New Tire Confusion

[MikeWard]

Fellow RVers,

I need to replace the tires on my tow vehicle. Being new to towing a large 5er I have been trying to decide the best tire to use. After much reading I am more confused than ever. Do I need an all season tire? A all terrain tire? In the beginning I will be mostly on paved roads but hope to eventually travel to the west and do some sightseeing in the desert areas. What is a good tire? I have read many reviews on tirerack and just when I think that one tire is OK I read another review about how terrible they are. I decided to come to the forum to the people that actually tow for some info to help me make a choice.

Thanks for your help.


Mike

[MikeWard]

Fellow RVers,

I need to replace the tires on my tow vehicle. Being new to towing a large 5er I have been trying to decide the best tire to use. After much reading I am more confused than ever. Do I need an all season tire? A all terrain tire? In the beginning I will be mostly on paved roads but hope to eventually travel to the west and do some sightseeing in the desert areas. What is a good tire? I have read many reviews on tirerack and just when I think that one tire is OK I read another review about how terrible they are. I decided to come to the forum to the people that actually tow for some info to help me make a choice.

Thanks for your help.


Mike

[Route 66]

You will probably find lots of varying opinions here also.

I don't think that towing will affect tread choice.

If you expect to driving off road in sand then an all season tire is better than an on/off road or all terrain tire. The more aggressive the tread, the greater the tendency of the tire to dig in when in sand.

If you expect to be in mud or soft ground, then a more aggressive tread is desirable.

I rarely had problems in the sand with all season tires.

In addition, all season tires will be much better suited for the road in that they will be quieter, and probably have longer tread life.

[RustyJC]

Everyone is going to have opinions, but the Michelin XPS has proven so bulletproof in tough 5th wheel applications that I have installed a set on the truck. These are an all-steel construction commercial-style radial that are admittedly more pricey but which routinely (per the users on the TurboDiesel Register) give 80,000 or more miles of service on trucks in hot-shot towing applications.

The on-road tread profile (which I use) is the Michelin XPS Rib. The more aggressive profile is the Michelin XPS Traction.

JM2CW....

Rusty

[Ray,IN]

I agree with previous replies. There is no one correct tire, there are way too many variables. I have B.F. Goodrich M&S tires on my dually. They are satisfactory for dirt/sand roads in the SW in most conditions. They are very quiet towing. Some paved road surfaces create loud rumble, most are very quiet.