ST vs LT tires.

Me Again wrote:
I believe that tire manufacturers may have more lawyers than engineers now a days.

Wife has a 2004 Buick Rainier CXL Plus AWD which came OEM with Michelin Cross Terrain 255/60R17 tires. This past week, I replaced them finally! They had a lot of tread left, however were 9.5+ years old. Vehicle has 51K, however I ran studded snow tires several winters, which made the vehicle handle better than the crappy Cross Terrains! So I never liked them, as they had a mushy feel regarding handling. The 2004 AWD Rainier was I believe the only 360 chassis that used this size. All the other Trailerblazers, Rainiers etc used P245/65R17 tires.

I went to Discount and installed Michelin P245/65R17 LTX M&S tires. All the forums claim this to be the best tire for the 360 chassis. I could not find a pressure chart on Michelin's site, so I called them and asked if they had a pressure chart available for that tire. NO! They said I needed to call the vehicle manufacturer to get an air pressure recommendation!!!! So not only do they leave it up to the car manufacturer, they also do not provide the pressure charts. In fact, the only pressure chart I could find for that size maxed at 35 pounds inflation and these tires are rated to 2039 at 44.

So the tire guys are not hiding behind trees!!!! They are hiding behind their Barristers!!!

Chris

First, the type of tire you have does indeed max out at 35 psi, not 44 psi.

Second, those 2 tire size are equivalent. No need for a pressure chart.

Third, when contacting a tire manufacturer, it is extremely important to word your question carefully to get the response you want. Many sharp plaintiffs attorneys do exactly that and it is a tactic that is well know by those folks who answer emails from tire manufacturers. Complain all you want, but it is the way it is.