First Off great Forum, Lots of good info and articles, very Informative write ups on DIY's

The reason Im posting today is I need to find a Winter tire setup, for my 2005 Super duty and Im running into all kinds of problems, I have decided to downgrade to the smallest possible rim that will fit my '05, Which is the 17inch, and the tire size Im going with will be 285/70R17 now why that tire size you ask - well the overall diameter is the same size as the factory 20inch rims with the factory goodyear tires ....

Problems I'm running into:

There are NO dedicated Ice and snow tires in that size that I can Find ( If any one knows of any Could you please post )

Most of the tires I have found are for MUD and Snow, I understand that those ones there are mainly for off high way use, that being said they are terrible on icy highways due to the fact that they have "larger LUGS" in the treads,

The load rating on the factory tires are also a problem, The factory 20 inch wheels come with a 10 Ply rating , would it be safe for me to run a lesser ply rating? Lets say an 8 ply or is it possible to go even lower ?

Im not really towing stuff with my truck I just need a good set of winter tires that will not force me to keep the 4x4 on for extended periods of time on the highway, and definately something better than My factory Goodyears on the 20 inch rims,( They have over 85% tread on all the tires, but they slide around quite a bit!!! )

ANY help or advice would Greatly be Appreciated- Thanx in advance , and sorry for the long post-

 

See the link below for all Load D & E tires from TireRack.com.

Tire Search Results

 

You CANT equip that truck with anything less of a load then whats on there, and any tire shop that does so can be fine very heavy by the DOT and local DMV, there are really good reason why we put Load range E on such big and heavy trucks. May I recommend the General Grabber AT/2, its prepped for snow studs.

 

Sorry, over looked the 20" part. 275/65R20 is a tough one for tires, very limited when it comes to models. The one snow and ice I can find is a Hankook IPIKE RW11 Product#2001690

 

No Im not planning to keep the 20's on there Im actually gonna be downgrading to the 17inch rims if I can find a set of winters,

the only problem is I'd like them to have the same rolling diameter as my 20's, hence the 285//70R17 tiresize

Thanks for the input guys,

Tirerack Has no Dedicated winters in that size,

and the general Grabber AT/2 has the aforementioned larger " LUGS" in the tread pattern

Any other Suggestions?

Thanks in advance-

 

265/70 r17's seem to be a more common size for true "snow/ice" with a 10 ply rating. The difference between the 285 and 265 is about 3.4% off (speedo reads 60, when you're actually traveling at 58 mph). I would suggest looking for them in the 265 size, as they will be a bit more narrow and will not 'float' as much on the snow either. The thinner (width) the better when it comes to snow for having maximum traction. I was shocked when we put a true snow tire on our 250, vs having mudders or all-terrain tires. They wear a bit quicker, but the increased traction is 2 fold over a mud/snow tire. The softer compound and massive sipping really makes it less of a headache when you get ice under the snow!

Tirerac Search Results 265/70/17's

Edit: I would try calling around to some local shops also, they should have some true winter tires in stock by now.

 

I know they're listed as an all-terrain and not a winter tire, but I've been running my Revo-2's in full-on ice and snow winter conditions for a few weeks now and have been quite impressed with the traction so far. So impressed that I've ordered a set for my wife's Liberty, and I'm getting ready to sell the studded Coopers I have mounted on an extra set of rims for the Super Duty. Might be worth a look. Tirerack has them listed in 285/70-17, load range E, if that's what you want.

 

The General Grabber AT/2 is rated with the Mountain Snowflake symbol that signifies a rating for severe snow I run the BFG TA/KO with the same symbol and a very similar tread pattern (practically clones) and have good results.

 

You have any statues (law) that supports that?

Sounds like horse poopy to me. Tire shops put D rated 8 ply tires on SDs all the time. Myself and my dad have had D rated tires on our SDs for 10 years now and have them on our trucks currently.

According to my research the approx diameters are... (Varies slightly depending on tire type)

LT285/70R17 32 3/4" diameter

LT305/70R17 34" diameter

LT275/65R20 34 1/8" diameter

So the 285/70 is quite a ways off from your stock 275/65R20.

Cooper offers the M&S snow tire in 275/60R20 and is a little over 33" in diameter. This tire is a dedicated wither tire with a deep tread depth, soft compound and lots of siping.

A studable A/T tire would be your next best bet.

 

check out the Hurcules Trail diggers M/T. they are pinned for studs and sipped well.

i agree that i would like proof on the fines for running a lighter plyed tire. As long as you dont over load them you should be able to put what ever tire you want on it

 

Its what Goodyear and Michelin taught me in my certification.
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 119 & 120

Very simple, we as a repair shop are to meet or exceed the OEM tire specs, never to equip a car or truck with anything less in terms of load and speed rating.

 

§571.119 Standard No. 119; New pneumatic tires for motor vehicles with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) and motorcycles.

Standard No. 119; New pneumatic tires for motor vehicles with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) and motorcycles. - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

§571.120 Tire selection and rims and motor home/recreation vehicle trailer load carrying capacity information for motor vehicles with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds).

Tire selection and rims and motor home/recreation vehicle trailer load carrying capacity information for motor vehicles with a GVWR of more than 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds). - Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Notice the GVWR of those requirements. Basically they are going by actual published weight rating of the tire and not paying much attention to the actual letter rating. Most of the law is designated to setting marking standards and definitions for the markings. Applies primarily to the tire manufacturer. These are federal regs and are not produced by the state or local governments however they basically adopt them.

 

All well and good, and I applaud your intent, but I have personally seen Super Duty pickups sitting on used car lots with new 6 ply LT tires on them.

 

Yikes... Those must have been bagging pretty good. My 315/75r16s were D-rated at 50 psi (on the pickup when I bought it). Even at full rated pressure the front tires had a decent amount of bagging.

 

In Ontario you will not get a safety standards certification unless the tires meet or exceed the load rating specified on the door sticker. That means E or 121, so the tires have to be LT265 70 17. I know of two instances where used car lots very quickly put new tires on a recently sold unit when this was pointed out. Theoretically you could also get pulled at a roadside stop, but they only seem to do them on long weekends when everyone is heading north, and don't usually look at the tires.
Although you may never load the truck to max, the dynamic loads on the front tires (braking and turning at the same time for example) would be dangerous under certain conditions, and could wear out the tires far more quickly than normal. But you are free to put whatever you want on your own truck, just take the wheels to the tire shop and have them mounted, take them home and put them on. No liability, no problem unless you want to sell.

There are a few dedicated snow tire choices in LT265 70 17, I'm using the Yokohama Open Country tire, it works well.