Recommend New Tires For 2500 Hd

[star2323]

I'm in the market for a new tires for my 2003 2500 HD. What do you guys recommend? The current tire size is LT265/75R16 on stock rims. I want to keep the stock rims but I'm looking for a better looking and more aggressive tire than the stock ones. I will admit the look of the tire is pretty high on my list.

 

What do you guys recommend? I have always been partial to Cooper tires but I have never bought their trucks tires. Are they any good.

[sab316]

Well for a 16" rim and a 2500 if you have the torsion bars cranked I would go with a 285/75/16 atleast, My uncle has 315/75/16 with just leveled and no rubbing had to trim a little of his lower valence. Gives you a little bit more height and will fill up those big wheel wells.

 

Cooper makes good truck tires. The Cooper Discoverer STT is their mud tire, while the Cooper Discoverer ST is their all-terrain. (Internet pictures don't do the ST's justice... they look pretty good in person) My buddy has had the STT's on his z71 for about 45k now and they still have some tread left and are pretty quiet on the road and do well in mud.

 

If you're looking for more aggressive in a mud tire I would look at: Bfgoodrich KM2, Nitto Trail Grappler, Toyo Open Country MT, Mickey Thompson MTZ, Cooper STT, Dick Cepek Mud Country. (Those are my favorites anyways)

 

If you're looking for a more aggressive but better wear and a little better on-road than a mud tire I'd look at: BFG All-Terrain, Cooper Discoverer ST, Nitto Terra Grappler, Mickey Thompson ATZ, Toyo Open Country A/T, Mastercraft Courser CT (Alot like the Cooper all terrain), Goodyear DuraTrac, Dick Cepek FC-II, General Grabber2 (Alot like BFG A/T).

 

Here are a couple of site to get some idea what the tires look like... and prices. Hope this helps!

 

http://www.treadepot.com/tires.html

 

https://www.tirebuyer.com/

 

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/home.do?

[welscher08]

Got Cooper's on mine since last fall. So far so good...

[star2323]

Awesome. Thanks for all the information. Is cranking the torsion bars required to get 285s to fit? Can most tire shops do this when they are changing the tires and doing an alignment?

[sab316]

I don't know if you can fit them on a 2500 without cranking or not. My dad has a '04 duramax and has 285/75/16's with it leveled and he has enough room to fit 35's (315/75/16) easy. I know most of the tire places around here will crank them but just give a call to whoever you're going to use and ask. I would crank them personally but I like a look of a leveled out truck.

[star2323]

I have been reading a lot of mixed opinions about cranking the torsion bars. How many inches are needed in the front to level off a truck? Sounds like you only want to crank the torsion bars 1-1.5 inches without a leveling kit.

[[email protected]]

I have sumitomo htr's 285/60 on my 2500hd, they're street tires meant for sport trucks and what not, speed rated at 130 mph. But I wouldn't recommend them on a regular rim, especially when most people like all terrains or mud tires on pickups. I have my torsions tightened to about 3/8 in. left of thread on the bolts and it still rides fair. I tightened them all the way one time, but then it rode like total sh#t.

[star2323]

I think I'm going to play it safe and stick with the 265s. I do a fair amount of pulling with my truck and the 285s are just going cause a loss of power and gas mileage anyway right?

 

Plus I read someplace that the Allison transmission (I have the 8.1 gaser) is not intented to be ran with tires over 265.

[sab316]

With a 2500 you aren't goin to feel any loss of power with going to a 285. Now if you had like a 4.8L with like 3.02's then yeah you would. But with you're truck you won't notice a difference. And the allsion tranny is fine with 285's. Like I said you're truck won't know it's any difference