Best Tires for Tow Vehicle?

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

This tire thing is driving me crazy.
My Tundra has P275 tires. Each tire has a max load carrying capacity of 2601 pounds when inflated to 44 psi.
Take 2601x4=10,404 pounds of load carrying capacity. The GVWR of the Tundra is 6900 pounds. Looks to me like I have 10,404-6900= 3,504 pounds of excess load carrying capacity in the tires over the GVWR of the Tundra.
So why all of the concern with the P rated tires?
Under normal driving conditions. I run 33 psi in the rear and 30 psi in the front. When I tow my 26' Argosy, I run 40 psi in the rear. I have had absolutely no handling problems at all.

Based on the load capacity and the fact that you're happy with the handling, I suspect that your P tires are the "XL" variety, which is something of a 'tweener. My tires are that variety (265/60R18 XL) and I'm also satisfied with their performance towing our Argosy. The beefier structure of XL P-Metric tires seems to give some of the benefits of LT tires. Some of the difference may be in the shorter sidewall combined with the XL carrying capacity, but they don't seem to squirm noticeably even when towing.

[TG Twinkie]

They are P275/65R 18 114T M+S
Not sure what the 114T stands for. Obviously the M+S is mud and snow.
I will see if I can find info on the meaning of 114T.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

They are P275/65R 18 114T M+S
Not sure what the 114T stands for. Obviously the M+S is mud and snow.
I will see if I can find info on the meaning of 114T.

114T is a "load index" designation. Mine are 114T as well, which translates to 2601 lb per tire.

[TG Twinkie]

The 114 is the load rating = 2600#
The "T" is speed = 118 mph
So the load rating is roughly in the same ball park as the "D" rating. But this tire only requires 44 psi to get to max load rating.
Seems to me it would be a softer ride. Which is what A$'s like.

[willapus]

I finally got why "P" tire load ratings are not equal to LT load ratings. Thank you tire rack. The increased height of the center of gravity on trucks decrease the load capacities of P tires by about 10%.

[Pat Cassity]

Phoenix, I just purchased the P275/55/20s for my Suburban. Why do you recommend 44 lbs in the rear tires? Why would I not put 44 in the front as well? And if not what is the recommended pressure for the front tires?

[Grand Master]

I have an '08 Jeep Grand Cherokee that came with P245/65R17 Goodyear Fortera HL tires. I was prepared to replace them promptly with better tires because I thought the P rated tires would not be good for towing. I was wrong.

I got 80,000 miles with about 40,000 of that towing our Trade Wind. They wore evenly, and rode good. I replaced them with another set of Goodyear Forteras and have 53,000 miles on them with plenty of tread left.

The door placard recommends 33 lbs. I tow with 35 lbs. in the rear and 34 lbs. in the front. In warm weather, the pressure increases to 38 - 40 lbs when driving.

[mutcth]

Hi Airstream Dad - Not sure if you changed out your tires yet - don't visit here much.

I have the same exact tow vehicle you do, assuming you have the 18" tires. I went with a set of Nokian WRG2 tires. They're a bit of an odd duck, combining the winter traction of a snow tire with the better dry grip of an all-season. Very high load capacity.

They're expensive and you need to hunt around for them (or mail order them) but I've been very happy with them.

Tom

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by Pat Cassity

Phoenix, I just purchased the P275/55/20s for my Suburban. Why do you recommend 44 lbs in the rear tires? Why would I not put 44 in the front as well? And if not what is the recommended pressure for the front tires?

Most vehicles have a tire placard inside the driver's door. For some reason most light trucks have more pressure in the rear tires. Maybe it is for cargo/load?
My door placard has 30# front and 33# rear so that's what I run.

[jcanavera]

The label on my 3/4 ton van for full load is 55 lbs front and 80 lbs rear. Typically when not towing we allow those rear tires to be down to about 65 psi or so. Leaving them at 80 when empty gives us a buck board ride.

Jack

[phbarnhart]

Decoding tire size information can be a PITA. There's a veritable cacophony of letters and numbers on each one and, depending on what type of tire we're talking about, the letters and numbers can mean different things.

The wikipedia page on the subject is pretty good.

I'm a big fan of Micheline tires in general but I've recently started using Nokian tires on all my vehicles. The Rotiva is a great A/T tire that comes in many sizes, often has an XL rating for weight and carries the severe service emblem for snow.

They can be harder to find and a little more expensive but they can also be a true all-season tire.

[jane labelle]

Looking for the best tires for a 2012 Yukon Denali XL pulling a 1965 22’ Safari.
We’re full time so safety and reliability are foremost. Michelin reviews are either very good or complaints of them not holding up.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Since our '06 Burb was new....👍

Bob
🇺🇸

[out of sight]

Originally Posted by jane labelle

Looking for the best tires for a 2012 Yukon Denali XL pulling a 1965 22’ Safari.
We’re full time so safety and reliability are foremost. Michelin reviews are either very good or complaints of them not holding up.

The complaints I've seen about Michelins is that the threads don't last very long. But tires are a trade-off. You can have a soft rubber tire that will grip the road better and ride smoother, but will wear out faster, or you can have a harder rubber tire that will last forever but it won't grip the pavement or handle as well.

[A W Warn]

I put Michelins on my Silverado last year. I towed my 25' a couple times last summer to the mountains of NC. I towed my 34' about 700 miles from FL to NC about a month ago. The ride was excellent every time!

I've found if I inflate tires on my Silverado between 38 and 40 PSI cold the tread will last about 10,000 miles longer. When I followed the truck manufacturers suggested inflation the tires outside edges would wear faster when the tires were in the front position.

[thewarden]

Originally Posted by out of sight

The complaints I've seen about Michelins is that the threads don't last very long. But tires are a trade-off. You can have a soft rubber tire that will grip the road better and ride smoother, but will wear out faster, or you can have a harder rubber tire that will last forever but it won't grip the pavement or handle as well.

I have run several trucks with the Michelin MS2 and have gotten very good mileage out of them. My current '09 Duramax is on its second set. First set replaced at just over 80k miles and the second second set has almost 90k. A good many years on the first set pulling a 38ft Mobile Suites 5th wheel with a 4k lb pin. Regular tire rotation is key to long tire tread life.

[Bill M.]

Since Andy Thompson has posted about the Durango as a TV in the past I would email him with what is to be pulled and ask for a recommendation both on size and perhaps brand. Size is sometimes used to change the effective rear end ration for towing. If you get the correct size and tire type brand probably means less. My TV tires are E rated Michelins but the TV is a Dodge 2500 diesel which is a different thing altogether than a Durango.

[pappy19]

16" rims are the smallest available for E rated LT tires that I have found.