[cyberpine]

Word on the street is that 305-55-20 will fit with on a slight rub on the control arm .. in some cases only in reverse at a slightly slower speed. Not too bad - I've lived with that on other trucks just for that bad ass look . It's also been said that a 1/4 inch spacer remedies the problem but that you should consider a hub centric spacer. Some have even run 1/2 inch spacers with no problems - do your own research and testing please.

But what about 325-50-60? ??. Slightly shorter, but wider! Love the look of this tire more in my opinion. Will it rub on stock 2wd 2009+ Ram stock chrome clad 20. I suspect it won't but who wants to gamble with $1500+.

Check out this size compare :

Check out this chevy (with a level and torsion down - older chevys run lower).. looks sweeeet!

BTW, anybody know what 20x8.5 rims might be .. I know they look a lot like the my 20 inch chrome clads which I do like.

 

[cyberpine]

Truck Tire Size and Wheel well engineering.. duh winning?

A bit of a Rant targeted mostly to the big three's truck engineering departments.

The most common mod we all make on our trucks is changing out the stocky wimpy tires. Right?

You would think by now, 60 years later, that truck designers would get it and see the value in making it easy on us and in turn promoting their own products by facilitating the mod .. right? Well.. Nah.

My 2010 is a beautiful truck and the stock chrome clads are nice to haves too. But naturally I want fatter tires for it..

You would think that rim and wheel well would accomodate a few COMMON sizes up and out without having to make other mods.. but no it's not to be.

Check out how close the stock tire is to the control arm. My finger does not even fit in the gap... really? really? That's just really short sited engineering.

Would you guys agree that this elbo will likely be the obstruction with really wide tires like 325/50/20 on that stock setup? Keep in mind I'd be going from from 10.8 inches wide to 12.8 .. that's at least an inch on either side. what's confusing is that this elbo is fixed relative to the tire (or so it seems).. so not sure why 305/55 would only have an issue with it at full lock. I'm at work and did not want to get under the truck to look on the inside on the torsion bar side to see how close it was there, but the wheel well itself seems like it would accomodate the 325/50.

If anybody know or has pics.. where does the 305/55/20 rub exactly and it any closer to rubbing to that part than stock? Maybe tire width does not impact that elbo is that is pretty close to the rim edge?

 

[BlackRamHemi]

I've got 305/50R20 Terra Grapplers ( 12.2" wide x 32.1" tall)
Mounted on Stock 20"x9" Chrome Wheels, no spacers, no rubbing.

2010 Reg Cab Short Box 4x4 that's been Dropped 2/3 (Ground Force).




Front passenger side at full lock left turn has over 1/2" clear from sway bar.
( you can also see about 1/4" clearance from upper A arm to inside sidewall of the 305 wide Grapplers)

upper a arm clearance (no spacers)

 

[BlackRamHemi]

I think some people with 2WD 4G Rams are getting sway bar rubbing at full turn lock even with stock 275/60R20 tires.
So even going up one size wider may be a problem for a 2WD Ram at the sway bar.
Wheel Spacers (or new wheels with a negative offset) will likely be required for a 325mm (12.5") wide tire to clear the upper A arm, and the sway bar.

Stock Chrome wheels are 20"x 9" with a +19 offset

 

[HEMILANCER]

I fitted a used 305 50 20 toyo proxes st2 on my truck to see how the tire fit, there wasnt a single problem. I think i'm opposite of everyone else i want a lower profile street tire for lower gearing and increased traction. What ive found is the lower the profile the less wide the tire that'll fit. i cant see a 305 40 fitting because of the upper control arm. problem is the higher the sidewall the more the swaybar interfere's. here's an idea why doesn't a company sell custom bent swaybar's for wider tires?

 

[cyberpine]

Great pics... what's interesting is guys with 305/55/20 are having a slight rub on the sway bar at full lock so the rubbing issue appears to happen on the sway at taller and not widerer. I would think the 305/50 is wider than 305/55 right?

@blk, your truck looks sick and the 305/50 are a perfect fit when lowering. But I think if not lowered it won't look entirely right. Really good deals on those highly available tires too. So you've never rubbed or felt any obstruction, not even on extreme brakes or turns? I use to run oversized on a chevy I had to cut and never had an issue until one day I tried to turn into a steap ramp at 25mph.

It's gonna be real close... But if it does rub

I wonder a 1/4 inch spacer will be enough to fit the 325/50s?
I wonder if I can fit 1/2 inch spacer safely (some have said yes)
I wonder if I should invest in hubcentric spacers while at it and go all the way around.

I really don't want to level, lift or lower.
I really don't want to run adapters with new studs.. spacers I can live with as long as nuts do at least 8 turns..

First chance I get I'm going to test how fat of a spacer my 2010 supports with these rims using some washers.

I think the 325/50/20s on these stocks, pushed 1/2 inch out will look really agressive at stock height. It's just going to cost a small fortune for these mickeys and custom 1/2 inch spacers is all.

 

[cyberpine]

...here's an idea why doesn't a company sell custom bent swaybar's for wider tires?

looking at the sway bar it's just a bent thick steel tube. I'm sure a welder could grind down the very edge and fill it back up without losing any integrity and likely gaining the clearance to run bigger tire. Or... the engineers at dodge could be tasked with considering COMMON tire upgrades into their design or wheel wells, suspension and stock wheels. For these trucks..ideally... 305/55/20 , 325/50/20, 33x12.5 would on stock truckst with no issues. Almost stupid that they do not given how close it is.

I was a the tire shop where one of the guys had a Turndra running 305/55/20 with no rubbing on a 20x9 rim with +30 offset. You could tell that all those sizes would fit that truck on just about any wheel. Nothing in the suspension was in the way of tires.

