%3D332515318398%26itm%3D292405911963&_trk sid=p2047675.c100005.m1851 It is WELL worth the initial cost, and do NOT go cheap on 19.5" tires. It took me lots of searching to get the right ones. Load range "G" tires will be plenty for that trailer, but they do have WIDE range of weights they will carry. Get the lightest capacity you can to save whatever ride quality you have. Seriously, don't blow that off. And watch out for speed ratings too. Some are only 60Mph! I ended up with Toyo "Traction" tires. They're not cheap, but at 50K miles they still look brand new and I tow/haul constantly. I fully expect to go well over 100K on them and they are still re-groovable after that! R.O.I. My combined annual mileage went from 20.3 to 21.8 on the Duramax. K&N in the stock box, 5" Exhaust, Edge tuner, ATS turbo and downpipe, 6-speed Allison conversion, Banks intercooler. (Message edited by shoggin on February 19, 2018) | ||
| Shoggin |
RatBuell, where are you? I have a friend in So. Cal with a set of 19.5" wheels and tires. that would fit your truck | ||
| Ratbuell |
'bout as far from SoCal as possible...Maryland. | ||
| Etennuly |
So.....what do you decide???  | ||
| Nittanyxt |
Nitto Dura Grappler on my 2500 HD Chevy, quiet on road, decent in light off pavement, good in rain and snow. 10K so far with no noticeable wear, most guys reporting 50K and up longevity, running 80psi rear, 60 front | ||
| Ratbuell |
Been budget-sidetracked lately. $600 in ••••••• BREAKERS for the apartment renovation on top of a water heater and all kitchen cabinets; new digital mixer for the sound company...tires have taken a back seat for the moment. I just won't drive it unless I have to for a while. | ||
| Hootowl |
Damn! Might have been cheaper to buy a new load center. They come with breakers, and can be had for $200. Bit more work to install but, for someone like you, it wouldn't be an issue. | ||
| Ratbuell |
It IS a new load center. 200A main, I want to say sixteen (maybe eighteen, including HVAC) circuits. And a new code, that requires arc-fault breakers. $47 each for those bastards (retail). STUPID code. AFCI breakers wire not only to the hot side as usual, but also to the neutral wire. And have a built-in GFI. And a new "test" button that shorts hot to neutral - because no tenant will ever push THAT button and complain their lights went out... Even the electrical supply house I use shared my misery, and my "stupid f*@%ing code" feelings. Plain ol' breakers work just FINE folks...and they're FOUR DOLLARS. | ||
| Nittanyxt |
AFCI suck! anything with a motor will trip 'em. I keep a stock of "em for code then switch out after final, use them on the next job,and so on. Thank the insurance industry for that one, protecting stupid people from themselves | ||
| Ratbuell |
Hope ceiling fans don't count....they're on my lighting circuits. |
