Which are the best tires for the Ram 1500? That depends on who you ask. When Ram built your Ram 1500, they tried to strike a balance between cost, treadwear, fuel economy, and performance. You might have different priorities when the time comes to replace your Ram’s tires. Maybe you want the most durable tires that will last your Ram 1500 the longest. Or maybe you’re a penny-pinching cheapskate and just want the cheapest tires your meager funds can buy. Whatever your needs are, we hope our overview on the best tire options for the Ram 1500 crossover can help.
Have an older Ram 1500? See tire sizes for previous years.
Online tire prices are usually less than in store
What tires are on my Ram 1500? The current generation Ram 1500 crossover is sold in multiple trims with three tire sizes:
We’ve recommended three replacement tires in 18-, and 20-, and 22-inch sizes, in budget, moderately priced and cost-no-object varieties. Whether your pockets are deeper than the Mariana trench or Ebenezer Scrooge considers you a role model, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. All of these tires have ratings of four-stars or higher based on consumer surveys:
There are two regular milestones that will suggest that it’s time to replace the tires, not only on your Ram 1500, but any vehicle in your driveway: Time and mileage.
Considering most drivers cover between 12,000 and 15,000 miles per year, the vast majority of Ram 1500 owners are going to be past the mileage that their original equipment tires were intended to cover before they’ll go past the tire’s usable age.
The life of your tire can be somewhat predicted by its UTQG (Uniform Tire Quality Grade) rating. Tire manufacturers apply their own grades to tires for treadwear, traction and temperature. When you’re researching tires online, a UTQG will come up next to the tire name in three digits and a number (ex. 500 A A).
You can glean a bit of info from the tires by reading this rating:
Original equipment Firestone Destination A/T2 tires on the Ram 1500 earn a decent 540 A B UTGQ rating. Unless they are damaged, these tires could last as long as 54,000 miles before you need to replace them.
The other consideration is time. Each tire has a raised date code on the sidewall. The number begins with the letters “DOT” followed by 12 digits in three four-digit groups. The date code is the third group of four digits. To decipher the date of your tires, the first two digits represent the WEEK the tire was produced, and the second two digits represent the YEAR.
For example, if your tire’s date code is 3217, that indicates the tire was manufactured in the 32nd week of 2017, or some time between August 7 and 13th that year.
Once tires go beyond five years old, it’s time to consider replacing them. Tires are made up not just of rubber and steel or kevlar belts, but chemicals that help the tires resist UV rays, temperature changes and a lot of other environmental hazards. Those chemicals start to break down after five years or so, and the tires aren’t doing the job that they need to do.
There’s no harm in replacing your tires with the shoes it came with from the factory. However, depending on what kind of driver you are, there are significant reasons to purchase something different.
You only need to purchase ONE set of tires for your car every four years or so, depending on how much you drive. When an auto manufacturer purchases tires, they buy them by the hundreds of thousands. For the manufacturer, the decision to choose a supplier one brand or another comes down to a price point.
For you, your consideration may be completely different. If you could get a tire that stopped 20 feet shorter for an additional $10 per tire over the original equipment, you’d probably do it. Similarly, if there was a tire that made less road noise for a minimal investment over stock, you’d probably decide on the slightly more expensive tire (that is, unless you’re trying to drown out the conversation of your back-seat-driving spouse.)
Changing Ram 1500 Tire Sizes Depending on the year and model, you may be shopping tires to fit anything between 15-inch for older models to 22-inch wheels with various widths and sidewall sizes along the way. It is possible to change the wheel and tire sizes, but a general rule of thumb is to keep the total diameter of wheel and tire the same. So, that means that downsizing an 18-inch wheel to a 17-inch wheel would include a proportionate upsizing of the tire sidewall to compensate.
