LT Tire vs ST Tire

Huntindog wrote:
Yes there has. The govt. does the tests.....

Sorry, the government does not conduct the tests. The tire manufacturer does the tests.

The government might test a tire or 2 to verify compliance, but they do NOT conduct the certification test for each and every tire on the market. They can't. Way, way too many.

- AND MOST IMPOTANT -

When the government does test a tire, it will do so according to the test procedure applicable to each type of tire. They will NOT test an ST tire to LT tire conditions and vice versa.

Huntindog wrote:
.....The so called weight advantage of the ST is very slight.. The speed superiority of the LT is signifignant....

Sorry, but the math says they are in line with each other.

Note: Please be aware you can't compare a 10% load carrying capacity with a 10% speed difference. It doesn't work that way. It's an exponential curve.

Huntindog wrote:
LTs were around before STs came into existence.. In fact they were the original trailer tire.....

Sorry, but ST tires came into existence the same year LT tires did. Go find the Tire and Rim Association Yearbooks, Oh, about 1968, and look it up yourself. Prior to that there weren't LT tires (or ST tires). They used a different system. and they didn't use letters.

In fact, prior to the introduction of LT metric and ST tires (and P metric, for that matter) the difference between tires used on trailers and tires used on pickup trucks was the notes on the tables involved. Tires on trailers were allowed to have more load carrying capacity BECAUSE they were operated at slower speeds.

Oh, and LT tires back in those days didn't perform very well. Certainly not up to the standards of today.

Huntindog wrote:
......The ONLY thing stricter for the ST tire tests is the 3% tougher load requirement........

Ah, that is part of the problem.

An LT235/85R16 LR E has a load carrying capacity of 3042# at 80 psi.

An ST235/85R16 LR E has a load carrying capacity of 3640# at 80 psi.

So it's more like 20%.

Huntindog wrote:
...... But the rest of the LT tires testing is so severe, that I would wager a tidy sum that the LT tire is easily capable of meeting that test requirement as well........

Ordinarily, I would point to your other factual errors and take you up on your bet, but I happen to agree with you - but for a different reason.

Huntindog wrote:
......I would wager a whole LOT of money that the STs cannot pass the LTs tests.......

And not only is it here we disagree, but you have proved my point.
You do not KNOW of anyone who has done the testing.