i have michelin 265 75r16 ltx ms tires load range e. these are an awesome tire. this is the second set on my current truck. i ran the first set for about 85k miles! had load range d on another truck they hold the road in all kinds of weather. they are expensive 160/tire but well worth it. the extra money gets me extra mileage. i run them at 65psi. i don't know about other tires but these i will always use .have had zero problems so far w/ all three sets i've owned which come out to just shy of 265k miles.
Ok, so now my turn with the tire thing. 1998 F150. 255/70 R16, factory aluminum alloy wheels.
When I bought this truck last year, it had a set of Kelly tires on it with about 25k miles to date on the tires. Week of July 4th, the sidewall failed on the left front, inside portion of the tire. There was no evidence that I hit anything (no marks on the tire). We had just driven 200 miles in the summer heat up the mountains with lots of switchbacks. Next morning awoke to a flat tire. My theory here is that the tire got dinging in the sidewall sometime in the past and failed because of all the heat.
So here’s the question. I need ONE new tire. The Kelly’s are not load range E, they’re standard tires (Load range C?). My spare is about shot as well. Is there any harm in putting two Kelly’s on the front, replacing the spare with one Kelly and buying two load range E’s for the rear. In other words, load range E on the back axle, and standard tires on the front axle.
Question number two has to do with the strength of the alloy wheels. There was debate in a few of the threads about stepping up to such a heavy-duty tire on factory wheels. There was also mention that there is a load range stamped on the wheel someplace. Does anybody know where I can find this information on the wheel?
BTW, if you haven’t priced tires lately, boy howdy, bring your big wallet. The cheapest load range E I’ve found is $145. But I really haven’t looked around much, yet.
Wheels: If they are truely factory, then the rating will exceed the biggest and highest load rating that could be optioned out. IE if a load "E" range was a possible optional tire the wheel will handle it. (There are a lot of ifs in the above so make sure all the conditions are applied.) Most of the posts on alloy wheels revolves around aftermarket wheels. The quality can vary greatly in the aftermarket. FOMOCO has a lot of liability if they use questionable wheels. The aftermarket can file BK on a big claim and open up under another name.
Mixing load ranges are not usually recommended. However with the load ranges being on the same axle it can work. I have done it with "C" and "D" mix on my van (my TV) with no real noticable difference. "C" on front and "D" on rear.
Tire prices: Yep. My Mark VIII, van and my wife's Toyota all got tires in the last 12 months. I should be good for a while.
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1966 Mercury Park Lane 4 DR Breezeway 410 4V, C-6, 2.80 - towing a - 1966 Overlander International Twin Bed
1996 Lincoln Mark VIII Diamond Anniversary 4.6L (275hp), 4R70W - 1990 Ford E 150 5.7L, AOD, 3.73 ____________________________________
Phoenix ~ Yeah it's hot however it's a dry heat!
I'm certain those are factory. They are the same wheels that are on my '97 F150. You can see them in the picture of the '97. So, how do I know if Load range E was an option for that year? I'd hate to have to ask a dealer.
Those look factory to me. It will be in a shop manual I think or trailer towing guide. You may also be able to find that data in the owners manual and/or the tire inflation sticker on the door sill.
I have a shop manual at home. And guess what, I am not at home at the moment. I will look it up later tonight.
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1966 Mercury Park Lane 4 DR Breezeway 410 4V, C-6, 2.80 - towing a - 1966 Overlander International Twin Bed
1996 Lincoln Mark VIII Diamond Anniversary 4.6L (275hp), 4R70W - 1990 Ford E 150 5.7L, AOD, 3.73 ____________________________________
Phoenix ~ Yeah it's hot however it's a dry heat!
Jim, $145 is about right for E range. You might get a deal somewhere for a few dollars cheaper, but that's right in the ballpark. You ought to be OK with E ranges on the rear and keeping the standard tires on the front for a while, but bear in mind that your weight distributing hitch puts more weight up front too. You also have all your engine weight up there. I'm sure they won't be necessarily overloaded, but you may have some handling issues with the softer sidewalls in front. Just something to keep in mind.
Roger
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AIR 2053 “A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.” Robert Heinlein 2006 Bigfoot 25B25RQ towed by a 2001 Born Free 23RK moho
The lighter weight sidewalls on the front could contribute to the sway as well as on the back but to a lesser extent. I would inflate the front tires more than the back tires to increase their stiffness. (Do not exceed the recommended maximum) I would buy a new set of front tires, if I noted any problems in the first few trips. Look at it as an investment. How much $ wear are really left on the tires vs how much it might cost you. if you have an accident.
Hi--My 2001 1/2 ton Suburban, when I bought it new, came with P265 R 70-16 on four aluminum rims, and the spare on a steel rim. I bought two matching aluminum rims (factory take offs $75 for the pair) put the spare on one, and bought a matching Firestone for the other. Now I rotate three sets of tires with four on the ground, one as a spare, and one in the garage, awaiting active duty. This is a little off topic, but I thought might be of interest to those reading this thread, who never put their spare on the road because the wheel doesn't match.--Frank S
Ok, I have to add my two cents in. I can not imagine why you would want to go to Load Range E tires on an F-150. There is no way you can load the truck enough to require that range tire. That is unless you plan to overload it in which case you are going to have lots of other failures before the tires go.
