I have a 2001 1500 with a 318 and a manual tranny. When I bought the truck it came stock with 245 75/16's on it. I wore those out and moved up to 285's. Talk about suking the power out of that motor. I am considering moving to 265's but it has been so long since I have run a smaller tire size that I am concerned about making my fuel mileage worse than it already is. I would think that going to a smaller tire should help some but then again, the engine will rev higher than it does now in all gears. Any thoughts? Should I stick with the 285's cause they look the best or would it be beneficial to move back down to 265's because I definetly don't want to have to re-gear.

Thanks in advance,
Nate

 

Run the 265's. You'll get the some of the power back, and your mileage might actually increase a tad because the motor won't be as bogged down.

 

Ramtuff's right. Go to the 265. I have 285's on mine, but also have the 360 cid engine. Don't notice a loss of power to speak of. You're right, though. The 285's do look great, especially with the cavernous fender wells on the Ram trucks.

You might also try reclaiming a little power and mileage by putting a cold air induction system on your truck. I've heard various testimonies about them, most of them being good. I'd recommend the K&N Fuel Injection Performance Kit.

 

Thanks, I appreciate the feedback. I do have a K&N FIPK and it helped a little, but those 285's do seem to be just way too much for that little motor. I love the reliability with the 318, but it really could use some more go...

 

i have 285's on mine as well.i like the look enough that im thinkin bout a gear swap.3.55's now.whadda ya think...3.73?

 

You should multiply your tire diameter by .12, and you'll get the aproximate gear ratio you need to run.

A 285/75 series tire is roughly 32.8 inches tall, so 3.73's would get you better mileage and a bit more power, but you might want to think of going with a 3.91 too. With a 3.91, you'll get a bit more grunt off the line and in the lower gears, and with the overdrive your mileage should still improve for highway trips.

Here's a nice chart I like to refer to when deciding on what ratio to go with. Gear selector chart. Click on the gear/tire size table link in the brown bar at the top of the page for the chart.

 

heheh..thanx again man....im gettin all kinds of information off you.
i appreciate it immensly.{sp}

 

Don't mention it. I'm always glad to be able to help people out, because somewhere down the line I'll need help with something and will be very glad to recieve it. What goes around, comes around. lol.

 

well,if you need advice on building things or scrambler 500's or computers,i might be able to help,but if its dodge stuff.....not sure about that.
right now anyway.
thanx again [sm=icon_cheers.gif]

 

i have another question that kinda goes along with this i need new tires for my 2001 ram 1500 with the 5.9L v8 any suggestions on what size will get me the best fuel milage without robbing all the power and without having to regear also any suggestions on any good year round tires i live in michigan so we get a good amount of snow around here