wheels/tires/towing

From : tm

Q: hello again! i am going to throw this out to you guys who know a thing or 3 about tire size and towing.you may not laught at any silly question i may ask! i have asked 4 different tire dealers dodge dealer and about anyone else i could think of. i get different opinions and views and suggestions. i know by throwing this question out i will get more but i guess thats what i am looking for-more opinions! ok here it is 2004 dodge ram 1500 4x4 quad cab 5.7 hemi 3.92 axle ratio 20 inch tires we are upgrading our travel trailer. my calculation is the most we will pull loaded is 6500lbs. the truck is rated at 7500 with the 20 inch 8500 if we put 17 on. we dont want to max out our weight by any means and want to be good to the truck. on the dodge printout i have it shows our truck with 17 = 8500 lbs and with 20=7500lbs. our current tires that came on the truck are p275/60r20 114s 44 psi 2601 lbs. goodyear wrangler mud and snow standar load all the info off the tire here are suggestions i have gotten just change 20 to a different 20- 27560r 20re 50 psi 2998 lbs. its supposedly a better tire has optimized thread hiway tread extended wear its a cooper discover tire.this was from our regular tire dealer who offered to sell 17 wheels and tires but said why spend all that money when you can just put on different tire.hmmmm...true or does he need to move some inventory another go to a 17 wheel and tire its the best way to go for towing.i was all for this and started calling to get pricing thats when the controversy started. another if you switch to 17 youll mess things up brakes might not line upetc. anotherthe above isnt true... another keep what you have no need to changeyoull be fine. another go to a 20 305/ 50/ 20 3100 lbs all terrain. spinning my head is spinning...im so dizzy.... - i quit calling around and decided i needed to use the forum again. so plz those of you with experience in this tiretrucktowing dept .....plz help! pretend the truck is yours and tell me what youd do! i want to really rely on the experience of others. thanks for help! you can answer here or email at iamtm@charter.net. thanks again! tawnya .

Replies:

From : bob

tm wrote hello again! i am going to throw this out to you guys who know a thing or 3 about tire size and towing.you may not laught at any silly question i may ask! i have asked 4 different tire dealers dodge dealer and about anyone else i could think of. i get different opinions and views and suggestions. i know by throwing this question out i will get more but i guess thats what i am looking for-more opinions! ok here it is 2004 dodge ram 1500 4x4 quad cab 5.7 hemi 3.92 axle ratio 20 inch tires we are upgrading our travel trailer. my calculation is the most we will pull loaded is 6500lbs. the truck is rated at 7500 with the 20 inch 8500 if we put 17 on. we dont want to max out our weight by any means and want to be good to the truck. on the dodge printout i have it shows our truck with 17 = 8500 lbs and with 20=7500lbs. our current tires that came on the truck are p275/60r20 114s 44 psi 2601 lbs. goodyear wrangler mud and snow standar load all the info off the tire the problem with the 20s is two fold. first the 20 tires are not rated high enough to tow/haul that kind of load. if you search around you may be able to find some that are. lt truck tires dont come in a 20 rim size - yet. the second issue is the weight rating of the wheel itself. the 20 wheel is mostly for show and may not be made strong enough for real work. the issue is not gearing. the overall diameter of the stock 17 and 20 package is the same. as i see it you have two reasonable options. first look around for a set of new 17 take offs. youll probably be able to find a set with only a few thousand miles on them if you look around. try an ad in your local paper or thrifty nickel. second dont worry about it. your plans are for 1000 pounds less than rated capacity. even if your calculations are 500# off youre still within specs. imo the rated capacity is fairly conservative anyway. -- ..bob arrived 2006 fxdi red. 1997 hd fxdwg - turbocharged stolen 11/26/05 in denver 1hd1gel10vy3200010 co license j5822z 2001 dodge dakota qc 5.9/4x4/3.92 1966 mustang coupe - daily driver 1965 ffr cobra - 427w efi damn fast. .

