Tire Towing question

Looking for some advice.
I have a DCLB that I tow a 19 Fiberglass bass boat with. I’m looking at doing the Bilsteins on each corner with OME 888 and an add a leaf or new leaf pack.
What tires would you be using on stock TRD sport wheels? I like the look of a bigger tire to fill the wheel well but don’t want to regear or murder my fuel mileage. Are pizza cutters the solution? Appreciate any feed back you may have.

 

Ko2 bros, if you want to be real TRD Bro.

 

Get the all pro leaf pack. If you do a lot of towing get the expeditions. Maybe consider adding a set of timbrens in the rear. As far as tires go if you do mainly street I go Michelin LTX ms2, if you off-road a little I’d go Michelin LTX at2, toyo open country at2, or BFG k02. If you off-road a lot I’d go with bfg km3, cooper stt, or toyo open country.

 

How heavy is said boat?

 

As with everything, it's going to be a compromise.

How badly do you like the look of big aggressive tires?
How badly do you want to maximize your MPGs?
etc...

If you want bomb proof tires where you're less likely to get a flat, get E rated tires, but your mileage and ride might suffer a little. You can generally get a set of tires only slightly larger than stock, like say going from a stock all season 265/70r16 to a 265/75 all terrain. The slightly larger size and more aggressive tread do wonders for the look without doing all that much to your gearing, you probably won't even notice. If you want a larger size but want to try and maximize your mileage, get C rated tires, but if you like to go offroading, avoid C's like the plague, seriously. D rated tires are better than C's, but there aren't nearly the variety to choose from. E's are best, though.

 

Just curious, why avoid C rated like plague when offroading?

 

They are primarily designed for ON road use and are as light as possible to maximize gas mileage. They are much more prone to punctures (even on road punctures, let alone off road with sharp rocks etc), and the thin sidewalls do not hold up very well to low tire pressure.

If you go off road a fair amount, get E rated tires. Your gas mileage suffers a little bit, but you will get better traction because they don't fold over with low pressure and their thickness makes them not as likely to flat.

 

A "C" rated tire is rated to carry LESS weight than the "P" series tires that came on the truck. They are intended for light weight SUV's like Jeep Wranglers that don't haul or tow heavy loads. Any LT tire "C", "D", or "E" is a tougher tire less likely to be punctured or cut by rocks or other debris off road or on rough roads. You don't need an "E" rated tire for load carrying, but if you want a tougher tire for off road, or rough road driving that is the way to go. There are no real downsides.

The tires that came on your truck will haul more weight than the truck is rated for. But if you want a bigger beefier tire I'd go with 275/75/16's if you have 16" wheels or 275/70/17's if you have 17" wheels. The overall size is the same. That is about as big as you can go without modifying the truck and they don't hurt performance enough to be noticeable.

If you don't want to take a huge hit in performance avoid aggressive mud tires. Those have a much higher rolling resistance and will hurt fuel mileage. If you stay with a decent All Terrain tire, even with an "E" rating you'll be fine. I have 265/75/16 E rated tires on my truck. Fuel mileage and performance are exactly the same as when the truck was new and had smaller, P rated tires on it.

Unless you over inflate the tires even "E" rated tires will ride just fine. Since they are a stiffer tire you need LESS PSI to accomplish the same thing. People who complain about the ride have too much air in them.

 

I've learned "the hard way" that there are plenty of downsides to E rated tires. The extra mass adds a strain to your front suspension. Combine that with a little off-road use, and eventually you will need to rebuild or replace ball joints on the frontend. The extra mass also cost more money in fuel. Certainly you will not notice a difference in fuel economy on a weekly basis. But try doing the math over the span of 50,000 miles. Also, the extra stopping forces will lead to more frequent brake shoe replacement and possibly rotor replacement. And they just ride rough too.

I ran my pressures at the "Specified" PSI (Tag on the door).

 

Going by this and the title of thread, you’re wanting to change the trucks geometry for towing only? If so you are fine as it is stock. If you’re wanting to change suspension because it’s sagging too low while towing that’s another thing. Or if you’re just wanting a lifted truck that’s also good as well but just clarifying that you don’t ‘need’ to change anything to haul a 19’ bass boat!

 

Trailer boat and gear pushing at least 3000#

 

Looking to beef up the look of the truck a little . It’s a long box so it has a hotdog look! But trying to not kill fuel mileage or having to regear.

 

Any increase in size will have an affect on towing and fuel economy. So if you like what you have now, don't increase size. Going up 1/2" to 1" will not affect it much. But, your back pocket dyno will register a difference. Well, mine did.

 

Just keep in mind that width adds more weight than height. If you keep the tire narrow and go up an inch or two, you probably won't notice. While adding some wider tires and not going up much (or any) in height and you'll notice. As for C vs. E, all I'll say is do your own research. The rhetoric that most people say about them is usually wrong.

 

So would you say a 255 tire is suitable for towing then? Like I said earlier I don’t really off-road whatsoever. Mostly city driving and when towing the occasional gravel roads when approaching the said lake. I’m thinking perhaps a 70 or 75 profile wouldn’t make much difference in the ride. Am I correct in this thought?

 

All tires you’ll put on your truck will be fine for towing within the load limits of the truck. Only way you’d have to worry is if you had way too much tongue weight. Proper trailer and proper balance on trailer and the truck tires won’t do the work, trailer tires will (and should)

 

Towing our rv (4200lb) was much much nicer with K02 E than it was with squirrelly P series AT tires..

Will be going back to an LT when the oem Toyos are done, might go with a C or D next..

 

Also keep in mind that height has an affect on gearing. Width does not.

 

I love tire threads. I love the extensive use of field knowledge and hypothesis mixed with my entirely dramatic conjecture and turkey neck skin.

 

Basically you are doing a lift, so a bigger tire is going to be an LT tire anyway. This will make the towing much more stable.

I would stick to the 1 size up 265/70R17 with an E rated BFG KO2, Falken Wild Peak, Toyo AT2 etc.