Hello Everyone,

I have tried looking for this answer via the search feature but have had no luck. I have the stock 17's on my 2004 2wd Ram SLT. My p245-70-r17 tires are worn and it's time to replace them. I would prefer something a little more aggressive. I don't want to do something drastic because my truck needs to be able to fit in the parking deck in Atlanta, but I would like a beefier tire that gives a more rugged look. I have seen people discussing leveling kits; is this necessary? I may have 4-5 inches of height to play with before my roof hits the top of the deck. Also, I like my 17" rims and would like to stay with them. I thank you all in advance for your help!

 

You won't have a problem fitting in the garage. I'd look into a 2" Leveling kit, which would allow you to clear at least a 31" tire. I would go with a 33" tire, if you want really agressive you should look at the Toyo M/T or at the Nitto Mud Grapplers. If you want something not that agressive the BF Goodrich All Terrain or Nitto Trail Grappler are good tires. All come with a possible 17" wheel.

 

A lift is NOT necessary, especially for a street truck, but many find they don't like the nose down or "rake" look of the truck. A 2" level kit would take care of it very inexpensively while allowing for the fitment of larger tires, although both a level and larger meats will negatively impact fuel economy (but if not to an extreme, it will be minimal).

I'd look more at an All Terrain tire such as the Mickey Thompson ATZ, Nitto Terra Grappler, Toyo Open Country A/T or Firestone Destination AT.

They are all fine for light trail/camping use while still maintaining an excellent and quiet ride on pavement with good handling on wet asphalt, snow and ice...

 

As the poster above you mentioned both a 31" and 33" tire, which would you choose? Is there a preferred width of the tire as well? And with the leveling kit and larger tire, I'd still be able to fit in the parking garage, correct?

Thank you both for your quick replies.

 

I think you come stock with a 29" is that right? If so I'd probably just stick with a 31" tire. As Hammer said an All-Terrain tire will be much quieter on the road than a Mud-Tire. All-Terrain is more aggressive than that of a stock tire. If you want to see some different styles of tires, go to "tirerack.com". You can search by size, width, and rim size.

As for width I think a 12.5 wide tire is what you are supposed to look for..

 

What are the measurements for a 31"? Is it 305-70-17? Also, what is the difference in a tire that starts with P or LT? Sorry, if dumb questions but never bought anything other than OEM before.

 

those metric numbers just confuse me. If you are using tirerack.com you can scroll down in that drop down menu and it will have just "31". The lower numbers in the twenties and thirties are inches not metric.

as for the P and LT: P is for Passenger. LT i'm not so sure what it stands for but P is a passenger that will give you a smoother ride, but can't handle as much of a payload. LT is for people that keep a lot of heavy cargo but the ride quality is not much, but somwhat more rough.

 

I looked for 31's on tirerack but they do not have any. I was hoping there was an equivalent to search for using the metric measurements.

 

Your right I just checked tirerack and they dont have that size. that is odd they usually have every size... on another note try "4wheelparts.com". If you click tire on the left side of the screen and search by brand, you can find a tire you like, and search every tire of that type that holds a 17" wheel. Then it will give you the total diameter in inches of the tire (it automatically does it and translates the metric to inches for you)

 

I'll be more specific. Here are some steps.

1. 4wheelparts.com


2. Click on "tires" on the left side of the screen

3.On that page yo have the option to select size and everything but DONT, just scroll down and it will have a bunch of different brands. THe picture you see for each brand is not the only tire for sale, each brand has about 10 different tire or so.

4. When you click on the brand, the next page is the specific tires they sell, then of those listed, pick one that you like and click on it.

5. Then you will be at a page with a ton of different sizes of the tire you selected. On that page you can select "rim size" and a drop down menu will appear and you will click "17" cause thats your stock tire size. Click on 17

6. Then those tires shows will all be for a 17" wheel, and each tire will have a "tire diameter" in inches. Even the metric sized ones are converted into inches.

Hope that works!