P vs LT Tires

[djsamuel]

I am getting ready to replace the tires on my 2009 Ram 1500.  I currently have P265/70R17 tires on the Ram.  I've towed my Camplite 21BHS over 7,000 miles and it tows great.  My inclination is to stick with P tires because I really like the ride of the Ram when not towing.  Also, there is a bit of "if it ain't broke don't fix it" thinking going on here.  However, I don't know if the additional benefits towing with LT tires would outweigh any change in ride comfort.

Has anybody made the change to LT (or use LT tires) and if so, what did you find?  I'm trying to weight the pros and cons of each, so I welcome all thoughts.

Thanks,

Doug

[charliem]

[font size="3"]Doug,

No direct P vs LT experience YET, but I'm just waiting for my OEM P265/70R16s to wear down. Then I plan to go to LTs, same size with an AT tread. Even with the antisway WDH I experience some "squirm" as an 18 wheeler overtakes me. I think it's simple physics as the truck's air wave hits first the rear, then the side, of the trailer. My hope is the stiffer side wall of the LT will help. My truck's whole life is pulling the CL and a weekly trip to the hardware store so daily ride is not an issue. Besides, a truck should not ride like a 1960 Cadillac   8-) . My current leaning is toward BFG T/A KO or Goodyear Wrangler.
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[pinstriper]

I ran both P and LT tires during the life of my 98 Ranger. I preferred the LT ride. Felt more stable. And of course having 6 plys instead of 4 made it that much tougher if it hit a pothole or a rock.

[canuck]

Hi Doug,

I have had new LT BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2's on my Tundra for three months now.

Absolutely one of the best decisions that I made for towing and general use. The original tires were All- Terrain Michelins and P rated, daily driving they were fine, but towing I always noticed some sway and softness. With the LT tires these conditions are gone, even cruising at safe highway speeds the drive is much more stable. But, the ride is not as comfortable as with the P rated tires. Much firmer with some bounce, my truck shocks are for minor off-road use and that also contributes to the firmer ride. BFG's customer service line even helped with the PSI settings. They recommended 50 psi in the front and 55 psi in the back. For daily driving I have changed the rear setting down to 50 psi and air back up for towing. Tread wear is looking good so far.

We tow mainly on mountain gravel roads and logging roads in all conditions. What ever the conditions these tires perform, but, the tread pattern does throw the rocks around. So, if you are concerned with paint chipping then maybe not the best tire for some. These bad boys also have the winter snowflake, not a true winter tire but defiantly a solid performer in snow. Off road, fantastic!

Last weekend we were in the mountains at one of our usual camping spots when a late winter storm came in overnight. Sunday morning we had about a 45 min drive in 6 inches of wet slushy snow. No slipping or sliding at all, even pulling up and down small grades in these conditions they were holding and getting traction. 

For our requirements they are fantastic. I would never go back to a P rated tire. 

This is a picture of Thunder Mountain, Alberta Canada. 



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[daplumbr]

You should know better than to ask about tires with the group on this forum.  (rofl)  But seriously, if I were buying tires right now, I would go with Michelin LTX MS/2 in the "E" rating (or the newer Defender LTX MS). I currently have that tire in the P-metric load rating (bought before I began towing the Camplite) and even at the maximum inflation of 44 psi, they seems a bit soft for towing. If I had the LT rated version ("E"), I could go as high as 80 psi to experiment a bit. I'm sure 80 psi would be too hard, but it would be nice to be able to go over 44 psi when towing. With "E" rated tires, I would just lower the pressure for non-towing use. That being said, these are long-wearing tires and it will be few years before I need new ones. Note that you don't have to go with AT tires to get higher load ratings. Michelin also makes an AT tire (LTX AT/2) that comes in both P (SL) and E (LT) load ranges. I used those for several years in the "P" version and liked them a lot too. In the end, your thought about not fixing it if it isn't broken may make most sense for you. 

[billmoore]

My current F150 has the stock P tires on it, and I'm just waiting for them to wear out to a reasonable amount so I can replace them with the new BFG T/A KO in LT rating...

[thedusty]

Couple of questions.  For reference, I have a 2002 Toyota Sequoia.

1. If I upgrade to the LT or E rated version of tires, how do you guys suggest determining the best PSI to run them while towing?

2. Also, I was poking around Discount Tire along with Costco and it seems like the only LT/E rated tire I could find was this: [a href="http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/filterTireProducts.do?ldr=E1&fl=&c=0&rcz=75063&ar=70&fqs=true&rf=true&rd=16&rc=TDMINT&cs=265&sortBy=prca&toggled=gbb%2Cldr"]Link[/a]  - BFG All-Terrain T/A KO2. I was looking at specs at the other tires and besides this one, all the others maxed at 45psi.

[tinkeringtechie]

Couple of questions.  For reference, I have a 2002 Toyota Sequoia.

1. If I upgrade to the LT or E rated version of tires, how do you guys suggest determining the best PSI to run them while towing?

2. Also, I was poking around Discount Tire along with Costco and it seems like the only LT/E rated tire I could find was this: [a href="http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/filterTireProducts.do?ldr=E1&fl=&c=0&rcz=75063&ar=70&fqs=true&rf=true&rd=16&rc=TDMINT&cs=265&sortBy=prca&toggled=gbb%2Cldr"]Link[/a]  - BFG All-Terrain T/A KO2. I was looking at specs at the other tires and besides this one, all the others maxed at 45psi.

PSI is calculated according to the weight on the wheel and the desired contact patch size. Typically you want to keep the contact patch the same as the OEM spec. PSI is really lb/in² so you want to keep the contact area (in²) the same. That means if the weight changes, the PSI should change proportionally. If you add 10% more weight to that wheel then increase the PSI 10%. However, the PSI should not change just because you switched tires unless the dimensions of the tire are different than the OEM spec. So if you're switching tires, just keep OEM dimensions and scale the PSI according to the weight increase. I usually add another 5PSI or so to the rear tires while towing, but it's still well below the 45psi you mentioned.

[pinstriper]

Not to directly dispute anything TT says, but the PSI at load will be different from tire to tire. One tire at a given load might want 45psi while another would want 50. They would each have a specific max as well.

And I don't think the load to psi change is necessarily linear the way the 10%|10% example reads. Conceptually yes, and probably rule of thumb good enough.

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote timestamp="1458580817" source="/post/19749/thread" author="@pinstriper"]Not to directly dispute anything TT says, but the PSI at load will be different from tire to tire. One tire at a given load might want 45psi while another would want 50. They would each have a specific max as well. [/quote]The tire manufacturers will only tell you the maximum PSI. The correct PSI that you should use is determined by the vehicle manufacturer. The TIP (tire information placard) inside the driver's door will show both a size and pressure for each wheel. If you're using that size tire, then you should be using that pressure. If you're not using that size, then check your vehicle manual for alternate sizes.