My truck is in need of some new tires. This time around I'm leaning towards going with larger than stock. Either 305/70r18 Durra grappler (nitto) or a 325/65r18 with a few different choices. Keep in mind I'm going to run these on stock rims.

If​​​ I have to raise the truck, I'm planning on billsteins F4-SE5-C765-H0 5112 kit that replaces the coil springs up front and gains around 2". I will probably raise the rear end as well if I go that route.

Any thoughts? Anyone running similar size tires and what other suspension modifications?

 

My buddy runs 325/65/18 on his 2007 with the stock suspension, but he's about to lift the truck 6 inches so he'll be plenty good on tires.

 

billbot: I see in your avatar you tow a decent size trailer.

I tried 305s in BFG ATs E rated and they had close to catastrophic tread delamination within 2K miles and I ran them at max pressure when loaded.

So I stepped down a size to 285a and they did the same thing in 6K.

This was on stock 18" wheels but when I was loaded, the rear was maybe running 6900 lbs...

I now run stock size tires and no longer worry. And I did change tire brands too..

I'd get wider wheels if I wanted to try a wider tire again.

best of luck,
Scott

 

I was afraid I might hear something like that. Thanks for the info, probably save me a lot of trouble to just stay stock.

 

That's because bfg tires are crap. Plenty of people run bigger than stock size tires on stock wheels with no problem. It's poor choice in tire brands that lead to these failures.

 

Unfortunately, this is true...

BF Goodrich's quality has gone down hill the last few years and their tires aren't what they used to be. I started running them August 2007 and consistently got 50-60K out of the old KO tires. I bought a set of the new KO 2's for Rudolph and The Monster and was very disappointed. I got 26K out of the tires on The Monster and had to twist BFG's arm to pay for half of another set. The tires on Rudolph wore down quickly too. Needless to say, my next set of tires will either be Toyo Open Country AT's or Cooper St Maxx. I've read a lot of awesome reviews on the Cooper ST Maxx and a wholesaler I know recommends them.

After 10 years, this will be my last set of BF Goodrich tires on both trucks.

 

I've had the same problem. I use to swear by BFG for years, bought nothing else. This last two sets i put on my 06, absolute junk. 15k and the tread was gone,wore even but gone. I switched to a mud tread. 305/70r18 Mud claws. I've towed with them an aint had a problem and i like to overload when im hauling short distances.(kinda the whole get all the grocrey bags in one trip deal.) Dont think it's so much an oversized tire issue. To me a E rated tire is an E rated tire.

 

I have the e rated Cooper ST Maxx on my lifted explorer. Great example of the new hybrid all/mud terrain tires that are gaining popularity. I probably have 10k miles on them and they are just showing signs of wear on the fronts. I haven't rotated them once. I'm curious how many miles they will last because the tread blocks are soft. They are pretty quiet considering the tread design and that's an issue I was concerned about before I bought them because I did drive it on the highway frequently to work before i bought the big X. If i remember correctly they're not the best on ice but i guess that could be expected from the tread design. Overall I'm very pleased with them and you can say you bought Made in America.
Mine are 33's

 

I am running the Nitto Terra Grappler G2 on my 07. I have had the tires for about 15k miles and are very happy. they are wearing very well and are not very loud at all. My TT bumper pull is a tad over 7k loaded and I have pulled a 10k car trailer maxed out with no issues either. very happy with these tires. i am running them on the stock 17" wheel. 285x75x17 is the tire size i am running.

 

I agree on the BFGs going downhill -- used to have excellent use from them. That was one of the reasons I switched manufacturers: the 305s were not rated for an 8" rim, I think minimum was 8.5", so 1st time I figured was my fault. 2nd set the 285s definitely WERE rated for our stock rim size, and well within their weight rating. That plus I had a friend that had two BFGs, even in stock size, catastrophically fail, causing a lot of damage each time. All of these were E rated tires and both he and I have weighed our respective rigs, so no guessing what happened...

Anyway, we are both happy on Coopers now...

YMMV,
Scott

 

I have been looking at some other posts regarding larger tire sized on stock rims. While I have not measured the inside width of my rims, some 8" are reported to be 8.75". Could have just been the tires.

The Terra grappler seems to be a popular choice. I've heard the tread goes fast with heavy towing though. There is a newer version that is supposedly designed more for on and off road use, maybe they are better. I'm thinking about the 295/70r18. It will only be 1" taller than my current tires and about 3/4" wider. Load rating is 400# more. There are also some other brands with similar specs in this size.

 

Actual tire width varies from one manufacturer to another.Google tire size calculator. I use it and it will tell you the actual width of the particular brand tire you're looking at.

 

Can't go wrong with Cooper,I swear by them. Always ran BFG. Not anymore.

 

I've been happy with Toyo Open Country MT in 12 ply.

 

Yeah, even with plenty of meat on them discount tire wouldn't give me crap for mine to swap to some ST Maxx tires.

Them are good tires, two buddies have them on their trucks. One guy never rotated or balanced his and he still has plenty of meat on them. The other does a good job of maintaining them, so either way they last.