New Tires for Tow Vehicle

[Triple S]

I'm new to camping and pulling a TT so I apologize if this question has been asked. I've searched for the past few hours and just can't find the answer. I have a 2005 Chevy 1500 Z71 that needs new tires. The tires I have on it are Bridgestone Dueler A/T size P265/70/R17. I have aluminum rims. The rating on the tire side wall says 113S; 2535 lbs at 44 psi max. The front GAWR is 3925 lbs and the rear GAWR is 3750 lbs. My TT has a max weight of 7600 lbs. Vehicle GVWR is 13,000. I purchased the TT new last March and didn't have any problem towing the TT with these tires. With all of that said, I've been pricing tires and a majority of the salesmen have given a price for a 10 ply (E) rated tires. A couple who carry the tire I currently have also gave me a price for those tires. My question is do I need to change to a 10 ply tire or will the tire I currently have, but newer, be safe. I was pretty set on getting the 10 ply from just talking with the salesmen but as I've been doing more research a big concern came to attention. The max air pressure could be to much for my rims. I don't know what the max air pressure for my rim is either. So do I need to upgrade to the 10 ply or just buy the same tires that I already have. Thanks in advance. Scott.

[DerekQ]

I'm not an expert but I was told by many to have 10ply.

[FR27]

What's more important is that you stay within the towing specifications of your TV. The OEM tires that your vehicle came with will be fine, but you need to stay within the payload capacity of your TV. See the sticker inside the drivers side door for this number. Putting 10ply tires on your vehicle will not increase your payload. Hope that helps.

[marinerjoe]

Since each tire you have is rated over 2,500 lbs each, that gives you over 5,000 lbs per axle and over 10,000 for the truck. Which is well over what you’re rated for. Replacing with the same tires will be fine for you. Plenty of excess capacity. If you like the ride, when towing and when not, go with an exact replacement.

[cstover]

I switched to LT tires when I had my tundra. I found the P tires sidewalls too squishy for my liking when towing. I put LT on it and away I went. I wasn't trying to increase weight capacity, I just didn't like the squish.

[locogk]

x2 lt tire

[old40ford]

X3 LT tires

[dustman_stx]

One thing that I've never seen anyone address (other than my attempts) is puncture resistance. In my experience, most tire failures are from a small puncture causing loss of pressure. LRD and LRE tires are amazingly more puncture resistant than P rated tires. We do a lot of "pasture driving" where there are thorns. Weekly flats are common with P rated tires. With LRE, it's a very rare occurrence to have a flat- knock on wood. Granted, a TPMS will warn you of low pressure to avoid a blowout- but who wants to deal with getting a tire fixed or putting on a spare while on vacation?

[Triple S]

Thanks for all of the replies. Please keep them coming as I'm still researching and learning. One question I do have is the "D" rating shows the max load pressure is 65 psi and the "E" rating shows 80 psi. Is this the cold pressure psi or the max psi each tire should have before the tire is over inflated? I understand you have to have these psi's to obtain the load capacity for each rating. I just don't want to run them over inflated and cause a problem.

FR27 I agree with you 100% on staying with in the load capacity of my TV.


Dustman thanks for the puncture info.

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by Triple S

Thanks for all of the replies. Please keep them coming as I'm still researching and learning. One question I do have is the "D" rating shows the max load pressure is 65 psi and the "E" rating shows 80 psi. Is this the cold pressure psi or the max psi each tire should have before the tire is over inflated? I understand you have to have these psi's to obtain the load capacity for each rating. I just don't want to run them over inflated and cause a problem.

FR27 I agree with you 100% on staying with in the load capacity of my TV.


Dustman thanks for the puncture info.

I had LRD on a 2013 F150 and currently have LRE on our Expedition. Ran/run ~52psi all the way around and had/have good even wear. There are tables available that will give you correct pressures for a given weight and load rating of a tire. You can also do the chalk method where you test the contact of the tire. You can find youtube videos on it.

[Jmkjr72]

We ran lt on our 99 suburban but it also came with lt tiresw and recommends 60 psi on door card

[TheGatherer]

I've been using these for years for towing and gen. driving...

Wrangler SilentArmor - Size: LT265/70R17

sorry about the 'giant size' the link is... https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...WL10&tab=Specs


Quiet smooth, and I've used them cross country FL-AZ-FL and in the mountains of AZ (off road slowly).. I balance mine with #7 steel birdshot and they stay balanced, the ones I have on my 2012 Ford F250 super duty have about 50k miles and are still good. I upgraded my size to 285's and always get Load Range E (10ply) for towing..

[cstover]

I always do the chalk test to find the right PSI for running unloaded. Running loaded I air up the rear to max PSI.

[Campahedu]

I drag a 7000# tt with my F150. I upgraded to LT tires (10 ply) for 2 reasons. The stiffer sidewalls helps with sway and 10 ply don't get flats as easily. Someone mentioned thorns but dirt roads often have shale (at least in ME & in MN). Both can cause flats easily in 4 ply tires (don't ask me how I know). No issues since trading up. Happy Camping !

[aircommuter]

This person is right E rated stiffer sidewall, less heat buildup, less sway and larger safety margins and most likely better tread wear. Checkout the Michelin Defender.

[Jakieboy]

LT tires are a great option for your Silverado, especially when towing. We have used Michelin tires as replacements for OEM tires on our Silverados for decades. The OEM tires of the same rating seem to wear out much more quickly than the Michelins.
They also give superior wet weather traction.


Check the OE M tire sizes and recommended inflation pressures before you decide what to buy. Our Silverado 2500 HD uses tire pressures of 60 psi fronts and 79 psi rears. This is the recommended "cold" tire pressures to be set. In more than ten years of towing/camping, we have not had any tire failures on the Silverado. We have had tire failures on trailer tires, and are now using Goodyear "Endurance" tires and hoping for the best.

