# Tv Tires?



## firefighter320ms (Feb 19, 2007)

I'm looking to buy a new set of tires for my 4x4 diesel TV and was hoping to get some good input. I'm pulling the fifth wheel so I would prefer load range E tires. The only problem is I can't find anything over 265/70-17 in E range. The tires on my truck now are 315/70-17 BF GoodRich AT Load range D. What tires do you guys prefer, load range and size for you diesel?


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

Start here...

http://www.1010tires.com/

http://www.tirerack.com/

Ed


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

I have the exact same tires you have only in 16 inch on my 4x4 ram. I've used the Goodrich AT for years and find them to be a good overall choice for off pavement traction, wet traction, durability, noise level,etc.
I tow a 5th wheel also with the tires inflated to 50psi front and rear and have never had a problem with these tires.

Regards, Glenn


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

In checking both www.1010tires.com and www.tirerack.com I find only four LT's in this size, all D rated.

BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/AÂ® KO (GM; may be Canada only)
Goodyear Wrangler AT Extreme (H2 Hummer)
Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S
Yokohama Geolandar H/T-S G051

According to 1010tires, your tire is as follows:
Stock Tire - 315/70R17 
Section Width: 12.40 in 315 mm 
Rim Diameter: 17 in 431.8 mm 
Rim Width Range: 8.5 - 10 in 
Overall Diameter: 34.36 in 872.74 mm 
Sidewall Height: 8.68 in 220.47 mm 
Radius: 17.18 in 436.37 mm 
Circumference: 107.9 in 2740.6 mm 
Revs per Mile: 605.3

It is sometimes possible to obtain a correct fitment with an alternate size tire that might be available in Load Range E. But, there are lots of places to get it wrong (wrong sometimes equals dangerous). Check around some reputable tire dealers in your area; "Trust, yet verify".

Ed


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## firefighter320ms (Feb 19, 2007)

Thanks Guys, I'm still looking but, it looks like I might go back with the tires I have on it now(bf goodrich at 315/70-17, d-range). Not sure if I drop size if the load range is going to change on these tires....like the 285/70-17's.


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

I'm running 315x75x16 Toyo Open Country M/T. They are load range "E". Believe me, I was quite surprised!







They have great tread, look burly and really perform in all situations. They would look real tuff on your Ram.







Plus they meet the wifes approval for how quiet they are on the highway. You would think these guys would really hum going down the road, but they don't.

Here's a link. I had the BFG A/T's before and I found they clogged up with mud and snow a little too easy for my tastes. I run my Toyo's @ 50 psi while towing.


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

campaholics said:


> Thanks Guys, I'm still looking but, it looks like I might go back with the tires I have on it now(bf goodrich at 315/70-17, d-range). Not sure if I drop size if the load range is going to change on these tires....like the 285/70-17's.


If you drop sizes, you would probably gain some towing power.

Stock tires on your truck should have been 265/70-17's, unless you have the Power Wagon Ram, which I don't think it is.

If you haven't changed the gearing, you basically are losing towing power through the gears. By going up in size, you make the gears higher. Start with a 3.73 in stock tires, you are probably at 3.43 or lower now.

Steve


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

huntr70 said:


> If you drop sizes, you would probably gain some towing power.


Here's what www.1010tires.com's Tire Size Calculator had to say...

Stock Tire - 315/70R17 
New Tire - 315/75R16

Section Width: 12.40 in 315 mm
Section Width: 12.40 in 315 mm 

Rim Diameter: 17 in 431.8 mm
Rim Diameter: 16 in 406.4 mm 

Rim Width Range: 8.5 - 10 in
Rim Width Range: 8 - 10 in 

Overall Diameter: 34.36 in 872.74 mm
Overall Diameter: 34.60 in 878.84 mm 

Sidewall Height: 8.68 in 220.47 mm
Sidewall Height: 9.30 in 236.22 mm 

Radius: 17.18 in 436.37 mm 
Radius: 17.30 in 439.42 mm 

Circumference: 107.9 in 2740.6 mm 
Circumference: 108.6 in 2758.4 mm 

Revs per Mile: 605.3 
Revs per Mile: 601.1

Actual Speed: 60 mph 100 km/h 
Speedometer1: 59.5 mph 99.3 km/h 

Speedometer Difference: 0.698% too slow 
Diameter Difference: 0.7%

There may still be some fitment issues we aren't thinking of that might affect this change.

Ed


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## ProEdge (Mar 8, 2007)

I have used the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/AÂ® KO on all my Toyota Trucks..
265/70/17's perform great..
Go with what you know..


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

LarryTheOutback said:


> If you drop sizes, you would probably gain some towing power.


Here's what www.1010tires.com's Tire Size Calculator had to say...

Stock Tire - 315/70R17 
New Tire - 315/75R16

Section Width: 12.40 in 315 mm
Section Width: 12.40 in 315 mm 

Rim Diameter: 17 in 431.8 mm
Rim Diameter: 16 in 406.4 mm 

Rim Width Range: 8.5 - 10 in
Rim Width Range: 8 - 10 in 

Overall Diameter: 34.36 in 872.74 mm
Overall Diameter: 34.60 in 878.84 mm 

Sidewall Height: 8.68 in 220.47 mm
Sidewall Height: 9.30 in 236.22 mm 

Radius: 17.18 in 436.37 mm 
Radius: 17.30 in 439.42 mm 

Circumference: 107.9 in 2740.6 mm 
Circumference: 108.6 in 2758.4 mm 

Revs per Mile: 605.3 
Revs per Mile: 601.1

Actual Speed: 60 mph 100 km/h 
Speedometer1: 59.5 mph 99.3 km/h 

Speedometer Difference: 0.698% too slow 
Diameter Difference: 0.7%

There may still be some fitment issues we aren't thinking of that might affect this change.

Ed
[/quote]
Thats good, but calculate it again using the stock size as 265/70-17 which is the stock size on a Dodge Ram diesel versus the 315......it will be a big difference.

I had gone from a 265 to a 305 on my old Dodge, and went back to the 265 to tow the trailer. It is a major change when you are towing some weight around.

Steve


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

Weren't you the same guy a few weeks ago that was bemoaning the GVWR of the Dodge.

Ordinarily I would side with Steve and say go back down to the stock tires and recover your gear ratio. However ,if you bring that tongue down via the smaller tires your going to increase tongue weight and hurt your GVWR more.

Something to think about!


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

[/quote]
Thats good, but calculate it again using the stock size as 265/70-17 which is the stock size on a Dodge Ram diesel versus the 315......it will be a big difference.

Steve
[/quote]

Stock size on my 2000 year 2500 Ram was 265/75 16 not 265/70. There is a slight difference in diameter.
And the others are absolutely correct in that larger diameter tires raises your effective gearing.
Regards, Glenn


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## firefighter320ms (Feb 19, 2007)

I'm glad you guys brought the gearing issue up.....that really never crossed my mind. Yes, I was the one talking about the GVWR awhile back. Isn't the higher number(315) the width of the tire? 70 is the hgt right? So by going from a 315 to a 285 with a 70 hgt soundn't change the gearing, right, sounds like you are just changing the width of the tire.


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

Just as an FYI, to get back to nearly stock gearing on my truck I had to change the gears from 3.92 to 4.88 (front and rear as it's a 4x4). My stock tire size was 265x70x16, now it's 315x75x16.

I'll let the other guys answer your specific questions...


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## map guy (Jan 11, 2007)

campaholics said:


> I'm glad you guys brought the gearing issue up.....that really never crossed my mind. Yes, I was the one talking about the GVWR awhile back. Isn't the higher number(315) the width of the tire? 70 is the hgt right? So by going from a 315 to a 285 with a 70 hgt soundn't change the gearing, right, sounds like you are just changing the width of the tire.


Check this site for info on the Tire size numbering. 
Tire Info

Map Guy


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## firefighter320ms (Feb 19, 2007)

Well I went back to www.1010tires.com and checked on different sizes. Now I see the difference, I really didn't want to go back to a stock size but I also don't want to change the gearing that much either. Since 265/70-17 is the stock size, do you think 285/70-17 would change the gearing too much?


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

GlenninTexas said:


> Well I went back to www.1010tires.com and checked on different sizes. Now I see the difference, I really didn't want to go back to a stock size but I also don't want to change the gearing that much either. Since 265/70-17 is the stock size, do you think 285/70-17 would change the gearing too much?


You can plug the numbers into the calculator on 1010tires and it will tell you the difference.

Any time you change the diameter, you change the gearing.

Also, you should be able to make up the difference of tire diameter affecting your 5er ride height by adjusting the hitch and pin heights. If there were no adjustments, you would never get a Ford or Dodge under a 5er built for a Chevy....

This is from the calculator-
Stock Tire - 265/70R17 >Search Tires Tire 1 - 285/70R17 >Search Tires 
Section Width: 10.43 in 265 mm 
Section Width: 11.22 in 285 mm

Rim Diameter: 17 in 431.8 mm 
Rim Diameter: 17 in 431.8 mm

Rim Width Range: 7 - 9 in 
Rim Width Range: 7.5 - 9 in

Overall Diameter: 31.60 in 802.64 mm 
Overall Diameter: 32.70 in 830.58 mm

Sidewall Height: 7.30 in 185.42 mm 
Sidewall Height: 7.85 in 199.39 mm

Radius: 15.80 in 401.32 mm 
Radius: 16.35 in 415.29 mm

Circumference: 99.27 in 2521.4 mm 
Circumference: 102.7 in 2608.5 mm

Revs per Mile: 658.2 
Revs per Mile: 636.0

Actual Speed: 60 mph 100 km/h 
Speedometer1: 57.9 mph 96.6 km/h

Speedometer Difference: - Speedometer Difference: 3.490% too slow 
Diameter Difference: - Diameter Difference: 3.37%

Steve


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

campaholics said:


> Since 265/70-17 is the stock size, do you think 285/70-17 would change the gearing too much?


Nope! I ran that size with stock gears (although a 16" rim) and it pulled fine. Your truck is much more of a torque monster than mine and if you go DOWN in size from the 315 to a 285, I bet you will feel your truck pulling stronger. In my opinion, the 285 would be a pretty good compromise size-wise.


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

New Gear ratio = new tire diameter/stock tire diameter *(stock ratio)

So in your case 3.73*(31.60/32.70)= 3.60.

An inch makes a noticeable difference believe it or not!

Steve- Most of the 5'er we pull are nose high and the adjustment to bring it level is larger tires and changing the mounting holes on the axles. The pin box is usually at it's highest setting and bringing the hitch plate down inside of the truck starts to get you near the tail gate and side rails. To which I say--- it is what it is and that is how they make them.


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## Swany (Mar 2, 2006)

campaholics said:


> I'm looking to buy a new set of tires for my 4x4 diesel TV and was hoping to get some good input. I'm pulling the fifth wheel so I would prefer load range E tires. The only problem is I can't find anything over 265/70-17 in E range. The tires on my truck now are 315/70-17 BF GoodRich AT Load range D. What tires do you guys prefer, load range and size for you diesel?


In another life I used to buy and wear out about a quarter million dollars worth of tires per year. Truck tires. I guess I probably studied and tested about every brand of tire and recap in the world over 40 years of doing it. Tire companies would give me set after set of tires to test. We would side-to-side them. Criss-cross them. Put them on 2 or 4 tractors on the same haul. We kept detailed mile per 32nd records and detailed cost per mile records and detailed recappability records. Now granted what applies to heavy truck tires may or may not apply to LT tires. But I learned over and over and over again that the best wearing lowest cost per mile tire out there is a Michelin. When it comes to buying tires for DWs car or the Dodge Ram it's Michelin and I don't even look elsewhere. When it comes to buying TT tires, if I can find a Michelin, that's what I will buy. I guess you could say I have my opinion on tires.


