chrisminx

OK guys. I know this topic has been beaten to death , but......

I would like some help on choosing a new set of tires. I have never been so unsure in my life about something.

Here's what I'm trying to decide between:

1st - 285's or 315's on my stock rim.

If i go 315, I've narrowed it down to the BFG's or Firestone Destinations.

If i go 285, I'm looking at the BFG's, Destinations, or Nitto Dura Grapplers (285/75).

What I'm conserned about with the 315's is all specs want an 8.5" rim where as the stock rim is only 8".

And I drive about 100 miles a day to and from work, with some off-road playing in the weekends.

Thanks in advance for any replies and opinions.

Chris

Shaneus

Not sure what bfg your looking at but I am no fan of the all terrains. They are pretty poor off road in my opinion and not great lifespan. The mud terrains are much better traction and seem to last nearly as long as the all terrains but a a lot more road noise. The firestones might be ok if they are a discount compared to the bfg's, I've never owned any.

I bought a set of bfg all terrain look alikes at discount tire once and they were better than the bfg's, I thin kthey were pro comp.

For an affordable aggressive off road tire the cooper discoverer stt work well and I got 45k on a set with about 1/4" tread still left, they were pretty noisy.

The 315's I have will rub at full turn, this is with a 2" level kit. The 285's I had before were a better fit. The other thing to think about is sidewall stiffness. I have been fighting deathwobble and would not invite it back by making a bunch of oversize changes to truck if I had it to do over.

Last, learned that the goodyear wranglers I am running come in different ply's and load ratings when comparing 35/12.50/17 with 315/70/17. These are essentially the same tire size but the 35's are lighter made with less ply's, have lower load rating, and cost a little less. They are made for the toy market I guess.

Hope this helps.
Shane

BroncoHound

Regarding rim width, you shouldn't worry. 315's will fit on your OEM 8" wide wheel without issue. Im currently running 325/70R17 Nitto Terra Grapplers on my OEM 17x8 wheels and have for the past 65K miles. The tires are outstanding. I've even seen others install 13.5" wide tires on OEM 8" wide wheels, though that is pushing it IMO.

As for tire brand selection, that's purely a personal preference ordeal. You can talk to 100 different people and likely get 35-40 different suggestions within your size specifications. I will tell you that I am VERY impressed with the Terra Grapplers I've had on the truck, but will not be replacing them with the same tires. The ONLY reason why I am not, however, is that I am upsizing to a 37" tall tire next time around, and the 37x12.50R17 Terra Grapplers measure nearly 13.5" wide in reality, too wide for my preference. Instead, I'll be giving the Yokohama Geolander A/T-S tires a shot in 37x12.50R17. If they are 60% the tire that the Terra Grapplers have been when it comes to dry traction, wet traction, loose earth traction, longevity, lack of sidewall flex under load, stability, and smooth highway feel then I will consider them an excellent tire. Also I feel it's fair to reiterate that, if the Terra Grapplers were available in a 37x12.50R17 size that was true to their width sizing, I would buy them over any other tire on the market presently. Im THAT impressed with how my current set has performed and lasted.

chrisminx

Thanks guys for your replies. I've narrowed it down to the BFG's, either the 285 or 315. I still can't decide. Yesterday I looked at the Nitto Trail Grapplers. I'll probably get those next round because i want to read more reviews. They've only been out a few months. They come in a 295.

jroszko62

Hey bronc...

How many miles you get out of the Nittos?

I have 54,000 on my BFG's and they still have legs, but I want to go up in size, and I have heard people blame the BFG 315's for the deathwobble.

BroncoHound

I've heard that as well about the BFG 315's yet I have seen plenty of people be trouble free with them as well and plenty of people have DW that aren't running that particular brand/size. I don't think there is any one particular cause of DW on all Dodge trucks; I think rather it is a varying combination of factors and affects each individual rig differently. I've not experienced DW on my '08 and I hope I never do. I experienced it once in my uncle's old '03 a few years back and it definately left a lasting impression on my psyche.

As for the Terra Grapplers, I currently have 64K miles on them. I snapped a couple of pictures this morning to show how much tread they have remaining:




I estimate they have another 10-15K miles left in them before they get to be a safety concern. Of course, after reading tons of threads about them on various forums before I bought them I only anticipated getting 35-40K out of them, so I've been saying they probably have another 10-15K miles left for the past 30K miles. They have exceeded my expectations in every way. I was initially hesitant putting a load range D tire on the truck since I tow fairly heavy fairly often but the Terra's in 325/70R17 size are rated at 3305lbs. per tire, which is over 100lbs. per tire more than the load range E Michelin LTX A/S tires that came on the truck when I bought it new. I keep my fronts aired to 52psi cold and the rears at 50psi cold and rotate and rebalance every 5K miles. I've never had any adverse handling effects or sidewall squatting with them, even with 20K lbs. behind the truck. These tires have certainly made me think twice about my load range bias, as I have never before run anything other than a load range E tire on one of my towing trucks.

chrisminx

I've been reading alot about the Death Wobble issues with the 2" leveling kits. And now I really don't know what my next tire is gonna be. I want at least a 285/70 and I need to decide end of next week. UGH! This is driving me nuts!!!!!

15 Digger

I had Hankook 315/70/17 on stock rim. 8 inch ok in their specs. I am going too 285/75/17 for less wear on front end parts. These also work on 8 inch rim.

surfram

My last set of 285/70/17 d-rated BFG AT KOs lasted 58,000 with no problems. I switched to the 305/65/17 e-rated BFG AT KOs. They as wide as 315s but do not effect my gearing any more than 285s. I like the look of the 305s alot and they are even better aired-down on the beach sand.

kb7kuh

I'm getting the Cooper Discoverer STT installed tomorrow in 285 70R 17 and hope they do well on the 3500. I do tow a 5th wheel and the dealer said they will handle it just fine.

got_soot

Just throwing this out there but has anybody ever tried the dunlop mt maxx traction tires. For the price they might be worth a shot but my luck they would go bald after 15k miles lol.

oldsmobiledave

very happy with my Dunlop Maxx traction tires....excellent in all conditions.

Five.Nine

How are they on ice? Where did you get them installed?

I drive a lot of BC forestry and logging roads in the winter and the stock BFG are pretty bad. They only have 15k km on them, but I won't go another winter on the stockers.

oldsmobiledave

Sorry for the delay in responding....been laid up with a broken collar bone last 5 weeks.

The Maxx Traction tire is AWESOME on snow & ice. The soft compound really works in those conditions. I could drive further in 2wd with my Maxx Tracitons than I could with my 45,000 km Toyo ATs in 4wd.

Go see Kelly (owner) of Country Tire in NE Calgary....I get all my wheels & tires from him.

98ramtough

I am surprised that people say the BFG ATs don't last very long. I have had 5 sets on dodge diesel trucks and have always got at least 65K miles. I average 70-75K miles out of them. I wish they made a 255/85 or 295/75/17 etc in the ATKO tire.