ghunt81

So I realized recently my truck is going to need tires sooner rather than later (tires have about 6/32 tread left which I hope will get me through the winter but not sure).

I had wanted to upsize with new tires anyway, so I was looking at 275/60R20's. But it seems that many of the tires at this size, even AT's, are P tires. Why? I also looked at 275/65R20's but I don't think I want to spend that much right now (as I am also going to have to buy tires for my Mustang in the spring).

I like the extra tread depth on the LT tires but I also understand they are heavier, do they ride worse? I guess I've never really had a back-to-back comparison.

Truck currently has Hankook Dynapro ATM's on it.

TexasRedfish

To me, going from P to LT alone did not change much in terms of ride quality. I believe PSI and shocks has more to do with it.

Had a 2016 with 275/65/18 P to 275/70/18 E to 295/55/20 E and the ride quality felt pretty much the same across the board. Ride quality changed a bit when bumping up PSI and swapping to 5100s on all corners. Ride only got a tad rougher.

Now a 2018 from 275/45/22 P to 295/55/20 E and same scenario as above.

Oh and where I drive, I run over lots of debris and trials and P rated tires constantly visits Discount Tire for patches. E rated tires could take a beating.

But generally, LT will have a slight hit on mpg and performance. Nothing major IMO.

Ryan_2020

In theory if you went from the exact same tire in a P to a LT you likely wouldn't notice much of a difference. But lots of people actually go from their stock highway P to a more aggressive tread LT which then has more of a difference. Not necessarily because it was P to LT but different tread pattern, weight, etc.

I have 285/60/20 Duratrac's on right now and they do ride more harsh than the stocks. But I think they are almost too heavy for the stock shocks more than anything though. (ie. shocks fault not the tires fault).

GMC to Ford

oppy

Wondering where you got this information. Not saying you're incorrect, but that hasn't been my experience.

Sgb020

eastyorkbmx

my old man swore by the michelin ltx LT versions, always being on jobsites they held up great, bit of a price difference for sure and it does affect mpg, but nothing crazy

DarrinT04

LT's are a stronger tire IMO

BadaBing1

iTrader: (1)

Stronger and stiffer sidewalls, LT will ride a little rougher. In my experience, you get more mileage out of them also since theyre not as soft.

hidesert cowboy

I resisted going to LT series tires for a long time. But I go out into the high deserts a lot, I drive all manner of roads, and sometimes areas that aren't actually a road anymore. After running all terrain p metrics for years and having flats I finally got sick of it. The p metrics like the hankook dynapro ATM will handle it for the most part if you have tread depth over 50%, below that you start to get lots of flats in those conditions. I wouldn't even attempt to go out there with the last 1/3rd of the tread on those tires. its very common to get multiple flats. in fact with out a compressor and tire plugs I would have had to walk out. But even with excellent tread you are still going to get an occasional flat.

This fall I switched to BFG AT KO2's no problem whatsoever, grippy as all get out and very heavy duty tires. I also get a bit better stability when towing heavy. The downsides is I am seeing at least 1.5 mpg less, as for ride the differences aren't so much bumps, the difference you feel is more sharpness on road seams etc. with pmetrics if it was more of a virbration feel on the road. its just sharper than with the p metrics. you are going to generally feel the road irregularities more. if its bumps or pot holes you are not going to feel a difference on those. In those cases the shocks and springs are working the same. The difference is when the shocks and springs aren't moving enough or don't have enough time. basically minor bumps. that is going to be the difference.

I would say there are very very and I mean very few people who take a truck where I do. They simply don't have access to 100's of miles of public land roads. its a different world that few people ever see. few people even in my area ever do what I do. in that case I would say there simply is NO need to run LT series tires. Pmetrics will suit 98% of people on this board just fine.