From : tom lawrence

another go to a 17 wheel and tire its the best way to go for towing.i was all for this and started calling to get pricing thats when the controversy started. another if you switch to 17 youll mess things up brakes might not line upetc. a factory 17 wheel will fit without a problem as thats what they come with as standard equipment - you dont get bigger brakes when you opt for the 20 wheels. however many aftermarket 17 wheels will not clear the brakes. i agree with bob... if it were me well i wouldnt have gotten the 20s in the first place but that aside id opt for a set of factory 17 wheels and get a good-quality load-range e tire im partial to michelins - always had good wear/performance from them in 245/70r17. thats just about a 31 tire whereas your 275/60r20s are a 33 tall tire and p-rated at that - meaning the sidewalls are much weaker than an lt-rated tire especially an lre tire. youll need the dealer to re-program your computer for the different tire size but that wont be a problem because its the stock size that comes with the 17 wheels. i would absolutely not re-gear the truck... way too expensive and decreased fuel economy when running empty. since your tire/wheel combination is unacceptable for towing anyway youll get the same results by downsizing your wheel/tire combo as you would by stuffing taller gears in there. youll also be able to sell your 20s pretty easily and offset a good portion of the cost of the new tires/wheels. when it comes time for new tires youll be saving even more as the 17 truck tires are cheaper than the 20 rubber bands probably save over $100 on the set. .

From : geekboy

hello again! i am going to throw this out to you guys who know a thing or 3 about tire size and towing.you may not laught at any silly question i may well i had a 99 1500 with 16 wheels and v6. it was rated to tow 8900 lbs. ask! i have asked 4 different tire dealers dodge dealer and about anyone else i could think of. i get different opinions and views and suggestions. i know by throwing this question out i will get more but i guess thats what i am looking for-more opinions! ok here it is 2004 dodge ram 1500 4x4 quad cab 5.7 hemi 3.92 axle ratio 20 inch tires we are upgrading our travel trailer. my calculation is the most we will pull loaded is 6500lbs. the truck is rated at 7500 with the 20 inch 8500 if we put 17 on. we dont want to max out our weight by any means and want to be good to the truck. on the dodge printout i have it shows our truck with 17 = 8500 lbs and with 20=7500lbs. our current tires that came on the truck are p275/60r20 114s 44 psi 2601 lbs. goodyear wrangler mud and snow standar load all the info off the tire here are suggestions i have gotten just change 20 to a different 20- 27560r 20re 50 psi 2998 lbs. its supposedly a better tire has optimized thread hiway tread extended wear its a cooper discover tire.this was from our regular tire dealer who offered to sell 17 wheels and tires but said why spend all that money when you can just put on different tire.hmmmm...true or does he need to move some inventory another go to a 17 wheel and tire its the best way to go for towing.i was all for this and started calling to get pricing thats when the controversy started. another if you switch to 17 youll mess things up brakes might not line upetc. anotherthe above isnt true... another keep what you have no need to changeyoull be fine. another go to a 20 305/ 50/ 20 3100 lbs all terrain. spinning my head is spinning...im so dizzy.... - i quit calling around and decided i needed to use the forum again. so plz those of you with experience in this tiretrucktowing dept ....plz help! pretend the truck is yours and tell me what youd do! i want to really rely on the experience of others. thanks for help! you can answer here or email at iamtm@charter.net. thanks again! tawnya .

