Tire recomendation

[jlowder]

I am looking for new tires for my 2002 2500HD D/A. I would prefer a 255/85-16, if available. I like the looks of the higher profile tire and slightly wider than stock. Any suggestions?

[jlowder]

I forgot to add that I wish to retain a E rating for trailering.

[zip]

Not too may people running the 255s. I did a quick search at Tirerack and could only find a few of them- and no E-ratings among the three..
I know of a guy running the 255/85/R16s and they were Dunlop Radial Rover A/T. I ran the same tire in 235/85/R16. It was E-rated. Kinda skinny tho. and I didn't get 40,000 miles on them and had to get new tires..
That size-255- is pretty close to 285/75/R16. Lots of guys are running the 285s on their original equip rims,(6.5 inches) but the 285s actually call for an 8 inch rim. And I think they are d-rated at 3305 lbs.
I just installed 265s on my truck. E-rated Michelins LTX/MS ended up @ $204 each! Whew.

[Heartbeat Hauler]

Originally posted by jlowder:
I forgot to add that I wish to retain a E rating for trailering. Don't be too quick to discount other ratings. Why you ask? Well, it just so happens that the 215/85/16 is an E rated tire and the Max Load rating is 2680 LBS. Now if you look at the 255/85/16 even though they are D rated, they are rated at a Max Load of 3000 LBS. Ahhhhh....it's the simple things that make us happy. :D
JP

[DmaxMaverick]

The USDOT sets the standards for tires in the US. The contact patch of the tire determines its rating and capacity. A wider and/or taller tire will have a higher capacity, within its respective rating. Just because a tire is rated for a specific ply rating doesn't mean it will have that many plies. They will be categorized with that ply rating, if the DOT determines the abilities meet or exceed the requirements. Ply ratings are old standards. Newer materials (cotton/rayon vs. polyester/nylon/kevlar) used to manufacture tires make that possible.

[jlowder]

Thanks for the input. I purchased the Michelin LTX M/S in a LT265/75-16 in the E rating. These give a very smooth quiet ride I was looking for (at least in the one day I have had them on).