Tire Suggestions for 3500 SRW 4x4 for 60% Daily Driver/20% Highway Towing/20% Forest Roads? And 18” vs 20”?

[content]

Greetings,

I am purchasing a 2024 Ram 3500 SRW 4x4 CTD Mega Cab Limited with Factory Rear Auto Level Rear Air Suspension with OEM 20” wheels and tires. Uses will be:

• 60% Daily Driver.
• 20% Towing mostly on highway. Bumper pull trailer about 10,000 lbs loaded with 1,250 lb tongue weight.
• 20% Forest Roads. Truck alone, not towing. Mostly uneven dirt, but some rocks and some 15-20% grades with off cambers that can get a little loose.

I am trying to choose a tire with the best balance of the following. Any suggestions for tires would be appreciated.

• Tread pattern that is not too loud for highway driving but can still handle forest roads with some 15-20% grades that are a little loose.
• Stable towing experience, so minimize side wall flex. Will air up for towing use.
• Reasonable daily driver comfort. Will air down for daily driver use.
• 3PMSF Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake rating

Also, can I accomplish what I want with the stock 20” wheels, or would I be better to go to an 18” wheel?

Thank you very much!

 

[elephantrider]

18's. take a look at the milestar patagonia. they're 3 peak rated. toyo at3 is another great option. tons of choices from nitto to falken.

 

[usernamechecksout]

You can accomplish what you want in either 18/20 wheel. Technically, the 20 offers less side wall flex which is better for towing. I don't think you'd be able to tell a difference.

18s are the better all rounder. It can tow great, offers better off road handling if needed to air down. It can offer a slightly better ride when sure down a bit from recommended pressure as well. 18s will also be less expensive than a same brand/same circumference tire.

20s have a look about them that fit this truck. But imo no other real benefit.

 

[tchur1]

Id go 18's. I have a very similar use case as you do and the 37s on 18s provide a much better unloaded ride than 20s on stock tires. I dont notice any sidewall flex when towing either.
Tire wise, in addition to those listed, check out the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT - brother runs them on his power wagon and loves them.

The other tire id look at that hasn't been mentioned is the Falken Wildpeak ATW4 - idk how great the 4 is compared to the 3 but just about everyone that runs the 3 loves it.

 

[Finn5033]

Falken Wild Peak and Goodyear Wrangler Ultraterrains would be great choices. Both 3 peak rated and aggressive enough for off-roading in dirt or snow.

One other option would be Cooper AT3 XLT, these are 3 peak rated but not as aggressive which makes them noticeably quieter than the other two I mentioned. They are not as good off-road or in snow either. But for highway and towing they are great.

I have the Coopers right now and am not going to run them another winter. I’m going to turn them into my summer set and get something else to run in the winter. Let’s just say the other two I mentioned were much better in the winter even though they are all 3 peak rated.

 

[AH64ID]

I have 18’s and 20’s for my truck. I prefer the 20’s, they do everything the same or better, besides running low pressure on back roads and having too little side wall. I have the 18’s for elk hunting where I run 45/25 psi and drive some nasty roads and often use 4 chains.

Empty the 20’s don’t ride any worse, but I’m always adjusting my pressure for the load.

Loaded the 20’s do better.

I’ve ran Cooper AT3 XLT’s and liked them. They have a 3PMSF rating and do well year round.

I currently have Goodyear Duratrac RT’s in 285/60R20 on the OEM wheels and really like them. I 350 interstate miles yesterday mostly at 85 and they are quiet, ride well, and are smooth. They also have a 3PMSF. No towing with them yet. So far they are fantastic on sheer ice and in snow.

18” tires are cheaper, but you’d had to buy wheels. My 0.02 is to stick with the OEM wheels, they are good looking and strong.

I do most of my forest service road driving on the 20’s, so they aren’t an issue aside from the nastiest of roads for me. Even then I’ve taken the 20’s on my elk hunting roads without issues for short trips early in the season.

