GregC

Time to start looking at new tires. I currently have Hankook Dynapro A/Ts in 285/70/17. I'm thinking of going up in size, maybe 315/70/17 with the same manufacturer. I do have the 2" leveling kit, not sure about tire rub. The majority of my milage is interstate, but I live on a farm and need the aggressive tread when I'm doing work in the field, so a highway tread just won't cut it. What kind of milage drop can I expect going to a taller tire? I usually tow in the 5K-12K range several times a month.

soulezoo

You will get some rub on lock to lock without a change in wheels.

You can expect 1-2 mpg less with the 315's and perhaps the same towing. There is a noticable performance drop.

Personally, I'd stick with exactly what you have... IMHO.

soulezoo

How many miles do you have on the Hankook's now?

GregC

They're actually ATMs. I've got about 35,000 on them and they have about 1/4 tread left. I could keep them on but the front shocks were bad and they,re getting choppy. I dldn't rotate them when I should have, now I'm paying for it. I think I'll just stick with what I have for size.

jmlcolorado

I CAN NOT speak any higher of Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac's!!!
I'm serious! I drive mostly highway, but Colorado has some nice snow and mud moments. I do drive in the hills, and through construction sites frequently.
These tires are the best I've ever had!

They have a nice aggressive tread, but they aren't too loud on the highway. All three sets I've had on the truck have lasted about 40k each.

I had hummer wheels on the truck, till last Friday, and they have the proper back spacing needed to run 315's.
I believe they push the wheels out .5", and they are 8.5" wide vs 8" stock. They are designed for the 315's so the tread wears even all the way across.
I had oversized tires on my dually (285's) and the centre would wear really fast and the inside and outside edges would wear very slow.
This is because the tire bubbled in the center making the contact patch in the center of the tire vs across the whole tread.

I would probably advise against 315's without a different rim. I do get a tiny bit of rub at full lock on the control arms but that only lasts till these wear down a bit.
I'm betting on a stock wheel, you'll rub like crazy. And with working on a ranch, you don't want that.

tslewisz

I don't think you'll want to tow 12K w/ 315's. With my 3.73 gears (don't know what you have) the RPM's were lower than I liked highway towing. And I was towing lighter loads than that. I went back down to 285's and they're about right for me.

SOhappy

The dynapro is a great tire, on my third set on three trucks. Haven't found a drawback with them yet. Seem to do it all. I would stick with 285s for an auto trans with 3.73 gearing, going bigger looks kind of cool but not worth the hit on mpgs and front end wear.

ColoAngler67

I have my second set of Goodyear Duratracs on my Ram. Haven't had one ounce of problem, and they are excellent in the mud and Bentonite roads in Colorado and Wyoming. For the money, I don't think there is a better all-around tire.

mamm7215

Just put a set of Toyo Open Country AT2's on mine. Great tire.

Al Ex

Put in another vote for Duratrac... I've run Michelin AT2s, Toyo's, BFGs, but if you need your tire application to be able to perform in winter snow and ice then Duratrac is about the best tire you can run short of maybe a dedicated snow tire. They really maintain fantastic traction in winter conditions - best I've ever had. I run them as my winter tire. But if you only run one tire year around they would still be great. They handle dirt, mud, and highway well, and they're pretty quiet too.

oldsmobiledave

If you choose to stay with the 285 70 17s you can't do much better than the Cooper ST Maxx for an all around tire on our trucks. Very happy with mine in 275 70 18s on my 2500 that I use in the oil patch in Alberta.

Like the Duratrac this tire is an MT / AT hybrid that does well in all conditions.

http://us.coopertire.com/Tires/Light...AXX.aspx?tab=2

MoparMan1962

I just put the Cooper Discoverer AT/3's on mine and couldn't be happier. Definitely worth taking a look at. Plus Cooper now has a $80 rebate available! And they are made in the USA!!

JOE M

I put Cooper ATR's on and got really bad wear on them. I mean really bad!!! My Cooper Discover Mud and Snow Studded Winter Tires got as much as three times the miles out of them and ran them all through this summer as I am getting new snow tires soon. The bad part of the ATR's is that I really don't drive the truck much in the summer and they should have really lasted. Cooper wanted my distributer to send them back to the HQ's for eval. and if they determined they were not a problem I would not have gotten them back.