I'd like to change the tires on my 2003 scrw (4.6) from stock to heavy duty but i would still like to be able to run them year round. so i would like something for the summer and the winter. I am from Pa. so we do get a bit of snow. The TT I tow is about 4700 lbs empty so i Must be over my weight limit. Any Ideas on what type I should look into.

 

The problem with truck tires in load range "D" which should hold your load well will not have a tread wear rating and you'll have to go by personal experience from people or a tire salesmans advise as to how they will wear and how long they will last.

Just about any All Terrian truck tire with a load range "D" should work for you and as per all things, the longer they will last, the more expensive they get. Some of these truck tires will last 60,000 plus miles, some only 30,000.

I run a Peerless Force 4 LT on my '03 and the AT on my '91.
The LT's are supposed to be good for 50,000 and the AT's for 35,000
Price was about $10 different per tire and a set installed was about $440 and $400
They do well in the snow and are quiet on the highway. So far I have about 10,000 miles on each and they appear to be barely worn.

 

With the F150, a LR C is more than enough. Most handle 2500lbs per tire at max pressure. Your rear axle is rated at less than 4000. At 40 psi a LR C will handle anything you truck is rated to.

 

The reason to run load range "D" is not just load capacity, but sidewall strength as well as a stronger casing to help cool the tire. The same tire in a load range "C" vs. load range "D" will last 20-40% longer because it runs cooler the tread lasts longer.

True a load range "C" will work, but there will be a lot more loaded vehicle control using a load range "D" tire.

 

Is your truck 4x2 or 4x4? What size are the current tires?

 

Every OEM tire and every replacement tires of the same size will support your rear axle rating. There is no need to go to a higher load rating.

P-rated tires tend to have better wet/snow traction than LT Load C/D/E rated tires of the same model, but the LT tire generally lasts longer.

 

LOL... I have seen a 1 ton dually come factory (OEM) with load range B!
Yes it will support the axle rating, but it is far from what everyone would consider a minimum for that truck.

I guess I just over buy for tires it seems....cheap insurance..

 

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I've been running the Michelin E rated tires for roughly the last 40-50k miles. I tow a 27 foot TT quite a lot and wanted the stiffer sidewalls. Also everything I have read said that the higher the rating the harder the compound of the tread and people were getting 100K out of them. We'll see about that, I've got about 50k so far.

The only thing I have to watch is that my street pressures runs about 28 pounds of air of I will start wearing out the center of the tire.

Russ

 

At 28 you should be worrying about a lot more that wearing in the middle. That is about half the pressure it should be just to support the weight of the truck.

 

Normally I would agree with you, but that's where I could get enough 'squash' to get wear evenly across the tread face. If I go much more than 30 then the truck rides like a brick and only the very center of the tread wears.

If I had to do it over again I would have gone with the D range tire. When I pull the trailer I run the tire pressure up to about 65-70 and the truck REALLY rides like a rock. Steady as all get out on the highway but it will wear you out with all the bumps.

Russ

 

I have had LR E tires before (BFG AT) and ran them at 50 with no problem and no excessive wear. I don't know why you would have that problem with those. Excessively low pressure can easily mean blowouts.

 

sorry about the delay in getting back
the tires on my truck now are goodyear wrangler rt/s p255 70/r16

made a few trips with my tt to south carolina no trouble with these tires one trip about 150 miles from home with some firewood and the sidewall on a rear tire cracked luckly it did not blow out. so i figue it's time to upgrade. thanks for the info

 

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My truck came with some crappy Generals - the first thing I did when I bought it at 55k was replace them after my first time driving in the rain. Very scary. I went to Sam's and got some BFG Long Trail TA's, standard load range. I've put 30k on them so far, they appear hardly worn, and the traction is excellent.