Decided to go through Down South Motorsports and get a set of Kings. Front will be 2.5" remote reservoir and the rear will be 2.0" remote reservoir. A little bit more than FOA would have been, but not too bad.
Only one more big purchase to make before it's ready - wheels and tires. I've been thinking about this for months, and I still haven't finalized my decision.
I've decided to go with 37" tires. Originally I thought I would go with 35's, but it's a big truck and the 37's will fit just fine with minimal fender cutting. I've narrowed the field down to 4 candidates.
1. Goodyear MTR Kevlar - 12.5" wide, load range D
2. BFG MT KM2 - 12.5" wide, load range D
3. Toyo MTR - 13.5" wide, load range E
4. Nitto Mud grappler - 13.5" wide, load range E
The weight of the truck makes me lean more toward the Toyo or the Nitto for the E rating. They sure are pricey though. Both are about $50 more than the GY or BFG. I suppose the extra load range is a function of the extra width? I haven't heard much about the Nitto's. Makes me want to discount them and stick with the Toyo if I go for the wider, E rated tire. If it weren't for the D rating, I would rather go with the GY or the BFG.
Do you think I'm asking for trouble with a 9-10k lb vehicle on D rated tires?
I saw a Nitto M/G 37" still had about 3/4 of its tread left, rip the side wall out, and it was on a jeep. I thought to myself, "I like the tire, but I will never buy that tire".
I have this tire and love it. 35x12.5x17" D rated.
http://www.procomptires.com/truck-jeep-tires/xtreme-mud-terrain-radial.aspx
Runs great on the Hwy. They have a 3 ply side wall which matters on heavy trucks. My stock tires had an E rating, and I ripped the side wall out on the trail, and the rock wasn't even a shape rock.
The 3 ply side wall really matters on a street/trail rig, the E rating is nice, but it may have a weak side wall.
I've had mine for about a year now, they seem to be wearing good, 8000 miles when I first rotated them and very little cupping from braking. I have wheeled with them, and they have great traction, I wheeled some sharp rocks also, and no problems.
I know the rating isn't that high on my tire, but they seem pretty tuff so far.
Just another thought.:sombrero: