Dually Tires...Larger, Wider, Aggressive, Spacers....Thoughts??

[JWalker]

Looking at replacing the stock tires on the 2016 Ram DRW.

Wanted something more aggressive, maybe a little wider and taller. Nothing crazy.
Anyone have any thought or first hand experience? Tire wear. Fuel mileage, handling? Having duals in the rear has made the search a little more complicated compared to a SRW. TIA

Stock Tire
235 80 17
9.3 wide
31.8 tall

 

[MCTalley]

Fords come with 245/75R17 stock. Roughly the same height and about 1/2" wider. Shouldn't need spacers for that. From there, maybe a 255 or 265 at the most, probably in a 70 series (i.e. 255/70R17 or 265/70R17).

Also, if your truck is a 4x4, you'll want to stick with the same size front and rear.

 

[NYSUPstater]

Jamie,

Back in my "younger days" when the tires on whatever truck I had at the time needed replacing, I just got a new truck. Expensive philosophy, but I got new tires and a new truck. That option isn'y so viable nowadays.

 

[Bones]

I didn't get any wider tires but they look wider because they are made a bit differently. Exo Grapplers by Nitto

 

[JWalker]

Fords come with 245/75R17 stock. Roughly the same height and about 1/2" wider. Shouldn't need spacers for that. From there, maybe a 255 or 265 at the most, probably in a 70 series (i.e. 255/70R17 or 265/70R17).

Also, if your truck is a 4x4, you'll want to stick with the same size front and rear.

Thanks Malcolm, I have been looking into the 265/70/17s. They are almost the same diameter but just 1.4 inches wide. No problem for clearance in front but I only have about 1.75” gap between the duals in the back. I’ve read tons of reviews were people say they were able to run them without spacers and some say they are needed because the tires touched. I believe it all depends on the tread on the sidewall.

 

[jnbhobe]

Jamie, I have a set of 265/75/17 mounted up for my dually and they will touch. They are Master Craft MSR studded, maybe I'll try them if I ever take a truck out in the snow. LOL

 

[JWalker]

Jamie,

Back in my "younger days" when the tires on whatever truck I had at the time needed replacing, I just got a new truck. Expensive philosophy, but I got new tires and a new truck. That option isn'y so viable nowadays.

Mike, I’ve only needed to purchase 1 set in the last 10 years. So I have been pretty lucky. But the wife gives me that “Burning Stare” when I mention the new truck subject. Plus, waiting for the new design Ram to hit the road.

 

[JWalker]

Jamie, I have a set of 265/75/17 mounted up for my dually and they will touch. They are Master Craft MSR studded, maybe I'll try them if I ever take a truck out in the snow. LOL

Thanks Jon. If the 75s will touch, it’s a good bet the 70 series will touch. Which leads me down the ”spacer” road. Not sure if I want to do that.

- - - Updated - - -

I didn't get any wider tires but they look wider because they are made a bit differently. Exo Grapplers by Nitto

The more aggresive tread and side tread make it look wider.

 

[danemayer]

Last fall I went with Sailun Terramax A/T 4S 235/80R -17 on the 2014 RAM dually. 6 tires - $744 delivered from Simpletire.com. Had them mounted and balanced at Walmart. The ride is quiet and smooth. Traction is good in snow. Too early to tell how they do on mileage.

 

[avvidclif]

My mantra is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". If the size you have will carry the load why go bigger???

 

[JWalker]

My mantra is "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". If the size you have will carry the load why go bigger???

Why do they offer upgrades and options on your truck? Or your trailer? Or your house? Because sometimes you just want something different than standard

 

[RickL]

It comes down to personal preference on many items but when it comes to tires there are restrictions. First and foremost the spacing between the duals MUST be enough so when the tires are loaded there is sufficient space for tire jounce (sidewall flex). Too close and it’s a sure way to ruin another nice day. It happens in a second. Plus as mentioned, if a 4X4 all tires must be of the same rolling diameter.

Im not too sure that adding a spacer is a real viable option (although I’m sure there are “experts” out there that will disagree with an old tire guy with 35+ yrs of experience). I big into keeping things they way they were engineered from the factory. Now if there was an option for larger or wider tires then by all means it should be explored but make sure other items such as the wheels weren’t different ( thinking rim width).

In my years dealing anywhere from passenger tires tires to large off the road tires I have seen some things people have done that gets me to just shake my head. When they would want my locations to fix/warranty these issues we would try to politely explain as a result of misapplication we wouldn’t touch it. Many times the discussion would go south in a hurry. That’s when I would get the call. I had no issue making them understand the buck stopped at me. Having worked for all of the big 3 over my career not one time did I get over ridden in my decision as I always explained things in a common sense way.

As as I would explain, it’s your rig and you are free to do as you want. But when things don’t work out as the rigs were engineered I’m not sure why someone demands the mfg should bail them out.

Ok ok off my soapbox.

 

[avvidclif]

Why do they offer upgrades and options on your truck? Or your trailer? Or your house? Because sometimes you just want something different than standard

Are the "upgrades" a factory option or an aftermarket thing???? If factory I have no problem. As long as the factory approved tires and rims are used.

 

[Mark-Roberta 051995]

Where i work at the dealer can order an upgrade package which could include tires and wheels and they would be done here at the factory. I am unsure if those sizes are larger than what is normally applied.

 

[mlpeloquin]

If the dully tires do not have enough space between them, they will heat up. Touching will allow rubbing as the roads are not perfectly flat. The manufacture takes care to design the truck with maximum weight and set tire pressure to not have the tires heat up. Heating up will really cook the tires. My sister had the recommended tire pressure on her class C. I purchase it from her. I took it in to have the tires inspected. The manufacture did not change the pressure from the empty bare chassis pressure to the built loaded chassis requirement. They had me put my finger nails into the side wall. The inner side wall was like jelly and pulled away from the cord. I purchased a new set. Looked up the load pressure chart and set the pressure accordingly. Mucking with the manufactures design may look cool, but you need to know what you are doing. So long as the new tires have the same clearance with load, you should perhaps have enough for keeping the temperature down, but why fool around with a well designed truck.

 

[Bones]

I see a lot of people commenting on upgrades from what the factory did. All I have to say is no one must have anything in their RVs or home's or truck that is not what the manufacturer put in place. A lot of times things on the manufacturer side are chosen to meet the need and that's it. Nothing extra and meet the need of an assembly line. These trucks can be upgraded otherwise they wouldn't offer chassis vehicles with instructions on up fitting.

 

[TexasTraveler2017]

Last fall I went with Sailun Terramax A/T 4S 235/80R -17 on the 2014 RAM dually. 6 tires - $744 delivered from Simpletire.com. Had them mounted and balanced at Walmart. The ride is quiet and smooth. Traction is good in snow. Too early to tell how they do on mileage.

How are those Sailuns performing? I was looking at those for when it comes time to replace the factory tires on my 2016 f350 DRW (hopefully not anytime soon with only 26000 miles on them.)

Edited ... I had my kids in my lap and failed to read your whole post. You already answer my questions...oops.

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[danemayer]

How are those Sailuns performing? I was looking at those for when it comes time to replace the factory tires on my 2016 f350 DRW (hopefully not anytime soon with only 26000 miles on them.)


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So far so good. I noticed right away that the ride was quieter and smoother. Not enough miles on them to tell how they'll wear.