Goodbye P Rated, Hello LTs!!

[ChooChooMan74]

After 15k, I said goodbye to my P Rated OEM Goodyear Wrangler SR-A tires. These tires are known to be the China Bombs in the Ram EcoDiesel Community http://www.ram1500diesel.com/forum/r...5-60-20-a.html . Of course, on all online communities, you hear all about the failures and not enough about the ones that don't fail. But, without towing on them (except a 1200lb boat), I am very happy with them.

I downsized from 20s to 18s. Big reason, my Stock Size, 275/60R20 has only 2 LT rated tires available. I also wanted a matching spare (on backorder), and the stock wheels centercap is smaller than the hub hole, and you can't mount it under the truck. So, aftermarket wheels I went. I found that the 275/65R18 size had a huge selection of close to 30 tires for LT, and most popular tires came in LT and P rated versions. This size tire is .9 inches shorter than the stock 20s and .4 inches taller than the stock 17s available on the truck. No problem getting the Speedo and Odo within 1% using my Edge CTS2.

[WFD]

Not to mention that the tire price of your 18's was probably considerably lower than the 2 option of 20's you had, but then again you had to buy new rims, so in the end you probably aren't ahead. I am dealing with the same situation right now. Need to change my 20's before winter and there is very very little to choose from, and those 20's are quite expensive.

[emm-dee]

I kept the 20's and changed to Nitto Dura Grappler E load tires. Definitely better than the Goodyears. $1,200 with lifetime balance and road hazard.

[ChooChooMan74]

Originally Posted by WFD

Not to mention that the tire price of your 18's was probably considerably lower than the 2 option of 20's you had, but then again you had to buy new rims, so in the end you probably aren't ahead. I am dealing with the same situation right now. Need to change my 20's before winter and there is very very little to choose from, and those 20's are quite expensive.

I am definitely behind. The other reason I went with a new wheel is because I can't put a stock wheel under the truck in the spare tire holder. These wheels, although I have to remove the center cap with 3 hex bolts, will fit no issues under the truck.

I traded my Chrome 20's for regular aluminum ones with a coworker. I will use those for dedicated winter tires. Not a total lost, though.

Originally Posted by emm-dee

I kept the 20's and changed to Nitto Dura Grappler E load tires. Definitely better than the Goodyears. $1,200 with lifetime balance and road hazard.

How are those tires. I was so on the fence about them. It was either those or BFG KO2s, which are excellent, but I am 99% highway driving.

[f5moab]

I'm surprised you got 15K on the SRA tires. Friend of mine has a RAM and he wore his out in about 9K; however, living in Moab, he travels dirt roads 90 percent of the time.
My Silverado came with them, I called GM that they were not AT tires as stated on the sticker, and GM's rep agreed. They replaced them for free for a set of Wrangler Kevlar tires.

[rvb]

Originally Posted by ChooChooMan74

How are those tires. I was so on the fence about them. It was either those or BFG KO2s, which are excellent, but I am 99% highway driving.

I just put the K02's in 275/65R18 (stock size) on my F150. So far so good after the first 1.2 miles! I didn't feel I "needed" the E range LT upgrade, but was a nice bonus. $1083 out the door...


Are those the Michelin MS/2s? I looked hard at those. It was basically a coin toss. Some friends w/ personal experience w/ the KO's pushed me to those.

-rvb

[WFD]

In my research before deciding what to buy, many have said the KO2's have alot more road noise than the Michelin LTX....I guess it depends where you drive mostly, KO2's are much more aggressive tread design, so if a person has a need for that, then you may be willing to put up with a bit of road noise.

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by ChooChooMan74

How are those tires. I was so on the fence about them. It was either those or BFG KO2s, which are excellent, but I am 99% highway driving.

The big think I notice about the Nitto is the increase in stability. Ride quality is only affected when they are up to 80 psi and not having any load in the truck. I'm on my third set on my HD Cummins truck and the first two lasted 60K each with a lot of miles pulling 16k gooseneck.

I do notice an increase in noise when driving on wet roads. I don't have any experience with the K02s so can't make a comparison.

[ChooChooMan74]

Originally Posted by rvb

Are those the Michelin MS/2s? I looked hard at those. It was basically a coin toss. Some friends w/ personal experience w/ the KO's pushed me to those.

-rvb

These are the new LTX Defender M/S. So far, nice and quiet after 300 miles.

[rvb]

Originally Posted by WFD

In my research before deciding what to buy, many have said the KO2's have alot more road noise than the Michelin LTX....I guess it depends where you drive mostly, KO2's are much more aggressive tread design, so if a person has a need for that, then you may be willing to put up with a bit of road noise.

I now have about 19 miles on the KO2s, and through that vast experience I'll say that while I believe they can have more noise than the Michelin, these KO2s are not at all loud.

I drove home w/ the windows down last night (normally do unless raining) and couldn't notice any more noise than I had with the OEM Wranglers. Today I drove into work windows up and even radio off to listen for them. There was no "hum," just a slightly louder hiss sound than my old tires.

If I wasn't expecting more noise or listening for it, I'd have never noticed it. but then, I don't expect my truck cab to be a den of tranquility...

They may get louder with age, but after 19 miles of wear they are still as quiet as when they were new.

-rvb