Tires for the truck, which ones.....

antiqfreq · 08-30-2010, 07:53 PM

Hi,

Time for us to get new tires on our TV - F250.

We currently have BF Goodrich TA's 285/75/16's.

They have worn out after 22,000 miles.

DH loves the look of the tires, but I don't like the fact
we gotta get new tires after just a short amount of time
and mileage.

Any thoughts or ideas for our next sets?

Jo

Ruffus · 08-31-2010, 02:54 AM

Hi Jo
I bought a set of NITTO Dura Grapplers for my F250 after watching the guy I work for part time run them on his Duramax 2500. He has well over 45000 miles on them and they are just strating to show a little wear. They are schedule "E" 10 plys and are quiet as well as ride easy even with 80 PSI in them. I've had mine now for about 8000 miles and am due for a rotation. They are a little pricey, out the door for four was $1,400 but if they get the mileage they are supposed to (60K) they will be worth. As a added precaution I bought them from Tire Kingdom here in Florida with road hazard insurance because they are nation wide and Cananda under different names such as Marathon and Big "O" and they all honor the road hazard warranty. Oh yeh, they really look good too. Yours would probably be a little cheaper because the ones on my truck are 20 inch wheels. Look at th

eir web site.
Jim

Jim W · 08-31-2010, 04:28 AM

The Nitto series of tires have been will received in the market place and are becoming the standard tire for pick-ups owners that want mileage along with good looks for their trucks. Among the younger members on the diesel web sites. Here is the web site for Nitto Tires. http://nittotire.com/tireselector/
Another top of the line tire is the Michelin XPS Ribs tires. Yes they are more expensive than other brands but results are worth the money.

I do have a couple of question on the low mileage on your tires? One how often do you rotate the tires? What tire pressure are you running in the front and rear of your tires?

I am using B.F. Goodrich LT265/70R17E T/A tires with 35,000 + miles on them. I still have 5/32 of inch of usable tread life left on them. I rotate my tires every 5,000 miles and check air pressure monthly. during the camping season I run 80 PSI in the rear tires and 60 PSI in the front. In the winter months the rear is air down to 45PSI, the front will stay at 60 PSI.
Jim

kenn209 · 08-31-2010, 07:04 AM

My Ram 2500 has Michelin LTX A/S came with the truck. which has about 56k miles on it, The fronts are in need of replacing, but the rear seem okay. Will replace the front and wait on the rear until they need it.

Discount Tire Direct has them for 197 a tire.

hoffbrew · 08-31-2010, 08:31 AM

I am running the BF's LT315/70/17 and have 50K on them right now with plenty left. I rotate about every 5K. I had these on my Chevy too with good results.

dea3851 · 08-31-2010, 04:27 PM

I also have a f250 and put a set of michelins ms2 on love the tires rides better than my f150 ever did with 80 psi in them, would buy them again, and there supposted to get 20000 more miles on them than other brands and stop shorter and get better gas milage and are quiet.

campingcpl · 09-01-2010, 05:56 AM

I've had good luck with the Bridgestone Dueler A/T 695 with Uni-T and Cooper tires. I have gotten over 60,000 miles on a set of Coopers and working on over 40,000 on the Bridgestones.

jerseyphil · 09-01-2010, 06:49 AM

I am using B.F. Goodrich LT265/70R17E T/A tires with 35,000 + miles on them. I still have 5/32 of inch of usable tread life left on them. I rotate my tires every 5,000 miles and check air pressure monthly. during the camping season I run 80 PSI in the rear tires and 60 PSI in the front. In the winter months the rear is air down to 45PSI, the front will stay at 60 PSI.
Jim[/QUOTE]

I will be picking up my new F250 in 2 days. It has the exact tires as Jim. I appreciate the info on how you pressure them. I, too, am planning to tow a 5th wheel, and love the Cougar 318SAB, which I will soon be searching for "used".

So, thanks again for the info.

Phil

antiqfreq · 09-01-2010, 02:55 PM

We are not weekend campers - we fulltime in our fiver - so our tires get alot of use. Probably 90% of tire wear is from towing our fiver.

We check tire pressures about every 2 weeks as we move alot.

We run them at the PSI noted on the sidewall of the tire.

We rotate them every 5,000 miles when we do the oil change.

Pulling our trailer as much as we do is gonna get less mileage from a set of tires than someone who tows only on weekends, I am sure.

So we are hoping to get the best bang for our buck as we're on the road
all the time.......

Thanks for all the info.

Currently I am gonna look at the Michelin LTX M/S2 and see what their
prices. We gotta get tires soon and who knows what dealer will carry those as we travel.

Jo

Jim W · 09-02-2010, 04:25 AM

Jo,
I am a member of the "Turbo Diesel Register Forum". On this site there are many Dodge truck owners who haul camping trailers for a living, putting 100,000 miles a year or more on their trucks. Most of them have recommend the Michelin XPS Ribs tires or the NITTO Dura Grapplers for long distance towing tires. One of the members has stated that you will wear out the rear tires faster when towing trailers then the front. He also went on to state that you may need to rotate the tires more often then normal to prevent premature wear out of your tires.

You stated "We run them at the PSI noted on the sidewall of the tire." You should not be doing this. This maybe what is causing some of the early wear out of your tires. What you should be doing is using the recommend air pressure for the front tires by the manufacture. The front end suspension is design to support the engine weight and the tire pressure is considered in this support system. What happens to over inflation and under inflation of the tire is cupping of the tires. Which will either wear out the side walls first or the center of the tire, depending on which condition is present.

Using the recommend air pressure from the manufacture on the front tires will prevent the cupping from occurring.This tire air pressure recommendation is on the placard on the driver side door column or the B pillar. For my truck this is 60 PSI (410kpa) front and 70 PSI (475Kpa) rear. I choose to use the maximum air pressure on the rear tires of 80 PSI (545Kpa) when pulling my 5er. I monitor the rear tires with a tread depth gage to check on cupping of the rear tires monthly.

You should be able to buy your Michelin tires from a Sam's Club and you know this is nation wide. Or from a national tire store chain such as Discount Tires and or NTB (which is own by Sears).
Sorry for the long post.
Jim

antiqfreq · 09-02-2010, 06:58 AM

Thanks Jim for your suggestions and I wll be sure to let DH read this post.

All our tires are wearing evenly. Tread is the same middle to outside
and all four tires look exactly the same. Our main question was getting more mileage; but, if doing what you suggest will get us more mileage then it's what we should do.

Also, I think when we get the new tires we'll ask that question of the people installing the tires - not that they'll know a thing - ha ha ha !

Thanks again,

Jo

jerseyphil · 09-03-2010, 03:06 AM

JIM,

Thanks for that information. Today, I pick up my new truck and will use your recommendations on tire inflation.

NOTE: I see on your profile that you use a tripod at the pin of your 318SAB. How do you find that helpful? I love the 318 configuration and am planning to find one within a few months. My wife and I are looking forward to RVing!!

Phil

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