cancel
Showing results forย 
Search instead forย 
Did you mean:ย 

New Tires for Tow Vehicle

Deano_1
Explorer
Explorer
Hey Guys,

Looking replace the stock tires on my 2014 Expedition EL XLT. The stock tires are P275/65 R18. I tow a 26 foot camper, with most of my towing within a few hundred miles. I live in upstate NY so we deal with snow and ice. Next summer we plan to drive cross county (not towing) so I would like an all around tire that might help with the mileage. I have been looking at the Michelin LTX A/T 2, LTX M/S and the LTX A/S but I honestly don't know the real difference between them.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Deano
18 REPLIES 18

BarneyS
Explorer III
Explorer III
In my last three 3/4 ton trucks (2 rams and one F250) I ran my rears at 80psi and the fronts at 75psi all the time. Never had a problem with the handling or ride and the wear was constant and even. My tires usually lasted about 70,000 miles or so.
Barney
2004 Sunnybrook Titan 30FKS TT
Hensley "Arrow" 1400# hitch (Sold)
Not towing now.
Former tow vehicles were 2016 Ram 2500 CTD, 2002 Ford F250, 7.3 PSD, 1997 Ram 2500 5.9 gas engine

myredracer
Explorer II
Explorer II
Had the Michelin LTX's 18" LTE on our F250 for about 5 years after they were recommended by quite a few on RV.net. They seemed fine and the original tires it had were some old knobby off-road type so wasn't really able to assess the difference.

Just bought a set of Goodyear Wrangler, but in 17" for our new truck ('12 GMC 2500HD). Got them from a guy who used to own a local major chain tire shop with 30 years in the biz. He showed me the difference in the sidewall strength. The Michelins have a soft flexible sidewall sort of like ST tires. The Goodyears have a Kevlar sidewall which is a LOT stiffer. Seemed to me that should be more stable for towing so I got those instead. Very impressed.

Did a 10 hour drive on the new Wranglers yesterday over a long mountain pass with plenty of steep-ish grades, twists and turns and also some bumpy sections. I loved the way they felt and being brand new didn't think they'd feel as good as they did.

I always used to run the rear tires on the F250 at 80 psi and fronts at 75 psi. Ended up with those pressures because I played around with different pressures and found 80/75 was the best (after playing around with the WDH setup). Had zero sway and excellent handling. A few folks have been shocked at that high a psi. I lower it over the winter. No abnormal tire wear.

Interestingly, the new 2500 HD Sierra says to inflate the rears to 80 psi on the door sticker. Neither DW or I have a problem with the harsher ride and don't actually notice it being harsh. I like the handling and steering to be optimal for towing so 80 psi it is. When you're towing on twisty roads with lots of bumps and dips, harshness is the last thing that matters.

JIMNLIN
Explorer
Explorer
Load E can ride OK if the pressure is dropped to 35-40 psi however that was a lot of parasitic drag on older V8 engines when they had 220-250 hp. The newer V8 with 375-400 hp not so much.

You won't get a generic answer for those big LT E for a 1/2 ton truck as we all don't perceive things like a rough ride/handling/etc the same.
"good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" ............ Will Rogers

'03 2500 QC Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs Westach
'97 Park Avanue 28' 5er 11200 two slides

Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
Deano_1 wrote:
Will the load E tires ride ok when weโ€™re not towing?


Air based on your actual weights plus 5psi and your GOLDEN!!!
2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
37,800# GCVWR "Towing Beast"

"HeavyWeight" B&W RVK3600

2016 MobileSuites 39TKSB3 highly "Elited" In the stable

2007.5 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 29,000# Combined SOLD

Deano_1
Explorer
Explorer
Will the load E tires ride ok when weโ€™re not towing?

JIMNLIN
Explorer
Explorer
Deano_1 wrote:
I found the Defenders on sale locally. What is the biggest difference between the load rating 123/120 with a PSI of 80 vs load rating of 116 with. PSI of 44?

Thanks!

Load E tires with 123 rating = 3420 lb capacity at 80 psi.
Load P tire with 116 rating = 2760 lb capacity at 44 psi.
"good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" ............ Will Rogers

'03 2500 QC Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs Westach
'97 Park Avanue 28' 5er 11200 two slides

Deano_1
Explorer
Explorer
I found the Defenders on sale locally. What is the biggest difference between the load rating 123/120 with a PSI of 80 vs load rating of 116 with. PSI of 44?

