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Old 02-14-2009, 10:17 AM   #1
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TIRES for Tow Vehicle???

Looking to buy new tires for our tow vehicle. Currently we have factory Goodyear P265/65/R17. Tire shop recommended a "C" or "E" rated tire, since we are towing a trailer. "E" is probably not an option, because we only pull the trailer during the summer months, and I don't want a rough ride. Anyone out there with advice on tires they may have purchased that run well with/without the airstream in tow? Thanks!
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Old 02-14-2009, 10:53 AM   #2
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What kind of TV are we talking about, and did the vehicle have OEM load range E's? I have 3/4 ton Suburban and tow a 25FB with E's. Towing 7000#, I would want the E's. A load range C tire may not be up to serious towing.

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Old 02-14-2009, 11:05 AM   #3
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TV is a Dodge Durango. Towed A/S last summer with original factory tires. Just an all season "P" tire. Seemed to do just fine. As with everything we are learning new things everyday. Didn't even realize there were "C" and "E" tires for towing. Want something beefy looking, but still rides smooth when A/S is in tow. We only take her out about 8 times a year.
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Old 02-14-2009, 11:21 AM   #4
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Before you decide on tires, take the fully loaded weight of your Durango, with gas, cargo, passengers, etc. Add to this the tongue weight of your Airstream, also fully loaded. Take this total weight and make sure it is within the weight specs of any tire that you are considering.

For instance, if you fully loaded TV with trailer tongue weight is 10,000#, and the tire max is 2100# each, that tire would be unsafe. Do your homework, the tire salesman may not be very knowledgeable.

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Old 02-14-2009, 11:36 AM   #5
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What kind of TV are we talking about, and did the vehicle have OEM load range E's? I have 3/4 ton Suburban and tow a 25FB with E's. Towing 7000#, I would want the E's. A load range C tire may not be up to serious towing.

Brian
Our Burb also came with E's..

Up-graded to Michelin LTX 265/75/r16, re-program PCM for 31" tire height.

SOOPER smooth and quite too!!!
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Old 02-14-2009, 11:37 AM   #6
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Thanks! Do you still get a smooth ride with the "E" when A/S is not in tow? What tires are you running?
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Old 02-14-2009, 12:03 PM   #7
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Load range E tires can give a fairly smooth ride when unloaded by slightly reducing the inflation psi. I, personally, don't bother doing this, but some folks do.

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Old 02-14-2009, 01:29 PM   #8
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Google Hercules tires there made in the USA and have a really good warranty and roadside warranty as well
i have a set of 6ply on my 2000 1/2ton and have been really impressed with the way they are wearing and the ride they provide isn't to bad ether.

the two dealers i have dealt with weren't bad ether.

there not as high priced as say bridgestone Goodyear or Michelin tires
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Old 02-14-2009, 02:28 PM   #9
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If you wish you had lower gearing in your tow vehicle going to low profile tires has the same effect as gears one step lower.

In this case 60 series instead of 75 series.

Do this only if you feel the need for lower gearing when towing and don't mind a little worse mileage and revvier engine when not towing.
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Old 02-14-2009, 02:35 PM   #10
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Or take the GVWR for the truck. Divide by 4 and make sure the tire you use haev a load rating for 110% of that number. The GVWR can be found on drivers door jamb.

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Old 02-14-2009, 03:57 PM   #11
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Michelin LTX M/S: Low rolling resistance, smooth smooth ride, good traction, and long life. I've been averaging about 70,000 miles per set and am on my 4th set. My sister-in-law got and incredible and amazing 235,000 miles out of the set she put on her Ford Explorer when she went thru the Firestone recall! We even contacted Michelin with the good news. They sent her a nice baseball cap and a slick mouse pad!
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Old 02-14-2009, 04:17 PM   #12
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Michelin LTX M/S: They sent her a nice baseball cap and a slick mouse pad!
What no commercial?

They are great tires though!!!
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Old 02-14-2009, 04:32 PM   #13
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If you wish you had lower gearing in your tow vehicle going to low profile tires has the same effect as gears one step lower.

In this case 60 series instead of 75 series.

