Tall x narrow 17" tires?
 

While it's gonna be a while before my present tires are worn out (31,000 miles / 35-40% tread left), I'm looking ahead to the future. Since diesel fuel isn't gonna ever be "cheap" again, I'm doing about everything I can to make my truck as fuel efficient as possible. I like the height of my 33 x 12.50's, but the 12-inch wide foot print offers up a lot of drag and rolling resistance.

Does anyone make a radial tire 33-34" tall by maybe 10-10.5 inches wide that I can use on my stock 17" wheels? I see Interco (Super Swampers) offers a 34 x 10 x 17 LTB, awesome size but they are mega-aggressive and bias-ply... not a good choice as my truck sees 95% asphalt and the tread pattern/bias-ply construction is terrible for fuel economy.

Closest ones I can find are the 285-75R17 (33.8 x 11.25 x 17) offered by Toyo, which are really a little wider than I'd like, but a good start. Anyone know of anything else close?

BFG KM 2, 255/80-17 which is a 33.3x10-17, Super Swamper also makes the SSR in a 35/10.50-17.

look at the 285/75-17 sizes from Toyo & Nitto. 34" and a good 1.5" narrower than a 12.50 tire. probably other vendors have the same size, others oughta chime in!

Thanks so far guys. I've been eyeballing the Toyo's in 285-75R17. They're a lot of tire (3970lb road range) and they are also pretty heavy (67 lbs), but that can be expected. I know several people that run the Toyo A/T's and really like them. The 255-80R17 BFG's would be great... if they made them in an A/T version. I chew mudders off too quick. Especially when they want $300.00+ a tire!:scare2:

my first thought was the swampers for a weird size, but if they only have bias ply then thats definitely not a winner. Toyos are really good tires, if I was in your position and wanted something that'll last I'd probably go that route.

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can you clear 16s on the 03 calipers? I'm sure you could find someone to trade you 17s for 16s, they are still 8x6.5.

I've been running the Nitto 285/75-17 Dura Grapplers on the 1st Gen for about 2 years now and think they are great. They came in just under 100lbs.@ new on Alcoa Classic wheels, being about 10 pounds heavier than the stock wheels/tire combo.

Excellent HD towing tire, no doubt.

My brother just ordered a set of the Toyo Open Country A/T's in 285-70R17 (33 x 11.25) for his new-to-him 2006 Ram 2500. He's moving up to Concord, NH in April, so I figure he'll give those tires a good workout in the snow next winter and be able to report on how he likes them. Hopefully my present tires will give me another year.

Then again, I may look at another set of Pro-Comps. This is my second set, the first being 33 x 12.50 M/T's. I got good life out of them (40,000 miles, though admittedly I'm really anal about tire rotation. Every 3000 miles), but they sucked in the snow unless there was at least 6" on the ground and they cut 4 mpg's off my fuel economy over the stock ones.

The Extreme A/T's I'm running now have been a real good and they bite hard in most road conditions except slick snow. They have large tread blocks, though siped a bit, that allow them to slide around a bit more than a true all terrain in the slushy stuff, but they do a damn sight better in snow/slush/ice than the mudders did!. And while they aren't mud tires, they do better in the mud than any A/T I've ever run on any truck. They seem to be a good compromise between a mudder and an A/T but cost me 2-3 MPG's on average over the stockers due their width and the fact they are pretty heavy (load range E). If they made a slightly narrower version, I'd buy another set in a heart beat.

Pro-Comp offers their standard A/T in 285-70R17. It has a 50,000 mile tread-wear warranty, load range D (3195 lbs. Same as the load range E, X-A/T's I'm running now) and is Severe Snow Rated. They call them their "Studless Snow Tire". Maybe I'll give a set of those a try when they have their next "Buy 3 get 1 free" sale. Decisions, decisions.:argh:

Not all swampers are bias ply. The SSR, Trxus MT, Irok Radial, M-16, Trxus STS, Vortrac, TSL Radial are all Radials, but not all are available in a 17. I don't think you can grind the calipers enough to clear a 16" wheel. I have seen 16.5 wheels after grinding on the calipers though. Personally I would not grind them, I'd stick to 17's. A friend had a set of the 37/12.50 Trxus MT's on his 2500 Chevy Duramax and really liked them. He got around 40K out of them with decent tread left. He put a set of the ProComp xtreme AT's on, he liked the Truxus better.

295/75/17

That would be a 34.5 x 11.5. Sounds pretty good. Who makes 'em?