f150fergie

I have been looking up the General AT2 in 265/70r17 for my 01 F150. However I have come across something that confuses me.

The NON LT shows it is NOT rated for severe snow. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes
But the LT version shows that it IS rated for severe snow. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes
Does anyone have experience with why this may be?

I don't need the LT rating for towing, but if it's going to be better in the snow then I would consider it. I live in Iowa and the weather is pretty unpredictable and I want it to perform in the snow and extreme cold. I have considered other tires but this a very good price for a good tire, so far I have been very impressed with general tires in the past and that is why I want to stick with them. Currently I have Firestone A/T tires and they don't impress me one bit.

Red-Ford

I'd say get the LT. An extra hundred bucks might save you a little more. If you end up selling them on CL, the load rating is a big plus and will make them sell faster. Other than that, just seems better.

BassAckwards

I'm taking a complete stab in the dark but there are some sizes that aren't reinforced with extra nylon tread plies and these could play into that particular tires effectiveness in snow traction.

That's my best professionally educated guess, but if you see a lot of snow I would reccomend the severe snow rated LT tire. You will lose some gas mileage because it's heavier but there is likely a big difference in performance of the two.

willsboattail

Mine at NOT the LT's just P rating, but I hope they will give me the winter performance for North Dakota winters.
https://www.f150forum.com/f6/general...rubber-269357/

knightfire83

When I was looking to buy new tires, I too had the same question. On two previous 4wd vehicles, I had the LT Grabber At2 with the snowflake symbol, rated for severe snow.

After buying my truck last year I decided to try the same tire without the snowflake / LT ratings on my 97 F150 4wd. To me, they perform the exact same in snow and ice.

A vehicle equipped with these tires seem like it would drive up the side of a grease covered glass building in a snow storm. Living in Nebraska and having a job that I have to be at no matter what the weather is like, these have become my go to tires for trucks.

The only difference I did notice is the non LT tire squats a bit more because the load rating is not as much as a LT tire. The load rating is less, but the ride quality is noticeably better too, having softer side walls.

I had my previous set of At2's on two vehicles, they wore very well and had plenty of tread left after many years and miles on them. They have crazy deep tread and a unique lip molded in that protects the edge of the rim. They do have a bit of road noise, but not anything annoying.

I was looking at buying my current set from Tirerack, but after researching and considering shipping costs, and mounting fees, I ended up buying them online from Walmart.

I have the same size your considering, and 1 year ago it cost $699.50 for tires, and $54 for tire disposal, new valve stems, and lifetime balancing, (free mounting.)

They still look new, couldn't be happier with them.

From my experience, I would think your question would be how much load do you need to haul, what kind of ride quality you want, and as mentioned already.... resale value in your area if that is a concern.

Stu Cazzo

I bought these tires last year as my second set of tires, mounted them on some ATX wheels for winter driving up here in the great white north. I specifically did NOT want LT tires as gas mileage goes down but more importantly ride quality goes way down. The P rated tires were a little harder to find but well worth the wait on order if you want a good riding tire that wears really well with exceptional snow traction.


I too questioned the snow peak rating on the LTs but surprisingly when my tires arrived, (P rated) the set had the snow peak emblem on them...?


These Generals are a great winter tire...they chomp through snow and seem to clean themselves out quite well.


The only drawback if its an issue are the P rated ones do not come with white lettered sidewalls, if that's an issue for anyone.

willsboattail

Forgot to add - mine ARE WHITE LETTERED and did come with holes for winter studs, so I assume winter use is intended for these P rated AT2s also!!!

Matthvac1234

The only difference between the two tires in question is the load range. One is the "Standard Load" tire, the other is the heavy duty "Load Range E" tire.
I have the same 265/70/17 Standard Load tire on my '03 4wd Supercrew. I never had one issue this past Michigan winter with deep snows.

Stu Cazzo

Yes, my P rated tires do come with the holes for winter studs...
I am really contemplating getting them studded just to see how crazy the traction would be on ice...of course noisier.


The ride quality is pretty good. I'm looking forward to the switch soon with Winter coming as I bought 18s for winter and have the factory 20s on right now. The 18s have a smoother ride.

Stu Cazzo

I have a picture of my truck whereby I'm pushing snow with the front bumper with these tires. I had to stop for fear of jamming up and damaging the intercooler otherwise its a go in the snow!