Are 10ply tires really necessary on a Ram 2500 4x4 ? 

I have 10 ply tires on my Ram but are 10 ply really necessary ?  I have owned several 3/4 ton 4x4 and got very good service with 8 ply tires plus they are about fifty bucks less than the 10 ply. I do not haul heavy loads on my truck but I do pull a 16 fool featherlite stock g/n and a 18 ft flat bed g/n trailer for hay movement. So what is your thoughts ?

Stick with the 10 ply tires , less expensive in the long run. 

Just my .02 cents worth.

What he ^^^^^ said!!!!!

 

Do a search for member AH64ID.  He has a lot of posts about his research into tires/rims etc.!!!

I ran  load range  E..  on my  2500's,   I believe those are  10 ply?  

But, they were  Treadwrights too,  and  pretty cheap, so I spec'd them that heavy.   I think they were  about 25 bucks more than  load range D's.     

 

They are  most definitely  heavier in mass,   stiffer,  and  probably take more  fuel to spin them up to speed..   Any thicker tire will hold heat too,    

Just throwin out the  cons too.   

 

just  curious,   how many miles are you getting  on  a set of tires  (for the way you drive, and  where you drive)...       Some  are getting  ~ 50-75k  on  a set,  while  others  (me)   20-30k    I am more  'off road'   and  pretty abusive on rubber...    (main reason I run  re treads)       If you buzz off the tread pretty quickly,  I'm not sure  about the savings  in going with  a  10 ply..

 

I haul   almost 200 loads of  hay  a year home,  some of the  meadows  are  19 miles  from here.     This  is  why  I  stay with the  10 ply on the   3500. 

But,  even if you haul only a few loads of hay,   the extra  plys  is  peace of mind too!

With the weight of the engine I would want to run LR E tires. The LR D tires have lighter sidewalls that have more squirm than E tires. Besides, if these trucks could run D tires they would come from the factory with them since they are cheaper.

Thanks to each of you for the advice. I ordered new 10 ply tires this morning and will install Monday. I am retired and have severe RH so changing a tire on the side of the road is something I don't want.

Guess I'll be the odd man out.  I am running BFG T/A Radial KO's in 315/75R-16.  It is an 8 ply tire.  I normally don't haul heavy loads but on occasion do.  An example would be picking up  6 55 gallon barrels of sugar that weigh about 420 lbs. each or picking up a bundle of 24 pressure treated 6 x 6 x 8's, and most recently a pallet of 12" x 8" x 16" concrete blocks (cinder blocks).  These tires do just fine.  I am on and off road about 50/50 so these tires are a good match for me.  I normally run about 35 psi since I have a short bed but air up to max. (50 psi) if I pick up a load.  If I was driving a dual rear wheel truck, I would probably go with load range E/10 ply. 

 

I will note that BFG I think has cheaped out on their T/A Radial off road tires as the original set I had on my truck and the currently on the wife's truck max. air pressure was 65 psi which tells me that they reduced the ply rating of the tire. 

When in doughty, put on what came with it.

 

A few years ago I was buying tires on the wife vehicle. My agent was there getting a set to. We were talking generally on insurance topics, and he informed me that if there was an accident, if you don't maintain it properly and an accident happens, they will not cover.

 

Like if I was towing and an accident happens, if they find out I did not have the recommended tires installed, they would not pay out.

 

So if your truck takes an E rated tire. Put them on.

 

By the way, I don't have that insurance company anymore.

Ultimately it is the Load Index that is what matters.  If your vehicle and load do not exceed the load index, I believe you are legally on safe ground with the law and your insurance company.  I agree.  Don't think I would do business with a company that operated like you mentioned.  I have been with USAA for 31 years and they have been excellent in all respects.  The BEST insurance and safety is common sense and abiding by it. 

Like myself I don't bother with name brands. I've got HiFly's on right now and they are a load range E tire. But since I'm not a name brand tire they are much cheaper. But I do adjust my tire pressure based on axle weight calculation. This gives me the best off all worlds. Enjoyable ride, cheap tires, and good traction.

Just like Batteries, Many of your off brand products are made by the Bigger names. The Dealer I get my tires from tells me what the parent company is all the time. 

Running 19.5s with 16ply. I think i could run over a box of screws and be fine.

...... The Dealer I get my tires from tells me what the parent company is all the time. 

 

 

I would like to have a dealership like this. Most I deal with now can answer most general questions about their tires, (I can find these answers from websites) but really don't know who actual manufactures them. 

19.5s here,