Tires
Right now, we have stock Continental 275/65R18 123 tires (max 3,415lbs) with 10K miles on them. They are mounted to stock aluminum 18"x8" 8x170mm rims (max load 3,590lbs). They are inflated to 75psi in the front and 80psi in the rear. I have generally been happy with them, but apprehensive because they seem overloaded and get very warm even though I keep highway speed under 60mph. In the next week or so, I will be visiting CAT scales to get front and rear axle weights to determine if I have a real problem.
In the meantime I am wondering if there are any drawbacks to upgrading to a 295/70R18 129 tire, say a Toyo Open Country AT2 (max load 4,080lbs), keeping the same rims (yes, max load at 3,590lbs). In particular, I am wondering if the well sidewall increase from 7" to 8.1" and the diameter increase from 32.1" to 34.3" will affect the stability of the truck/camper. Also, the typical rim shown with that size tire is 8.5" wide though the specifications say it will handle a 7.5" to 10" wide rim. Would using an 8" rim be a problem?
We spend about 80% of the time on highways, and the other 20% off road, boondocking in the American west. At some point, we'd like to make the journey up to Alaska.
I included a screen image from www.tiresize.com which has a nifty visual tire size comparison tool to show the differences between the stock tire and the one I am considering purchasing.
In the meantime I am wondering if there are any drawbacks to upgrading to a 295/70R18 129 tire, say a Toyo Open Country AT2 (max load 4,080lbs), keeping the same rims (yes, max load at 3,590lbs). In particular, I am wondering if the well sidewall increase from 7" to 8.1" and the diameter increase from 32.1" to 34.3" will affect the stability of the truck/camper. Also, the typical rim shown with that size tire is 8.5" wide though the specifications say it will handle a 7.5" to 10" wide rim. Would using an 8" rim be a problem?
We spend about 80% of the time on highways, and the other 20% off road, boondocking in the American west. At some point, we'd like to make the journey up to Alaska.
I included a screen image from www.tiresize.com which has a nifty visual tire size comparison tool to show the differences between the stock tire and the one I am considering purchasing.
