New tires for F-150

[shelbyj]

I'm in need of some new tires for my 2002 F-150. I have Lt265/70 17 in a load range C now but I'm finding load range C tires are hard to come by. It seems like E rated tires are overkill for my truck since I don't tow that much anymore. Thought about P rated tires too. I know that most new F150s come with P rated tires but they are usually 18s or 20s. Anyone with 17s and P rated tires? The P rated tires would fit my needs for the most part just worried that the handling of the truck would suffer. I'm concerned E rated will ride rougher and make my gas mileage even worse.

[Ole_Man_Dan]

IMO...
'P' rated tires are for light use. Sidewalls are too soft for towing, You can feel the sidewalls flex, when you go into a curve even when you aren't towing.

'D' rated tires have a stiffer sidewall 'D's are better for use on trucks than 'Ps'.

'E' rated tires have an even stiffer sidewall. Very little flex.
'E' works well 4 wheeling and towing.
I tow a heavier trailer, and find the 'E' rated tires hard to beat.

Downside to 'D' and 'E' rated tires is they may weight 20-30# more per tire. A little reduction in MPG.

Lastly... You get fewer flat tires with a stiffer tougher tire.
Just my experience.

If you use your truck like a 'Grocery Getter' and don't do much off road driving, or if the heaviest trailer you tow is a 5X8 utility trailer with a lawn mower, there is less need for stronger tires.
Lots of people are content with a 'P' rated tire.

[BenK]

shelbyj wrote:
snip.....

It came with C rated LT tires. From what I understand is it came with LT tires because it has the off road package.

There is another reason for the LT's for the off roading package

Some do come with passenger car class but for serious off roading...LT's
are the main choice

'P' class off roading will get shredded in a hurry...like in a few
thousand miles

Again, tires have more than just weight carry duties

The OP's 'half ton' is on low side of the mid point of full sized
half ton pickups/SUVs. Mid point is in the 7.2K-7.4K range. Am curious
on the 'HD' of his first post on this thread. Guessing mixed up with
some other option (off roading). As a true F150HD will have a GVWR
in the +8K range...AND...come with 'LT' class with a most likely 'E'
ply rating

'P' class also comes in AT thread, but those normally are for smaller
CUV class mainly, but also in full sized SUV/pickups (all half ton)

'LT' class also needs to run at higher PSI than the exact same brand,
exact same model, exact same size tire. Just the way they are
engineered. Also, PSI is NOT to carry weight...it has some bearing,
but the main reason is to keep the tire's shape during maneuvers

If you take two tires with the exact same everything tire, but one a
'P' class and the other 'LT' class...will have the 'LT' class weigh
more, cost more and have very different attributes

What does the OP's door label say is the OEM tire for that truck? That
is the legally MINIMUM tire for that truck

If ride quality is so high on the OP's 'have to have' list, then consider
swapping out the wheels to the narrowest for that tire size's recommendation

That will increase the sidewall bendback and soften the ride....but...
will increase the slip angle for lower steering performance. This also
includes braking performance...or over all performance of the tires

[APT]

I am quite surprised at all the P-tire recommendations. We have frequent threads where people recommend replacing their grocery getter pickup or SUV P-tires because they complain about handling and sway while towing. Tire load is not the reason why people have historically recommended LT tire construction for half ton pickups. It is handling and stability.

Stick to an LT tire. Load C/D/E doesn't matter but I do recommend a lighter weight one.

[Terryallan]

Y'all have to remember. The tires are NOT carrying the weight of the trailer. They are only carrying the weight of the truck. IF your tires are rated to carry the GVWR of your truck. In the OPS case 6850lbs. That is in fact all you need. Your tires will not be carrying the weight of the trailer, other than the tongue weight. So if your tires are rated to carry 2000lba each. You are 1150lb to the good. You will NEVER load your truck to 8000lbs. You would squash it.
Will heavier tire help stabilize the TV, and TT? Maybe, maybe not.

As for running 70 psi on stock 150 rims. That may not be a good idea. Are the rims rated for 70 psi?

