Truck and tires

[Code54]

I wanted to get some of your thoughts and ideas on my newest "issue".
When I bought my Ram 2500 Diesel it had tiny tire - I mean funny looking little things. So bad my wife said "I love this truck but it needs bigger tires!" the first time we took it to the mall and walked up to it form the side. I agreed and went and got new tires - Toyo Open Country AT II's, 285-75-17's. (About a 34" tire). They look great but I don't really care for them. I have has them for about 3 years and 15000 miles. I do rotate them but noticed they are wearing poorly in the middle. I lowered the pressure (keeps the darn tire light on all the time) but this is helping the wear. The real problem is they are crap in the snow and rain. If you pull away from a stop sign in the rain it has to be with a VERY light pedal. Heck if I am going 15 mph and step the gas down semi hard the rear end will instantly break loose. Snow - well saying you need a LIGHT throttle is an understatement. (has a limited slip Diff also) - mostly if we have night that is really slick out i take my wife's RAV4 or our little front wheel drive Yaris if that tell you something.Generally speaking the tires pack with snow by the time I pull out of the garage and become slicks.
I also notice that when I tow something heavy (say 10-12K) and come up our DRY paved road my rears want to slip and will chirp some when going 15mph or so. You can feel them slipping.
I realize the slightly wider tire may reduce traction some and was thinking maybe I need to go "thinner" and just keep the height? If so what tire size keeps the height of my current tire (love the looks) but would be a bit thinner. Am I thinking about this correctly? Also any ideas on better tires or other thoughts to improve this situation? THANKS

 

[MF283]

I've had great luck with Goodyear & Michelin tires, both wear about the same, Mihelin rides smoother throughout the life over Goodyear, the Goodyears do come cheaper though.

 

[MossRoad]

I have had these tires on my 1993 Suburban for about 18 months and 8000 miles now. I really like them. Quiet on the road for an aggressive tire (that's my opinion, of course), and I'm really happy with the traction in snow over the last two winters(although last winter was paltry snow-wise, and this winter has just gotten started). I got the black walls, so no lettering. Don't know if they come in your size or not. I think you can go to some place like Discount Tire and talk to the manager. Tell them you are interested in some tires, but would like to see them up next to the truck or better yet, on some rims, to see how they'd look.

General Grabber AT 2

 

[MossRoad]

Another note about these General Grabber AT 2 is that I drive into my driveway and walk back out to the end to get the mail or paper... I look at the tread pattern in the snow. Its completely visible every time, meaning it grabbed the snow, pushed me forward, and left the snow in its place. The tread is open from side-to-side all the way across the tire. No breaks. That's one of the things I was taught to look for in snow tire back in the early 80's when I had a 71 Toyota Landcruiser. Back then I ran Armstong Norseman's in winter and mud tires in summer. Anyhow, I do like these tires and they look nice, too.

 

[MossRoad]

Compare that tread to your tread...

Toyo Open Country AT II

General Grabber AT 2

 

[MossRoad]

You've got itty bitty paths east and west and huge paths north and south while the generals are more uniform. You don't have much to push against in snow.

Anyhow, I'm far from a "tire guy". These have just done well for me. Its really one of the only tire purchases I've been completely happy with in the past few sets of tires I've purchase for this truck and our cars.

 

[coobie]

My 2016 Ram 2500 crew cab came with factory E-rated 275-70R18 firestone trans force tires IMHO they were crappy in the snow/ice.I got rid of them at 4,000 miles and bought E-rated Michelin Defender LTX/MS tires.Could not be happier with the performance on wet,dry and snow/ice conditions.Added a pic with the factory firestones.

 

[ultrarunner]

I've gone the Michelin route and no disappointments.

A friend is a fleet manager for a large utility and they have a lot of 4wd trucks and all have the factory OEM size tires/rims...

They found the OEM tires/rims the most economical across the board even if they look out of place.

 

[TheMan419]

Call tirerack.com. They are located in South Bend Indiana. One of the largest tire dealers in the country. They sell direct to public. Have a lot of knowledgeable sales people that can help you pick a good tire. Lots of people swear by snow tires. I am not one of them. I like a good all season tire. Even with a good all season we throw a couple hundred pounds of sand bags in the back of the pick up for winter. Helps with the traction.

 

[George2615]

According to the site below your tires are 33". You probably see 34" because they are mounted on the stock narrow rims. The narrow rim is why you need to lower the pressure to get a better flatter tread pattern. See the chart for other tire sizes about the same height. As mentioned, call tirerack or other tire dealer for a narrower tire with the same height.


Tire Height Chart