Looking for tire advice

[lungs414]

I live on Long Island, NY. I only tow in the summer months, a double Jet ski trailer. Sometimes have trouble pulling out of the ramp. When surf is rough sand and gravel wash up and the tires spin and slip. I think its the OEM tires and I want to replace. 2014 5.7 crew cab. No lift and was thinking about a 2.5" lift and level. It has oem black sport rims, Would like a little bigger but don't really want to have a noisy tire, as I do a lot of regular highway driving.
Thanks
Rich

 

[mtofell]

The good news is the OEM tires suck so pretty much anything you get should be an improvement. Boat ramps can be tough for 2WD (I'm assuming you don't have 4WD?). Along with tires you might consider some weight in the bed. Also, whatever tires you get, have them siped. It really improves traction and could help with exactly what you are talking about.

 

[lungs414]

I do have 4WD. I have used it but later in the season I almost couldn't get out. There was so much sand and grit. A lot o slippage. Another truck was next to me and got right out with the same truck. I didn't ave time to ask him what he had. Pulled out no problem and just left.

 

[Firebird]

Do you have an open rear end and 3.21 gears? Maybe just spinning the 1 wheel if you do. Stock tires aren't great, but pulling two jet skis out of the water should be quite simple

 

[OC455]

I like the Nitto Terra Grappler G2's. XL rated AT. 65k tread wear rating.

 

[mtofell]

I do have 4WD. I have used it but later in the season I almost couldn't get out. There was so much sand and grit. A lot o slippage. Another truck was next to me and got right out with the same truck. I didn't ave time to ask him what he had. Pulled out no problem and just left.

Wow, 4WD should be no problem, even under the worst conditions on a boat ramp. Be sure both axles are spinning - even if just one wheel on each. LOL.... this may be a new low for the OEM tires Like I said before, anything will be an improvement.

 

[McBroom]

Ditch the street tires and get a good A/T tire. It helps with pulling power.


I Love my 18 Ram 2500HD 4x4 CC
Blue Streak Pearl off-road

 

[lungs414]

Thanks for the responses. Like i said later in the season the water was much rougher and there was a lot of sand and grit on the ramp. Much more than the summer. I will look into the different AT tires. Not sure what rear is on the truck I bought as a brand new to me DEMO for what i think was a good price in January '15

 

[17Delmonico]

I live on Long Island, NY. I only tow in the summer months, a double Jet ski trailer. Sometimes have trouble pulling out of the ramp. When surf is rough sand and gravel wash up and the tires spin and slip. I think its the OEM tires and I want to replace. 2014 5.7 crew cab. No lift and was thinking about a 2.5" lift and level. It has oem black sport rims, Would like a little bigger but don't really want to have a noisy tire, as I do a lot of regular highway driving.
Thanks
Rich

Fellow LI'er

Yeah, these stock tires are really not good. Anything other than a flat, dry, clean road, and they don't grip... I have to get new tires, too....

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

Cooper at3, great tire in stock size. Got them on my 16. Significant improvement over stock

 

[joshuaeb09]

Running 275/65R20 LT E1 KO2s right now, but looking at STT Pro's after damn near getting stuck in some not so deep driveway mud. Outside of the sticky black mud we can get around here they do damn good in just about any conditions I've driven them in and are quieter than other AT's I've run. The stockers are some of the worst trash I've ever had on a 4x4 so like others say just about anything will be an upgrade.

 

[Craw]

View media item 26669View media item 26671
Falken AT3Ws , the 275 55 20 are XL rated I love them. I live in Snow & Ice no fear with these tires.

 

[NormB]

I’ve run Michelins on my cars and trucks since I lived in Bavaria about 20 years ago. Had them on my last two Tacomas. OEM toyota tires wear out in like 18,000 miles (less, really, if you’re talking wet pavement traction, kept the first set from 2008 through one winter and put on Michelins in the spring, had like 52,000 miles on them when I sold that Taco in 2014. Ditto the second one which I just sold after four years, had about 40,000 miles - mostly highway - and after 3 years they still looked and worked like new.

I’m looking at replacing the crap mixed set I got on the used truck ASAP. Maybe they’ll work through the winter okay, and tread is good enough, but I like having good rubber on my vehicles.

MICHELIN
DEFENDER LTX M/SHighway All-Season

• Size: LT275/70R18 125/122R E

Read the reviews on tirerack dot com.

Just my two cents. YMMV.

 

[NorthStar1]

I have run Michelin LTX Defenders on my current and last three Rams. The first thing I do is ditch the stock Goodyear’s and switch to the Michelin’s. I’ve always gotten superior traction, ride and longevity out of the Defenders. I highly recommend them...am running 275/60R20 on my LL.

 

[John Jensen]

I've had almost every make of AT tire and find the Falken Wildbeast A/T3W the best of them all. They are cheaper than the other popular ones are siped all the way down and are "Snow" rated.

 

[Elkman]

The Michelin tires, while excellent in most respects are terrible with gravel. The small stones get stuck in the tread and then it is rock against rock and traction is negligible. My neighbor has a dairy and the approach road is gravel. When he leaves the dairy road and hits the asphalt road he has rocks pinging off the tires for the first couple of miles.

A trick that can help in situations where traction is a problem is to start off in 2nd gear. There will be less torque and less chance of the tire breaking loose. I use this technique on mud and snow when starting out.

Where I live the water is saltwater at the boat ramps and after having the rear brakes repaired from corrosion for the second time I invested in having an insert made to create a tongue extender for the trailer. It enable me to float a boat off or on without having to put the rear axle into the water.