How significant is 9 lb. extra per tire?

[Jteakus]

Looks great, good choice.

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[James H]

Looks great! Regarding the increase in weight & size, I went from 33 to 35 to 37, and noticed a slight decrease in on-road performance with each change. Worth it though when wheeling.

 

[Cabmaker08]

I just added about 9-11 lbs per corner with wheels and BFG37's on my Mojave. I'm fairly certain the difference I'm feeling in less nimble cornering is a result of moving from an E rated tire with a stiffer side wall to a C rated tire with a taller side wall. My point is any change from stock will have an effect that you have to consider. Bumpers, racks, tires, wheels, suspension....everything.

 

[JulesAo]

I put on 37" Mickey Thompson Baja Boss ATs, so I blew by that weight. I'm fine with it. They look and ride great! Also, the rock rails from GOAT fabrication are fantastic! I can't recommend them enough.

 

[biodiesel]

This topic often comes up on the Ram EcoDiesel forums/groups. I've always run the factory sized P-rated tires for fuel efficiency and maximize power even though I do a lot of towing. A lot of Ram owners automatically switch to an LT tire for towing but complain about getting 25 - 26 mpg on the highway running empty. I run the P-rated tire and average 27 - 28 mpg on the highway.

There's no right or wrong, it's a matter of choosing a tire that fits your needs but understanding there's always a compromise. Ironically, my P-rated Michelins on the Ram has a higher load range than most guys running LT tires. With that said, I haven't been able to get more than 45,000 miles out of a set of P-rated tires regardless of the 70,000-mile tread warranties.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

I went from the stock 33” Fulkcun Wild Pits to 37” KM3s on true beadlocks. It made a MASSIVE difference in how badass the truck was.

I think it’s important to remember that this is a heavy solid axle brick we’re all driving, not a track rat Miata where we’re going to lap times. Just drive it and enjoy it. The deltas here are academic. Any increase in tire size or lift is going to cost MPGs. All that being said with the superior aftermarket suspension over the stock mush, my handling, including emergency handling, actually radically improved despite the significant increase rotational mass. With the diesel the MPG effect was small and the end result still better than gas on stock tires. I dropped from 30ish highway max to around 27.

If you do any significant off roading, I’d always recommend the more aggressive tire between the two. Where I think comparing tires makes more sense is between two stock size light duty all season or a/t truck tires. A lot of OEM tires are trash and you can improve handling and noise by switching, say switching from Firestones to Michelin’s. The biggest consideration with large off road tires usually comes down to how they wear (evenly or unevenly, fast or slow) and how much noise they make. Some mud tires wear really poorly and make terrible noise. The weight deltas are going to be less of a concern.

FWIW, I would have gone with the R/Ts

 

[PuddleJumper]

I ended up going with the AT3s. I had them ordered in and it would have been another 3-4 days to wait on the RT Trails to come in. My initial intent was to try to come up with the lightest wheel/tire combination that was not only able to meet my functional needs but also was aesthetically appealing to me. My hopes were that if I could keep the unsprung weight down, I could possibly get away without having to immediately re gear. With the “C” load AT3 in 35/12.5/17 coming in at 59 lb. the only other 35” tire out there that was lighter was the Goodyear Territory MT which sources list as weighing either 52 lb. or 55 lb. If I didn’t have a Bronco with these tires already I may have considered going with them. They have performed well on our Bronco thus far but I wanted more of an AT tire or a hybrid tire thus the choice of the AT3. Then at the last minute in my usual over analysis mode, I brought the 9 lb. heavier RT Trail into the mix based more on aesthetics than on my initial intent of keeping the weight down.

My initial impression of my chosen combination of AT3 and Fifteen52 Traverse HD is that I am pleased so far with the aesthetics as well as the highway performance despite running stock 3.73 gears. I still need to adjust for tire size with my Tazer which will definitely help the shift points. It’s possible, like many have responded here, I would have had the same performance had I gone with the RT Trail but at the end of the day, I wasn’t willing to take that chance for aesthetics alone. My plan is when these tires wear out, I’ll be ready to re gear and jump up to 37s.

Looks Awesome Man!

 

[JTGuy]

So you want the power and performance back? Just re gear t0 4.88s and be happy. Over the 3.73 the 4.88 will probably get better MPG. You will be set to go 37s as you will do someday.

 

[Trauma PA]

Looks Awesome Man!

Thanks

 

[Trauma PA]

I went from the stock 33” Fulkcun Wild Pits to 37” KM3s on true beadlocks. It made a MASSIVE difference in how badass the truck was.