 

[content]

I have 18’s and 20’s for my truck. I prefer the 20’s, they do everything the same or better, besides running low pressure on back roads and having too little side wall. I have the 18’s for elk hunting where I run 45/25 psi and drive some nasty roads and often use 4 chains.

Empty the 20’s don’t ride any worse, but I’m always adjusting my pressure for the load.

Loaded the 20’s do better.

I’ve ran Cooper AT3 XLT’s and liked them. They have a 3PMSF rating and do well year round.

I currently have Goodyear Duratrac RT’s in 285/60R20 on the OEM wheels and really like them. I 350 interstate miles yesterday mostly at 85 and they are quiet, ride well, and are smooth. They also have a 3PMSF. No towing with them yet. So far they are fantastic on sheer ice and in snow.

18” tires are cheaper, but you’d had to buy wheels. My 0.02 is to stick with the OEM wheels, they are good looking and strong.

I do most of my forest service road driving on the 20’s, so they aren’t an issue aside from the nastiest of roads for me. Even then I’ve taken the 20’s on my elk hunting roads without issues for short trips early in the season.

Thank you very much! Very helpful based on your experience with both 18's and 20'! I'm leaning toward keeping the 20's, like you say would need to buy wheels if I go to 18's. Would you suggest going to 285/65R20 to get a little extra sidewall and clearance? 285/60R20 has 6.7" sidewall, 285/65R20 has 7.3" sidewall, and 275/70R18 has 7.6" sidewall.

 

[content]

Thank you all for the suggestions above! Appreciate your insight!

 

[AH64ID]

I originally wanted to go with 285/65R20 when I replaced the OEM Trashforce, but ended up sating with the 285/60R20.

I stuck with the stock size for 2 reasons. First, I’ve already lifted my 5th wheel and don’t want to lift it more and second, there is verbiage in the Mopar Max Care extended warranty about oversized tires.

I’m fairly confident the warranty wouldn’t be an issue, but between that and the 5th wheel it was easy.

If nether of those are a concern for you, then I’d probably go with the 285/65’s.

You also may need to consider chain fitment.

 

[content]

I originally wanted to go with 285/65R20 when I replaced the OEM Trashforce, but ended up sating with the 285/60R20.

I stuck with the stock size for 2 reasons. First, I’ve already lifted my 5th wheel and don’t want to lift it more and second, there is verbiage in the Mopar Max Care extended warranty about oversized tires.

I’m fairly confident the warranty wouldn’t be an issue, but between that and the 5th wheel it was easy.

If nether of those are a concern for you, then I’d probably go with the 285/65’s.

You also may need to consider chain fitment.

Thank you again

 

[PD Luke]

I changed my factory Transforce tire to Vredestein Pinza AT's on my 3500 SRW last fall. I just replaced with stock sized 18". We haven't had much snow this year, so I can't give a good review for deep snow. They did great in 3-5" snow. I also have not yet pulled a trailer with them. However, I am super impressed with how quiet they are. They are equal to the original Transforce tires. These would be great tires for a daily driver. My wife even commented that she was afraid they would be louder than the original tires based on how they look. There are not many, if any comments on the Vredestein tires on this forum, and they aren't widely available. I ordered through Tire Rack and had them installed at Discount Tire. Tire Rack shows a lot of positive reviews for these tire. So far I am very pleased with these tires.

 

[56ram2500]

18's. take a look at the milestar patagonia. they're 3 peak rated. toyo at3 is another great option. tons of choices from nitto to falken.

Discount tire told me the Cooper APT II have a better wet road & snow rating then the Toyo At3, the Copper warranty is for 60K Toyo is 50K and the Copper cost is $118 less per tire.

 

[BikePilot]

I have a similar use case on my 3500 SRW and went with 37x12.50r17 Falken RT01s. They seem like really durable tires that will survive our rocky Colorado conditions, and still do fine on the road with minimal noise. Aired down to around 20psi on dirt and they ride amazingly well. Personally I think the sidewall and ability to air down is critical for off road performance and comfort.

