Tow vehicle tire questions

[RSmoak]

Hello all,

I want to draw on the experience of others concerning E load rated tow vehicle tires.

First:
Concerning dry/wet/light snow traction, tread wear/tread life, noise/comfort, fuel economy, and price. What is the best tire?

Second:
Concerning tire air pressure unloaded is there any benefit to running at higher pressure than 60 psi.?

Third:
Loaded the truck sticker says 60 psi front and 75 rear. Would I benefit from running at 80 psi?

Thanks,
Ralph

[RSmoak]

Hello all,

I want to draw on the experience of others concerning E load rated tow vehicle tires.

First:
Concerning dry/wet/light snow traction, tread wear/tread life, noise/comfort, fuel economy, and price. What is the best tire?

Second:
Concerning tire air pressure unloaded is there any benefit to running at higher pressure than 60 psi.?

Third:
Loaded the truck sticker says 60 psi front and 75 rear. Would I benefit from running at 80 psi?

Thanks,
Ralph

[450Donn]

Personally I really like Michelin tires for their longevity, quiet ride and wet/snow traction. As an example, we do not normally get much snow around here, so when it snows it can be a really slick mess. Installed new Michelins on the wife's Tahoe and on the way to the store there was a mini truck in the ditch. being a good samaritan that day, I turned around and pulled him out with noting more than auto 4WD and never spun a tire.

[K-Star]

I too used Michelin LTX tires. NJ does get snow albeit not as much as we used to. Very good traction in snow.

During the towing season I kept the fronts at 70# and the rears at 80# (recommended pressure based on my 5er weight) so it was always ready to tow at a moments notice. It was a little bumpier without the weight of the 5er but bearable. During the off [winter] season I lowered the pressure to 55# all around.

[RustyJC]

On our dually, I went with the Michelin XPS Ribs due to the unique conditions we live with in Texas:

1. Little or no snow

2. Scorching summertime temperatures

3. Long stretches of sustained higher speeds

These commercial all-steel construction tires aren't cheap, but experience with them on heavy 5th wheels indicates that they can handle the heat, speed and high loads and the hotshot rigs consistently get 80K miles or better with them.

Rusty

[ParTheCourse]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Third: Loaded the truck sticker says 60 psi front and 75 rear. Would I benefit from running at 80 psi? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I would run what it says on the wall of the tire.

They are referring to the tires that came out of the factory.

Depending on the manufacturer you choose you can go their web sight and get tire inflation recommendations for various weights.

[TXiceman]

I went tot he Michelin LTX on our dually. I have never had a problem with Michelin tires or Bridgestone tires. cannot say the same of Goodyear, Firestone of Goodrich.

Ken

[allendp]

My truck came with Michelin's and they were very good. Got about 50K miles out of them before I replaced them. They were not worth anything in snow as I learned on a trip with them to the Northwest. I replace them with BF Goodrich in Grand Junction, CO because the Discount Tire Store did not have the Michelin in stock and recommended the tire for winter weather. I must say say they were very good in snow, nice ride, and show very little wear after 40K miles. I run 70 lbs in rear and 65 lbs in front all the time.

[teamroper60]

I run Michelin XPS Traction tires on my 03 F350 dually. These have been the best tires I have ever owned. The only drawback to them is, you cannot go by the air pressure numbers supplied by Ford. If you do, you will have way too much air in them and the outer edges will not make contact with the road... Empty, I run 60psi in the fronts and 45 in the rear. Loaded, I air them up to 55 in the rear.

[Vette Racer]

I for one cannot recommend the BFG Commerical TA tires. I tried them on my dually and they have not worked well. I had a lot of trouble getting them balanced and they have rode really rough. I replaced the factory goodyear's which were D rated tires and really regretted putting these E rated tires on. I see no need for the E rated tires carrying a normally rated 5th wheel trailer, and boy, did they make a difference in the ride, both empty and loaded.

[JIMNLIN]

My current 2500 Dodge/Cummins 2wd came with Michelin LTX AS which are very mild tread. Very poor tire for traction on green grass/wet boat ramps/any type of snow or ice but with 110k they have been a excellent dry highway tire. I'm putting new tires on this month before winter. I'll go with the Bridgestone Revo LT E all terrain for better all around performance. I have them (C load range) on the wifes 1500 chev and do a good job.
Tire pressure ? Don't know what your driving so no recommendations. My 2500 Dodge/Cummins came with LT265/70-17 E. The door post recommended 50 frt and 70 rear. Those numbers were a joke. I found the front worked best with 65 psi towing or non towing (the Cummins is very heavy) and 80 psi in the rear when hauling max axle loads. My 5er isn't max axle load so 70-75 works great. I also air down the rears to 45 psi when empty.

Jim

[RSmoak]

Thanks to everyone for your comments, advice, suggestions, and most of all your experience.

"First:
Concerning dry/wet/light snow traction, tread wear/tread life, noise/comfort, fuel economy, and price. What is the best tire?"

Looks like most of you prefer Michelin. Since my truck dealer was paying to replace the old tires (and I didn't want them to say no) I went with a tire that's $40 cheaper per tire. Tire Rack rated the Firestone Transforce HT higher than the Michelin LTX A/S in a 265/70 17 E. On my 2006, F250, crew, short, 6.0 PSD, automatic, 3.73 they seem great so far. Just one trip with the trailer and one toad floater rain storm; so far I'm impressed.

"Second:
Concerning tire air pressure unloaded is there any benefit to running at higher pressure than 60 psi.?"

So far it seems that running higher pressure when unloaded only makes the ride less comfortable. Kinda like running with basketballs for tires.

"Third:
Loaded the truck sticker says 60 psi front and 75 rear. Would I benefit from running at 80 psi?"

I went with the sticker recommended full load pressures and was satisfied.

Thanks again folks,
Ralph

[Steve Rankin]

We had an '04 F350 4X4 PSD that came with Pirelli Scorpion 265/70R16 LR'E' tires with a typical 'All Season' tread pattern. They were excellent in dry and wet road conditions, but lacked traction on wet grass and the other usual off-road situations. Wet grass is a common issue for us when maneuvering the TT at home as well as occasionally in CG's. The Pirellis were also easily overwhelmed by snow and ice.

We also had a set of Bridgestone Blizzak W965's in the same size. They were fantastic in snow and ice. The F350 drove better in 2WD on snow and ice than our AWD Subaru did with its OE all season tires.

Our '05 Chevy 2500HD has Cooper ATR 265/70R16 LR'E' tires with an 'All Terrain' tread pattern. The Coopers work well in most conditions, including snow but not ice. A set of Bridgestone Blizzak W965's will be put on shortly. The all terrain Coopers are noisier than the others though.

We have a set of Michelin 235/80R16s highway rib tires on our '88 F250. They work fine in most highway conditions, but are nearly useless on anything other than pavement. They do wear forever and are very quiet though. But, then an old F250 with a 460 & 4.30 rear end is so noisy that who could tell if the tires were loud.

We've also had Michelin LTX & ATX on SUV's and pickups, but they were in P-series sizes.

As for tire pressure. We run 55/65 front/rear when empty and 60/80 when trailering. IMHO, the 80 PSI OE recommended pressure for the rear tires regardless of load is CYA lawyer talk by the truck manufacturer. If some dummie doesn't put more air in his tires when he hitches up, the manufacturer doesn't want it looking like it was their fault.