Road Ruler
Canada
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Joined: 09/11/2003
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Rockiesview wrote:Since you have both sets of tire/wheels, try one and then the other and get back to us with a report.
Now there is the quote of the day. Go for it. Would be great to hear the results.
Airstreams.... the best towing trailers on the planet!
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piac
long island
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Rockiesview, I plan on doing just that. I put the 17s on today and took it for a ride ( without the new tt as I havent pick it up yet) but without the tt there isnt really any no noteable difference except maybe just a tad easier or the line...I will be picking up the new tt on saturday and will test each then. Honestly though from all the research I have done and info from this forum so far the only legitmate difference i can expect to see is maybe a 5% loss with the 20's due exclusivley to the added unsprung weight of the tires and wheels. the 20's I have are actually better rated across(weight.speed,everything) the board then the 17s, so i think they will be fine...
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SoCalDesertRider
SanDiego, CA, USA
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I would run it with 17's, but in an E load range. 17-E's will exceed all the ratings of the stock 20's.
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ALBE
Kelowna B.C.
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I have close to 40,000 miles on my 305/55/r20,s ,mostly towing.I have a pin wt of 28/2900 lbs,the truck handles fantastic and is very stable because of the low profile tires.Tires are aired at 65 lbs max and ride very nice.You do have to be careful in heavy rain where water has pooled on the road.My next set will be 285/55/r20 as they are now available in an e rating.
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rwess
Georgia
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My 2007 Dodge Ram came with 265/60/20 Goodyears 44 psi. The wear is very good. 46,000 miles at this time and I will probably easily get 60,000 out of them. They are terrible for towing they really accentuate sway. My truck came with a 3.92 rear. I have been thinking about getting new wheels and tires E-load. My rear would efectively become a 4.08 rear with the new tires. My camper is small, a 25 ft. Sunline that weight approxiamtely 5,000#/s.
rwess
2006 Sunline T-2553
2003 Chevy 1500HD
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Road Ruler
Canada
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The world renown towing specialist near here very often recommends upgrading to a lower profile tire to improve stability.
I have seen this done with cars and SUV's. Wondering if the basic suspension found on trucks with their heavy solid axles take away from the advantage of the performance oriented tires.
In other words the truck suspension is just to low tech to match up with the higher tech tires.
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JIMNLIN
Big Cabin, OK
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Joined: 09/14/2003
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I believe your asking about P rated 20"/17" tires for your 1500 truck??
Generally low profile 55 series P tires make poor load carrying tires compared to a more conventional P265/70 or /75 profile tires. Probably one reason the truck mfg in many cases gives the truck a lower tow rating.
I tried a set of H50-15" low profile tires on a new '72 1/2 ton Chevy carrying a small 800lb TC. Big mistake. Those wide tires wore the centers in about 3500 miles. The tires even had more carcass roll. Plus those short sidewall sided tires, of the 50 series tires, rode rougher.
The 17" wheel has many different size and load range LT tires for better stability and load carrying ability than the 20" wheels and P tires.
"good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" Will Rogers
'03 2500 QC Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs Westach Linex
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mkirsch
Rochester, NY
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Joined: 04/09/2004
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The 20's have a higher load rating, right?
The 20's are the same diameter and circumference as the 17's, right?
This is a no-brainer. Limiting this discussion to the tires you have, and ONLY the tires you have, the 20's will make better towing tires.
There is absolutely nothing "magical" about the 20" tires that makes them unsuitable for towing. SOME 20" tires are not good for towing, but yours have BETTER specs than your stock tires... Grippier, stiffer sidewalls, and a better weight rating... You can't go wrong.
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piac
long island
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Mkirsch,,,Thanks and I agree...wanted to get a concensus...
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JustLabs
Washington State
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piac wrote: I am getting confusing results while researching this...some say you lose towing capacity by going with the 20's, but in fact the only difference is in weight, not circumference, so the ratio shouldnt change.
The reason you're getting confusion results is that most people don't know squat about tires,other than they're round and black.
The difference between the two tire sizes is 1/3" or 1%
You'll never feel any difference in power with the SLIGHTY taller 20" tires and wheels.
This argument comes up all the time. Most people don't realize that as the wheel diameter goes up,the sidewall height usually goes down.
They assume a 20" tire/wheel is 3" taller than a 17" tire/wheel.
Either wheel will work fine.
2007 Dodge Ram 3500 SRW,4x4,Cummins 5.9, 6spd.
2007 Keystone Cougar 289BHS Fifth Wheel.
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