Ive been trying to decide what rims and tires I want to get for an upcoming 2500 build. Im probably gonna go with KMC XD series or gear wheels because they are pretty cheap unless I find something else. However, I cant seem to decide on whether I should get 17 or 18 inch rims. The deciding factor is how much more are tires going to cost for one than the other? If its not much, I can deal with it, but paying 100$ plus per set is my limit since bigger wheels doesn't impove mileage.
Far as tires go, I want something that looks good, handles mud, and can handle weight. I don't mud, but living on a farm makes that inevitable. Ill also be hauling cattle every now and then so depending on the cow weight, I could be hauling 26k pretty easy. Function will win here, but look would be nice. Ive done alot of research and I just can't seem to find any good threads on it.

 

I'd stick with 17". Easy to find tires and not too expensive.

 

I'm going the 17" route when I do my swap.

 

17"

235/80R17
245/70R17
245/75R17
265/70R17
265/70R17
285/70R17
315/70R17

18"
275/65R18
275/70R18
295/65R18
325/65R18



Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac.
I really enjoy this tire.
Looks great. Quiet on the road. Tough. Works well on gravel and dirt roads. Handles mud just fine.
Comes in the sizes you want.
And its a TRUCK tire. Built to work.

 

hey everybody, im new here. ive got a 1998 ram 1500 ext. cab 4x4 completely stock. i want to know if i could fit 33x12.50 tires on the stock 16'' rims with 2'' blocks in the front .

 

More than likely. Might get a bit of rub on the lower control arms though. More lift won't fix that.

 

Wouldn't be hard for him to adjust steering stop though. Mine rubs just a smidge at full turn and sometimes not even then depending the truck is sitting. I need to adjust it, but it hasn't bothered me much so I don't worry about it.

 

I'm running 285/75/16 Michelin LTX AT/2 load range E tires on 16" OEM 2000-2001 aluminum wheels. I had to slightly modify my rear drums for the wheels to fit. I'm very happy with the setup - no rubs or fit issues. Only issue is that with the taller tires my truck has been a bit sluggish when starting off, so I plan to upgrade gearing from 3.55 to 4.10 sometime this year.

 

That's another problem I wanted to look into. Will it turn 33's with 3.55 gears? What is it worth to re-gear it and put 4.56s in it?

 

33's and 3.55's will be kinda doggy out of the hole, but, will be great on the freeway. (but, might be gear hunting if you live in a hilly area) 4.10s with 33's will keep things very close to stock, 4.56 and 33s will give you better out of the hole power, better manners around town, but, slightly worse fuel economy on the freeway.