They are ok but not amazing in snow. I have a 10% grade leaving my house in the mountains and get more wheelspin than I prefer if I leave it in 2wd going up that in the snow. No issues in 4wd and they seem to turn and brake ok.

 

[Groove1797]

Good morning gents!

I am in the same predicament and also in Colorado.

• 60% Daily Driver.
• 20% Towing mostly on highway in the summer time with 9,200 (boat), winter is about 10,400 sled trailer.
• 20% Forest Roads. Truck alone, not towing. Mostly uneven dirt, but some rocks and some 15-20% grades with off cambers that can get a little loose.

In a perfect world, I'd buy a single tire but I think I've moved to the camp of go to two sets of wheels and tires in 17 inch. I just don't think there is a tire that can balance everything. I'm looking at losing as much rotating mass as well. Had the truck since November and already at 10k miles.

The direction as of now is 35's, no lift, 17 inch wheels and two tire sets. Maybe Nokian's and then a summer AT tire

 

[content]

Falken Wild Peak and Goodyear Wrangler Ultraterrains would be great choices. Both 3 peak rated and aggressive enough for off-roading in dirt or snow.

One other option would be Cooper AT3 XLT, these are 3 peak rated but not as aggressive which makes them noticeably quieter than the other two I mentioned. They are not as good off-road or in snow either. But for highway and towing they are great.

I have the Coopers right now and am not going to run them another winter. I’m going to turn them into my summer set and get something else to run in the winter. Let’s just say the other two I mentioned were much better in the winter even though they are all 3 peak rated.

I have 18’s and 20’s for my truck. I prefer the 20’s, they do everything the same or better, besides running low pressure on back roads and having too little side wall. I have the 18’s for elk hunting where I run 45/25 psi and drive some nasty roads and often use 4 chains.

Empty the 20’s don’t ride any worse, but I’m always adjusting my pressure for the load.

Loaded the 20’s do better.

I’ve ran Cooper AT3 XLT’s and liked them. They have a 3PMSF rating and do well year round.

I currently have Goodyear Duratrac RT’s in 285/60R20 on the OEM wheels and really like them. I 350 interstate miles yesterday mostly at 85 and they are quiet, ride well, and are smooth. They also have a 3PMSF. No towing with them yet. So far they are fantastic on sheer ice and in snow.

18” tires are cheaper, but you’d had to buy wheels. My 0.02 is to stick with the OEM wheels, they are good looking and strong.

I do most of my forest service road driving on the 20’s, so they aren’t an issue aside from the nastiest of roads for me. Even then I’ve taken the 20’s on my elk hunting roads without issues for short trips early in the season.

Regarding the Cooper AT3 XLT’s, are they no longer 3PMSF rated? I was looking at Discount Tire website and Cooper website and don't see a mention of 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake. Am I missing something?

 

[Finn5033]

Regarding the Cooper AT3 XLT’s, are they no longer 3PMSF rated? I was looking at Discount Tire website and Cooper website and don't see a mention of 3-Peak Mountain Snowflake. Am I missing something?

I bought mine last August and they are 3peak rated. Not sure if that changed since then but can’t imagine why it would

 

[dieselscout80]

Cooper’s webpage shows two versions of the AT3 XLT one is 3 peaks and the other isn’t.

 

[content]

I bought mine last August and they are 3peak rated. Not sure if that changed since then but can’t imagine why it would


View attachment 70769View attachment 70770

Cooper’s webpage shows two versions of the AT3 XLT one is 3 peaks and the other isn’t.

Thank you. I've been scratching my head on this. I couldn't find it on the Cooper website using 20" wheels for search. I just switched to 18" wheels and the 3PMSF version showed up.

 

[AH64ID]

Cooper’s webpage shows two versions of the AT3 XLT one is 3 peaks and the other isn’t.

Interesting, that’s new.

 

[content]

Thanks again for the help above. Got some Falken Wildpeak A/T4W 285/65R20 tires today. We'll see how they go.