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Newly Tired Dually
Putting new tread on a dually pickup truck
Steve Temple / autoMedia.com
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Ever notice how different makes of footwear vary slightly in fit, even if they're both exactly the same size? That's even truer when it comes time to replacing your tires. Recently we had to put some fresh rubber on a '96 Dodge dually pickup, but found that we couldn't just use the same code on the sidewall of the existing tires (LT235/85R16). Those, from a different manufacturer, were larger than the factory-recommend size (LT215/85R16).
Same But Different
That's because the spacing between the pairs of rear tires was not the same for the two different companies (especially around the sidewall bulges at the bottom, where clearance is critical, particularly when you add a heavy load). On the older Michelin tires, the spacing was about a half-inch, but new Bridgestones with the identical size code would have overlapped about an inch. (And there's no shoe stretcher available to make these booties fit better, either.)
Getting down to the nitty-gritty numbers, if we had used the old tire's sizing, the Bridestone's Dueler A/T Revo would be 4.9 percent larger in overall diameter than the recommended OE tire size, and the company engineers indicated that we needed to stay within +/- 3 percent. We also considered going to a LT245/75R16 size, but that would have required two-inch spacers.
Sure, we could have added spacers to make sure there's sufficient daylight shining between the sidewalls, but we decided to start with a simple stock setup on this go 'round, partly because this work truck is used for hauling heavy loads (boat docks), and we were more interested in durability and reliability than appearance.
Downsizing?
Were we disappointed by going to a slightly smaller tire than what was already on the vehicle? Not at all. We noticed an immediate improvement in handling. A wider and taller tire can create more rolling and turning resistance so, while the truck used to track like a freight train with the old tires, it was anything but agile when changing lanes. By comparison, the Bridgestones provided a much crisper turn-in.
Copyright autoMedia.com 2000-2009
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We ordered seven tires in all (don't forget the spare). The blue tint easily washes off the white letters.
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Time to retire! Note all the warning signs of wear: rounded shoulders, thin tread (if the head on a quarter shows, the tread is too thin) and cracks in the sidewall. UV rays or ozone (say, from a welding machine in a shop) will degrade tires rapidly.
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Here's the critical measurement on tires for a dually. While there's plenty room in the wheelwell, it's the space between them that matters. Going to a different brand may have a different sidewall bulge at the base, so measure carefully. Spacers may be needed if you change manufacturers, even with same size code.
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Look on the doorjamb for the manufacturer's recommended tires size. You don't have to stick with that, of course, but it's a good starting point before you upsize.
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These fresh Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo have much more aggressive tread for a tight grip and sure-footed braking, but they cruise quietly on the highway, too. Note the square shape of the shoulders.
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The contrast between old and new is startling. And the Bridgestones are designed to maintain a good grip even as the tire tread wears.
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Changing out the fronts is simple stuff. We kept the same size all around in case we need to get a flat up front.
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The rears have to be mated properly. If we had been thinking ahead, we would have added extensions to the inner air valves, so we don't have to remove the tire to add air. We'll do that when it comes time to rotate the tires.
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Plenty of clearance here, even without spacers. That leaves plenty of reserve room for a larger sidewall bulge as the load increases.
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