Do this only if you feel the need for lower gearing when towing and don't mind a little worse mileage and revvier engine when not towing.
Good idea. Also consider the fact that in many cases a smaller tire will improve handling when it comes to maneuverability. The chart illustrating the 2 Suburbans in their respective slalom and lane change speeds show the quicker vehicle with the smaller tires.
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Old 02-14-2009, 05:45 PM   #14
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I'm running Firestone Transforce HT 265/70/17 load range E, a high mileage tire that comes highly recommended by RV Transporters. Great ride.
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Old 02-14-2009, 06:22 PM   #15
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Yeah... lets see how fast we can go in our Suburbans. Oh, wait I forgot my Airstream...
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Old 02-14-2009, 07:32 PM   #16
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You should probably move up to a "D" range tire. There is no point in going to an "E' range as you don't have the axle rating for that load any way. The "D" range will probably be over your GAWR also, but not by much.

Consider yourself very lucky to have survived towing with "P" rated tires.

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Old 02-15-2009, 06:45 AM   #17
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I agree with using weight scale tickets to look at tire ratings (you have a sheaf of them, right?). Not exceeding weight limits on tires is important.

I also have had good luck with the MICHELIN LTX series (A/T). Wear like iron. I understand the latest version is better in the wet than the ones I have.

I bought my truck with 123,000 miles on it. Original tires, still more than 6/32 of tread. I replaced them for peace of mind, and, now at 20,000 miles might get around to rotating them (can't believe I forgot this, but . . there's just no wear apparent on front tire shoulders).

I'd go for new shocks as well, upgrade to KONI or BILSTEIN.

Several "tire life tools" I enjoy using: infrared thermometer, tread-depth gauge, and a high quality tire pressure gauge.

As well, be sure to have the tires/wheels balanced on a HUNTER GSP-9700 "Road Force" balancer. Read up on what is an acceptable "balance weight" (25-ozs or more is considered a reject by Mercedes, etc, as I recall), and have the shop keep working them until they are acceptable. (Have the spare taken down and measured [rolling height needs to be very similar]; also rebalanced).

As I paid just over $1,000 for [4] on mine, out the door, I considered a few hours of research and a day of my time acceptable trade-offs for tires I would have for years.
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Old 02-15-2009, 07:18 AM   #18
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Michelin.
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Old 02-15-2009, 08:30 AM   #19
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Looking to buy new tires for our tow vehicle. Currently we have factory Goodyear P265/65/R17. Tire shop recommended a "C" or "E" rated tire, since we are towing a trailer. "E" is probably not an option, because we only pull the trailer during the summer months, and I don't want a rough ride. Anyone out there with advice on tires they may have purchased that run well with/without the airstream in tow? Thanks!
E range if your are towing at all you can lower the pressure to soften the ride. No lower than the manufacturer's recomandation. I bump mine up to max pressure on the sidewall for towing. The ride is fine with the trailer attached. I currently have BF Goodrich 265/70/R17 or 18(8 lug nuts). I would have to look. They are good in the mud and snow and I can't hear them over the diesel. ;-) I had pirelli scorpions (factory spec). They are truck road tires. I wore them out every 30,000 miles. I am on my third set now. I hope the BF Goodrich's last a little longer. It's $800 a set.
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Old 05-01-2009, 11:21 AM   #20
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Purchased tires

Finally purchased a set of tires, after much research. They are 265/65/17 BF Goodrich All Terrain KO's. E rated, a very aggresive looking tire. After much shopping, we found we had 3 choices in our tire size. We could have adjusted size a little, but still didn't have much to pick from. On my previous truck, I had the BF Goodrich, but in that size, they came C rated. Knew getting E rated would be overkill, but this was the best looking tire. After many calls to tire shops, store, Dodge, and BF Goodrich, we were told for normal driving to follow what door says. That is 35 PSI. The tire is capable of 80 PSI. I tried 40 PSI, but it was a very stiff bumpy ride. First time we towed trailer, we aired back tires to 50. It was a very windy day, 40mph gusts, and it was the first time we noticed a sway, wasn't sure if it was tires, or weather related. When we picked our airstream back up at P & S in Helena, we asked them about air pressure. They were the first to answer our questions right away. They showed us that airing them the way we did, provides a "squish" in the tire, which will cause a sway feeling. They told us to air those babies up, they can handle the pressure. We aired all 4 to 70PSI. My husband felt it was a better ride, and again we had a very windy day, with 30mph gusts. So we will keep posted how we fair with these new tires. I'm sure it will take some experimenting. As for normal driving, I have had many long trips, and 35 PSI seems fine. I do notice once I reach 70mph, things get a little shaky. Other than that, they are fine. You trade some comfort and ride for an aggresive E rated tire, but the purpose in purchasing these was for pulling the Airstream.
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