Hello all, my name is Lee and this is my first post. i am selling everything and going full time rv.I purchaced a truck.Its an 05 ford King Ranch 1 ton quad cab short bed with 6.0 power stroke diesel. It needs tires, so that is my questionj. this truck is tall and right now it has 305/55/20 tires. it looks good but the factory sticker calls for 275/65/20. We are buying a 27' prowler 5th wheel with single slide. Should i go back to factory size and what brand and rating tire should i look for? Thanks for any help and i look forward to asking for alot more help in the near future, thanks,Lee

I am biased toward Michelin tires. I have never had anything but good luck with them. Moving on though, with the taller tires there are two things to look at. One is that, especially if the truck has a lift also, it will get the truck to sit taller in comparison the the ride height for the trailer. It is especially noticeable with a fifth wheel, possibly requiring the fifth wheel ride height to be raised slightly. I just changed to a newer truck that sits slightly taller and it has changed the way the tires on my trailer wear. The second item I see is that the taller tire will change your final drive ratio, but as your trailer probably isn't anywhere near your capacity the difference shouldn't be a big problem.

YES....For better towing go back to stock OEM size 'E' tireYou have lots of options in 20"I ran Michelin LTX A/T2 when we were FT....at 60,000 miles would replace Towed heavy...great wear/tractionHopefully you got one of the 'trouble free' 6.0 engines.6.0 Power Stroke Problems and InfoBest of luck......FTng was a awesome lifestyle .......we miss it :(

That tire is the same diameter as my stock size 275/70R18. Unless you have a lift your truck wouldn't be any higher or probably even as high as my stock Ram. Trucks have gotten taller over the years. I did have to do an axle flip on my fifth wheel but now it sits level and tows great. As long as your load rating is sufficient and you can run the trailer level I wouldn't bother changing the tires.My favorite brands for truck tires are Cooper and Toyo, although I'm running a set of BFG AT/KO2s right now and I really like the way the perform and they look sharp too. The treadwear may not be the best but time will tell, and I got a great deal on them so I'm not too worried about it. Had I not found the deal I found I probably would have gone with a set of Cooper ST Maxx.

I really like the BFG ATs. For us, the snowflake mark is important. Though plenty of tires have that mark. We also run some sloppy trails, so the more aggressive tread is welcome. If we didn't need that, I would consider several other LT tires that are more street / long haul worthy.

You should decide if you need a Highway, All-terrain (AT) tire or Mud tire.Then decide if you need a winter tire with the snowflake symbol.From what I've heard, the BFG KO2 is an excellent AT and winter tire. But as we're snow birds and the truck never sees snow or ice, I'll prolly get the Cooper AT3 which should last longer and give better mileage as it doesn't have the softer rubber and sipes of a "snowflake" tire.I used to run a Highway tire: the Michelin LTX MS/2 which lasted forever, gave great mileage, but was useless on wet grass or in mud. There's also Highway tires with the snowflake for winter driving.Mud tires are have very aggressive treads and are not usually used for towing. But anything's possible.Good luck, there's lots of choices out there.

Tire recommendations for towing | Good Sam Community

13 Replies

IdaD
Explorer
Jul 13, 2017
That tire is the same diameter as my stock size 275/70R18. Unless you have a lift your truck wouldn't be any higher or probably even as high as my stock Ram. Trucks have gotten taller over the years. I did have to do an axle flip on my fifth wheel but now it sits level and tows great. As long as your load rating is sufficient and you can run the trailer level I wouldn't bother changing the tires.

My favorite brands for truck tires are Cooper and Toyo, although I'm running a set of BFG AT/KO2s right now and I really like the way the perform and they look sharp too. The treadwear may not be the best but time will tell, and I got a great deal on them so I'm not too worried about it. Had I not found the deal I found I probably would have gone with a set of Cooper ST Maxx.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Jul 13, 2017
YES....

For better towing go back to stock OEM size 'E' tire

You have lots of options in 20"

I ran Michelin LTX A/T2 when we were FT....at 60,000 miles would replace
Towed heavy...great wear/traction

Hopefully you got one of the 'trouble free' 6.0 engines.

6.0 Power Stroke Problems and Info

Best of luck......
FTng was a awesome lifestyle .......we miss it :(
Willcamp4
Explorer
Jul 13, 2017
I am biased toward Michelin tires. I have never had anything but good luck with them. Moving on though, with the taller tires there are two things to look at. One is that, especially if the truck has a lift also, it will get the truck to sit taller in comparison the the ride height for the trailer. It is especially noticeable with a fifth wheel, possibly requiring the fifth wheel ride height to be raised slightly. I just changed to a newer truck that sits slightly taller and it has changed the way the tires on my trailer wear. The second item I see is that the taller tire will change your final drive ratio, but as your trailer probably isn't anywhere near your capacity the difference shouldn't be a big problem.

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Tire recommendations for towing

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