2019 Ram 2500 custom wheels & tires load/capacity?

[stevenk2]

Just purchased a 2019 Ram 2500 Laramie with the 6.4 Hemi and crew cab, and I'd like to eventually get custom wheels & tires on it. Lots of threads with folks that have done this, but I'm not seeing anything regarding how these setups may compromise payload (and/or towing) capacities of the truck. I have a 2500 pound 19' boat that I'll be towing with my 2500, which I imagine won't be much of an issue no matter which wheel & tire setup I go with. But, I'm also planning on hauling up to 1500 lbs. of ATV/UTV in the bed as well, so I'm concerned that moving away from the stock Firestone TransForce HT's that my payload capacity may be reduced. Is there anything I need to be watching for if/when I move to custom wheels and tires? Are there types of tires that I need to stay away from (i.e. all terrain or mud/snow tires)?

Also, are there any considerations in terms of which wheels I can get as well? Do I need to stay away from ones with large offsets or things like that? Am I limited as far as wheel diameters? Do I need more sidewall to help carry the load, so I need to stay away from lower-profile tires that would be necessary with larger rim sizes?

I'm not planning on lifting my truck or anything either - I'd like to stay with stock ride height. Of course, I want it to look nice with the new wheels and tires, but not at the expense of the payload capacity. Do I need to visit my local tire shop and get more into detail with all of this with them?

 

[crash68]

Make sure the tires you run are Load Range E rated.
Your correct in your thinking that bigger rims with lower profile tires do have an increased risk of rim damage. Going with excessive offset is harder on the suspension. Larger diameter rims also raises the tire cost also.
As far as tire type, going with a more aggressive open tread design can result in a noisier ride and tires wearing quicker. There are a lot of good All Terrain type tires available and everyone has an opinion on what's the best.

 

[MADDOG]

Some wheel manufacturers publish wheel load rating so try to match, or exceed, the factory wheel spec.

@crash68 is spot on regarding the tires. My 35x12.50R18 Nitto Ridge Grappler tires are a load range F and that rating exceeds the rating of the stock tires provided by the factory.

 

[stevenk2]

Some wheel manufacturers publish wheel load rating so try to match, or exceed, the factory wheel spec.

@crash68 is spot on regarding the tires. My 35x12.50R18 Nitto Ridge Grappler tires are a load range F and that rating exceeds the rating of the stock tires provided by the factory.

Would it be possible for you to post a couple of pics of your truck? I'm curious how the 18's look as well as the Nitto's. I'm trying to decide how I want to go with my setup, and most of the pics I'm seeing online are with 20x10's.

 

[stevenk2]

What are the pro's and con's of the different types of tires? I have Cooper STT Pro's on my Wrangler, and I've been generally pretty happy with them, but they do ride rougher than a non-AT/M&S tire. I know most folks go with the AT's or M&S tires for the more aggressive look, but I'd like to find something that has the best of both worlds that won't compromise my ride quality and payload capacity. In other words, I want a look that's more aggressive than my stock OEM Firestones, but 99% of my driving is on the highway, so I don't want to compromise my ride quality (among other things) by going too aggressive.

 

[MADDOG]

The Nitto Ridge Grappler tire is a hybrid, sort of like half way between the AT & MT tread patterns.

They are a good all around tire, very quiet, excellent wet traction, good performance off road on graveled and muddy roads. I have not tried them on sand yet. I've been very happy with them.

Here are some pics of my truck. 2" spacer level from Les Schwab, Walker Evans Racing Legacy 504 wheels (18x9, +12mm offset). If you are around Hillsboro or Beaverton area you can check out the level, wheels and tires in person if you want.

 

[MADDOG]

 

[stevenk2]

Very nice looking setup - that's pretty much the look I'm going for, and especially if the payload and ride aren't affected, then I should be good.

I noticed that the wheels are a +12mm offset - any thoughts on the negative offset wheels out there? Seems like a pretty common one is -25mm, but I'm not sure if a wheel setup like that creates any fitment, ride or payload issues. I also don't want to go too far outside the body with the tires, which becomes more prevalent the more negative you go with the offset (I think).

Also, any thoughts on 20" (or larger) wheels and tires? What's the overall height of your tires? Seems like I'd seen some folks going with non-metric setups (i.e. 35" tires), but I didn't know if there were any inherent problems with going that route. I don't really like the look of the rigs that have a huge amount of air gap above the tires; by the same token, I don't want to eat up too much of that space for fear of rubbing, especially with a payload in the bed.

 

[MADDOG]

Considering that the stock 20 inch wheels that came on my truck have a +55mm offset, going to +12mm represents a 43mm negative change. That's 1.7" pushed towards the outside. I've got a bit over 1.25" of tire outside the wheelwell given the wheel negative offset change + the wider tires.

Do you have your stock wheels on your truck at this time?

Now the larger offsets, say the -25mm, moves the wheels outwards even more. That offset difference from stock is 80mm (55+25) or a little over 3". Go too far out, and load the truck to its' maximum payload and now you may have a problem keeping the center in the wheels. It could break out due to more weight at the wheel hub and a leverage point moved outwards from the strongest portion of the suspension. You are correct. The higher the negative offset number is, the farther outwards the wheel will be away from the body.

The ride suffers with lower profile tires on high negative offset wheels, which is I believe you were referring to.

A +12mm offset, with 9" wheel and 35x12.50R18 tires; is about as far as I want them wheels & tires pushed out. My wheels and tires are 34.76" tall (with new 35" tires), and I like having a taller tire for more sidewall. Going to a larger wheel (22" & up) limits how much tire sidewall height you can get and that's gonna be a rough ride.

20" wheels, with a LT285/60R20E tire, came standard on the 2500 trucks. Since I was going to push the wheels and tires outwards, I leveled for the look and to avoid rubbing on suspension or body parts.

In the case of a 1500 you can easily level the front of your truck using several methods, go with a small positive or small negative offset wheel and a set of 33" tires for a nice look. Not stuffed but no big gaps, either. If the bed is loaded to capacity and you have some sag, the best way to avoid rear tire and wheel rubbing is to add air bags in the back to level the truck.

 

[stevenk2]

Thanks - I'm pretty sure that I'll be going with an 18" wheel. Besides having the look I like, I don't really want to destroy the ride by going with a 20" (or bigger) rim and tire setup. The wheel I'm looking at has a modest offset of +5 mm, so I don't think it'll really affect the stance a whole bunch.

I'm thinking of going with Cooper Discoverer ST Maxx's in 295/70R18 size - that is just a bit taller than stock, but should give me the look I'm going for without messing up the speedo too much (about 1-1.5 MPH off). I was originally going to go with the STT Pros, but I won't be driving offroad at all, and I'd heard daily driving the Pro's on the highway is a bit noisier and rougher than the Maxx's. Probably similar to the difference between the Trail Grapplers and Ridge Grapplers, I'd imagine.