Tire recommendations!

[NorCal Matt]

My 2014 F150 is in need of some new treads.

It doubles as a daily driver, probably towing 10% of the time. We take a lot of short trips here in CA mostly. So not a ton of towing miles, though it is the reason we purchased the truck. We will be towing a 2017 25' FB twin when we take delivery hopefully within the next 2 weeks.

What tires should I buy? What tires did you choose and why?

Thanks in advance!

[CRH]

Size?

I recently put new tires on my 1/2 ton. It only has 15" wheels. Finding 15" LT tires in my size that did not have AT tread proved to be difficult. I ended up buying BFG Long Trail tires. The are P metric, not LT tires. They are XL rated, though. When putting P metric tires on trucks and truck SUVs, you are supposed to derated the load rating on the side by 9%...After that derating, I still ended up with a tire rated to carry 1985 lbs, which is plenty for my truck, cargo, and trailer tongue weight.

I am sure you will get lots of good replies and debate. Tire threads are always interesting.

[NorCal Matt]

Thanks for the info on the P rating. I did not know this. The size of the originals are 265/75/18.

[SCOTTinNJ]

Whatever you do, get light truck tires. It will make the towing experience better. P rated tires a bit squishy in my opinion.

I went with Michelin LTX MS2's on a similar truck. I did not go with the LTX A/T2's because I've heard they throw rocks.

Well, so do the MS2's so next time I may consider the A/T2's.

[Mrjkq]

My 2015 RAM was ready for new rubber after 35k miles mostly towing. It's a ecodiesel with considerable torque causing the rear all season tires/wheels to spin at take off especially in wet weather. Finally I replaced them with all terrain tires for a better grip & very satisfied although my mpg has dropped a bit. I purchased Nexen 275/60 20R Roadian AT Pro tires. Good rubber at a fair price from tirebuyer.com, I also purchasd a set of Nexen Roadian AS for my wife's Cadiiac SRX. Check out tire buyer for a great price with free shipping & recommended installers.

[SpletKay06]

Well I cant speak for you size listed above but Michlein defender ltx m/s are one of the best highway tires on the market

[cliffcharb]

I've had Bridgestone Duellers on my truck since new. It's an 05 with 20" wheels. Absolutely love them. I consistently get around 60k miles out of a set. They are p rated but work just fine when towing. I probably tow 25% of the time.

[Mrjkq]

Originally Posted by SpletKay06

Well I cant speak for you size listed above but Michlein defender ltx m/s are one of the best highway tires on the market

Totally agree, there is no better tire than those made by Michelin. But sometime spending $$$$ does not fit into the budget when other alternatives are available.

[crispyboy]

Much of this comes down to your driving habits, exposure to inclimate weather, need for dry, wet, mud, snow traction.
At a minimum I would use an LT tire as it will help the stability when towing. I am not partial to any one brand but I usually stick with something more well known. Currently my local tire dealer has been selling me Firestones for our three vehicles and they have performed well. I would stay away from cheap Chinese tires.

[NorCal Matt]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

One thing I hadn't thought of was if they throw rocks. I like the "idea" of a more all terrain tire, but the reality is I'm hardly ever off the pavement. Do most all terrain tires throw rocks? What about road noise?

I'm leaning toward the Michelins based on your feedback and reviews I've found online, but the idea of a better all terrain tire is still calling.

Thanks again!

[CRH]

I don't think AT tires throw rocks all that bad. I have used BFG Radial AT tires on two of my vehicles for over 20 years with zero complaints. They are not noisy at all and do great on and off road.

[TinTurtle]

Michelin's are excellent as stated above. I've had good luck with Firestone's and appreciate the free tire rotation every 5,000 miles. LT's are a good way to go for pickups. Regardless of your selection, get Round Ones.....the Square Ones just ride too rough @@@

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from AZ. . . my new '16 F150, with 20" wheel pkg came with Hankooks. . . we'll see ! I had gone to a Yokahama on my '11 (same truck) and thought they were fine. A little more load capacity than the previous Michelins. . . as they say, F Y I . . . regards, Craig

[pappy19]

I highly recommend Michelin MS-2 in the C rated LT. I put a set on my wife's Lincoln LT( just a fancy Ford 150) and they are a great all around tire, good in the rain, snow and mud. Wear like iron.

[PaulnGina]

I would highly recommend LT tires. I have had good luck with Cooper AT3's. I have had them on my F250 for 3-4 years. Based on those, we just put a set on our 1981 Bronco. They currently have a promotion going: buy a set of 4, get a $70 gift card as a rebate.

I like LT's...... towing stability is a plus due to the stiffer sidewalls. If you'd rather have the squishy ride for when you are not towing, go with non-LT's.

[Soyboy]

I like my Michelin LTX AT 2's rolling on "20"'s on my F150 Platinum. I park on a gravel lot, and I might pick up a stone or two, but they are ejected quickly. I think all of the tires I have had pick up stones once in a while. They are quiet, do a great job in all conditions and tow well too. I had a set on my previous Chevy Duramax and they were great on there also. When I tow I pop the air up close to the max on the tire, even though they are P rated they are well within the weight ratings for my rig and they do a fine job, even on the "20"s. I was a bit leery when I first put them on, coming from LT's on my Dmax, but no worries. As a matter of fact, the F150 with the ecoboost has really surprised me in it's abilities.

The LTX's were quite an improvement over the stock Pirelli Scorpions (the Pirelli's looked cooler though ;-) ). You can likely get a good deal on them at Costco. It's usually worth joining if you are not a member just to get the tire deals. Plus they have super service, balancing, rotation etc., and their tire jockeys are well trained etc. etc. I ordered via phone/mail/on-line for 40+ years, but now I do it the easy way - I buy Michelins at Costco for all of my vehicles. They even mounted and balanced my Maxxis M8008s for my Airstream. BTW, some folks don't know this but they will repair/balance etc. members tires even if they weren't purchased from them.

Off topic More Costco..... an example of Costco value (like Sams Club, BJs too I would think) : this past spring I needed a new tire pressure transmitter for one of the wheels on my daughters Civic. I went to Mr. Tire (for the last time!). $100 later I rolled out the door. The TPS light was still on, they said the new transmitter would take extra time and to drive it 25 miles or so. I did and it didn't go out. I went back and they said it needed to be synced with the system. I was like, ok I guess that will be free as you installed the new transmitter. NOPE, they wanted $125 to do it. WHAT! you install the transmitter, but you don't include syncing it? Out the door I went. I was reading on the net about buying the device (for $125!) that could sync it when I saw that Costco would repair customers tires etc. even if not purchased there. Headed over to the local warehouse, $25 later, my tires were rotated, balanced and the TPS system was all in sync. Mr. Tire...never again.

Sorry, just had to get it out LOmight