Best tire to diesel ram 2500?

[bandit86]

My buddy gas an 06 ram 2500 needing new tires, bought it to pull his 28 ft camper. Actually I'd like to do the same. What would be a good tire, maybe one that has a bit of grip for pulling a camper into the wilderness?

[oil pan 4]

I have 31'' yoko AT-S and they are over kill for what I do with my suburban.

I wish I would have bought General Grabber tire's LLR HTS (highway tire).
If you need to go off road throw on a set of snow chains and you turn any lame highway tire into a badass mud tire.

[redpoint5]

I bought my '98 from a DOT auction and it came with highway tires. In 4 wheel drive, I would get stuck on damp grass on a very gentle slope. I ended getting the Bridgestone AT Revos in 285/75 R16 (33" diameter). This was before I found this site. It brought my revs down by about 6%. Anyhow, it was about the largest tire that would easily fit without rubbing. I can't speak as to how it affected FE since I wasn't tracking back then, and was getting fuel for a dollar per gallon. I was looking for something that had good snow and mud performance without being noisy inefficient knobbies.

To choose the right tire, you will need to know what gearing your truck has. I believe there were 2 common ratios; one that emphasises pulling power, the other fuel economy. If you're pulling heavy or up steep grades, you might not want a larger diameter. For snow you generally want a narrow tire, and for mud a wide tire.

Then you have to consider what tires are available by load rating. It can get very complex trying to find the right tire for the job, so more info is needed. Decide on a diameter based on your gearing needs, then go with the narrowest tire you can based terrain, and finally, check out tirerack and compare the available tires in that size. They have various ratings for noise, wet performance, wear, etc.

[bandit86]

I found a nice 05 ram cummins 6speed with 3.73 gears. Pretty sweet but the guy want an unreasonable amount, it only has 50thousand on the clock. Should last for ever

[bandit86]

Scangauge work on a 2005 ram cummins? Are they tuneable?

[slowmover]

Closed shoulder, highway rib is highest mpg such as MICHELIN LTX A/S. However, they do not have a reputation for off pavement traction. In that event I'd go with BRIDGESTONE Duravis r500 or m700. I have gone to the LTX M/S2 due to a great deal on them (my last MICHELINS failed, and these were almost given to me). They have an open shoulder and seem to have better traction, but I imagine I have lost a bit on FE. The BRIDGESTONE tires would be my choice starting from scratch.

Duravis R500 HD Heavy Duty Tire | Bridgestone Tires

Duravis M700 HD Tire | Bridgestone Tires

Best tires will last longest (7-10 years and well past 100k miles) so understand premium price brings long term benefits, not just tank-by-tank fuel economy.

Driving for economy means longest tire & brake life, not just FE. They go hand-in-hand with safe driving . . . it's a win all around.

The BRIDGESTONE r250 would also be the best trailer tires. LT type. Get rid of any ST tires if one wants reliability, long life and premium performance.

.

[bandit86]

Was at the dealer looking at brand new trucks, the cummins diesels have a lower 3.42 final drive, some claim as low as 1500 rpm on highway. What is best, 17/18 inch rims wih overal diameter the same? Have some steel/aluminum options too

[skyking]

Stick with stock rims, unless you have money to burn. The smallest rim size will have the lowest price across a tire line.
I have some 17's and have not installed them, due to the price difference.
I have 265/75R16's, and wish I had opted for the stock 235/80R16's.

[slowmover]

I would not narrow the tread width. Trucks need all the help they can get . . and resistance to side forces is crucial.

70-series is the default size these days, IIRC. A good trade-off in dry/wet weather braking/handling where FE is not compromised.

The minimum width is where the tread width is no narrower than the wheel rim width. I also would'nt go wider on the tire without a matching rim.

Stock tire sizing with plenty of sidewall height is always a good truck tire. I don[t know whqt the low profile tires are good for on a truck, but I'd be concerned for normal truck duty of being loaded and hitting potholes, curbs, etc. (I can say I won't, but one often has no choice with some trailed loads, some roads, etc.).

.

[skyking]

I'm not advocating narrowing, simply to stick with stock. My truck had 80 series standard.