[CKNSLS]

shelbyj wrote:
The GVWR is 6850. It came with C rated LT tires. From what I understand is it came with LT tires because it has the off road package. The trailer I tow weights about 5000-5500 loaded for travel. The tires on there now are rated at about 2500lbs. The p rated tires I've looked at range from 2300-2500 lbs after you de rate them. It not just looking for people to agree with me, I'm looking for people with real world experience running P rated tires on a truck similar to mine compared to E rated tires.

There is absolutely no need for an LT rated tire for what your towing. I towed the exact same weight of trailer from Utah all the way out to Florida on (OEM) P rated tires. Then replaced the tires (due to wearing out) in New Hampshire with the Nitto CrossTeks with an "XL" rating, and towed all the way back to Utah with ZERO ISSUES.

For some reason people on this forum always want "overkill". At least I can say I have done it and it works.

[APT]

Find a tire model you want, get in LT. If not C, then D or E. Tire manufacturers do not want to make and dealers not want to stock 4 versions of the same model tire. An LT E tire will rider very similar to an LT C tire at the same pressure of say 40psi for an unloaded half ton. Tirerack and other places list tire weights so you can compare. I do recommend staying close to stock tire weight or lighter. An LT E tire can vary by 15 pounds for the same size.

[shelbyj]

smkettner wrote:
I run Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor LT265/70-17C on my F150.
And yes that was the oem size on mine. oem tire was GY AT/S.

Thats what I have now.

[shelbyj]

The GVWR is 6850. It came with C rated LT tires. From what I understand is it came with LT tires because it has the off road package. The trailer I tow weights about 5000-5500 loaded for travel. The tires on there now are rated at about 2500lbs. The p rated tires I've looked at range from 2300-2500 lbs after you de rate them. It not just looking for people to agree with me, I'm looking for people with real world experience running P rated tires on a truck similar to mine compared to E rated tires.

[time2roll]

I run Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor LT265/70-17C on my F150.
And yes that was the oem size on mine. oem tire was GY AT/S.

[BenK]

In other countries it would be illegal to go below what your OEM supplied for your truck

They'd boot it spot on and go to the dealer who installed to fine them, revoke
their business license and if injury in an accident...jail time for them

But that is over there and we are here...

What do you haul or tow? How much do they weight?

What is your TV's GVWR? If it came from the factory with 'LT' class
betcha it's a +8K GVWR

If you are just looking for agreement...you'll get many, but not from me...think
you are degrading your TV and it's not just about weight carry rating of a tire

Bottom line is to de-rate any 'P' class tire on your truck. That is
the requirement when putting 'P' class (passenger class) tires on a
truck. Min of 9% de-rate the sidewall max weight rating

[shelbyj]

Camper G wrote:
I'm running Firestone Transforce AT's in Load Range E on my 2000 Expedition EB with the LLS system. The ride is absolutely harsher than it was with the P rated tires on my truck, but I wanted a tire with a stiff sidewall for towing stability and the P rated tires were just not for me, but to each their own of course. I run them at 70 PSI, max is 80 PSI.

I could probably run them at a lower tire pressure, but I was concerned about doing that since they are designed to be run at a higher pressure, so I just deal with the harsher ride. It's not my DD anyway so it does not bother me.

YMMV.

Yeah the harsher ride isba concern. I tow less then 1k miles a year. Usually 1 or 2 short trips. This is my daily driver so its more then just about towing.

[Camper_G]

I'm running Firestone Transforce AT's in Load Range E on my 2000 Expedition EB with the LLS system. The ride is absolutely harsher than it was with the P rated tires on my truck, but I wanted a tire with a stiff sidewall for towing stability and the P rated tires were just not for me, but to each their own of course. I run them at 70 PSI, max is 80 PSI.

I could probably run them at a lower tire pressure, but I was concerned about doing that since they are designed to be run at a higher pressure, so I just deal with the harsher ride. It's not my DD anyway so it does not bother me.

YMMV.

[Turbo_Diesel_Du]

I swapped my Ps over to LT Es on my 2013 Ecoboost F150. Rocky Mountain Falkens. Ride is the same as before even with 60psi front and 70psi rear. JMHO

[CKNSLS]

Look for an "XL" rated tire. Slightly stiffer sidewalls-helps with towing.

General Grabber is an XL rated tire. Also the Nitto CrossTek is another.

I believe both are made in the USA.


I am running the CrossTeks.