E, LT or P Rated Tires for my 1/2 Ton?

Francesca Knowles wrote:

"P" is of course for "passenger car", and most folks don't run them on light trucks.

That's not correct. P rated tires are standard equipment on 1/2 ton pickups. A "light truck" is really a 3/4 ton or above by definition, half tons aren't technically "light trucks". P doesn't stand for "passenger car", it stands for "passenger vehicle", which a half ton pickup is considered to be. Looking through both Ford and Chevy's website shows that out of all the 1/2 ton pickup tire and wheel combos available, about 10 for each manufacturer, all are P rated tires except one optional LT which is C rated. By far the vast majority of half ton pickups out there are running around on P rated tires.

LT tires on a half ton are kind of overkill, but if I were towing a lot with it I'd consider them. There are some downsides, notably they DO ride worse (there's no denying that), fuel economy, and price. The rims that come stock on a half ton pickup aren't going to be rated for the full pressure a D or E load range tire can take. D tires can go to 65 psi and E goes to 80 psi I believe. To get the full rated load capacity out of the tire you have to run it at max pressure, just because the tire says it can support 3000 lbs doesn't mean it can do it at 35 psi, and your half ton rims won't take the 80 psi it'll take to get that load rating. Fuel economy is also going to be lower with an LT tire because it's heavier, more unsprung weight means more energy to turn the wheel.