What's your Tow Vehicle Tire Recommendation

Is your tv 4-wheel drive? Many tire installers push for replacing all four tires when 4wd is involved.

Welcome to the forum!

 

Just my two cents, but I would upgrade to LT tires and 2 at a time is OK for your truck. May throw off TPS (tire pressure sensors) not sure. And you have to check the tire clearance.

 

My F150 came with a less aggressive thread tire than the GMC it replaced. I will be going slightly more aggressive when I replace the current tires.

 

TPS sensors are programmable. Most likely the LT tire will run a higher pressure than the P tire. The rear sensors can be programed for the higher pressure.

 

One of my trucks is 2WD. I did not want an agressive AT LT tire. I needed weight carrying capacity due to my heavy TT tongue weight and carrying a lot of gear in my bed. I put BFG Long Trail TA tires on that truck. They are P-metric, but are XL load rated to carry a little extra weight.

 

LT tires weigh more and have a harder ride. That is because they are constructed with more plys. If you don’t need the extra puncture resistance and load capacity, you may not need an LT tire. You can get a P-metric tire with xl load and aggressive tread as xxxapache pointed out. There are some all terrain tires that are “mountain snowflake” stamped for winter traction too.

 

I agree with giadiep! Look at the Hankook AT-M - great tire at a good price.... Also, TPMS sensors are programmable to the vehicle - no way I know of to alter parameters - that is programmed in the BCM. Just my 2cents

 

BFG Radial AT's have the mountain/snowflake. I have them on my other truck and Jeep.

 

[Also, TPMS sensors are programmable to the vehicle - no way I know of to alter parameters - that is programmed in the BCM. Just my 2cents[/QUOTE]
After market sensors arrive blank and must be programed to the vehicle before they can be used.
Dorman, VDO, etc, etc. AT this time you have to define pressure ranges
programing and relearn are two different processes. Relearn is communicating with the vehicle BCM

 

Changing from your OEM tire size to one with a higher profile can tax your tow capability somewhat, causing your truck to work harder. Taller tires will also make your speedometer less accurate. Here's a site where you can compare different tire sizes: https://www.discounttire.com/learn/...MIzbyonMz02QIVWJJ-Ch3IqA9MEAAYASAAEgL_0fD_BwE
_

 

Unless there is a reason or need to up size the tire diameter then don't ..

Go with LT tires bfgoodrich all terrain ta ko2 .. run them at about 40 psi..

 

Good advice^

 

edit

 

As you can probably guess from my state map, we tend to tow long distances.

In addition to having the right load range etc., I'm also concerned about ride quality, road noise, and support far from home.

While national automotive chains are normally not my first choice, for tow vehicle tires I defer to them due to national support.

I once had to get tires maybe a thousand miles from home. I wanted support all over the country so I went to a national chain where I was talked out of going with the Michelins I was replacing and talked into using some other well known brand. They were loud as heck and a tad squirly.

If you're towing for thousands of miles 5-6 hours a day this can be VERY annoying. When I got home that local national chain happily ordered the Michelins that I originally wanted and swapped them for the tires that I had just put a thousand miles on. All it cost me was the slight up-charge for the higher tire cost. The Michelins were as quiet as I'd hoped.

Of course tires need to be in the right load range, but road noise and ride quality are very important to me when towing long distances. I just shake my head when a highly lifted truck with huge aggressive tires passes me doing 75-80mph towing a 30' camper and sounds like a plane going by...

 

@nhlakes are you running the Michelin Defenders or LTX?