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I would like to add one more thing to Mr. Mashallr and that is cheap LT's are no better than cheap P's. Stick to the big brand names and by the way Cooper tires are making some really highly rated P tires. As an example I had a tire man install a set of coopers for me and although he wasn't very big he was able to put most of his weight on the uninstalled tire with the tire upright and he achieved very little deflection.....solid. He then used 2 hands to push an LT rated Motomaster tire right to the floor. Don't buy junk.
I wore my stock P rated Goodyear Wranglers out first, they were just OK. I went to Mastercraft Courser HSX touring this time. They are p rated as well but 116 load index vs 114 for the stock tires. It made a big difference. They are rated for 150 pounds per tire more, and the stability at max load is much much better. Mastercraft is a brand made by Cooper and are mostly truck and SUV oriented. They were not cheap for sure but significantly less than replacing the Goodyear stockers.
I tow a 6700 lb. loaded toy hauler with 780 lb. tongue wt. with a '13 F150 loaded at 3800 lbs. on the rear axle (50 lbs. under GAWR). The OEM Michelin LTX A/S P-metric tires towed it with no problems and still had 4/32" tread left at 75,000 miles when I replaced them. I put 44 psi in them to tow.
I replaced them with the Michelin Defender LTX M/S and am quite satisfied with them. I bought the P-metric guaranteed for 70k miles, but they are also available in LT-metric guaranteed for 50k miles.
P rated tires generally will have lower rolling resistance and will get a little better fuel mileage and have a more comfortable ride when not towing because of the more flexible sidewalls. 90% of my miles are not towing, so they work OK for me.
P series tires are rated for exactly the same weight as LT load range D tires and for more weight than LT load range C tires. If you want to go up to an LT, then you might as well be running load range E tires.
The biggest advantage of LT's for most trucks is when carrying weight in the bed. P series tires will carry more weight than a 1/2 ton can handle anyway. LT's help on 3/4 ton or 1 ton trucks.
For off road use most of the more aggressive tires are only available as LT's and the tougher sidewalls offer some protection when driving in rocks. The C and D rated tires are meant for lighter vehicles like Wranglers.
You are correct however I would point out 2 things. LR C will more the cover the GVWR and RAWR of an F150. Also, while the load carried may be similar, an LT tire has much stiffer sidewalls. That's where the stability comes in.
I would keep in mind your wet/snow traction if that is an issue. I have Firestone Tansforce LT tires. I do not know the load range. They came with the truck when I bought used.
Anyways, I do haul 2000 lbs on occasion and they work great with no sway or wallow like you would get with P rated tires.
However if the roads are wet, even with my light foot they on occasion will spin a bit starting from a stop. I really havn't had an issue in the winter but I tend to use 4x4 when in doubt.
I have read that the Transforce is a very high mileage LT tire so it coudl be that the compound is considerably harder to extend tire life, my FIL on;y gets about 30-40 k miles on his LT tires on his 2500HD Chevy, I can't recall the brand at the moment.
So anyways, something to think about.
I do like the Transforce tires though. Low road noise, I still get 20 mph on the highway with the 2011 5.0. I guess I can't comment on if the ride is rougher or not since this is the only F150 I have owned and it came with the tires, but while I'm sure it's rougher it certainly isn't like riding a buckboard like my FIL's 2500. I would buy them again if I needed LT tires.
I have Michelin Defender LTX LTs in load range E. Love them. Load up the bed with firewood? No issues at all. They definitely feel much more planted than the P rated Coopers I replaced. Ride quality feels just fine to me, although apart from a 6 month time to wear out my P tires, I've been on E tires for the past 6 years.
I have Michelin Defender LTX LTs in load range E. Love them. Load up the bed with firewood? No issues at all. They definitely feel much more planted than the P rated Coopers I replaced. Ride quality feels just fine to me, although apart from a 6 month time to wear out my P tires, I've been on E tires for the past 6 years.