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## firefighter320ms (Feb 19, 2007)

looks like you've had your share of tires, lol. So far, it looks like I will be dropping the size of the tire back to factory 265/70-17. I have priced some GoodYear Wrangler Pro Graded Silent Armour tires load E range (3195lbs @80 psi)...around 1000 bucks with road hazzard. NJMikeC brought this up, Now by dropping size I'm wondering how much more weight the fifth wheel will put on the truck.....I don't see it being much more myself thinking I can raise the hitch up in the back of the truck, would that be correct?

I'm wanting to stay with a AT tire, I do hunt so it'll be helpful. I say that but got stuck last year and had to get the tractor to pull it out, lol.



Swany said:


> I'm looking to buy a new set of tires for my 4x4 diesel TV and was hoping to get some good input. I'm pulling the fifth wheel so I would prefer load range E tires. The only problem is I can't find anything over 265/70-17 in E range. The tires on my truck now are 315/70-17 BF GoodRich AT Load range D. What tires do you guys prefer, load range and size for you diesel?


In another life I used to buy and wear out about a quarter million dollars worth of tires per year. Truck tires. I guess I probably studied and tested about every brand of tire and recap in the world over 40 years of doing it. Tire companies would give me set after set of tires to test. We would side-to-side them. Criss-cross them. Put them on 2 or 4 tractors on the same haul. We kept detailed mile per 32nd records and detailed cost per mile records and detailed recappability records. Now granted what applies to heavy truck tires may or may not apply to LT tires. But I learned over and over and over again that the best wearing lowest cost per mile tire out there is a Michelin. When it comes to buying tires for DWs car or the Dodge Ram it's Michelin and I don't even look elsewhere. When it comes to buying TT tires, if I can find a Michelin, that's what I will buy. I guess you could say I have my opinion on tires.








[/quote]


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

Lower the pin box if you have additional holes on the box. That also gives you more clearance on the rails.


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## firefighter320ms (Feb 19, 2007)

Update! I tried replacing the tires with the stock 265/70-17 tires and let me tell you that will not fly. I had them take those off and we decided on getting bigger rims and alittle biggger tire, if I have to change the gearing so be in but those PUNNY sized stock tires DO NOT cut it, lol.


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## Herbicidal (Aug 29, 2003)

After running 315's I would have been surprised if you were able to go back to 265's and stick with them.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

If its only an inch difference. Just go for it.. That cummins wont notice it much.. If you like the look of the 315's just put em on.. I agree with you, the 315's make that truck look like a truck!

12-13 tenths in ratio is not going to be felt much with a cummins..

Carey


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## firefighter320ms (Feb 19, 2007)

Well my tires and rims should be in tomorrow. I order 18inch rims and 275/70-18 tires. The tires I decided to go with are Wrangler Silent Armour "PRO GRADE". I hope this will look better!!!!


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## mjwencl (Feb 25, 2004)

campaholics said:


> Well my tires and rims should be in tomorrow. I order 18inch rims and 275/70-18 tires. The tires I decided to go with are Wrangler Silent Armour "PRO GRADE". I hope this will look better!!!!


I installed 4 new LT245/75-16E ProGrade Goodyear Wrangler SilentArmor Tires on my 2004 Silverado 2500 Crew Cab and advise everyone against them. They do run very quiet but they have WAY TOO MUCH sidewall flex as compared to the BFGoodrich All-Terrains that I've used in the past. I really put the tires to the test and they aren't a good tire for towing a travel trailer.

In a fast evasive turn maneuver on the highway it feels like I don't have control of the situation. They might be OK for a lightweight non trailer towing truck. I was extremely happy with the BFGoodrich All-Terrains in all situations that I had installed on a previous truck. I'm in the process of removing these Goodyears for better tires through Goodyears 30 day Satisfaction Guarantee. 
I have had minimal vibration problems with the LT245/75-16E Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor Tires. I have noticed quite a loss of steering at speed with rapid evasive lane changes or highway curves as the side walls are too soft. There is way too much sidewall flex!! Towing the camper only makes the tires squirm even more!!
Best of luck!


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