Tow vehicle tires

[Jim-Bev-2363]

Hi Mike, I put 850 miles on the tires I returned so felt that enough. I only have maybe a few hundred miles on these tires and they might straighten themselves out if I quit fiddling with the pressures long enough, LOL! Thanks for the input.

John, I'll start the new thread soon. I'll have to find a place level enough to work on to take measurements. My drive is gravel and not good for close werk.

jim

[JohnB]

Originally Posted by 264SRinPA

Jim,
I had problems when I put new tires on my truck. Every corner felt like the back end of the truck was going to slide out. They were so bad I almost took them back the next day. Since they had a 30 day return policy, I waited a little. It took about 300 miles and the problem went away. It's possible the problem will correct itself.

Mike

What brand was stock on the truck and what brand did you replace them with?

[264SRinPA]

John,
The truck came stock with BFG Rugged Trail. I wanted something a little better in the snow so I went with Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armour.

[kanyonkitty]

My '05 F-350 4X4 came with the Continental Conti-Trac tires on it. I was always satisfied with how the truck handled and towed. But, I was "only" towing the 2499 with 1175#s of tongue weight. "Most" of my miles traveled were highways miles towing the 2499. Finally, at 72 thousand miles decided it was time to replace my tires (Well, Gary sorta said hey I thing you should consider new tires ). So, after some looking around, we went right back with Continental Conti-Tracs. I don't have a clue what is on our '97 or the '99 dually, other than they are round, blackish-gray and full of air .

[EMD_Driver]

Originally Posted by kanyonkitty

I don't have a clue what is on our '97 or the '99 dually, other than they are round, blackish-gray and full of air .

The dually has Goodyear wranglers on the rear. The 97 (Which has towed the fifth wheel the most so far) has Cooper Discoverer A/T tires on it. I am thoroughly impressed with how well the SRW truck tows the fifth wheel, with those tires on it. The Coopers are great for towing... IMHO

[henryj]

Jim, I had a senior moment in my last post to you. You don't need a load inflation table anymore. I used the Goodyear table and the next closest size tire to estimate the 40/50 psi f/r. That pressure already maxes out the Expedition's axles. You never want to go less than 40/50, but at any psi above that the axles can't carry any more weight and they, not the tires, become the limiting factor. So, above 40/50 psi you can add all the pressure you want up to 80 psi. The load inflation table is irrelevant for a vehicle like yours where the tires are so much stronger than the axles. I have to be much more careful in using tables for mine because the 6000 lb. axle is almost an exact match for a pair of LT245's.

Regarding "overinflation"--I don't think radial tires are as susceptible to wear in the center (or edges with underinflation) as the old bias ones were. The natural bulge in the radial's sidewall should keep the contact patch flat on the road in all but the worst case scenario. According to the load inflation table, my tires also only need 40/50 to carry my full camping/towing weight. So, even though I have a 3/4 ton with OEM LT245's, my situation is not unlike yours. I'm running at 60/70, way above the minimum required for my load, just to stiffen the tire wall plus provide a margin of safety, of course. I have had very even wear on tires despite this apparent "over inflation" and that's why I believe LT's are built to take this and still keep a flat contact patch.

Henry

[Jim-Bev-2363]

Henry, I think after I passed 50 PSI I was past tables and into the control area of these tires. I double checked my pressures this afternoon after the Expy was parked in the shade, cool, and the front tires are at 58 and the rears are at 66. these pressures do allow for a better ride around town. Not so sure if those will be good for towing or if the towing only will be acceptable once the tires reach the 60/70 after heat buildup. Also, when the Nitrogen is installed I might have to play with the figures again and go straight to the towing pressure since there will not be the fluctuation as with regular air in the tires.

jim

[Hematite]

I've had excellent results with the GoodYear Wrangler AT/S tires that were optional equipment on my 2007 F150.
Firm, not harsh ride, at normal pressures. More firm, but still not harsh, at trailer towing pressure. These LT tires are extremely directionally stable while towing. They also wear well. Very satisfactory LT tire.

[Jim-Bev-2363]

My new tires are now mine, good or bad. I have Michelins LTX AT2, load range E. These are very heavy duty tires and capable of running with 80PSI and for me that is more than enough to keep a stiff sidewall.

I think the main reason I had so much trouble getting a good feeling tire is the filling them with straight air. If I put the pressure comfortable when the tires were cold after the tires heated up I was uncomfortable with them. Then if I lowered the PSI cold trying to hit the comfortable PSI hot it just didnt werk right. The solution has been the nitrogen fill. I've set the tires to 60 PSI and they feel good from start to stop. I will run the 70PSI in the rear when towing for a steady controlled ride. I'll have to keep an eye on the tread wear but I feel wear will be really good on these 60,000 mile tires since they are rated for a much more heavy vehicle. So far and two hundred miles I still like them.