Dodge 2500 CTD tire ?

[UnfrozenCaveman]

Hi All,

My oldest daughter drives an '05 Dodge 2500 4x4 CTD 4-door. She's hauled her horsie trailer, building supplies, camping goodies, etc all over the southwest and she's getting a little concerned about the 33k miles on the o.e. BFG Rugged Trails.

The o.e. size is 265/70-17 and she'd like a 10 to 15% increase in circumference, so I think we're looking at something like a 305 to 315/70 for replacement.

Anyone have strong preferences for this application? I think she needs to stick with the E loadrange for her towing application.

Thanks,

Keith

 

[Bella PSD]

I have the same size truck but a F 350 and run 35" Mastercraft MT tires. They are load range D but are rated at 3,200 per tire.

MasterCraft Courser MT

OR maybe Cooper STT same D rating but again rated for 3,195.

Both tires above are made by Cooper in Ohio (America!) My 1st set of MasterCraft tires lasted 67,500 miles!!

Louie

 

[Desert Proven]

I would highly recommend "E" rated tires for your application. We deal with this question almost daily and I can't tell you how many CTD owners have trouble with "D" Rated tires.

It is not just a weight rating, but rather, a sidewall stiffness. When you have a big diesel engine sitting over the axle, gravity wants to pull it sideways in a turn.

We run Toyo Open Country M/T tires in a 35 inch size. They are E rated. Goodyear also makes the MTR in a 35 inch tire that is E rated.

There are a few available.

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

Thanks kids ... I'll get her subcsribed to this thread today.

KAA ... I'm with you on the E rating ... gotta keep these kids safe

 

[outsidr]

tire question

Both comments are valid, the cooper stt is my favorite tire next to the toyo mt. Both are relatively quiet on the road with good off road (or horse show grounds) traction.

I build diesel trucks for a living and have put both d and e rated tires on 3/4 ton trucks. In my opinion for trailering, it is better to have the piece of mind in the E rated Toyo especially for long distance hauls. Heat is the enemy here. Around town or around the ranch is one thing.

E rated will be up to 30% more and will ride harsher but for that piece of mind when towing is everyday or frequent, it is worth it. Most would gladly pay another $150 to not loose a side wall on Eisenhower pass or worse. Especially true for those customers running a "heavy load" or 5th wheel rigs.

Happy trails,
ml
www.LokeyTrucks.com

 

[AZCPP]

The "E" rating is just the smart way to go when pulling trailers and with the diesel engine. But you also asked about size. The 305/70/17 on her factory wheels would be a good option or a 285/70/17 which is the same diameter (33") as the 305 but not as wide. Both of these could be mounted on a Dodge without and lift or trimming. The 285 is the OEM tire on the PowerWagon as well. The 315/70/17 is a 35" and in most applications will require a 2" front leveling kit so the don't rub the rear of the fenderwell. Not knowing how big her horse trailer is I will say that the taller you go the more likely the sidewall is to flex side to side making the truck feel "loose" when towing or hauling heavy loads. None of these tires will make a dramatic effect on towing or driving performance with the CTD as it has plenty of power for the taller tires. I have 315's on my Ram with a 2" leveling kit in the front but I don't tow much at all with it.

Hope this helps.

 

[kcowyo]

A couple of years ago when I had a '98 K25 Suburban and I was pulling an enclosed 30ft Interstate trailer hauling 6 snowmobiles, I went with Toyo's Open Country A/T's in a 305/70/16 with an E load rating. I chose these with towing and road performance in mind and a recomendation from a friend who runs the local Big O Tire shop.

These did incredibly well on the road and in the snow. Most of the trucks around here that haul large horse trailers go with the E load and Toyo A/T's seem to be very popular with the rodeo and haulin' crowd.

The A/T's are offered in a wide variety of sizes, many with an E load rating.

 

[highlandercj-7]

Never put anything less than a E rated tire on a Cummins. We did once and our Dually was squirly even with 4 D rated tires across the back. My sugestion would be E rated BFG AT's they last forever and balance nice. IF you need a MT there MT's are great too. I also like the STT Coopers.
For our purposes we run ribbed steering tires on the front of the dually cause the weight of the Cummins eats front tires. It used to be we'd go through 2 sets of fronts to one set of rears. Now it's one for one again. Out back we run the Goodyear Workhorse type tread. MT on the edges AT in the center, they work well. Dually's are perdy helpless in the soft stuff lol.

 

[fisher205]

I'm running some Maxxis Buckshot Mudder 285/75 16 D's on my CTD w/ an Alaskan Camper. This wasn't my first choice of tire but got a deal I couldn't refuse. I will be going back to an E rated tire. The Buckshot's work good off road and w/ the CTD I can't hear them on the road anyway, but they do give in the corners. They are wearing fast with this weight on them but I'm still trying to decide what to replace them with. I've run BFG AT's for years and Coopers. Will probably stay with what I know. - Brad

 

[Bella PSD]

I've run BFG AT's for years and Coopers. Will probably stay with what I know. - Brad

My 1st set of MasterCraft MUD tires (285's), made by Cooper, lasted 67,500 miles! So if you like Cooper, this may be a good tire for you. I have yet to here of anyone getting more than that out of a mud tire on a 8,000 plus truck.

Louie

 

[Bella PSD]

I think it is a bit short sided to say only go with the E rating tire on a “big” tow vehicle.

Not all diesel pickups are used “just” to towing a jeep to the trailhead. Some diesel pickups actually go off road and need the flex a D type tire gives. I do tow about 3,000 miles per year with D rated tires and I have logged over 96,000 miles on D tires on this truck. I have never had a problem with the truck getting squarely in the turns (sidewall flexing because of there lack of stiffness). The current mud tire is a 35” on a 16x10 rim. I have found that the D tire is a good compromise for on AND off road. Plus the D tire has the weight rating for towing anything I would ever want to, just not everyday. If I had a trailer hooked up every day I would go with the E tires with the stiff sidewall.

As far as the 1st post goes, I would recommend the E tire for her. Sounds like she is not off road enough to need the flex and better off road characteristics of the D tire. Plus, not sure how much she tows.

Louie

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

Thanks all ..

She's found a set of take-off almost new tires locally and couldn't pass up the price.

For those who may be interested, the only off road this thing sees is the dirt between the barn and the arena!

Thanks,

Keith