From : snoman

on 23 apr 2006 091351 -0700 tm iamtm@charter.net wrote hello again! i am going to throw this out to you guys who know a thing or 3 about tire size and towing.you may not laught at any silly question i may ask! i have asked 4 different tire dealers dodge dealer and about anyone else i could think of. i get different opinions and views and suggestions. i know by throwing this question out i will get more but i guess thats what i am looking for-more opinions! ok here it is 2004 dodge ram 1500 4x4 quad cab 5.7 hemi 3.92 axle ratio 20 inch tires we are upgrading our travel trailer. my calculation is the most we will pull loaded is 6500lbs. the truck is rated at 7500 with the 20 inch 8500 if we put 17 on. we dont want to max out our weight by any means and want to be good to the truck. on the dodge printout i have it shows our truck with 17 = 8500 lbs and with 20=7500lbs. our current tires that came on the truck are p275/60r20 114s 44 psi 2601 lbs. goodyear wrangler mud and snow standar load all the info off the tire here are suggestions i have gotten just change 20 to a different 20- 27560r 20re 50 psi 2998 lbs. its supposedly a better tire has optimized thread hiway tread extended wear its a cooper discover tire.this was from our regular tire dealer who offered to sell 17 wheels and tires but said why spend all that money when you can just put on different tire.hmmmm...true or does he need to move some inventory another go to a 17 wheel and tire its the best way to go for towing.i was all for this and started calling to get pricing thats when the controversy started. another if you switch to 17 youll mess things up brakes might not line upetc. anotherthe above isnt true... another keep what you have no need to changeyoull be fine. another go to a 20 305/ 50/ 20 3100 lbs all terrain. spinning my head is spinning...im so dizzy.... - i quit calling around and decided i needed to use the forum again. so plz those of you with experience in this tiretrucktowing dept ....plz help! pretend the truck is yours and tell me what youd do! i want to really rely on the experience of others. thanks for help! you can answer here or email at iamtm@charter.net. thanks again! tawnya your 20s with a 3.92 is like towing with stock tires and a 3.55. the best permanent fix here is to regear the truck. install some 4.56s it is supported by ecm with reprogramming because some power wagons came with 4.56s it will offset tire size and make it tow a lot better and ease strain on tranny. do not take ratings as the gosphel as some do as there is little science behind them mostly marketing. with 4.56 and 20s you should be able to comfortably tow 8k or so without beating the tranny to death with down shifts and towing mpg will improve a bit too. when not towing your mpg will not take a hit because 4.56s with 20s and od will yeild a low cruise rpm in od. it might actually increase mpg a bit under some conditions too ----------------- the snoman www.thesnoman.com .

From : marc

you had a 1500 with a v6 that was rated to tow 8900lbs yeah right. 444bb699$0$14900$a82e2bb9@reader.athena.com... hello again! i am going to throw this out to you guys who know a thing or 3 about tire size and towing.you may not laught at any silly question i may well i had a 99 1500 with 16 wheels and v6. it was rated to tow 8900 lbs. ask! i have asked 4 different tire dealers dodge dealer and about anyone else i could think of. i get different opinions and views and suggestions. i know by throwing this question out i will get more but i guess thats what i am looking for-more opinions! ok here it is 2004 dodge ram 1500 4x4 quad cab 5.7 hemi 3.92 axle ratio 20 inch tires we are upgrading our travel trailer. my calculation is the most we will pull loaded is 6500lbs. the truck is rated at 7500 with the 20 inch 8500 if we put 17 on. we dont want to max out our weight by any means and want to be good to the truck. on the dodge printout i have it shows our truck with 17 = 8500 lbs and with 20=7500lbs. our current tires that came on the truck are p275/60r20 114s 44 psi 2601 lbs. goodyear wrangler mud and snow standar load all the info off the tire here are suggestions i have gotten just change 20 to a different 20- 27560r 20re 50 psi 2998 lbs. its supposedly a better tire has optimized thread hiway tread extended wear its a cooper discover tire.this was from our regular tire dealer who offered to sell 17 wheels and tires but said why spend all that money when you can just put on different tire.hmmmm...true or does he need to move some inventory another go to a 17 wheel and tire its the best way to go for towing.i was all for this and started calling to get pricing thats when the controversy started. another if you switch to 17 youll mess things up brakes might not line upetc. anotherthe above isnt true... another keep what you have no need to changeyoull be fine. another go to a 20 305/ 50/ 20 3100 lbs all terrain. spinning my head is spinning...im so dizzy.... - i quit calling around and decided i needed to use the forum again. so plz those of you with experience in this tiretrucktowing dept ....plz help! pretend the truck is yours and tell me what youd do! i want to really rely on the experience of others. thanks for help! you can answer here or email at iamtm@charter.net. thanks again! tawnya .

