what at tires are you running? i had the stock 275 mich and loved the ride and noise qualities. am torn between replacing them and going to an AT tire......

 

I am running some coopers. Not too bad for road noise, don't hold the heat when towing either.

Pretty decent in snow as well.

 

I'm assuming you're running stock rims based upon your comment about the 275 Michelins...

I just had this same conversation, at length, with my buddy who was looking for tires for his '08 F350...

Do NOT put 12.5 tires on a stock (8 inch wide) wheel. They are NOT the proper size, period. It doesn't matter how many people do it, that doesn't mean they're the right fit...sorry.

Just about every tire manufacturer has a "recommended rim/wheel width" specification on their website, and I couldn't fit a single one that recommended a 12.5 inch tire for an 8 inch rim.

Why does it matter? You may get it to fit (as obviously a whole lot of other people have) and it may look right, but you don't need to be a tire engineer to figure out you're putting a whole lot of sidewall stress on the tire by fitting it on a wheel that's too narrow. And if you tow (as I do with my '10 F250 and he does with his truck) you could be asking for all sorts of trouble.

That's definitely trouble he doesn't need, and although it seems a whole lot of tire shops don't seem to mind that they're fitting the wrong size tire on a rim they sure would care if there was a catastrophic malfunction/failure followed by a wreck...or worse...

That's when the "I read it was OK to do it on the internet" excuse would fall real short in a court, etc.

What did he end up with? Toyo Open Country A/T 285/75 R18 which, coincidentally, are double marked as 35x11.5 R18. The Open Country M/Ts are also available in the same size, and both tires are Load Range E rated, as they should be...

Hope this helps...

 

Running the Goodyear ATs, have not experienced annoying level of road noise (subjective), and at about 15K miles they seem to be about half used-up. I have not priced replacement, but a local tire dealer estimated $240/tire. They are load range E and have held up when hauling about 2400 lb pin weight with 80psi. I will buy them again.

 

ok so i guess i am confused. i thought the 35's were going top be taller-filling whell wells and lifting truck slightly. the 275's are 34" tall per the calculater.... is 35" = 1" taller worth the ride-road noise difference between stock and 1"

 

I don't think I would go taller than the 275 myself.

 

I just put on Michelin LTX A/T 2, LT275/65R20E. Not cheap, but they have the best warranty out there and so far so good on noise etc. The reviews were pretty impressive.