I would not put LTX (or any polyester cord LT tire) on an A with 16 inch wheels, or a heavy C. The third steel belt is not so much a feature, as it is something needed to stiffen the tread for the load. An alternative stiffener used by other manufacturers is a Kevlar belt, which is lighter and offers extra some resistance against road hazards that can break a steel belt.
I would (did) buy a commercial grade all-steel corded tire like the XPS Rib, or the Bridgestone or Goodyear equivalents. Goodyear offers an all-season tread, if you don't want a rib tread tire. (Most commercial grade LT tires sold are rib treads, the tread design with the best wearing qualities, most miles of service, not usually an issue for RVs).
Yes, commercial grade, all steel tires like the XPS series are more expensive than tires of lighter construction. If you aren't heavily loaded, don't drive fast, don't drive on very hot roads or rough roads, a cheaper tire (construction and price) can save you several hundred dollars a set. But only if you buy the lower price brands, as LTX MS2 and Wrangler SR-A are not particularly low priced.
You have to decide whether you are trying to buy better tires, or save money on cheaper tires, you can't really accomplish both goals by buying a lighter construction tire that carries a price premium for the brand name (Goodyear, Michelin, Bridgestone/Firestone). If it comes in your size, one of the best bargains in LT commercial tires (of lighter construction) is Cooper's SRM. They also have a commercial Roadmaster line, but that starts in 17.5 sizes.
One of the reasons the XPS will be expensive is that the 16-inch sizes are manufactured in Germany or France, not in any of Michelin's plants in Asia or North America. Each of the major tire manufacturers has plants that turn out large numbers of popular tires in popular sizes, and others that can readily change production to make small batches of more specialized tires, like heavy duty LT tires, and high performance tires in rare sizes.
Even the load range E LTX MS2 tires are more of a specialty tire than the lighter load range versions of the same model, so that a MS2 in load range C might be a high volume tire from a U.S. plant, but your load range E may come from a Michelin specialty tire plant in Europe. I haven't checked the manufacturing code on any examples, dealers don't usually keep that tire out in the showroom, if they even have it in stock.
Been thinking about this more. If the chassis has Cooper tires on 16" wheels, someone put the tires on as a low-cost replacement. When GM was putting 16" wheels on the P-3x chassis for motorhome applications, the OEM tire was commercial grade all-steel, usually Michelin XPS or Goodyear. I think Ford was doing the same when the smaller GVWR versions of the F-53 had 16" wheels. Ford was putting Michelin LTX tires on the E-series, but not the medium duty F-series, those got commercial tires.
Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B
