car hauler tires

[ord27]

wasn't sure where to post this.
Need some advice

My '59 Apache runs on 15" rims. Currently I have Cooper Discover tires on it, that are 33" tall 12.5 inches wide and a pretty aggressive tread pattern. They are noisy and like to "grab".

I'm told that they don't make a highway friendly tire that's that big, for 15" rims.

So I'm trying to educate myself

A tire calculator shows that a 285 60r18 would lose me 1.5" of height 1 inch of width and 2.28" of sidewall. The tire selection is much greater, and I should be able to find a quiet tire that is more highway friendly.

My concern is smoothness of ride. I've read that a larger sidewall translates to a smoother ride. I'm wondering is the calmer tread style would make the 18" tires much more road trip friendly. I'd hate to spend the money on new rims and tires and not have a noticeable difference in ride quality

what do yall think?

 

[Ironbuilt]

305/70R17 would be about similiar in height at 33.8" tall. With that size, I would recommend the Toyo Open Country All Terrain. You won't sacrifice ride quality and you will still have a good, sturdy truck tire.
Or, you can opt for a 295/70R17 and, while still at 33", you can get a more highway friendly tire with the Michelin Defender LTX M/S.

Check this out, you can play around with sizes yourself.

https://tiresize.com/calculator/

 

[ord27]

thanks
do you agree with my assumption that a less aggressive tread will be a better ride?

 

[Ironbuilt]

Absolutely, and unless you're going off road, those tires just wear faster on the pavement.

 

[khryslerkid]

I have those Coopers on my 2500 Ram and they're not noisy at all. Not as wide though 265/70 17"