Downsizing wheels has its advantages. Benefits include:
On the other side of the coin, going up in wheel size has its benefits:
When reading tire sizes, it’s important to understand what the numbers mean. The Ram 1500’s 22-inch wheels come with 285/45R22 114H XL all-season tires:
You may have noticed that the Ram 1500’s two tire sizes have different diameters and also different aspect ratios. Generally, automakers choose tires that have the same outer diameter. This allows them to have only one speedometer setting.
Now that you know what comes on the new Ram 1500 and how to read the size numbers, let’s look at the different types of tires available to you. Depending on the type of driving you’re doing, where you live, and the weather, you have a variety of choices for tire types:
Year | Trim | Size |
---|---|---|
2011 | 1500 Big Horn 2wd Crew Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Big Horn 2wd Quad Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Big Horn 4wd Crew Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Big Horn 4wd Quad Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Laramie 2wd Crew Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Laramie 2wd Quad Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Laramie 4wd Crew Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Laramie 4wd Quad Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Lone Star 2wd Crew Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Lone Star 2wd Quad Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Lone Star 4wd Crew Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Lone Star 4wd Quad Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 SLT 2wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 1500 SLT 2wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 1500 SLT 2wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 1500 SLT 4wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17; 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 SLT 4wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17; 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 SLT 4wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17; 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Sport 2wd Crew Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Sport 2wd Quad Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Sport 2wd Regular Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Sport 4wd Crew Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 Sport 4wd Regular Cab | 275/60R20 |
2011 | 1500 ST 2wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 1500 ST 2wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 1500 ST 2wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 1500 ST 4wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 1500 ST 4wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 1500 ST 4wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 2500 SLT 2wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 2500 SLT 2wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 2500 SLT 4wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 2500 SLT 4wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 2500 SLT 4wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 2500 ST 2wd Crew Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2011 | 2500 ST 2wd Regular Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2011 | 2500 ST 4wd Crew Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2011 | 2500 ST 4wd Regular Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 Laramie 2wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 Laramie 2wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 Laramie 4wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 Laramie 4wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 SLT 2wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 SLT 2wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 SLT 2wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 SLT 4wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 SLT 4wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 SLT 4wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 ST 2wd Crew Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 ST 2wd Regular Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 ST 4wd Crew Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2011 | 3500 ST 4wd Regular Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2010 | 1500 Laramie 4wd Crew Cab | 275/60R20 |
2010 | 1500 Laramie 4wd Quad Cab | 275/60R20 |
2010 | 1500 SLT 2wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17; 275/60R20 |
2010 | 1500 SLT 2wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17; 275/60R20 |
2010 | 1500 SLT 2wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 1500 SLT 4wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17; 275/60R20 |
2010 | 1500 SLT 4wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17; 275/60R20 |
2010 | 1500 SLT 4wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17; 275/60R20 |
2010 | 1500 Sport 2wd Crew Cab | 275/60R20 |
2010 | 1500 Sport 2wd Quad Cab | 275/60R20 |
2010 | 1500 Sport 2wd Regular Cab | 275/60R20 |
2010 | 1500 Sport 4wd Crew Cab | 275/60R20 |
2010 | 1500 Sport 4wd Quad Cab | 275/60R20 |
2010 | 1500 Sport 4wd Regular Cab | 275/60R20 |
2010 | 1500 ST 2wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 1500 ST 2wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 1500 ST 2wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 1500 ST 4wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 1500 ST 4wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 1500 ST 4wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 1500 TRX 2wd Crew Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 1500 TRX 2wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 1500 TRX4-Off Road 4wd Crew Cab | 275/70R17 |
