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Just purchased my first Ram, and need help with a few questions...

It's a '98 Ram 2500 V8, which had only one other owner in Illinois. We jumped on the purchase in Colorado when we saw that it only has 52K miles on the clock, half of others we've seen.



Besides the low miles, we think we may have scored big with it's suspension and drivetrain. According to the build sheet, and stickers in the doorjamb, it was equipped with the Heavy Duty Snow Plow Prep Group (not sure if it ever actually saw a plow attached though). It has Dana 60's front and rear, and HD shocks. And the GVW rating has the Z7BS code = 8800#. The parts counter guy says that a code of Z7AS, which is rated for 6900#.

So, that's our first question... did we find something score there?

Our other question is with the tires...

It currently has 35" Mickey Thompsons, which are too shot and not right for a highway tow rig, and slightly too large to not rub the inner plastic liner at full turn. I've read here that 285/75R16's are the largest tire to fit without rubbing or a lift. Now, unless ours has different springs, I'm assuming 285s are what to go with. But, if our springs give us any added clearance, it would good to know if we could go larger than 285's, but remain slightly smaller than 35's.

Thanks for any help in advance.

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if you got DANA's under the truck I'd say you scored your truck having a 8800# tow rateing is about on par with the new 2500 gassers.

anyway, Ive got 285's on mine(stockers) but I have heard of some guys going as large as 315's and doing fine, maybe not in the wallet, but in terms of rubbing or what not there ok. When I finaly give my tires their last power brake I'll upgrade to something a bit larger. maybe 305's or so. A 970 pound Cummins on the front axel makes for a bit of a sinking feeling[&:]

a '98 year model and only 52K on the clock sounds good too. pampered I'd say. just to put it in perspective, my 04.5 ram (bought in August) is about to turn 18,000. my little toyota was bought back in 01 with 47K on the clock. since then Ive pulled that up to 110,000 (would have been more but took me 2 months to scrape up enough time to replace the clutch)

it looks like a good truck. more will chime in on things to look out for like the plentum gasket and other things.

 

If you are going with smaller tires and are concerned about how they will work on the road, you should also factor in how much towing you will be doing with your new rig! Make sure that you at least are getting a load range D tire, because I don't know of many tires that offer a load range D in a 285 (mine don't)..anymore questions I would be more that glad to dish out any other advice!

 

Nice truck!!!! welcome to DF! with the 60s underneath, you should have a pretty solid bottom end (suspension) if I remember correctly, those are pretty solid axles.

 

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Thanks... I'll have to research further to see how large I can go tire-wise. As long as we get no rubbing even over bumps, we're good. I just measured from my wheel center-cap to the fenders, and I get 25" in the front, and 27.75" in the rear. No visual evidence of any lift help, but maybe someone can measure theirs to compare. Only wanna buy rubber once. I parked beside another last night in a Lowes parking lot, and the stock 245's sure look small. Another with 265's didn't look much bigger. I'm gonna shed a tear when I change out tires for sure. But, I must keep in mind the big picture... a smoother riding travel and tow vehicle.

This is why I save all receipts and history of work done... so that the next owner knows what their getting. But, I guess stealerships would have tossed anything out anyhow.

Thanks again for the welcome. I'm a Jeep guy... these trucks are still new to me.

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Drew -

I'm hoping that wheel back-spacing plays a factor in the tire rubbing thing too. Maybe that will help me stay with a larger tire. Ours doesn't seem to rub the arms, just the wheel-well liner. Hmmm...

On the subject of things to look out for... I've already read how the auto tranny in the 2nd Gen Rams have issues, and plan to keep up on the periodic maintenance there, and also plan to swap out the speed sensor and in-line check valve. I've already started to turn off the O/D when not on the highway too. Ours downshifts sometimes on the highway when on hills (even with 4.10 gearing), but that should change with the new rubber.

I also read about keeping an eye on the plenum gasket. And a few say the Power Steering could be better on these.

I'm sure I'll find more to check for.

Steve -

I wish my muffler and tailpipe weren't new, cause I like your sound clip with the 40 series.

94Ram4x45.9 -

I'll keep the load range D in mind while tire shopping. So far, the wife wants BFG AT KOs... we have them on our Grand Cherokee, and like them. Not sure if they offer a D or not. A friend recommended Bridgestones too. I'll have see what you all run.

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Steve -

I wish my muffler and tailpipe weren't new, cause I like your sound clip with the 40 series.



Didn't know steve had a 40 series. But I posted a sound clip awile back

 

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My bad... it was yours zeek.

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Something else to consider when changing tires is the gear ratio. You should be able to look at the sticker on the inside of the drivers door to tell you what the factory gear ratio is. If it was 3.55, you probably wouldn't want to go much bigger then a 265 or 285, escpecially with towing. If your tires are too big, your engine will lug down and you will be loose a lot of power, which you will want to have to tow. If it was 4.11, a 285 or 305 would be your best size. 265's would be too small.

That said, if the previous owner was running a 35" tire, your gears might have already been changed to compensate. If they are 4.11 or 4.56 (which is the recommended gear for 35" tires), then you have to be careful you don't go to small with your tire. For example. I had 3.55 gears, and 265 tire. I change my gears to 4.11, but hadn't changed my tires yet. I was doing over 3000 rpm at 65 mph. Too much gear for that small of a tire. I now have 285's, and it is just about perfect for the 4.11 gears. Lots of power.

There are several ways to check to see what size gears you have.
1) Ask the previous owner would be the easiest way. He should be able to tell you if they were changed.
2) Some places will put a tag or writing on the differential housing if they change the gears so others will know what the new gear ratio is. Look for a tag on one of the differential bolts or written on the gear housing somewhere.
3) Hardest method - take the differential cover off, and count the number of teeth on the ring gear. Use the internet to look up the result, or call a shop that knows about gears. They can tell you what gear you have based on the number of teeth. Since it is a 4x4, your front and rear should be the same, so you would only need to do this on one axle.

I don't know what you paid for it, but if you have Dana 60's on both ends, you got a good truck, though I think all 2500 have Dana 60s front and rear. I know all 2500 diesels do, but they need the extra up front due to the weight of the diesel engine.

 

If you find that highway tires are not D rated in a 285, try looking at all terrain tires. I have found that most all terrain tires are D rated in a 285. In fact, I found that to be more common then a C rating (only the Toyo Open Country A/T was a C rating in the 285 size). I just bought 285/70/17 BFG All Terrain T/A's, and they are D rating.

Two60's98, if you tow anything heavy, you will want definelty want a D rated tire.