Tires, wheels, load range, sidewalls.

[rduchateau2954]

Hi all. I've been doing some towing related research and stumbled across a bit in relation to how manufacture tire and wheel size, coupled with recommend load range. Basically from the factory your truck is setup to balance the load in the center of the sidewalk. Changing this balance can negatively effect towing.

My truck comes factory with 275/70/17 LT tires, I'm currently running 285/70/17 load range E mud tires. It is kinda bouncy towing but not too bad.

So with that in mind I'm trying to figure out what I want my new setup to be.

My truck is a 2011 rcsb 4x4 1500. Must of my towing is with a 19' aluminum boat with a 200hp 2stroke. My truck is leveled with Bilsteins in the front and it will have a set of standard Bilsteins and tufftruck springs in the back. I'd like to run 35" street tires on a set of wheels with a little offset.

If what I read is correct, how do I determine what wheel size I need to get the optimal sidewall to wheel diameter ratio?

Also, how does the weight effect towing? Part of the reason I won't be sticking with mud tires for summer is because of their weight. I'm hoping I can get the look I want with a set of light weight wheels and tires.

 

[Strange Ram]

I'm not up on the math for the tire and wheel size ratio, but I can comment on the E rated tires. Those are going to be overkill on a 1500 as the weight they can carry at 80psi (stiff ride!) is well past your payload capacity for your truck. I would think D rated tires at 60psi would fit the bill better for your set up.