Truck tire question

[BassCatDoc]

Hey guys, it’s time once again when I need to replace my tires. I currently have a 2007 Chevy 2500 Duramax Classic. Love the power of this truck, only gripe I have is the rough ride. I have tried two different brands of tires over the last 130,000 miles, 1st was Michelin LTX E rated, and currently Goodyear SR? E range tires. I know it’s not going to ride like a half ton, but trying to find ways to improve the ride. Contemplating putting on C range tires since I only pull a 21 ft Bass boat. My current tire size is 265/75/R16. And I don’t want any aggressive tread designs that will throw rocks at my boat. I just put $4200 into a new turbo and tailgate, and all of the fuel system injectors have been replaced. So I think I’m keeping this truck for a while. Would appreciate any of your insight. Thank you

[berudd]

Well, if you don’t carry heavy loads you can think about dropping down to a tire that is not an LT tire. It might have a softer sidewall and smooth things out a bit. But I gotta say I have doubts. I think the suspension in that truck is what is cause the harsh ride, not the tires. Also consider, that Duramax is heavy and stresses the front tires more. If you run a more forgiving tire, they will probably wear out faster.

[transamz9]

Put the stock size back on it. Also run the fronts at 65 PSI and the rear at 40.

[Joe4d]

trucks made to be loaded. Its not the tires its the suspension,,and C rated are under rated even for ur truck empty.

[BassCatDoc]

I was afraid that the C range tire might be a bad idea and potentially not gain me much ride improvement. Appreciate the insight

[jc1992]

trucks made to be loaded. Its not the tires its the suspension,,and C rated are under rated even for ur truck empty.

This is correct. The suspension is built to hold weight. So if you want to smooth out the ride, may be a good chance to add a custom steel bumpers or since you don’t pull a goosneck, you can never be too prepared and add a couple of tool boxes in the back that you can lock, and can potentially carry more gear or store your jack, 4 way lug wrench, straps, or whatever. Other than adding some weight the only way you will smooth it out is to down size to a half-ton truck.

[DeGraaf]

Put the stock size back on it. Also run the fronts at 65 PSI and the rear at 40.

That should help and adding any weight will help. Tools, sandbags if you have to.
Like mentioned a 3/4 needs something in the bed or it’s going to be rough

[BassCatDoc]

I am curious, why would going back to the stock tire size improve the ride ??

[ROADRUNNER]

Stay with the Michelins, you can sleep better at night.

[mysuzytoo]

Don't know if you've got one close to you, but Costco has a deal on Michelins now through the 28th. $70 off a set and $130 off if you use their credit card.

[BassCatDoc]

Stay with the Michelins, you can sleep better at night.

Yeah I really liked the Michelin’s other than they were the roughest ride, harder rubber tire. Another friend said they have the worst wet road traction since they are hard rubber. I think that’s what I’ll get though.

[Chadsc]

Personally i hate the feel of a mushy 2500/250 truck or whatever. But anyway, just air them down some and that will help. I dont know if you can get anything other than a 10 ply tire in e-rated, but id imagine if you bumped down to an 8-ply e rated (if thats made) it would be a little better.

[Bamaman]

My 3/4 ton diesel has the Michelin E rated tires. I've found the L/T tread to be no harsher than the H/T tread with thinner tread. Michelins seem to be rounder, smoother and easier to balance.

[BassCatDoc]

Hey thanks for the opinions guys. I will just renew my man card and deal with the E range tires

[transamz9]

When was the last time you put new shocks on?

[Marshfly]

16" tires are not going to be the way to fix this. They aren't made with a high enough Load Index.

What I have found, and the tire and load charts back this up, is that you actually have to go UP in tire Load Index to get a better ride. If you have tires that will carry closer to 4000# at max inflation, you can run them at significantly lower pressures and have enough capacity to carry the load. The stock tires on my Ram 3500 SRW needed 65F and 55R to have enough capacity for 2k# in the bed. My current 315/70r18s only need 45F and 35R to carry the same load. However they are rated for about 200# more at 65psi than the stockers were at 80psi while still being Load Range E.

[BassCatDoc]

16" tires are not going to be the way to fix this. They aren't made with a high enough Load Index.

What I have found, and the tire and load charts back this up, is that you actually have to go UP in tire Load Index to get a better ride. If you have tires that will carry closer to 4000# at max inflation, you can run them at significantly lower pressures and have enough capacity to carry the load. The stock tires on my Ram 3500 SRW needed 65F and 55R to have enough capacity for 2k# in the bed. My current 315/70r18s only need 45F and 35R to carry the same load. However they are rated for about 200# more at 65psi than the stockers were at 80psi while still being Load Range E.

Marshfly, Not sure I understand your comment about the 16" tires. The rims are 16" rims, not sure I want to spend the money on different rims. I just went out and checked the specs on the inside of the door, and factory tires are 245/75/R16E. I do understand what your are saying about using the heavier tire that might carry the load better at lower tire pressure, which is what I think I will do.

Thank, Bill

[BassCatDoc]

When was the last time you put new shocks on?

That's a good question. I think the truck has 190,000 miles on it now. It might have 80-90,000 miles on these shocks. That might be a good idea. Thanks, Bill

[knopf]

Stay with the LT265/75R16 in the Load Range E. You have already increased your load carrying capacity by going with a larger tire. 16" tires will carry all the weight your truck will. You will find it hard to get a better tire than the Michelin Defender LTX. I have been in the tire business for 45 years.

Scott

[Marshfly]

Marshfly, Not sure I understand your comment about the 16" tires. The rims are 16" rims, not sure I want to spend the money on different rims. I just went out and checked the specs on the inside of the door, and factory tires are 245/75/R16E. I do understand what your are saying about using the heavier tire that might carry the load better at lower tire pressure, which is what I think I will do.

Thank, Bill

I'm just saying your options will be limited with 16" tires. Your current tire size is only rated at 3042# at 80psi. Moving up to a 285/75r16 will give you 3750 at 80psi. According to the inflation tables, you can drop down to 60 psi and have a 3110# rating. 45psi still give you 2540#. 35psi give you 2130# per tire. Doing this will significantly increase the comfort of your truck.

The 265/75r16 will require about 10psi more than the 285/75r16 to carry the same load and the right will be correspondingly worse.

What I do is match the factory load capacity in the front due to the heavy diesel. Then I derate the rear to where I have about 2000# of load capacity over the empty weight which is enough for normal loads.

The tables are here. This is from Toyo but these tables are consistent across brands.
https://www.toyotires.com/media/2125...s_20170203.pdf