I'm looking for some new tires for my sit-around-drive-when-the-other-daily-drivers-are-broke-down F250. Given it's very heavy duty nature, it came with LT235/85R16's in load range E 10ply's. Since I last bought a tire for this thing, about 8 yrs ago, that size tire has jumped 50% in price. So I am bargain bin shopping for tires to replace the current belt showing, dry rotted, and cracked rubber on the current 16x7 Alcoa's.
I know through some reversed math and research, I can squeeze a 265/75R16 on the same rim and opens up the pocketbook range of available tires. I am also looking at a NON-all terrain tire too. It is only a 2wd, which makes no sense to me to run a knobby A/T tire.
I want something like this tread pattern:
Which then brings me to the real point of this post, can I run or get by on a P-series tire? My wife's Av is roughly the same weight as my diesel( 
), although it is biased different, and it runs regular P-series rubber.
Any suggestions out there in GRM-land?
I bought and installed P series tires on the truck last time. Their load rating is slightly higher than the T series, and the tread depth was a little deeper.
I very much regret that decision. Sidewalls are typical car tissue paper, which is not good with a truck. It wiggles, especially when loaded, and I'm waiting for something to tear through the sidewalls when out in the field or such.
I only pull with the Class 4 under the bumper hitch, even though I have the 5th wheel/gooseneck rails in the bed. This is strictly a driver, not a puller/hauler. I have the Avalanche that can do that. 
Plus I never off road this thing, given it's 2wd.
Have you looked at cheap "maypop" brand truck tires? They seem to be better built than the cheap passenger car rubber.
If you are talking like the Dean or El Dorado brands, they are priced about the same, but only are C-rated.
Have you considered 17" wheels? The tire choices get a bit better it seems.
I run BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A on ym F-250 diesel in 265/70R17
I like the slightly more aggressive tread pattern for when I'm in the middle of a field parking lot at a horse show in the rain and I have three flea-bitten varmints in the gooseneck.
BFG RT T/A? Tread pattern looks more offroadish though, but it's either that or a boring (but functional) grid for what you want.
Edit: D'oh, beaten.
The tread looks aggressive, but it's pretty quiet going down the road.
The two loudest tires I've driven on are worn-nearly-slick Ecsta SPTs, that made a constant howling noise, and newish Dunlop Grantrek MTs, that sounded like I was driving a tank (which I thought was pretty cool actually 
)
Hankook should have something that works, and it'll be cheap, even if it's still an actual light truck tire
foxtrapper wrote:
I bought and installed P series tires on the truck last time. Their load rating is slightly higher than the T series, and the tread depth was a little deeper.
I very much regret that decision. Sidewalls are typical car tissue paper, which is not good with a truck. It wiggles, especially when loaded, and I'm waiting for something to tear through the sidewalls when out in the field or such.
Well, if one can live the P tires over T's, they also have a lot less drag- so you should get better mileage with P tires than T tires. (I had some coast down data, but apparently that went out with the last desk cleaning...)
P series with extra load rating (XL)
Check out the General Grabber HTS and Cooper tires.
Not much more than the "may-pop" brands for a big step up in quailty
I put 16" LT Coopers on my Silverado 1500 last year, great ride improvement and much, much cheaper than the BFG A/Ts they replaced.
DaveEstey wrote:
Have you considered 17" wheels? The tire choices get a bit better it seems.
Yes, I have. The buy-in to go up in size negates the cheapness I must endure at this junction or I would be all over that like flies on some spilled honey.
Ranger50 wrote:
DaveEstey wrote:
Have you considered 17" wheels? The tire choices get a bit better it seems.
Yes, I have. The buy-in to go up in size negates the cheapness I must endure at this junction or I would be all over that like flies on some spilled honey.
Do you plan to keep the vehicle long enough to make it worth it going forward?
z31maniac wrote:
Do you plan to keep the vehicle long enough to make it worth it going forward?
It's paid for.
Like I said, it is going to be the breakdown vehicle and split some of the driving on the rest of the vehicles in this lot, mainly mine.
Firestone Transforce?
Used takeoffs from craigslist?
Went through the same drill recently shopping for load range E tires for our big Dodge. Ended up with a set of Primewell Valera HT. Primewell is Firestone's price leader line sold through their Autocare dealers. Pricing was better than Coopers, Yokos, or even most of the "no name" choices. Several thousnd miles in I have no complaints; they run out well and in fact are better than the OEM Goodriches that came on the truck, especially in the wet. They won't go the 70K miles that the original BFGs did but they were half the cost, about $125 per if memory serves. Might be worth taking a look...
Jeff
I think I will be fine running some sort of "sport truck" tire in a P series.
Case in point: http://www.powerstrokenation.com/forums/showpost.php?p=732687&postcount=4
Thanks for all the suggestions so far.
In reply to JKleiner:
Primewell suck. Never again and I was the one mounting them up. A sheet of cardstock had more rigidity then the sidewall.
