Changing ps tires to LT tires? Which ones?

[sheripoms]

We have a 2008 Tahoe. I need to change out the ps tires to LT for towing. Am I right in that I just need the LT tires on the back? Can I keep my ps tires on the front?
Also which Lt tires would you recommend?
Thanks!!!!

[johndeerefarmer]

Nick R wrote:
They also make LT tires in a c or d rating. I would look at the d rated ones. you do not need e rated tires. The LT tires have a stiffer sidewall and will firm up your ride. You should not put 80 psi in the tires either. Look at your rims on the Tahoe I believe that 65 psi is the max those rims will support. I had d Rated 35's on previous truck and ran them with 50 psi and was just fine.

I went with C rated Wrangler AT/S. The truck came with P metric Wranglers. I didn't gain anything on payload but got a tire that wasn't so squishy.

[JIMNLIN]

sheripoms wrote:
Ok, guys,, well we just got back from Indiana. Brought our new Trailer.
Our Tahoe pulled it pretty well , has enough power, that was not any problem. The only problem was that it was pretty windy going through Illinois maybe like 20 mile hour gusts and it wasnt all over the road by no means. But you could feel a little front end sway, especially when a semi came by. It pulled us in just a small bit.

Also I watched when they put the Equalizer 4pt on and they lowered tongue hitch and the P tires really were bulging quite a bit on the sides. Is that normal? I am wondering if I got LT tires if that little sway problem would straighten out?

How much air pressure are you using in those P tires. You should be using the max 44 psi when towing/carrying a load.

[coolbreeze01]

Properly inflated LT tires will be more stable than bulging P tires.

[sheripoms]

Ok, guys,, well we just got back from Indiana. Brought our new Trailer.
Our Tahoe pulled it pretty well , has enough power, that was not any problem. The only problem was that it was pretty windy going through Illinois maybe like 20 mile hour gusts and it wasnt all over the road by no means. But you could feel a little front end sway, especially when a semi came by. It pulled us in just a small bit.

Also I watched when they put the Equalizer 4pt on and they lowered tongue hitch and the P tires really were bulging quite a bit on the sides. Is that normal? I am wondering if I got LT tires if that little sway problem would straighten out?

[wallacemf]

sheripoms wrote:
Ohh ok,, didnt think about the transfer of weight on to the front tires also.
Well crud,, thats another 500.00. Maybe I can find some real good used ones. Hmmm

Also which brand would you recommend?

Another $500?? Not sure what brands you are looking at, but in 265-70-17 there are numerous LRE tires available that are not that expensive.

On treaddepot.com, I see (plus shipping of course, unless they are on special)-

Cooper Discoverer HT3- $149 each
Pirelli Scorpion ATR - $149 each
General Grabber HTS - $153 each, and AT2 $164 each
Kumho Road Venture AT KL78 - $162 each (I have these and are very happy with them, most reviews are 4-5 star in all areas, plus $100 mail-in rebate right now).

If you want to go with Michelin, BFG, Goodyear, etc you will pay more for the name....

[music69]

I agree with folks above. The p-metric tires won't cause (or help) "sway". I have only towed with p's, and have never experienced that. The feeling that I'm curious about between the two is more of a "wallowing" feel that you get from the trailer slightly moving the truck around. I only notice it with a lot of wind, or poor roads, but I'm curious if LT tires at ~55 to 60 psi help much?

[Tystevens]

sheripoms wrote:
Well,, I was told it would be better and the sway would not be as bad if I had LT tires. Although I just got Brand new tires on the back. Hate to change them but I will if it affects the sway.

Have you towed with your current tires yet? Are you having sway problems? Are you way overloaded to begin with? If no to these questions, just use what you have and see how it goes. We have towed thousands of miles w/ P tires on our Suburbans, no problems. When I replaced the tires on our last Sub, I put LTs on, but I wouldn't replace perfectly good tires unless you are having a problem.

BTW, sway issues are much more likely due to improper loading, hitch height, or lack of an anti-sway hitch than because of the tires IMO. If you're having sway problems, LT tires may 'help' a bit, but aren't going to fix it. We've never had a single incident of sway issues w/ our Subs on P tires.

Good luck!

[goducks10]

What are you towing and what are you using for WD? It may be that you are towing too much trailer or that the tongue weight is too light or you don't have a sway control WD hitch. Just adding LT tires isn't going to help those other areas.
Have you measured the front of the TV prior to and after hitching to see if your WD is set up properly?

[APT]

Don't change new tires. Spend $14 at a CAT scale to understand where you stand with respect to all your trucks ratings. You may find all you need to do is adjust your WDH.

[Nick_R]

They also make LT tires in a c or d rating. I would look at the d rated ones. you do not need e rated tires. The LT tires have a stiffer sidewall and will firm up your ride. You should not put 80 psi in the tires either. Look at your rims on the Tahoe I believe that 65 psi is the max those rims will support. I had d Rated 35's on previous truck and ran them with 50 psi and was just fine.

[sheripoms]

Well,, I was told it would be better and the sway would not be as bad if I had LT tires. Although I just got Brand new tires on the back. Hate to change them but I will if it affects the sway.

[music69]

Anyone change from the same tire in p-metric to LT on a light truck or SUV? For example, the p-metric Michelin MS/2 for my 08 Sierra 1500 (265/70-17) weighs in at 42 lbs each, and are rated at 2535 lbs @ 44 psi. The same tire in an LT/E weighs 48 lbs each, and are rated at 3195 lbs @ 80 psi. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to derate p-metrics by 10% when put on a truck, which drops the p-tire to ~2280 lbs each.

I would never run 80 lbs in a LT tire on a 1500 truck, but I do put up to the max of 44 psi in my current tires while towing (usually ~40). If the E tires are run at 50 psi, then the load rating drops to 2205 lbs. They go to 2460 lbs at 60 psi. So, the p-metric has about the same rating at full pressure as a LT tire at 55 to 60 psi.

Another issue would be the TPMS system, since the pressure monitor is set to flag pressures out of range for the stock tire. I guess that the dealer could change that (?), but it's something to be aware of.

I'm about due for tires, and would be interested to hear from folks that have swapped from a p-metric to the same tire in LT, and if towing improved enough to offset the negative aspects.

[coolbreeze01]

It is a good idea to change to better tires for towing.

[APT]

Why do you think you need to change to LT tires?

If you decide to change them, I highly recommend highly rated ones and light ones. I have had 3 vehicles and 5 sets of tires in that size. 15 pounds of additional rotation weight has am impact on performance and fuel economy.