Time for new tires - question?

[Devilscreekw]

My 2010 Ram 2500 crew 4x4 hemi came equipped with Michelin LTX A/S - LT245/70R/17 tires, and I actually have been pretty happy with them. I am not an off-roader, as this truck is used mainly as a trailer hauler (28' Travel Trailer and a 3 horse slant steel stock trailer) and some hunting duty. Driven very little in the winter and in spite of 8 years has about 55,000 miles.

Tread is starting to look a little light and I should think about replacing before we hit the road this summer. My question is: Can I replace the 245's with 265's without changing rims as I am thinking about going to Michelin LTX M/S2 in the 265 size? Would it affect my speedo reading. I am not willing to change either and any problems would be a non-starter for me.

 

[14hemiexpress]

From a quick search the tire you are wanting isn't show for a 265 in a 70 or 65 r17. A 265 70 r17 will be about 3% larger witch will effect your Speedo by about 2 mph. At 65mph you would really be going 67. A 265 65r17 would be less than 1% difference effectively not changing your speedo. Being a 2500 make sure you find a E rated tire as the 265 65r20 come in P rated standard load tires and in 10ply E rated tires. The 265 should fit your rim you could possibly rub at full lock. I would turn your wheel to lock and get under it and measure to the closest point. A 265 will be about 1in wider in total. Hope this helps.

 

[mtofell]

X2 what Hemiexpress says - and, yeah, at 8 years regardless of the tread it's about time for some new tires just due to the rubber aging.

Those Michelins are great tires for the usage you describe. I've run several sets on previous trucks. I switched to a 4 season tire just because we get snow and ice where I live and I hate not being ready. If not for that I'd only be buying Michelins.

 

[Florida Ram Man]

I ran those Michelins on my last Ram. Really liked them. When it's finally time to replace the OEM Goodyears on my current truck, I anticipate going back with those Michelins.

When I was truck shopping a few months ago, I found a Ram I really liked but it had 17s on it. I really wanted 20s again. The dealer was willing to swap out the 20-inch wheels with the Michelins from the truck I was going to trade in to seal the deal (which never happened). I'm fairly certain he told me the Ram speedometer will self-calibrate to the bigger wheel. I think I read that somewhere once, as well.

The only reason I bring this up is if you decide to go with a bigger wheel, you might ask your dealer about the self-adjusting speedometer to see if that is, in fact, true. If it is, you won't have to worry about the speed being slightly off.

 

[patchelect]

I don't believe a speedo can "self calibrate". In fact I just Googled the question and only came up with ways to calibrate. The existing speedo has a gearing built in that is driven by the vehicle and its gearing. There is no way it can "know" you changed the OD of the wheel/tire combo. Only a GPS can determine your speed and is not concerned with your wheels.

However, I would not question a car salesman making a statement like that! They generally will say whatever it takes to make the sale.

 

[Craw]

One of the reasons to have a programmer, I have superchips. Encase you change tire size, diagnostics etc. What is everyone thoughts on Michelin Defender LTX MS2 tires?

 

[Devilscreekw]

Thanks all.....answered my questions!

 

[Devilscreekw]

Would be curious about those as well. Up here they claim 10% better life - but at 20% more cost. I probably would time them out before I wore them out.