2010 | 1500 TRX4-Off Road 4wd Quad Cab | 275/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 Laramie 2wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 Laramie 2wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 Laramie 4wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 Laramie 4wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 Power Wagon 4wd Quad Cab | 285/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 SLT 2wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 SLT 2wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 SLT 2wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 SLT 4wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 SLT 4wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 SLT 4wd Regular Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 ST 2wd Quad Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 ST 2wd Regular Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2010 | 2500 ST 4wd Quad Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 Laramie 2wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 Laramie 2wd Mega Cab Dually | 235/80R17 |
2010 | 3500 Laramie 2wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 Laramie 2wd Quad Cab Dually | 235/80R17 |
2010 | 3500 Laramie 4wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 Laramie 4wd Mega Cab Dually | 235/80R17 |
2010 | 3500 Laramie 4wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 Laramie 4wd Quad Cab Dually | 235/80R17 |
2010 | 3500 SLT 2wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 SLT 2wd Mega Cab Dually | 235/80R17 |
2010 | 3500 SLT 2wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 SLT 2wd Quad Cab Dually | 235/80R17 |
2010 | 3500 SLT 2wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 SLT 4wd Mega Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 SLT 4wd Mega Cab Dually | 235/80R17 |
2010 | 3500 SLT 4wd Quad Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 SLT 4wd Quad Cab Dually | 235/80R17 |
2010 | 3500 SLT 4wd Regular Cab | 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 ST 2wd Quad Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 ST 2wd Quad Cab Dually | 235/80R17 |
2010 | 3500 ST 2wd Regular Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 ST 4wd Quad Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
2010 | 3500 ST 4wd Quad Cab Dually | 235/80R17 |
2010 | 3500 ST 4wd Regular Cab | 245/70R17; 265/70R17 |
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Online tire prices are usually less than in store
Check inside your driver’s side door for a white and yellow label that will tell you the exact tire pressure recommendations for your Ram 1500 model. That tire pressure can also change depending on the load of passengers you’re carrying, as well as the cargo load. Note that the pressure on the tire itself is never the correct setting, but rather a maximum.
Rotating tires is more about the tire than it is about the car. A typical rotation interval is somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 miles, though specific cars and tires may change those numbers a bit. The Ram 1500 is a rear-wheel drive-based truck, so the rear tires will be worn more quickly than the rears. Do not blow off this service.
Your Ram 1500 should have come equipped with a compact spare tire and changing tools in its cargo hold. In this case, you already have everything you need to physically change the tire, but you may want to carry an extra roadside emergency kit with an upgraded lug wrench, jumper cables, and emergency markers just in case.
Several online retailers like Tire Rack offer regular discounts and free shipping for their tires. Their sites also have tire fit guides and pricing estimators to help you understand what you’re buying.
Most online tire retailers have free shipping or reduced shipping cost when you choose to have them installed at a partner shop. The retailer may have an arrangement with a local tire chain or installation center and can ship the tires there for free.
Retailers like Tire Rack offer fast shipping and can often have tires to your preferred installer in as little as two days. Many others, like Discount Tire Direct, offer the same fast and free shipping. It also depends on where you live. If you’re in a large metro area, close to a distribution center, it should be relatively quick. If you live 5 miles from East Moosejaw, it might take a little longer.
Some shops will offer free installation when you purchase tires from them, and online retailers often promote the same deal for people who choose to have installation done at one of their partners. If you do find yourself paying for tire installation, expect to pay between $15 and $50 per tire, depending on what is needed. That money pays for mounting and balancing the tire to ensure a safe and comfortable ride.
The tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) is independent of your tires, but should be checked at regular intervals to ensure no damage or malfunctions are occurring. Your local tire shop can perform this check as part of normal tire rotation or installation.
Yes! You can find the right fit, tread pattern, and speed rating on nearly any online retailer’s site. They sometimes offer specials and rebates around the time when people start looking for winter tires (late fall).
It’s certainly not a requirement to buy your tires and wheels from the same place, but you’re more likely to get a deal on the package if you buy from the same place. Check the retailer’s specials and make a determination from there. You may also find a better deal ordering either the tires or wheels online and buying the other component from your local shop.
Yes, and in some cases rebates are offered alongside discounts on the tires. It’s important to ask questions and understand what you’re getting, so be sure to chat or call the retailer before ordering if the rebates are unclear.