New truck and tires don't match the sticker...?

[GrandpaBob]

So, I just bought a new 1500 Limited Elite and am loving it. Spending this much on a truck, I wanted to get exactly what I wanted. You can imagine my excitement when I found exactly that at a dealer who just happened to be right on the way home from my vacation spot in Montana, along I-15, on my way back to Arizona. I just had to stop in and buy it! In the excitement of seeing it and purchasing it, I didn't pay enough attention to the tires. The window sticker said they were 20", the load sticker inside the door frame said they were 20" and 20" is exactly what I wanted. This will be primarily a highway truck for me with occasional off-road (mainly rough 2-track trails) travel. My thought process is that 20" gives a little more sidewall for protection for the rim and maybe a little softer ride. Anyway, when I got home and started looking things over closer, I discovered that the truck actually had 285/45R22 Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires on it. WTF? I called the dealer (who is 600 miles away) to ask what the deal is. They claim they have no idea why it has 22" tires and I think I believe them. After all, its about a $2000 dollar upgrade and I have to believe they would have liked to charge me for them. I have to admit that I do LOVE the way these tires ride and the quiet ride on the highway. I'm not all that excited about the look (I prefer smaller rim, bigger sidewall) but, after all, it's mostly an on road truck. Here are my questions for the group:

1) What do you think happened here? Screwup at assembly?
2) For my use, will I probably be just as happy with these tires anyway?
3) Does anyone out there have much off road experience with these tires - how do they perform? My main concern is hitting a rock and damaging the sidewall or rim. I don't really plan to be doing heavy duty off-roading.
4) Since the doorframe sticker doesn't match my tires, what psi should I run and do these tires affect the payload rating?
5) Does anyone happen to have a similarly equipped truck and tires they could post the door frame sticker from?

About the payload rating. I am kind of surprised that the payload is only 1165 pounds. The GVWR is 7100 LB and the shipping weight was 5424 LB. Shouldn't the payload be about 1700 LB?

I'm loving the truck and believe that, overall, I'll be happy with these tires - unless I damage them on a rock some time ;-) Any insight or opinions on what the heck happened here and how I should feel about it are appreciated.

 

[moosem]

The only thing I could think of is that a previous customer wanted 20’s so they swapped his 22’s with this truck.

 

[Rlaf75]

It is not common but it's also not unheard of for the dealer to swap wheels for a customer. It's also not unheard of for thieves to steal rims off the dealer lot. That was happening a lot near me a few years ago. Those 22's are more than likely better for highway use as they aren't very aggressive for offroading. You can always try to sell the 22's and put the size you wanted on. As far as payloads are concerned, yes different or a lot of options can affect the payload because of the added weight to the vehicle and some options aren't meant for hauling weight.

 

[Eighty]

So, I just bought a new 1500 Limited Elite and am loving it. Spending this much on a truck, I wanted to get exactly what I wanted. You can imagine my excitement when I found exactly that at a dealer who just happened to be right on the way home from my vacation spot in Montana, along I-15, on my way back to Arizona. I just had to stop in and buy it! In the excitement of seeing it and purchasing it, I didn't pay enough attention to the tires. The window sticker said they were 20", the load sticker inside the door frame said they were 20" and 20" is exactly what I wanted. This will be primarily a highway truck for me with occasional off-road (mainly rough 2-track trails) travel. My thought process is that 20" gives a little more sidewall for protection for the rim and maybe a little softer ride. Anyway, when I got home and started looking things over closer, I discovered that the truck actually had 285/45R22 Pirelli Scorpion Verde tires on it. WTF? I called the dealer (who is 600 miles away) to ask what the deal is. They claim they have no idea why it has 22" tires and I think I believe them. After all, its about a $2000 dollar upgrade and I have to believe they would have liked to charge me for them. I have to admit that I do LOVE the way these tires ride and the quiet ride on the highway. I'm not all that excited about the look (I prefer smaller rim, bigger sidewall) but, after all, it's mostly an on road truck. Here are my questions for the group:

1) What do you think happened here? Screwup at assembly?
2) For my use, will I probably be just as happy with these tires anyway?
3) Does anyone out there have much off road experience with these tires - how do they perform? My main concern is hitting a rock and damaging the sidewall or rim. I don't really plan to be doing heavy duty off-roading.
4) Since the doorframe sticker doesn't match my tires, what psi should I run and do these tires affect the payload rating?
5) Does anyone happen to have a similarly equipped truck and tires they could post the door frame sticker from?

About the payload rating. I am kind of surprised that the payload is only 1165 pounds. The GVWR is 7100 LB and the shipping weight was 5424 LB. Shouldn't the payload be about 1700 LB?

I'm loving the truck and believe that, overall, I'll be happy with these tires - unless I damage them on a rock some time ;-) Any insight or opinions on what the heck happened here and how I should feel about it are appreciated.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was an incorrect installation at the factory. Would the dealer have a picture of the truck as it arrived on the transport? That would tell you if it was built that way, or if it was swapped after delivery to the dealer.

 

[ZZZ]

It's easy to scrape the 22 in. rim edge on curbing due to the small sidewall (5 in.) For ride comfort, I switched from the 22's to 20 and went with the 275/60/R20 which gives me a 6.5 inch sidewall and a smoother ride.

BTW there is a wheel dealer in Phoenix who has offered me $700 for my 22's but I think they're worth much more than that.

