Hi all,

My current tires are 5 years old with not much tread left so am getting ready to retire (the Tahoe) and would like to get some suggestions from ya'll. What is good tire that performs well when towing our trailers?

Thanks,

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Greg
2004 4x4 Chevy Tahoe
Former owner of a 2407T

I spent the big bucks and went with a truck rated Michelin.

Rick

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2201 TL

2010 Nissan Titan king cab SE
4x4

If only on pavement I would go with a LRR tire (low rolling resistance) like the Michelin Defender LTX or the Goodyear Assurance CS Fuel Max. If any off road use I would get an LT tire. I personally bought the Cooper Discoverer AT3. They make both a LT and a standard P series in that tire, the LTs are only $17 each more, I would get the LT. The Michelin Defenders cost the most but will last longest and save gas probably more then paying for the extra $25 each. I wish they made a LRR tire with LT load ratings but I haven't heard of one yet.

PS if you do switch to LT tires don't run them at the factory recommended PSI, they need a little more (or a lot more if you really load them down). I would run them at least at 50psi towing.
http://www.tirereview.com/tire-types-and-load-capacity/
"Failure to adjust air pressures to achieve the vehicle’s load requirement will result in tire fatigue and eventual tire failure due to excessive heat build-up. Because of the higher inflation required by LT tires, they often are not appropriate replacements for OE P-metric tires due to ride harshness caused by higher inflation pressure.

As an example, consider an OE P265/75R16 114S with a maximum load of 2,601 lbs. at 35 psi. If a LT265/*75R16 Load Range C is to be used as a replacement, to carry an equivalent load the LT tire must be inflated to 50 psi. Even an LT265/75R16 Load Range D or E tire must be inflated to 50 psi to carry the load the P-metric tire carries at 35 psi."

I bought Load Range E Michelin LT tires for my old truck (about 6 months before I traded it) and thought they were superb. And yes, they were expensive. It seems to be the story of my life that I do a major upgrade right before I get rid of a vehicle!

I plan to find the best, highest load rated tires for my new truck when I have to replace them, and am hoping Michelin will have some in my size by then. They DO make them in my size, but they are all "standard load" tires.

- Jack

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Hi-Lo 1707T - Tire Minder TPMS on Tow Vehicle and Trailer, 300W Solar Battery Charger, Equal-i-zer WDH, Progressive Dynamics Converter, Fan-Tastic Fan, LiFePO4 battery 12V DC Electrical System
2014 F150 Platinum 4x4 3.5L EcoBoost SCrew

Hersbird, I think Cooper was the brand that some other folks on the forum were running. I will be doing a little off-roading, but mostly highway driving mixed with our local 2-lane mountain roads. Just getting up my gravel driveway in the snow can be an adventure! What is your opinion of the Coopers?

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Greg
2004 4x4 Chevy Tahoe
Former owner of a 2407T

We actually did some pretty serious off reading on them and they were great. We also used them all winter (I'm in Montana) and they were also good on snow and ice, not as good as dedicated studded snow tires but close. They are still smooth and quiet on the highway but not quite as good as the factory 20" wheels and tires (my Coopers are 17"). The factory 20" tires seem to want to track ruts more then the 17' coopers. Towing the don't seem different then the 20s, probably because the 20s already had a stiff sidewall and not much "squirm" to them.
I got the tires brand new with new wheels mounted and balanced shipped to my door for about $800 after rebates from Discounttiredirect.com

Hersbird,

OK, a couple more questions. I was pretty much sold on switching to the LT tires (factory recommended is P265/70 R17) until I read this statement at the end of the article you posted earlier, so now I'm not sure:

The most important question is probably, “What did the vehicle come with from the factory?” LT tires have a much higher spring rate than P-metrics, and changing the tire’s spring rate can produce some unintended, and perhaps dangerous, changes in the handling of the vehicle. Springs, shocks and sway bars were all designed by the vehicle manufacturer with the original type of tire and its properties in mind.
Caution and common sense dictate that it’s probably best to stay with the type of tire the vehicle manufacturer specified, rather than re-engineer the vehicle.

Also, I've never bought tires online before. How in the world do you get them mounted and balanced?

Thanks,

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Greg
2004 4x4 Chevy Tahoe
Former owner of a 2407T

@ Jack

I do believe that is what I got, also. Do you remember what pressure you used to run when towing.

Rick

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2201 TL

2010 Nissan Titan king cab SE
4x4

I use BF Goodrich Wranglers. I went from OEM 245-75-16 to 265-75-16 on the GMC. I rotated them every 6000 miles and got a little more than 44,000 miles out of them. No road noise that I could tell, but then again, it's hard to hear anything over my true dual exhaust Turbos.

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"Ruben"
2404T, 2003 2500HD 4X4 GMC Sierra SLT Crew Cab w/Astro camper shell and 2003 Chevy Tahoe LE 4X2
Far West Texas

Hi, Rick. The MAX pressure on those tires was 80 psi. When not towing, I inflated them to the truck's recommended pressure which I believe was 40 psi. (I used that pressure based on advise from Michelin tech support). They were the same size as the Goodyear OEM tires.

When I towed, I increased the pressure to 55 psi. The ride on them (towing or non-towing) was much better than the tires I had on before.

Sorry for the long answer to your simple question, but I thought it best to give you the complete picture.

- Jack

No, I appreciate it. I've been towing At 50 psi so we are in the the same ballpark. I dont know where I came up with that figure but, who knows , maybe I'll kick it another 5 lbs for the trip. They have been a good tire so far.

Thanks

Rick

__________________
2201 TL

2010 Nissan Titan king cab SE
4x4

Well I bought the tires with new wheels because I was changing wheel sizes, so the tires came already mounted and balanced to the new wheels. I have a nice garage and a good floor jack so I can change them in 20 mins or so. For our minivan we bought snow tires from a company called tirebuyer.com They shipped them to a local tire shop for free (actually they give you a discount on the tires if you do that) and the tire shop charged me their standard install price (it was a Firestone car care center). The tirebuyer price sure beat our local tire places and even Costco, the mount and balance was pretty standard.

I wouldn't worry too much about going to LT tires, its a really common thing to do in the truck world. If you had a SUV prone to ill handling like a Suzuki Samurai or an old Ford Explorer I might hesitate, but a Tahoe gets very high marks in handling. Most police departments use the Tahoe if then need SUVs, but they do make a specific police package that might be swaying their decision.

We had a couple sets of cooper tires on our f250. They performed very well. The problem we encountered was not being able to get a replacement for a two yr. old tire. We purchase our tires at Dunn tire. One price and you get a comprehensive package with a country wide warranty. Cooper tends to change /discontinue fairly soon after manufacture. I was so bleeping mad that I will never purchase Cooper tires ever again!!