Forum Discussion

dave17352's avatar
dave17352
Explorer
Aug 28, 2013

interesting read on LT tire capacity

This is a short interesting read on load capacity of LT tires. It appears to me that LT tires have a built in safety margin of 10%, as these trucks are regular used to haul loads. I don't know how to make a clicky.


http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=70

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/UpgradeTire/Final/

this makes it look like 15%

17 Replies

  • DWeikert wrote:
    It's pretty much a given that the load rating on a tire is not the absolute maximum the tire can handle. If it were, the first time you were carrying the maximum load and hit a pothole you would blow the tire. There needs to be some safety margin to allow for potholes, speed bumps, the occasional curb (never needed that myself :)), or just allowing for a hard turn that would change the center of gravity and put more of the load on one side.


    I would think that would be a whole other story. At speed when you hit a bump or pothole, pressure or load pressure I would think, would skyrocket. The way I read these is that the margin is for those that overload there specs now and then. I use my truck in construction. Sometimes I load up with drywall or mud that is by nature very heavy. I could push my limits with that as well as with my TC. Just the way I read it.
  • It's pretty much a given that the load rating on a tire is not the absolute maximum the tire can handle. If it were, the first time you were carrying the maximum load and hit a pothole you would blow the tire. There needs to be some safety margin to allow for potholes, speed bumps, the occasional curb (never needed that myself :)), or just allowing for a hard turn that would change the center of gravity and put more of the load on one side.
  • clicky2

    Above the box where you type the message (using Advanced in a reply) is a row of buttons. There's one with a blue ball and what is supposed to look like a pair of chain links under it. Click on that and a dialog will open asking for the URL and the text you want displayed.