[DottieM]

The following was written by my husband as he's the expert in this area:
Hi Scott,
I am probably uniquely qualified to answer your questions as I have many years in the tire business and I was a commercial vehicle sales person for a GMC dealer from 1999 to 2016. Your statement about your GVWR is incorrect (it is actually 6,500 to 8,300 depending on equipment, gear ratio and engine size) if you actually have a 1500 series truck. A 7600lb. trailer is usually the max tow capacity for a 1500 series GM vehicle. Unless you have the "MAX TOW" package with the 6.0 V8 engine. (which can tow a 10,000 lb trailer)
A load range "C" tire would be my minimum choice for a tire expecting to operate in the conditions you will be using your tires for. (in tires, application is every thing). Your question about the wheel strength is valid to some degree. Yes, your wheels are not "officially" rated for the 80PSI/Load range "E" tires. However, I have never personally seen one fail because of this issue. (I am also an ASE certified Master Tech.) Just because you have load range "E" tires does not mean that you have to inflate them to the max. Trailer towing (as does certain vehicle applications like full size vans and full size SUVs) presents some interesting items that need to be addressed. And items to be considered. The first is load carrying capability. In order for the tire to safely carry a certain load it must be able to handle the air pressure required to facilitate to required load. If you inflated your current tires to 80PSI they would also support close to the same load as a 10 ply tire. However your tires are not designed to do that as they are not reinforced to handle that kind of load. The second item to consider when selecting tires for a vehicle that will regularly be towing a trailer is sidewall stability. Just like the other types of vehicles mentioned above. Stiffer sidewalls help to contain the added air pressures required for higher loads. But also aid in stability and tire shoulder wear. I like the added flexibility of having the extra load capacity of a 10 ply tire. But I don't appreciate the added weight of the tire. The previously noted vehicles have a lot of weight up high. (high centers of gravity and more leverage on the rear tire sidewalls because of the glass and additional weight up high) When pulling a trailer you have not added weight up high. (Unless it is a 5th wheel/goose neck style) But you are adding leverage aft of the rear axle which again puts additional force on the sidewalls of the rear tires. So, here is my recommendation. I would use a tire that has a very strong shoulder and keep my original size tire. (a larger tire will cause more tire sidewall bulge that equates less sidewall stability) Whether you decide to stay with the same ply rating or to upgrade to a 10 ply is up to you. However, tire pressures are extremely important not only for load carrying capacity. But also stability. Case in point, tires fail from side wall damage (as a rule) a side wall can be damaged from severe under inflation where the inner liner of the tire gets scuffed from rubbing on it's self. Causing internal cord wear from abrasion. But in most cases the tire fails from overheating. A tire will overheat from overloading. (too much weight versus air pressure) You can put 10,000lbs on the back of your pickup and have the max air pressure that the tire was designed for and kill the tires. Or put 1,000 pounds in the pickup and only have 15PSI in the rear tires and accomplish the same failure. The tire does not know the difference. Overloaded is overloaded. (PSI vs Load) A tire can also generate too much heat and weaken the sidewalls from too much sidewall flex. (which is what happens from overloading) Also, sidewall flex is a byproduct of instability. On any single rear wheel vehicle that has a design or usage that puts more leverage on the rear tires. There should be an inflation differential between front and rear. (rear wheel drive larger vehicles) If you will be sticking with your original load range. Then inflate the rear tires to the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall of the tire. (44PSI?) and inflate the front tires 15PSI less. The 15PSI difference technically makes up for the weight removed from the front tires by the weight transfer to the rears from the trailer load. This also tends to deaden the steering response on the front tires keeping the the over correction to a minimum that causes a constant sway. (older Suburbans, Yukons and Tahoes have this problem and made worse when hauling a trailer) If this was my truck (and I did this on my buddies 1500 GMC that we pull the race car trailer with) I would install the original size tires with Goodyear Wrangler Adventure with the Aramid
(sp?) cord belts. (I also have this tire on my 2500HD) This tire is designed to carry the extra pressure, has an extremely strong shoulder and does not generate as much heat (dissipates it better) than a steel belted 10 ply tire. We use 65psi rear and 50psi front for tire pressures with excellent stability and tire wear. (he runs 50PSI in all four when not hauling a trailer) In my opinion it is the perfect all terrain trailer tire.

[ddbck]

10 ply Big-O Bigfoot are the best tires I've owned. They surpass anything on todsys market!

[DottieM]

They ARE a good tire because they're Toyo, but they ride rough! "Do I have shocks in this truck?" They also have minimum traction which could be an issue in less than perfect weather. Just something to think about.

[Triple S]

Originally Posted by DottieM

....Your statement about your GVWR is incorrect (it is actually 6,500 to 8,300 depending on equipment, gear ratio and engine size) if you actually have a 1500 series truck...

You are correct. I had a typo I meant to type GCVWR.

Originally Posted by TheGatherer

.. I balance mine with #7 steel birdshot and they stay balanced...

You lost me here.

I'm actually looking at the Goodyear Trail Runner A/T- LT. I'll check on these too.

Has anybody had any experience or have knowledge on the following? If so what do you thing?

- Bridgestone Dueler AT (E-121S)
- Toyo Open Country H/T (E-121S)
- Goodyear Trail Runner A/T (E-121-S)
- BF Goodrich K02 (E-121-S)
- BF Commercial (E-121-R)
- YOKO Geolander H/T (E)
- YOKO A/T (E-121-S)

Thanks again for all of the responses. It is helping a lot.