Newbie questions

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Athame

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Dec 2, 2019
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Anchorage, Alaska
Ram Year
2019
Engine
6.7
Howdy. I just bought a 6.7 Cummins Single Cab Long Bed 2500 Tradesman with the Chrome appearance group and I've got a few questions I'd love to have answered.

The stock tires are LT275/70R18E riding on a rim with 57mm of offset (which seems like a lot.)
I want new rims and tires and I don't want them sticking out really far. What's more, I'm not exactly a fan of the deep lip negative off set look. So far, I'm really like the AEV Salta (+27mm) wheels in Silver and the Level 8 Chrome Hauler (0mm).

1. I'd like to know, what would be the best offset to use for a BFG KO2 305/65R18 tire with a diameter of 33.6" and a section width of 12.0"?

2. Also, what offset for a Duratrac 325/65R18 AND will I need a leveling kit to keep from rubbing?

3. I have the Heavy Duty Snow Plow Prep Group. Today, I was looking at a leveling kit and in the description it said it couldn't be used with the Snow Plow Group. Why?

4. Does anyone know if AEV is making 18" Rims for the new 5th Gen Rams? Also, is it the case
that I need to stick to 18" inch rims because of the stock breaks?

5. What is the measurement of the 8 lug pattern Ram uses? Is it 8 x 6.5?

6. Finally, given where I live and what I use it for is it worth putting on the AEV suspension up grade and running the 37" tire?


I live in Anchorage, Alaska and do a small amount of light off roading into and out of camping/fishing/hunting spots and I want either an AT or possibly a hybrid tire which performs well on the road, as that's wear I drive the most. I'm new at vehicle modification. I've always just ran what was stock and when it needing replacing I replaced it stock. With my new truck I want to do something a little different. Any and all advice is welcome.

Thanks in advance.
 

ToTheDarkSide

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Eastern Ohio
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2019
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Hemi 6.4
I was able to put my 17” black rhino warlords on my 2019 2500 that I had on my 2013 2500. The only issue I had was the stick on weights that were stuck in the inside surface of the rim had to be placed on the inside lip of the rim. The brake caliper rubbed the lead weights. I have the snow prep on the 2019 and was looking at leveling options as well. Haven’t figured that out yet. I have nitto exo grapplers that have been amazing on both trucks so far. Noise and cold tire vibration has been the only two negatives so far. They wear awesome. They Started life on a 6.7 truck and are now on a lighter 6.4 truck.
 
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Athame

Athame

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Location
Anchorage, Alaska
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2019
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6.7
Thank you for the reply. At this point, I've decided to stick with 18" rims and I've pretty much made up my mind on 285/70R18 Duratracs. The
shop has 275/70R18 Duratracs in stock and they said that they would order the larger tire and do a test fit to see if it will need a level kit. If I don't
want to level the truck they said they would install the smaller tire. That seems pretty nice of them, I would say. I have to imagine that they feel
they won't have any problem selling the 285/70/R18 should I decide to go with the smaller tire. The fellow at the front says that's what he's
running and he says they're awesome. Take that for what it's worth. I've read pretty much nothing but stellar reviews about the Wrangler Duratracs.

Right now, I'm just hung up on whether to level the truck or not. I sort of don't want to mess with the stock suspension. I would love to hear
someone's advice on the con side of leveling. Does anyone know why the snow prep group is an issue?

Cheers
 

Crush14

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Texas
Ram Year
2019
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6.4
Thank you for the reply. At this point, I've decided to stick with 18" rims and I've pretty much made up my mind on 285/70R18 Duratracs. The
shop has 275/70R18 Duratracs in stock and they said that they would order the larger tire and do a test fit to see if it will need a level kit. If I don't
want to level the truck they said they would install the smaller tire. That seems pretty nice of them, I would say. I have to imagine that they feel
they won't have any problem selling the 285/70/R18 should I decide to go with the smaller tire. The fellow at the front says that's what he's
running and he says they're awesome. Take that for what it's worth. I've read pretty much nothing but stellar reviews about the Wrangler Duratracs.

Right now, I'm just hung up on whether to level the truck or not. I sort of don't want to mess with the stock suspension. I would love to hear
someone's advice on the con side of leveling. Does anyone know why the snow prep group is an issue?

Cheers
It’s not always the most popular opinion here, so TIFWIW, but I installed a superlift spacer leveling kit on mine and love it. It gave me the stance I wanted and did not change the ride at all. Unless you’re willing to spend a grand or so on quality suspension components, a $125 spacer will do the trick. Your ride won’t be better, but it also won’t be worse. And if you ever want to go back to totally stock, just remove the spacer. So if you’re satisfied with the ride and feel of the truck now, a spacer will accomplish what you want at a low price. If you want to make the ride better, look more towards a suspension level. But beware, the parts and brands add up quick if you go that route.
 
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Athame

Athame

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Anchorage, Alaska
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2019
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It’s not always the most popular opinion here, so TIFWIW, but I installed a superlift spacer leveling kit on mine and love it. It gave me the stance I wanted and did not change the ride at all. Unless you’re willing to spend a grand or so on quality suspension components, a $125 spacer will do the trick. Your ride won’t be better, but it also won’t be worse. And if you ever want to go back to totally stock, just remove the spacer. So if you’re satisfied with the ride and feel of the truck now, a spacer will accomplish what you want at a low price. If you want to make the ride better, look more towards a suspension level. But beware, the parts and brands add up quick if you go that route.

Hey, thanks for the reply. Would you say that that's not the most popular opinion in these parts because people are more in favor of changing-out
the shocks and springs or simply leaving it alone? I read through several posts here and I read about some shuddering problems after the instillation
of a level kit. Right now my truck seems to drive PERFECTLY and I sure would hate to mess that up. Plus, the guy at the tire shop said that the
"bolts" would have to be re-torqued every 5000 miles iirc.

Do you have any recommendations for a completely new suspension? I'm not totally settled either way.
 

Crush14

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Hey, thanks for the reply. Would you say that that's not the most popular opinion in these parts because people are more in favor of changing-out
the shocks and springs or simply leaving it alone? I read through several posts here and I read about some shuddering problems after the instillation
of a level kit. Right now my truck seems to drive PERFECTLY and I sure would hate to mess that up. Plus, the guy at the tire shop said that the
"bolts" would have to be re-torqued every 5000 miles iirc.

Do you have any recommendations for a completely new suspension? I'm not totally settled either way.
I think it’s not as popular because most people who want to lift or level their trucks, are okay with spending the cash to make the ride better. If you stick with quality brands such as Thuren, your ride will improve and you’ll be leveled. However, after all is said and done, you’ll be close to or over 1K in price. The spacer will not make the ride better, but will also not make it any worse and it’s only $100-150. I was perfectly content with how my truck drove, so the extra cash for a full suspension level was not worth it to me. For your piece of mind though, if you were to install the spacer and your ride quality changed for some reason, it would be equally as easy to just pull the spacer out and go back to stock. However, in my experience, the ride was not altered at all (can’t say the same for a Jeep I lifted using a full suspension lift from a cheap brand). If money is not an issue however, by all means and full kit from Thuren or Carli will make the truck ride a bit better than stock.
 

Derek Powers

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If you're going to put s plow on it at any time, go with the spacer. The springs on the aftermarket kits are not rated to carry the weight of a plow.
 
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