Your tire could have failed for any number of reasons. Since the side wall failed, then it is more than possible that you were running too low a pressure in the tire or had it overloaded, causing it to flex more that it should. OR...
the tires are original and had lived three years beyond their expected life. Tires degrade with age... period. Five years is about the limit you should run any tire without replacing it, regardless of what the tread looks like.
If you want to upgrade to a stronger tire, then go to Load Range 'D'. They are strong enough to handle any load you can put on your truck and they are cheaper. Even with them you cannot overload the tire without overloading you F-150. If you are carrying loads that require the stronger tire, you should seriously consider a more robust truck.
Vic
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Vic Smith
WBCCI #6782
31' 78 Airstream Excella 500
2001 Ford Excursion V-10
Reese hitch and dual cam sway control
Jim, $145 is about right for E range. You might get a deal somewhere for a few dollars cheaper, but that's right in the ballpark. You ought to be OK with E ranges on the rear and keeping the standard tires on the front for a while, but bear in mind that your weight distributing hitch puts more weight up front too........
Roger
That was my thinking, too, Roger. I'm in a situation where I need two tires now, the other two existing tires are fine. I'm kinda trying to put off buying all four just to save a couple bucks (say, for a year of so). Besides, the Airstream is still in "Full Monte" pieces in the back yard and garage. It'll be a few months before it'll be usable.
I have a shop manual at home. And guess what, I am not at home at the moment. I will look it up later tonight.
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I do not have the truck shop manual. Only the car shop manuals.
For the most recent year that I do have (1989) section 11 does not give the optional tire sizes. The largest tire given is a P235/75 R15 XL as a min tires size. Since it is passenger rated tires (the P) not an LT rated tire the weight rating will not be very high. Max GVWR is 6250 on the highest combo for F150
It's not until the F250 that a standard tire of LT rating with a D or E load range is specified. Sorry the optional tires are not listed. Owners manual or sticker on truck would be a better place for the data.
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1966 Mercury Park Lane 4 DR Breezeway 410 4V, C-6, 2.80 - towing a - 1966 Overlander International Twin Bed
1996 Lincoln Mark VIII Diamond Anniversary 4.6L (275hp), 4R70W - 1990 Ford E 150 5.7L, AOD, 3.73 ____________________________________
Phoenix ~ Yeah it's hot however it's a dry heat!
Ok, I have to add my two cents in. I can not imagine why you would want to go to Load Range E tires on an F-150. There is no way you can load the truck enough to require that range tire. That is unless you plan to overload it in which case you are going to have lots of other failures before the tires go.
Vic, so are you saying that I don’t need a sturdier tire than the stock tires? My impression after reading thru a couple of the tire threads was never run with anything less that a load range D on a light duty truck/SUV when towing something as heavy as an RV. It would save me a bunch of bucks just to put stock tires back on the truck. BTW, I’m well within my load limits for the truck itself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by startrekker2001
Your tire could have failed for any number of reasons. Since the side wall failed, then it is more than possible that you were running too low a pressure in the tire or had it overloaded, causing it to flex more that it should. OR...
the tires are original and had lived three years beyond their expected life. Tires degrade with age... period. Five years is about the limit you should run any tire without replacing it, regardless of what the tread looks like.
Well, I just bought this truck about 15 moths ago. The maintenance records that accompanied it show that the tires were installed in June of 2004. The DOT date on the tires shows week 8, 2004. At the time the tire failed, it only had 32K miles on it. As I have never towed the Airstream with this truck, nor overloaded it otherwise, there has to be some odd reason the tire failed, as you suggest. I am meticulous to the point of being compulsive about vehicle maintenance. (I have five Fords in the driveway with more that 600,000 miles on them combined, can you tell I’ve got a lot of kids?!). I do most all of the maintenance on the vehicles myself, on time and properly. It’s most likely that the previous owner screwed up somehow, or the tires are just “cheap”. That was one of the questions that I had re: cheap tires. Kelly used to be a good company, has that changed?
Quote:
Originally Posted by startrekker2001
If you want to upgrade to a stronger tire, then go to Load Range 'D'. They are strong enough to handle any load you can put on your truck and they are cheaper. Even with them you cannot overload the tire without overloading you F-150. If you are carrying loads that require the stronger tire, you should seriously consider a more robust truck.
The load range D’s sound like a great option and they are somewhat cheaper. I would love to have one of those new F-250’s on the lot at the local Ford house, but unfortunately, too much college tuition is getting the way! Someday, tho, someday!
Well, no help from the owners manual or the shop manual. I guess I'll Google it, then call for Ford. The owners manual just has a general statement about "oversized" tires not increasing the towing capacity. I'll let you all know how it turns out.
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