Thanks!

APT
Explorer
Explorer
I had Michelin LTX M/S2 for 4yrs 60k miles. Mountain Snowflake symbol with fantastic snow/ice performance. Quieter, lighter, better fuel economy than the OEM AT tires with more grip in all conditions. They just look very humble. Now I have the Defender LTX the successor. Again, same qualities so far after one winter.
A & A parents of DD 2005, DS1 2007, DS2 2009
2011 Suburban 2500 6.0L 3.73 pulling 2011 Heartland North Trail 28BRS
2017 Subaru Outback 3.6R
2x 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV (Gray and Black Twins)

JIMNLIN
Explorer
Explorer
Deano_1 wrote:
I have another question on this. If the sticker in the door jam states 40 PSI, it the tires can be inflated to 80, can you safely pump them up to 80? I was looking at the LTX At 2.

Thanks

1/2 ton size OEM wheels may not be rated for 80 psi so let the wheel maker determine max pressure.
Results of wheel over pressure are split tire bead seats or cracked valleys on especially cast aluminum wheels while carrying a load and highway speeds.
We can't tell you what your wheel max pressure is so its up to you to find out. The wheel should have a max load number stamped or on a sticker. It can be on the front or backside or in the valleys which requires the tire to be removed.

I would pump them to 60-65 psi which is way above a 1/2 ton vehicle gross axle capacity anywayz. I sure wouldn't use 80 psi for a 1/2 ton size vehicle.
I've tried LT E on a couple different 1/2 ton size trucks but always went back to OEM P tires (or a LT C) mainly to get my mpgs and softer ride back.
We travel lots of miles out here running empty or pulling something.
"good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" ............ Will Rogers

'03 2500 QC Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs Westach
'97 Park Avanue 28' 5er 11200 two slides

Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Explorer III
"Switching from "P" (passenger car) to "LT" (light truck) may give a harsher ride,"

Harsh is not the word I would use. Inflate based on load plus 5psi and the ride will be fine with much better handling.
2015 RAM LongHorn 3500 Dually CrewCab 4X4 CUMMINS/AISIN RearAir 385HP/865TQ 4:10's
37,800# GCVWR "Towing Beast"

"HeavyWeight" B&W RVK3600

2016 MobileSuites 39TKSB3 highly "Elited" In the stable

2007.5 Mobile Suites 36 SB3 29,000# Combined SOLD

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
Deano_1 wrote:
I have another question on this. If the sticker in the door jam states 40 PSI, it the tires can be inflated to 80, can you safely pump them up to 80? I was looking at the LTX At 2.

Thanks


Yes, regardless of the pages of diatribe you may see by asking the question.
However, you basically can't load the Expe heavy enough to need near that much pressure or capacity. Don't see you going above 50-60 psi on the rears. Front, still run whatever pressure you run.
Bottom line, you still run the same pressure you need to, even if the tires are heavier duty.
Nice part is E load tires aren't even breaking a sweat and they'll last much longer than P tires comparatively speaking.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5โ€ turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

Deano_1
Explorer
Explorer
I have another question on this. If the sticker in the door jam states 40 PSI, it the tires can be inflated to 80, can you safely pump them up to 80? I was looking at the LTX At 2.

Thanks

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
Definitely switch to a Load range E tire. They don't cost much more if any in your size, you can air them up and towing performance will be much better than P tires, they'll last longer and dont ride any different if you air them down to be comfortable.
Get a less aggressive AT tread and they'll be silent on the road and before winter have them siped and they'll run like dedicated snow tires if you want the best performance in the snow too.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5โ€ turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

theoldwizard1
Explorer
Explorer
JIMNLIN wrote:
check out https://www.tirerack.com/tires/michelin-tires.jsp.

The LTX AT 2 is a all terrain (AT) type tread and may be a bit noisy compared to a all season type tread. It has a good performance rating.

The LTX M/S is a all season (AS) and shows to have a very good performance rating. The tread should be a bit quieter.

The LTX AS is a all season tire. Tirerack shows to have a very poor performance rating from customers.

Excellent summary !

Switching from "P" (passenger car) to "LT" (light truck) may give a harsher ride, but the tires will last longer and you will notice less sway when towing.