What tires are you running?

[100acrehuphalump]

I'm about to splurge on new tires for my truck to carry my FWC Hawk for on and off road purposes. I've been using Cooper Discoverer AT/3's for the past year and they've been great, but I wanted to see what everyone else is using and why. I plan on upgrading to 10 ply E rated load tires. Feel free to post some pix of your tires on your trucks if you like.
Thanks, Dan

 

[Foy]

Michelin LTX AT2, Load Range E, 3,400 lb (approx) @ 80 psi.

2002 F350 SRW diesel, CC, 4WD, long bed. Between the fiberglass shell and way too much in the way of tools and gear, I'm at a shade over 8,800 lbs without a trailer's tongue weight.

I've never had treadwear life even approaching that which I've gotten on Michelins. The downside is the tread design is fairly wimpy for an "AT" designation, but it is still superior to Michelin's "M + S" tread design. The truck weighs far too much and is way too unwieldy to be a mudder or a rock crawler, anyway, so as long as I have very stiff sidewalls, decent traction on wet pavement and in snow, and long treadwear life, I'm a happy camper.

Foy

 

[ski3pin]

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/8847-i-am-getting-another-new-set-of-tires/

 

[Cayuse]

I'm running the Cooper AT/3s in an E rated tire, also had them siped. Really happy with them so far.

 

[iowahiker]

This thread may also be helpful:

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/9256-oem-12-ton-lt-e-tire-pressure/?hl=%2Btire+%2Bpressure

 

[snuffy]

Just got my new power wagon and went with Nitto trail grappler mt they are a little loud, but i like the fact they have a 3ply sidewall.

 

[Taku]

2005 Tundra with ATC Ocelot. Run Michelin LTX AT2, E range. Since I would rather walk than really beat up my truck on rough roads, these are great all around tires for winter and summer. If you think you really need rough track tires, I would look for a full on rock crawler type of tire.

 

[Vento]

I run the General AT2's E Rated on my 2500 Dodge. Love them, more mileage, cheaper than the BFG's and they stay soft longer than the BFG's. I have had them on three different rigs. They are great in the snow!!!

 

[Ramblinman]

I run the General AT2's E Rated on my 2500 Dodge. Love them, more mileage, cheaper than the BFG's and they stay soft longer than the BFG's. I have had them on three different rigs. They are great in the snow!!!

X 2 ... I run the Grabbers on my Jeep and love them

I use Goodyear Silent Armor on my truck /camper and like those as well - the grabbers are better in snow than the SA's

 

[jha6av8r]

x3 Michelin LTX AT2. I've always had good luck with Michelin tires.

 

[idahoron]

I also have the Michelin LTX AT2, Load Range E, but I use them for summer months. I have another set of rims and on those I have a set of Maxxis Bighorns Load range D for winter driving.

 

[Buckwheat]

X 2 ... I run the Grabbers on my Jeep and love them

I use Goodyear Silent Armor on my truck /camper and like those as well - the grabbers are better in snow than the SA's

Did you guys have to "break" them in? I bought these also and the first 100 miles or so felt down right dangerous my truck would feel like it was on ice and just dart around. Then it all stopped and the tires are great.

 

[Ramblinman]

No they were good right from the start. This said they replaced some very bad tires - so the only way was up in terms of improvement.

 

[ntsqd]

Started out with 315/75R16 Goodyear DuraTracs. Loved the traction, but the tire mileage wasn't very good. Swapped them onto the Bronc-up and now have Yoko A/T-S' on the camper. They're an order of magnitude quieter than the GY's and unlike the GY's I feel the rear limited slip in tight, parking lot turns. They also come with a 50k mile tread wear warranty. For a 315/70R17 I find that quite surprising.

 

[Vento]

Not at all, mine were fine right from the start. With that said I have been riding motorcycles for years and they always have a break in period to get rid of the Cosmoline that comes on them. I bet car tires have a similar coating that they use which might be why they felt that way.