 

[GrandpaBob]

The only thing I could think of is that a previous customer wanted 20’s so they swapped his 22’s with this truck.

That was my first thought as well. But, I have trouble believing they wouldn't want to charge me extra for the 22s ;-)

 

[GrandpaBob]

It is not common but it's also not unheard of for the dealer to swap wheels for a customer. It's also not unheard of for thieves to steal rims off the dealer lot. That was happening a lot near me a few years ago. Those 22's are more than likely better for highway use as they aren't very aggressive for offroading. You can always try to sell the 22's and put the size you wanted on. As far as payloads are concerned, yes different or a lot of options can affect the payload because of the added weight to the vehicle and some options aren't meant for hauling weight.

Yep, but either way I'm thinking they would want to charge me the upgrade. Changing to 20s is the debate I'm having in my head but will probably just wear these out first. I'm still trying to figure out why payload would not be GVWR minus net weight of truck. The tires are rated over 2500 lbs each. Maybe the limiting factor is the air suspension?

 

[GrandpaBob]

It's easy to scrape the 22 in. rim edge on curbing due to the small sidewall (5 in.) For ride comfort, I switched from the 22's to 20 and went with the 275/60/R20 which gives me a 6.5 inch sidewall and a smoother ride.

BTW there is a wheel dealer in Phoenix who has offered me $700 for my 22's but I think they're worth much more than that.

That's my main concern or the same thing with a rock on the occasional 2-track road. It's nice to hear you like the ride with the 20s - that's probably the number one thing for me.

 

[GrandpaBob]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was an incorrect installation at the factory. Would the dealer have a picture of the truck as it arrived on the transport? That would tell you if it was built that way, or if it was swapped after delivery to the dealer.

The dealer claims he didn't change them and I believe him. The bottom line is it doesn't really matter what happened. I should have noticed the difference when I bought the truck but didn't. I don't really mind being 'stuck' with a free $2000 upgrade but may want to change the setup at some point.

 

[Eighty]

Yep, but either way I'm thinking they would want to charge me the upgrade. Changing to 20s is the debate I'm having in my head but will probably just wear these out first. I'm still trying to figure out why payload would not be GVWR minus net weight of truck. The tires are rated over 2500 lbs each. Maybe the limiting factor is the air suspension?

I don't know where the "shipping weight" of 5,424 lbs came from, so I don't know if the starting assumption is accurate (was it a default value, or did they actually weight the truck). But that aside, I suspect a part of the difference is fuel. Your truck was almost surely shipped with 5 gallons of gas in the tank (minus whatever was used during transport). The door sticker payload capacities include a full fuel tank. Given that you have a 33-gallon tank, you're losing upward of 200 lbs right there.
The door sticker takes into account all factory-installed options. Your Limited has a lot of heavy components that will reduce the payload (multi-function tailgate, ramboxes, etc.). Not very many 1500's have 1700 lbs of actual payload - and when they do, they're lightly-optioned Bighorns for the most part.

 

[GrandpaBob]

I don't know where the "shipping weight" of 5,424 lbs came from, so I don't know if the starting assumption is accurate (was it a default value, or did they actually weight the truck). But that aside, I suspect a part of the difference is fuel. Your truck was almost surely shipped with 5 gallons of gas in the tank (minus whatever was used during transport). The door sticker payload capacities include a full fuel tank. Given that you have a 33-gallon tank, you're losing upward of 200 lbs right there.
The door sticker takes into account all factory-installed options. Your Limited has a lot of heavy components that will reduce the payload (multi-function tailgate, ramboxes, etc.). Not very many 1500's have 1700 lbs of actual payload - and when they do, they're lightly-optioned Bighorns for the most part.

I've got a copy of the Vehicle Shipping Order which gives the weight but that is a good point about the extra 200 lbs of fuel. That's certainly part of it.

 

[ZZZ]

Forgot to show the door post stickers

 

[bigdodge]

The dealer claims he didn't change them and I believe him. The bottom line is it doesn't really matter what happened. I should have noticed the difference when I bought the truck but didn't. I don't really mind being 'stuck' with a free $2000 upgrade but may want to change the setup at some point.

unless you talked with a manager the sales person probably does not know

 

[GrandpaBob]

Forgot to show the door post stickers

Thanks much!

 

[jkm312]

My question would be which tire size is the truck calibrated to?

 

[jloops]

Get a copy of the PDI report. It’s not uncommon for a salesperson to swap parts on vehicles without management knowing. Personally if I was going to do any kind of off-roading with stock tires I would go with 20s for the extra wheel protection.

 

[moosem]

My question would be which tire size is the truck calibrated to?

The tire circumference is the same.

 

[northshoremb]

Hell I hated the look of stock 20" cause no rubber so I went to the Rebel 18" on mine in a 275-70r18 which is 33.4". Hate tge look of trucks with 20s and 22s unless it's lowered and street truck only

 

[cskindt]

Hell I hated the look of stock 20" cause no rubber so I went to the Rebel 18" on mine in a 275-70r18 which is 33.4". Hate tge look of trucks with 20s and 22s unless it's lowered and street truck only

Same for me. My 20s were ok, but 18s are so much better with 295/70s.
I also put on rebel wheels.
Of course this is only my opinion.

 

[bvigne01]

You might just post them online for a swap if you didn’t pay extra for them. I’m sure some one will want the 22”.