From : jay

tm wrote hello again! i am going to throw this out to you guys who know a thing or 3 about tire size and towing.you may not laught at any silly question i may ask! i have asked 4 different tire dealers dodge dealer and about anyone else i could think of. i get different opinions and views and suggestions. i know by throwing this question out i will get more but i guess thats what i am looking for-more opinions! ok here it is 2004 dodge ram 1500 4x4 quad cab 5.7 hemi 3.92 axle ratio 20 inch tires we are upgrading our travel trailer. my calculation is the most we will pull loaded is 6500lbs. the truck is rated at 7500 with the 20 inch 8500 if we put 17 on. we dont want to max out our weight by any means and want to be good to the truck. on the dodge printout i have it shows our truck with 17 = 8500 lbs and with 20=7500lbs. our current tires that came on the truck are p275/60r20 114s 44 psi 2601 lbs. goodyear wrangler mud and snow standar load all the info off the tire with 3.92 axle ratio axle ratio you can tow 7500 lbs gross vehicle weight rating gvwr = 6650 lbs payload = 1321 lbs curb weight = 5329 lbs curb weight front/rear = 3103 lbs/3103 lbs gawr front/rear = 3900 lbs/3900 lbs gross combination weight rating gcwr = 13000 lbs if you air up to 44psi both tires can handle 5202 you noted 2601 above per tire your axles are rated 3900 each. you will over load the axle before the tires. you are good to go. but you can go with avon tyres in the cooper tires family the tech st 275/60 r20 are a 119s tire rated at 2998lbs. at 50 psi. personal experience i have not towed with my 05 ram 1500 qc 4x4 hemi 20s but ive had enough wood in the back to bottom out the suspension and aired up to 44 psi. with no problems for the tires. begin 666 dotgif.gif m1te&.#ea#0*#/pp#0*$ #x2/j6l1#5sl=hvvj # end .

From : snoman

on sun 23 apr 2006 141327 -0400 clare at snyder.on.ca wrote the 20 inchers he has are the same outside diameter an the 17s id suspect so gearing is not the issue and there should be no gearing issues with brakes or ecu. i would not go to 4.56 gears at todays fuel prices! id stick with the 3.92 gears and forgo overdrive when towing. that depends a lot on tire size on rim and if overall diameter is the same then the the rim is 1 1/2 inches close to pavement which is not good when you hit a chuck hole with a heavy load unexpectadly and loss a rim. you want more rubber between rim and road. on gear ratio there is a false belief out there that taller gear equals better npg towing and this is not true most of the time especail with a gas motor that has a high rpm torque peak. there was a time when a 3.92 was a deep gear but that was when cars or trucks weight 4 to 5k and had 29 inch tires or so and no od. now they have 32s or so and can weigh over 6k before you load them up and have od as well to boot. if you are that worried about mpg when not towing buy a 4cyl to run around in. also deeper gear will improve towing mpg with a heavy load not hurt it with a gas motor of that size as it is not the old low rpm stump puller that the old v10 was. ----------------- the snoman www.thesnoman.com .