I would run with the stock tires until they need to be replaced and invest the $$ saved in a good quality hitch as that will do more for stability than anything else. I run the Propride 3p and wouldn't tow without it.
I replaced my stock Wranglers with the Michelin LTX P rated which were a huge improvement over the Wranglers. When it came time to replace the Michelins, the Michelin LTX -LT were $25 more per tire and they do ride a bit harsher unloaded but they are also rock solid while towing. The weight rating indexes are the same, but the sidewalls are stiffer. The Michelins also have great traction in snow as I run them all-year round here in the Canadian winter as well.
Keep the original tires until they are worn out, especially if you are doing only occasional recreational towing.
If you want the ultimate in towing performance, go to LT tires with the 10-ply E load rating, with maximum rated tire pressures of 80 pounds, such as are available on the Goodyear Wrangler A/T Adventure with Kevlar or the B.F. Goodrich Long-Trail T/A. Notice not all of these tire models are LT and load E rating, but they do have tires in these product lines which do have those specs.
If you search for the tire sites for your year of truck, it won't show any LT tires available. You have to go to the view all tires option, then select these tire models, and then select view all sizes. The manufacturer's websites don't make these tire options easily found, and you will likely have to wait a few days to have them ship in if purchased.
You might have to also swap wheels to handle the 60 pound pressure that these tires want. The stiffer sidewalls, long 60,000 mile wear, deep tread, will make these great for towing. But you will notice a less-comfortable and less forgiving ride for daily driving.
For towing, unless there is substantial off-road towing, think a more street/highway tread for quiet, efficiency, and longevity. Semi-tractors, the ultimate tow vehicles, don't utilize oversize off-road tread tires and larger bead-lock look wheels. If you are building a more towing-capable pickup truck, you want to stay stock size wheels with highway tread as well.
Remember that heavier options equal lower payload. If you add a set of tires with stiffer sidewalls and larger diameter with a new set of sharp-looking wheels, with a net increase of 30 pounds of weight per tire, you have just decreased your payload by 120 pounds and your towing capacity by 923 pounds.
Last edited by Velosprout; 09-15-2016 at 01:05 AM.
Hi, I towed my trailer with my Navigator for over ten years with "P" rated tires. My Lincoln has the factory tow package and was rated with "P" tires. LT's not necessary. Now my F-150 came with load range "C" LT tires. You should max out the cold inflation pressures on the rear tires and depending on your vehicle, add 5 or 10 pounds to your front tires.
On my Lincoln the factory tire pressures are front 26 lbs. and rear 33 lbs. While towing I set them at 35 lbs. front and 40 lbs. rear.
On my F-150 the factory tire pressure is 40 lbs. front and 40 lbs. rear. I leave the front at 40 lbs. and raised the rear tires to 45 lbs. But I felt a little push on turns, so I set my rear tires to 50 lbs. [max cold inflation] and the push on turns went away.
My trailer has a GVWR of 6,300 lbs. Even though I'm sure that I never load it to the max, I always use the max figure to be safe.
Towing with the OEM tires was not a pleasant experience. You could tell the tires were not up to the job. The soft sidewalls were definitely made for ride not work.
The OEMs died an early death at about 28K. I replaced them with Hankook Load Range E tires. Doesn't drive like the same truck. It feels like it is on rails even when towing. Slight increase in turning effort and noise.
I've towed with the stock tires and a cheap WDH (Weight Distribution Hitch). I switched to an Equalizer WDH with the stock tires and it made a world of difference. LT tires would tow better, but in my case a good quality hitch made more of a difference. The Nitto's I have now are XL load capacity (Still P rated) and it was even better.
09-10-2016, 08:52 AM
Hi, I towed my trailer with my Navigator for over ten years with "P" rated tires. My Lincoln has the factory tow package and was rated with "P" tires. LT's not necessary. Now my F-150 came with load range "C" LT tires. You should max out the cold inflation pressures on the rear tires and depending on your vehicle, add 5 or 10 pounds to your front tires. 
