I am also a fan of the Michelin M/S as my 16" wheels on my 03 F-250, I do jump a couple sizes for a wider foot print. My Ford dealer price matches, and I love the price of road hazard with the phone number I call is the same as Ford's road side assis...
back in 01 2500's were 8800 GVWR, SRW 3500's were more. You could ask on this forum what truck weights are with your cab configuration. subtract the difference for your payload. Then check with owners here what the best value is for suspension mods.
Living Florida we don't see too many in the Southeast. When we do one of us shouts out - - It usually gets the dogs barking. An average trip to TN, or NC gets us about 7 both ways.
I would show them this forum string, I know most dealers want to get people from out of town helped quicker. I also know of a couple of Techs on Vacation this week. (further east). I look forward to following your post. Hope it works out smoother. I ...