I'm going to submit a write up in my new customer survey to Dodge with this point. I see it as a design oversight. That and the fact that my truck is doing 11 mpg at 5k.

 

[BlackRamHemi]

305/50R20 Grappler's before the drop kit was installed:

It would drive me nuts to have a 2WD without at least dropping the rear a couple inches to level it. I Hate the stock Rake!

My drop was actually pretty tame, and mostly meant to level it out.
The front only came down about 1", the rear about 3"


Stock height, stock tires

Stock suspension 305/50R20 Grappler's

Dropped to almost perfectly level , about -1" front, -3" rear With 305/50R20 Grapplers

I've seen guys run the larger 305/55R20's (without spacers) The 305/55R20 Terra Grapplers are 12.4" x 33.1" (my 305/50R20's are 12.2" x 32.1")
But that size was on back order when I was shopping, so I saved $75/tire going down a size from 33" to 32".
The handling is better (lower sidewall) and as HEMILANCER mentioned, my net gear ratio worked out a little lower for better performance.
They also weigh about 6 pounds less for better fuel economy.

I'm more about performance anyway and I even swap to a lower dedicated set of 27" tall drag radials (295/45R17's) for the track...
My net effective gear ratio drops from 3.55:1 to 4.30:1 = FAST! a half second faster than stock 33's

Here's a few more snap shots of the 305/50's just prior to installing the drop kit...






If you're really set on 33x12.5's, They will work with a 1/4" wheel spacer. It's been done several times by other members already.
Some have even mounted 35"x12.5" tires on stock wheels (4x4's) after a front level kit but most, if not all, use 1/4" wheels spacers.

I had a pair of 1/4 spacers handy just "in case" I needed them because I knew it might be close.

I'm no stranger to larger tires either
...almost always try to stuff the largest tire I can and check thoroughly for rubbing.

 

[Guest]

305 is the section width so any tire designated such would and should be the same width, regardless of the sidewall dimension (50 vs. 55)

I've seen folks have rubbing problems with 275's and 285's but I do not recall if they had an aftermarket wheel with a different offset or not.

I think the pics above demonstrate how a 305 fits without anything special being done. I'm kinda surprised, based on other comments I've read, but it's great to see that info here.

Thanx for that, BlackRamHemi.

 

[BlackRamHemi]

BLKSVT mounted the slightly larger 12.4"x 33.1" 305/55R20 Terra Grappler's on his stock 20's (4x4), but added 1/4" wheel spacers

Thread from December 13th, I posted my info on that thread too
...seems to me the OP was part of that discussion as well LOL!

Link: http://www.ramforumz.com/showthread.php?t=68537

For those inquiring, I have the 5100 bilstein leveling shocks on the highest setting. When I got these tires they did rub on the control arm up top, on the way home i pulled over and saw where it was a slight rub. I put 1/4 in spacers on and solved that issue, my MPGs dropped a little but I am still getting 17-20 mpg...depending on my heavy foot. These have been great for me so far.

BLKSVT's 4G 4x4 Crew Cab

 

[HEMILANCER]

blackramhemi how fast is that thing with those drag wheels on it? I try to modify with performance in mind then style. I am second guessing the 305's though mainly because i don't want the tires sticking out. i live in louisiana and the roads suck, i dont wanna ruin my paint slinging mud and water at it all the time. I will have this truck for a long time though and eventually i wont mind. I think for the second set of tires the 285 50 will be perfect.

 

[BlackRamHemi]

We have crappy sand and gravel on our roads 7 months of the year because of the ice and snow all winter, that's why I have mud flaps.

I run low 14's consistently, but our DA is Brutal here, usually 3500+
it works out to [email protected] (DA corrected).



BTW, with my heavy 20's/Grappler's I'm lucky to even break 15 seconds and into the high 14's

Not only does the lower drag tire help my net gear ratio, the 17" tire/wheel combo is 30 pounds lighter (ea), less rolling mass, better grip,
...it also drops my ride height another 3" for better aerodynamics.

 

[cyberpine]

Actually liking the way the 305/50s look on stock suspension. These pics really do help.

If by chance you happen to have a shot from behind and low before the drop to to see how wide and how far out they hang I'd really like to see that.

Yeah.. I've kinda been around the block a few times with the issue.

Thanks @Black - really valuable stuff I'm sure many of members are going to use to make their decision when it's time to get tires.

I'm going to confirm that stock studs are long enough for a 1/2 in spacer and would still really like to find out (somehow) if 325/50/20 will rub with the stocks a 1/2 inch out.

 

[BlackRamHemi]

Actually liking the way the 305/50s look on stock suspension. These pics really do help.

If by chance you happen to have a shot from behind and low before the drop to to see how wide and how far out they hang I'd really like to see that.

How about a couple Videos ?

If you went with a 325 and a 1/2 spacer, that's going to require a set of Bushwacker Pocket flares to protect your paint

Here's what my 305's look like (without spacers) and my mudflaps removed... you'd be out almost a full inch further with 325's and a 1/2" spacer

 

[BlackRamHemi]

Found a few more...

Here's what my 295/45R17 Mickey Thompson ET's look like on a 9" wheel with -12mm offset (about 1.25" further out than stock)

 

[Roman Chariot]

Thats a sweet ride, I love RC's.

 

[cyberpine]

Thanks man.. I luv the negative offset - exactly like that, even on a smaller wheel/tire.. imo, worth any paint issues... it's a truck

By chance would you know if those after markets are hub centric? likely not.

Some debate about the impact of non hubcentric spacers.. balance and alignment concerns and all.

I think a 1/2 inch spacer *might* allow a 325/50/20 to run without rubbing on the bar, but do you think I'll have issues on the fender corners? I don't mind cutting if it does. almost wish I did not like the stock wheels.