Tires for towing - Michelin v Hankook
 

Sorry, this is a duplicate to a post I did in the Tires and Wheels section. I don't think there is a lot of traffic in that section, so I want to try here.

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Hi there, my 2017 super crew has the stock Hankook 18" tires. Truck has the heavy-duty tow package as well. It seems to me that these tires are super spongy with potentially soft sidewalls that negatively impact performance. It might all be in my head but these feel like some of the worst tires I've ever had on a truck.

I am looking to replace these even though there is only 16k miles on them, and Michelin remains my top contender. Do you think I could reasonably expect better control/feel with these over the Hankooks on this rig? I would go with 18" on the rims I have now, or I have located a set of 20" 2019 pulls with nicer wheels and 20" LTX M&S.

My goal is to introduce some stability. I will be going to Bilsteins soon as well, and may also end up with a Helwig of similar sway bar upgrade.

Thanks in advance!

I'd suggest you read some of the posts on the Towing section of the forum, then post there if you don't find the answer to your question.

You'll want to clearly understand what tow package you have HDPP, MaxTow, ... as well as your true tow capacity. Sometimes people put too much payload on the truck and the tires aren't going to fix that.

Thanks for the suggestion. The towing forum is one I completely missed. I spend most of my time here in the more general sections.

I don't think I can delete this thread, so anyone else with thought on this please reply to the thread I will create in the towing section now.

Better towing tires? Michelin over stock Hankook?
 

Hi, I have posted this (incorrectly) in a couple other boards. This should be the right place.
The crux of my issue is this; for even daily driving, my rig feels like a marshmallow. Tires seem soft even when running 38-40# pressure. I want to improve my daily drive and especially so, my towing performance. Here are some basic weights followed by the post I made in the other boards.

I did a drive through weight on the truck with the trailer attached. We took scale reading with just the trucks wheels, and then with the truck and my travel trailer.

Weight with just the truck (3/4 fuel, me); 6180
Weight with truck/me/trailer: 12880
After I put the trailer away, I drove over the scale without anything official, and weight was: 5160 including me.
This puts my tongue weight at 1020 pounds, and the trailer weight at 7120 with a medium load.
I need to get my payload rating with my heavy-duty tow package, but I know I am near capacity but well under still.
I suspect I am a little heavy on tongue weight but not badly.

Here is what I asked on the other board;
Sorry, this is a duplicate to a post I did in the Tires and Wheels section. I don't think there is a lot of traffic in that section, so I want to try here.

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Hi there, my 2017 super crew has the stock Hankook 18" tires. Truck has the heavy-duty tow package as well. It seems to me that these tires are super spongy with potentially soft sidewalls that negatively impact performance. It might all be in my head but these feel like some of the worst tires I've ever had on a truck.

I am looking to replace these even though there is only 16k miles on them, and Michelin remains my top contender. Do you think I could reasonably expect better control/feel with these over the Hankooks on this rig? I would go with 18" on the rims I have now, or I have located a set of 20" 2019 pulls with nicer wheels and 20" LTX M&S.

My goal is to introduce some stability. I will be going to Bilsteins soon as well, and may also end up with a Helwig of similar sway bar upgrade.

Thanks in advance!

HI, I had Goodyear Wrangler fortitude on my truck that are load range C I replaced them with Michelin LTX load range E I for one want a higher load range for doing towing
I have a 21ft 6000 TT,Now I have peace of mind and they ride better!!!

I think if you tow heavy with P series tires it is always going to feel spongy. I flipped to BFG All Terrain LT tires and it made a big difference towing. The problem was then when I did not tow the ride was a bit rougher and fuel economy was slightly worse with the heaver tire.

I suspect you have an overly-sensitive butt. I'm a Michelin fan, but if you replace the Hankook tires with Michelin P-Series tires that are the same size and specs, you probably won't like them either. So if you're going to spend the money on tires, then stick with Michelin, but change from P-series to LT tires with load range E. Those are much heavier and stiffer tires that will eliminate the spongy feel you are experiencing. The downside is your truck will probably ride more like a truck and less like a good car. But that sounds like what you want.

Tire size LT275/65R18C were optional on your truck. But those won't be much stiffer than your P-Series tires. So go to size LT275R18E. Here they are at TrirRack.com
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Defender+LTX +M%2FS&partnum=765R8DLTX&vehicleSearch=false&fromC ompare1=yes

That's the one that Consumer Reports rates as the best tire for our trucks

Thank you for your thoughts on this. Overly-Sensitive is not something I usually hear :), but...in this case I might be over-thinking this. My last truck was a (POS) GMC 2500 with E-load tires, and yes the ride was certainly more harsh. Considering this is a daily driver, I want to make sure I really think this through. There is a pretty common feeling that the stock shocks are pretty bad. I can't help but wonder if replacing those with an improved performance set would provide a good compromise between the current ride and a full 10-ply E tire.

Cheers

Would the 116T (load range C) LTX M/S been a better move vs. going with load range E? Max load on the E is 3415 = 13660 total, max psi 80 and wt. 48lbs ea. Max load on the 116T = 11024, max psi 44 and wt. 40 ea. I'm thinking the E would be too much? I'm close to replacing our OEM GY Fortitude's and looking at the LTX M/S as we tow a car trailer weighing just under 8K. Have heard nothing but good reports on the LTX.

Thanks. I have had good luck with them in the past, and hear nothing but good with the LTX. The M/S2 tires have been discontinued. I think my concern would be (as highlighted above) that moving from one P-seriesw tire to another might not gain me much. I just don't know. I'm not aware of any measurement or other to determine how much sidewall flex there is in a particular tire. I think you are right with the weight spec though, but the Hankook are also C-load tires.

And oh, sorry but Go Navy, beat Army!