I think it’s important to remember that this is a heavy solid axle brick we’re all driving, not a track rat Miata where we’re going to lap times. Just drive it and enjoy it. The deltas here are academic. Any increase in tire size or lift is going to cost MPGs. All that being said with the superior aftermarket suspension over the stock mush, my handling, including emergency handling, actually radically improved despite the significant increase rotational mass. With the diesel the MPG effect was small and the end result still better than gas on stock tires. I dropped from 30ish highway max to around 27.

If you do any significant off roading, I’d always recommend the more aggressive tire between the two. Where I think comparing tires makes more sense is between two stock size light duty all season or a/t truck tires. A lot of OEM tires are trash and you can improve handling and noise by switching, say switching from Firestones to Michelin’s. The biggest consideration with large off road tires usually comes down to how they wear (evenly or unevenly, fast or slow) and how much noise they make. Some mud tires wear really poorly and make terrible noise. The weight deltas are going to be less of a concern.

FWIW, I would have gone with the R/Ts

I think if I could have had the RT Trails sooner I likely would have pulled the trigger but I’m sometimes impatient and I was eager to get the wheels and tires on as I’ve had the lift installed for about 3 weeks and I was tired of looking at the Firestone go kart wheels on my JT.

 

[Trauma PA]

I put on 37" Mickey Thompson Baja Boss ATs, so I blew by that weight. I'm fine with it. They look and ride great! Also, the rock rails from GOAT fabrication are fantastic! I can't recommend them enough.

I love those wheels. Your truck looks fantastic!

 

[Bjeepz]

I just added about 9-11 lbs per corner with wheels and BFG37's on my Mojave. I'm fairly certain the difference I'm feeling in less nimble cornering is a result of moving from an E rated tire with a stiffer side wall to a C rated tire with a taller side wall. My point is any change from stock will have an effect that you have to consider. Bumpers, racks, tires, wheels, suspension....everything.

I experienced the same thing, E rated Falken 35 to D rated Cooper AT3 XLT 37 that weight about the same or slightly less. I can't rip corners nearly as hard now, but that's probably a good thing.

Edit to mention that I am also running lower PSI in these which I expect is another factor in the cornering.

 

[Wolf Island Diver]

I think if I could have had the RT Trails sooner I likely would have pulled the trigger but I’m sometimes impatient and I was eager to get the wheels and tires on as I’ve had the lift installed for about 3 weeks and I was tired of looking at the Firestone go kart wheels on my JT.

I totally get that. I ordered my KM3s back in 21’ when you still couldn’t find anything (some stuff still seems that way) and the estimated delivery date kept sliding and sliding. I started looking for other tires but it was the same story. I think it took 3-4 months to get those tires.

 

[Sigz]

I ended up going with the AT3s. I had them ordered in and it would have been another 3-4 days to wait on the RT Trails to come in. My initial intent was to try to come up with the lightest wheel/tire combination that was not only able to meet my functional needs but also was aesthetically appealing to me. My hopes were that if I could keep the unsprung weight down, I could possibly get away without having to immediately re gear. With the “C” load AT3 in 35/12.5/17 coming in at 59 lb. the only other 35” tire out there that was lighter was the Goodyear Territory MT which sources list as weighing either 52 lb. or 55 lb. If I didn’t have a Bronco with these tires already I may have considered going with them. They have performed well on our Bronco thus far but I wanted more of an AT tire or a hybrid tire thus the choice of the AT3. Then at the last minute in my usual over analysis mode, I brought the 9 lb. heavier RT Trail into the mix based more on aesthetics than on my initial intent of keeping the weight down.

My initial impression of my chosen combination of AT3 and Fifteen52 Traverse HD is that I am pleased so far with the aesthetics as well as the highway performance despite running stock 3.73 gears. I still need to adjust for tire size with my Tazer which will definitely help the shift points. It’s possible, like many have responded here, I would have had the same performance had I gone with the RT Trail but at the end of the day, I wasn’t willing to take that chance for aesthetics alone. My plan is when these tires wear out, I’ll be ready to re gear and jump up to 37s.

What mpg are you getting? Also what lift do you have?

 

[Trauma PA]

What mpg are you getting? Also what lift do you have?

I have the AEV 2.5 Dualsport RT lift. I just made the wheel/tire change 2 days ago and still need to reprogram with my Tazer to adjust the speedometer and shift points. I’ll report back here once I make these changes and have a better idea.

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