 

[madhatt]

I had a new set of studded Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice WRT (Load Range E - 265/70/17) put on my 2005 F-250 this winter. They were excellent, with the weight of the camper I hardly ever needed 4x4. I managed to drive on a few un-maintained forestry roads after heavy snow, and while the truck jumped around in the tracks it never did get stuck! Driving such a heavy rig on snowy off-camber roads can be pretty gnarly, the ass end seems to want to slide down the slope towards trees! Not an issue with the tires, however - just the nature of the beast.

 

[PaulT]

My turn to stir the pot.

Most all the recommendation here is to get rid of my existing P series tires and go to an Load Range E / 10 ply tire even in the same brand and tread design. Other than anecdotal stories, I see no substantiated tests based on hard evidence that this would be an improvement in off road durability.

Given that the tire construction for the P series and load range E tire for a given tire is essentially the same. That is, the sidewall is either 2 ply or 3 ply from the same manufacturer unlike the days of bias ply designs where the ply rating was a number of plies in the sidewall. It would seem that if the load rating for P series tire exceeded the GAWR by 1000 lbs, then exceeding the GAWR by 2000 lbs as in the E rated tires would provide no advantage as related to sidewall cuts. This is especially true if you lower your tire pressure to soften the ride for off paved road use.

In fact, the E range tire with lower pressure may have a flatter tire cross section than the P rated tire at normal pressure and thus be more vulnerable to sidewall cuts from rocks.

What I'm trying to understand is how to justify spending upwards of $1000 to replace my perfectly good Michelin P275/65R18 LTX M/S2 with Michelin LT275/70R18/E tires. My P series tires are warrantied for 70,000 and I have less than 20,000 miles on them. I may be able to justify going to AT/2 tread but how do I justify increasing the load range? Apparently, I get no better sidewall protection and no better tire wear.

Where is the hard data? Tire manufacturer's web sites provide little help.

Paul

 

[enelson]

Exograpplers, load range E. They are all terrain and also have the three peaks winter rating. They aren't as good as a real winter tire in the snow/ice. A little load but tolerable.

 

[idahoron]

My P rated tires wore out on the outside edges of the tread. I put max air in them but they were not intended for a trailer with a 500 pound tongue and 700 pounds of weight in the back of the truck. The tires separated on the edges. I got lucky I didn't lose the tread off the tires. I know I saw pictures on here of a guy that lost his and I think that he was running C rated tires. I have two sets of tires. I have a off road set of D rated Maxxis Bighorns. Before I got the camper I got a set of C rated tires to handle the summer driving. I bought the camper and drove it maybe a month with the C rated tires. Then put on the D rated tires. I was super happy with the D rated tires. No squishy corners and overall handling was a ton better. Along came summer and I put the C's back on. I was not going to keep doing that. It was in my opinion dangerous. I bought the E rated tires and I am very happy and I don't worry about driving on gravel roads Like I did with my P rated tires.

 

[takesiteasy]

I replaced my "P" tires with "D" and noticed an immediate improvement in the feel of the truck, much more secure handling. I know it's just an anecdote but the heavier tires work will for me.

I'm not an expert. This is from Tire Review: http://www.tirereview.com/tire-types-and-load-capacity/

"LT-metric tires were specifically developed for use on light trucks and have a number of characteristics that differentiate them from P-metric tires. An LT tire is built more robustly than a P-metric tire, primarily to handle heavy loads under adverse conditions. Heavier body plies and larger bead bundles allow LT tires to be inflated to higher pressures, increasing the tire’s load capacity and allowing them to carry a heavy load continuously (not just occasionally) without overheating and failing.

All load range “C” tires (the old “6-ply” rating) can be inflated to 50 psi, “D” (8-ply) to 65 psi and “E” (10-ply) to 80 psi. LT tires are designed to minimize internal heat and to endure elevated internal heat levels for long periods. Typically, LT tires are made of higher quality materials than P-metric tires, and their construction is much more robust, with heavier sidewalls and denser, higher quality steel belts.

LT tires also are designed to endure greater physical abuse than P-metric tires, and some LTs are similar to the heavy-duty tires fitted to 18-wheelers and buses, using all-steel construction. LTs can handle sidewall abrasions better than P-metrics and are better suited to off-road and construction site use. Usually, LT tires have deeper tread depths than their P-metric counterparts."