katoom

What is the real difference between a standard truck tire and an LT? Looking at some Cooper Discovery ATP tires and it's an additional $300 for the LTs.

Allinkdupp

Rated for more weight
LT= light truck

katoom

Thanks.. I knew what LT stood for but was wondering what justified the additional cost....

Crash89

Unless you are towing or hauling heavy loads a P rated tire will be fine. It will cost less, and you will get better gas mileage.

WXman

Well, it's a little more complicated than that. Light Truck (LT) tires come in B, C, D, E, F, etc. ratings with higher load capacity and higher max air pressure as you go up the list. Passenger vehicle (P) tires typically have about the same load capacity as a C or D rated LT tire...which makes them perfectly fine for a F-150, Jeep, SUV, etc.

LT tires generally don't have mileage warranties, are heavier, cost more, etc. so they can really hurt your wallet.

On the other hand, LT tires generally have deeper initial tread depth, so in theory they should last longer. Some people claim that LT-E rated tires will also be more resistant to cuts and flats because of the thicker construction. For the price difference, I think it's better to buy P rated and get a fifth tire as a spare.

Wiggum

IF you do not need E rated tires ... and IF you can find the tires you want in a P-rated config vs. the E-rated config, then by all means get the P-rated tires.

The problem most of us run into is that when we go for bigger tires, or more aggressive tires, the only options we have are in E-rated tires. At that point - at least for me - I'm more than willing to "take the hit" that comes with the E-rated tires because I have already decided that I want those tires.