From : clare at snyder on ca

on sun 23 apr 2006 173006 gmt snoman admin@snoman.com wrote on 23 apr 2006 091351 -0700 tm iamtm@charter.net wrote hello again! i am going to throw this out to you guys who know a thing or 3 about tire size and towing.you may not laught at any silly question i may ask! i have asked 4 different tire dealers dodge dealer and about anyone else i could think of. i get different opinions and views and suggestions. i know by throwing this question out i will get more but i guess thats what i am looking for-more opinions! ok here it is 2004 dodge ram 1500 4x4 quad cab 5.7 hemi 3.92 axle ratio 20 inch tires we are upgrading our travel trailer. my calculation is the most we will pull loaded is 6500lbs. the truck is rated at 7500 with the 20 inch 8500 if we put 17 on. we dont want to max out our weight by any means and want to be good to the truck. on the dodge printout i have it shows our truck with 17 = 8500 lbs and with 20=7500lbs. our current tires that came on the truck are p275/60r20 114s 44 psi 2601 lbs. goodyear wrangler mud and snow standar load all the info off the tire here are suggestions i have gotten just change 20 to a different 20- 27560r 20re 50 psi 2998 lbs. its supposedly a better tire has optimized thread hiway tread extended wear its a cooper discover tire.this was from our regular tire dealer who offered to sell 17 wheels and tires but said why spend all that money when you can just put on different tire.hmmmm...true or does he need to move some inventory another go to a 17 wheel and tire its the best way to go for towing.i was all for this and started calling to get pricing thats when the controversy started. another if you switch to 17 youll mess things up brakes might not line upetc. anotherthe above isnt true... another keep what you have no need to changeyoull be fine. another go to a 20 305/ 50/ 20 3100 lbs all terrain. spinning my head is spinning...im so dizzy.... - i quit calling around and decided i needed to use the forum again. so plz those of you with experience in this tiretrucktowing dept ....plz help! pretend the truck is yours and tell me what youd do! i want to really rely on the experience of others. thanks for help! you can answer here or email at iamtm@charter.net. thanks again! tawnya your 20s with a 3.92 is like towing with stock tires and a 3.55. the best permanent fix here is to regear the truck. install some 4.56s it is supported by ecm with reprogramming because some power wagons came with 4.56s it will offset tire size and make it tow a lot better and ease strain on tranny. do not take ratings as the gosphel as some do as there is little science behind them mostly marketing. with 4.56 and 20s you should be able to comfortably tow 8k or so without beating the tranny to death with down shifts and towing mpg will improve a bit too. when not towing your mpg will not take a hit because 4.56s with 20s and od will yeild a low cruise rpm in od. it might actually increase mpg a bit under some conditions too ----------------- the snoman the 20 inchers he has are the same outside diameter an the 17s id suspect so gearing is not the issue and there should be no gearing issues with brakes or ecu. i would not go to 4.56 gears at todays fuel prices! id stick with the 3.92 gears and forgo overdrive when towing. as for the tires a good firm tread likely not a m+s with strong sidewalls is required. most of the 20 inch low profile tires are not a good solution for trailer towing for sidewall reasons what sidewall they are like a loll of friction tape the best towing tire will be a compromise when it comes to ride but so is a low profile performance tire you want a tire that will not squirm and a sidewall that will stand up and not buckle with sideloads. my recommmendation would be a good lt rated tire with a highway tread.17 inch would likely be the best. may well cost less for tires and rims combined than a suitable set of 20s to fit your current rims. www.thesnoman.com *** posted via a free usenet account from http//www.tera.com *** .

From : geekboy

you had a 1500 with a v6 that was rated to tow 8900lbs yeah right. yeah right. it came right off the dodge web site. 444bb699$0$14900$a82e2bb9@reader.athena.com... hello again! i am going to throw this out to you guys who know a thing or 3 about tire size and towing.you may not laught at any silly question i may well i had a 99 1500 with 16 wheels and v6. it was rated to tow 8900 lbs. ask! i have asked 4 different tire dealers dodge dealer and about anyone else i could think of. i get different opinions and views and suggestions. i know by throwing this question out i will get more but i guess thats what i am looking for-more opinions! ok here it is 2004 dodge ram 1500 4x4 quad cab 5.7 hemi 3.92 axle ratio 20 inch tires we are upgrading our travel trailer. my calculation is the most we will pull loaded is 6500lbs. the truck is rated at 7500 with the 20 inch 8500 if we put 17 on. we dont want to max out our weight by any means and want to be good to the truck. on the dodge printout i have it shows our truck with 17 = 8500 lbs and with 20=7500lbs. our current tires that came on the truck are p275/60r20 114s 44 psi 2601 lbs. goodyear wrangler mud and snow standar load all the info off the tire here are suggestions i have gotten just change 20 to a different 20- 27560r 20re 50 psi 2998 lbs. its supposedly a better tire has optimized thread hiway tread extended wear its a cooper discover tire.this was from our regular tire dealer who offered to sell 17 wheels and tires but said why spend all that money when you can just put on different tire.hmmmm...true or does he need to move some inventory another go to a 17 wheel and tire its the best way to go for towing.i was all for this and started calling to get pricing thats when the controversy started. another if you switch to 17 youll mess things up brakes might not line upetc. anotherthe above isnt true... another keep what you have no need to changeyoull be fine. another go to a 20 305/ 50/ 20 3100 lbs all terrain. spinning my head is spinning...im so dizzy.... - i quit calling around and decided i needed to use the forum again. so plz those of you with experience in this tiretrucktowing dept ....plz help! pretend the truck is yours and tell me what youd do! i want to really rely on the experience of others. thanks for help! you can answer here or email at iamtm@charter.net. thanks again! tawnya .