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Another dumb tow rig tire opinion thread

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#22 ·
You have a 6 liter GM... changing tire size is not going to gain you any mpg. It's going to get 10mpg with 235/85's, and it's going to get 10mpg with stock 245 or 265's. It's going to get 10 with the yet unheard of 195/90/16's or it'll get 9.5 with some 315's. It's going to get 10 in town, it's going to get 10 on the highway, and it's going to get 10 if you're easy on the throttle.

The plus stock sized 265/75/16 looks good on those trucks, and should give you a little bump in off the line performane compared to your 285's. Go with any name brand, "one step down from an all-terrain", keep an eye on air pressure, rotate every oil change (or at least every other) and be happy.

I like the Cooper Discoverer AT3's. But that's just me. :p
 
#23 ·
Ramrock said:
I did to sets of the goodyear silent armor tires. 245-75-16.
Neither set got over 40K. Good tire had good traction intel 30K then they would spin like crazy on any damp road.
Warranted one set out at 35K and the other at 40K. Then went to michelin.
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I got a little better out of the GY SAs (~55k, 99 Dodge 2500 4x4,) I didn't have the traction issue you've noted. I've gone back to the Michelin LTX tires, I'll probably buy at least 1 more set before I get rid of the truck.
 
Discussion starter · #25 ·
45acp said:
You have a 6 liter GM... changing tire size is not going to gain you any mpg. It's going to get 10mpg with 235/85's, and it's going to get 10mpg with stock 245 or 265's. It's going to get 10 with the yet unheard of 195/90/16's or it'll get 9.5 with some 315's. It's going to get 10 in town, it's going to get 10 on the highway, and it's going to get 10 if you're easy on the throttle.

The plus stock sized 265/75/16 looks good on those trucks, and should give you a little bump in off the line performane compared to your 285's. Go with any name brand, "one step down from an all-terrain", keep an eye on air pressure, rotate every oil change (or at least every other) and be happy.

I like the Cooper Discoverer AT3's. But that's just me. :p
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I concur, except that my particular truck has 3.73s in it and not the 4.10s, which means with a tire thats 33" tall (285/75) its a dog! Its working hard to move itself off the line let alone a trailer, with a jeep on it, up hill. I can't imagine that going down in tire size is going to make it drive worse. I may not pick up any noticeable mpg gain, but it can't hurt either. Hopefully the trans will be happier too. Its much easier to swap smaller tires on the truck than it is to regear.

BTW, mine does do better than 10 on the highway. I've seen 16 once!

Kevo
 
#26 ·
Nobody's suggested thorn birds!?!?



Seriously though, the Goodyear Silent Armor's are a good all around tire.
 
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#29 ·
If you want mpgs then stop considering a A/T. Like the GY Silent Armor or Cooper AT3/ATP(same tire for the most part).

You need an H/T(highway tire) if you want mpgs/tread life. I run the Toyo Open Country H/T on my 99' Dually. They were new on it when I bought it, not because I wanted them. I have around 10K on the truck since buying it and tires have around 13K on them. 1/2 of the miles have been towing either my 10K/lb 5th wheel or with a car hauler hooked to it. No noticeable wear to date other than a front that had a bad unit bearing and lower ball joint(since replaced). It had some slight cupping on the inner tread.

IMHO, they will likely last around 45-50K on my 8,000lb PSD dually 4x4.

50K is all you can expect out of any tire IMO before its getting to the point of being sketchy in rain, snow, etc.

FWIW, the tires I run suck in the snow as most H/T tires will. But, considering where you live, and what you use the truck for, an H/T tire is what you need. So, look at the mileage ratings for those tires and buy them based off that. Then calculate the mpgs and see if there is a difference. A 265/75/16 is what was prob on that truck when it left the factory. Run that size and quit over thinking it.
 
#30 · (Edited)
45acp said:
You have a 6 liter GM... changing tire size is not going to gain you any mpg. It's going to get 10mpg with 235/85's, and it's going to get 10mpg with stock 245 or 265's. It's going to get 10 with the yet unheard of 195/90/16's or it'll get 9.5 with some 315's. It's going to get 10 in town, it's going to get 10 on the highway, and it's going to get 10 if you're easy on the throttle.

The plus stock sized 265/75/16 looks good on those trucks, and should give you a little bump in off the line performane compared to your 285's. Go with any name brand, "one step down from an all-terrain", keep an eye on air pressure, rotate every oil change (or at least every other) and be happy.

I like the Cooper Discoverer AT3's. But that's just me. :p
Click to expand...
I also agree with this. I've tuned, driven and towed three LQ4 2500HD's and they all seem to get in the 10-12mpg range for every day contractor usage.

With 3.73's, I'm willing to bet the truck's original tire size listed in the door jam is most likely a 245/75R16 if it's an HD and not a normal 2500 non-HD. If the truck is going to be used as a tow rig I don't see much reason for going any bigger than a 245 or a 265 other than looks and a slightly higher load rating. (but then why didn't you buy a dually :flipoff2: )

Michelin's or the Nitto Dura grappler would be my choice. Both are offered in a 245 and a 265 (/75R16 Load Range E). I've personally installed hundreds of each (more of the Michelin) and customers were loving both.
 
#31 ·
TCinVA said:
235/85/16 tall and skinny for mileage. Available in street or a/t tread.
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Ghetto Fab. said:
Thornturds FTMFW!!!!:flipoff2: That'll get me the magical cummins mpg too!:D

Kevo
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I got those in BFG AT flavor on my Magic Cummins, and I love em, mostly because I got the set for $200 on Craigslist. They work fine, but I can tell the contact patch is on the skinny side in the twisties. I haven't quite hit 20 MPG, but that probably has a lot to do with where I set my cruise control, and I think my auto shoots itself in the foot a bit.

Worked at a paving company for awhile where all the pickups got the expensive LTX highway tires which served flawlessly. Trucks were about 8K, and generally towing 5+K
 
#32 ·
I had bfg commercial t/a's on my obs f250 and after fucking around with other stuff on my excursion I am am leaning towards another set of commercial t/a's on it when the time comes. Low noise, wear like nails, excellent against hydroplaning, handle heavy loads with grace. Tick, tick, tick, tick. Done.
 
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