The Ram trucks are one of the easiest pickups to modify and big tire upgrades are very popular on these vehicles. Since they have solid (live) axles with large round wheel arches, many owners want to know if fitting 35” tires on them are possible with the stock suspension.
Let’s find out!
The biggest tire A Dodge Ram 2500 can take without any additional modifications is a 35-inch tire x 12.5” width. It can accommodate a 37×12.5” tire on the factory stock wheels if you are prepared to do some trimming on the inside of the wheel fender liner.
Will 35” Tires Fit Stock 2016 Dodge Ram 2500
So yes, fitting 35’s are definitely possible and without any additional mods. The 35 is a common upgrade and still retains the truck’s practicality and off-road abilities. The point is not to see how big you can get away with on the street, but the biggest tire while still maintaining its off-road, overland, and rock crawling abilities. The 35 can it snug inside the wheel arch and still allow full articulation and droop, which is fantastic.
Biggest Tire on Stock Suspension
We’ve since established that the biggest tire you can fit on the stock Ram 2500 wheels is a 35-inch tire x 12.5” width, without any additional modifications. This means there is zero rubbing or fender trimming required. This tire size is the easiest and most hassle-free tire option and has a straight bolt-on fit. This tire size will work on the Power Wagon, 2500, and 3500 Ram trucks. This tire choice offers a nice balance between street, off-road, and towing practicality.
What if you want to go more aggressive on the tire and are prepared to do additional modifications to make it fit on a stock suspension?
Maximum Tire size on the stock Ram 2500 suspension with some modifications
So this section is to determine the absolute maximum tire size you can get away with on the stock wheels and stock suspension.
Take note that in order to make the biggest wheel fit, you’ll have to accept there will be some light rubbing on the radius arm fastener, as well as wheel rub on the sway bar. You should be prepared to do some trimming on the inside of the wheel fender liner. You can go as big as a 37×12.5” tire on the factory stock wheels. This will be the same for 2500, 3500 as well as Power Wagons on stock wheels. The wider offset factory wheel on the power wagon is actually going to make this easier and with possibly fewer modifications.
Maximum Tire size on the stock Ram 2500 suspension + Aftermarket wheels
Now if you’re prepared to spend a bit more and do the modification a bit better, then you should really opt for an aftermarket wheel with the correct positive offset. This will negate the need to do much trimming and cutting of the wheel fender liner and will look so much better. In this instance, you can push the upper limits of 37” tires.
The maximum tire you can fit with an aftermarket wheel would be a 37×14.5” fitted on a wheel with an offset between +18mm and +27mm. Avoid all zero (0) offset rims and anything with a negative offset.
The main thing here is the offset of the aftermarket wheel. Understanding offset is quite simple.
In short, the more (-) negative the wheel offset, the further out the wheel sticks out (Show truck style). The more positive the offset the more flush the outside of the wheel sits relative to the wheel hub. In other words, a negative offset wheel moves the centerline towards the inboard side of the rim, thus pushing your tires further out. Offset is the distance from the wheel mating surface to the center of the tire tread.
Will 35 Inch Tires Fit Dodge Ram 1500?
The biggest tire recommended for a Ram 1500 with factory stock suspension is 35” x12.50 on factory stock rims. This is a hassle-free upgrade that allows for a wider and longer footprint, enhancing the truck’s off-road capability while still being able to maintain practicality and not losing any suspension travel.
This allows you full wheel lock without any trimming, rub, grinding away body panels or adjustment of suspension components. This is a straight bolt-on-and-go tire option with only a speedometer adjustment needed to calibrate the reading.
Will 35” Tires Fit Stock Dodge Ram 3500 Dually (FITMENT GUIDE)
Big tire upgrades are one of the most popular mods most truck owners do and usually one of the first. Bigger, wider, tires enhance the look of the truck, as well as improve the way it hauls heavy loads. Bigger tires add stability and improve the truck towing abilities. In order to fit 35” tires to a Ram Dually, you’ll need a minimum 2” front leveling kit combined with well-engineered hub-centric ¼” steel spacers between the duals, running 35×12.5 tires.
This configuration offers enough clearance to prevent tire rub at full lock and scrubbing at full articulation. It’s a very practical upgrade in that you improve looks but also the truck’s practicality isn’t lost. High-grade quality steel spacers are a must so don’t cheap out on low-cost aluminum versions. Ensure you fit a 1/4″ spacer on the rear to prevent the tire chaffing on the rear leaf packs.
Running 35 inch tires on a Ram Dually (Spacers vs Aftermarket rims)
When doing a big tire upgrade, there’s always the cheaper way versus the proper, yet more expensive approach. There are, however, many Dually owners who’ve fitted spacers instead of aftermarket wheels and swear they’ve never had any hassles at all. However, if you really want to run 35’s on the dually, if possible, invest in a set of rims that do not require wheel spacers.
You are far better off going with a wider wheel with the correct width and offset. This will allow you to maintain the carrying capacity of the truck since they are properly sized and designed for the larger tires you intend to run.
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Conclusion
Going bigger tires might look awesome, however, you want to limit how big you go, especially if you still want to maintain the full functionality of your truck. Bigger isn’t always better since the bigger you go, the more modifications you’ll need to make as well as adjusting your speedometer reading. For the best all-around upgrade, we recommend not going bigger than 37”