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!

 

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 **** 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.

 

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?