davelinde

I'm 6-8 weeks from putting a bigger load on the back of my truck.
The airbags are about to go on. Now I'm looking at tires.

I'll be picking up a new FW and will weigh it after I take delivery. In the expected case I'll have about 5700# on my single wheel rear axle 2500 - I actually think that should be just fine? In the worst case I could end up with 6200# on rear axle. I think the axle and springs/airbags should be OK but now I'm getting near the capacity of my 17" Michelins and the 17" alloy rims (tires are 2x3180 = 6360#, not 100% sure what the rims are rated for - I think I need to take them off to see what's stamped on the back)

If I end up at or near my tire capacity I'm getting confused on what modification makes the most sense. I care zippo about style (though the wife would not like a stamped steel rusty rim I guess) and I want value and safety for anything I add.

On another forum guys talked about getting 16" Toyo's good for 4000#? I have done some quick searches and not found much in 17". I'm also curious if my alloy sport rims can even handle 100psi and tires rated greater than 3600#.

I've seen Ricksons and think that 19.5s are probably awesome... but they are really really expensive and heavy...

Supposing I'd like to get my tires rated for 2x3500#, 2x4000# or more - what are you using and why? Can I re-use my 17" rims or do I need to get rims/tires? How much? Where? What else should I be looking at? Is it just where I've been looking or are there no obvious choices?

supr

I would be concerned with the weight rating of my rear axle. Your rear tires are proably already at or near the trucks limit.
Maybe it's time to think about a dually, if you will pull heavy a lot.

davelinde

Yes, I have considered trading for a dually - that's one possibility.

However I think I'd read that the axle on the CTD SRW was rated for 10,200# in other applications and that the SRW and DRW axles are the same except for the ends... As far as I've gotten with this for now it seems the weak link is my tires and wheels, not the axle.

SundayMoney

You are correct about the rear axle. I think its rated more like 10,700 or so.

You won't even be close the the axle rating.

As far as tires go,you can get 17" tires rated up to near 4000lbs per,if you want to go a bit taller.

I've got 285/70/17 Nittos on my truck that are rated for 3750lbs each. They'll give you another 1100lbs of capacity over stock. To utilize the extra capacity you'll need a heavier rated wheel. I've seen 17" rims rated up to about 3500lbs each. Toyo and Hankook also make 285/70/17 E rated tires.

Going to the taller tires will increase the ride height about 3/4". It will also decrease the axle ratio a bit. With 3.73s in my truck coupled with the taller tires,I'm actually running about 3.59s now. I've still got plenty of power to tow 11,000 lbs.

The cool think about the 19.5s is that the tires will last a looooooong time on a truck like yours or mine. I've read of guys getting 150k out of a set.

I'd definately give the 2500 a try before I bought a dually. if you do decide to go with a dually,the airbags should swap right over.

magna94alh

Watch your payload which = sum of your 5th wheel hitch wt(what is installed in the truck bed), driver & passenger wt, pin wt of the 5th wheel (loaded) and any other items of wt in the truck.

My 06 Ram's axle's GAWR's are: front about 5200 and rear 6000 but remember the GVWR.

n2moto

No brainer get the 19.5's 4500 lbs. per wheel and you can get 245's that are 33 inches tall with a G weight rating good for 4800 lbs.

Down side is initial cost upside is strong sidewall for gravel roads and cuts down on the sway in wind with a hi profile load and long tire life.

I don't think 16" wheels will clear the disc brakes in the rear.

nkennedy

265/75 16 inch Michelins LTX E rated tires are rated for 3400 lbs each in single applications. That gives you 6800 lb rating for the rear tires.

bluesurf

16 will not fit. Go with 19.5s and be done with it forever. They are awesome for handling heavy weight. Register your truck for what you need one you get the 19.5s on. Why trade in for the exact same truck + 2 tires! Good luck and have fun whatever you choose.