Anyone regret going to LT Load E tires?

[JasonH]

I'm curious about all the flat tires. What kind of flats are you getting? Gonna jink myself but I've had Expeditions with P-metric tires since 2007, at least 200,000 miles, and never experienced a flat tire on either of them.

-- Chuck

The Houston area is growing quickly, so there is construction everywhere. Plus we sometimes look at homes in new subdivisions. As you can imagine, a lot of debris, including screws and nails, makes it into the street in these areas. Before I got the "E" tires, I had several punctures between my three vehicles.

For the "E" tires, it was primarily the improved stability while towing and during high-speed driving that prompted the upgrade. The Hankooks I had on before were very mushy when I passed on two-lane roads and my speed exceeded 75 mph. Around turns the tires permitted excessively chassis roll. While towing the rear wiggled around excessively. Some people said it's because of the independent rear and that's why they preferred a Suburban, but I think the tires have more to do with it. The increased puncture resistance provided more piece of mind as well as improved stability. I've had one puncture and one blowout on my camper while towing, and having four fewer tires to worry about while towing makes travel less stressful.

 

[Pawpaw]

That's the tire I am looking at, I hadn't seen the 275/70r18 though, I was looking at 275/65r18 (stock). Any fitment or rubbing issues with that tire?

I had to special order the 275x70x18's even though the 275x65's were readily available. No rubbing or fitment issues even when towing our 7500 lb camper. Ride great at 42 psi cold.

 

[duneslider]

I'm having a hard time believing it but I went out this morning and one of the front tires was completely flat. Off to get another repair. New tires can't get here soon enough! I have some terrible luck apparently.

 

[Deadman]

I'm having a hard time believing it but I went out this morning and one of the front tires was completely flat. Off to get another repair. New tires can't get here soon enough! I have some terrible luck apparently.

Are you running the pressure way down or anything?

 

[Dan Johnson]

I was concerned about the Load Range E's as well, so I found some Raptor Takeoffs (Load Range C) and they are delightful. Very smooth (almost spongy ride) BFG AT/TA 315 70 R17. (With Raptor 17" rims). I did the lift/level - 3" in the front and 2" in the back. Really pleased with it and it get lots of looks by other dad's off-roading in the Target parking lot LOL. Seriously, though, I've had it in the rain, dirt, ice, and mud and no issues so far. About 15,000 miles on them at this point.

 

[duneslider]

Are you running the pressure way down or anything?

44psi, which is what they state on the sidewall.

 

[Knut]

Use the different calculators on this site to check for speedometer errors, rolling distance, gear ratio, etc.

Wheel Offset Calculator

Use our wheel offset calculator to visualize the new tire position when changing wheel and tire sizes. Convert wheel offset and backspacing to calculate the correct setup for your vehicle.

tiresize.com

I went from stock Michelin 275/65-18 to 275/55-20 Coopers XL

Cooper Discoverer® AT3 4S™ Tire | Cooper Tire

Explore the Cooper Discoverer® AT3 4S™ tire from Cooper Tire. Visit us to find a Cooper Tire retailer near you to schedule a tire installation appointment.

coopertire.com

2 years on them know and very happy with them, (driving in MI) especially when towing.

 

[Lou Hamilton]

Nope. I love them. I had LT tires on my 2011 Honda Pilot and now on my Expedition. I tow, so the added confidence that they will withstand the additional constant weight during those times is what I like the most.

 

[Pawpaw]

I was concerned about the Load Range E's as well, so I found some Raptor Takeoffs (Load Range C) and they are delightful. Very smooth (almost spongy ride) BFG AT/TA 315 70 R17. (With Raptor 17" rims). I did the lift/level - 3" in the front and 2" in the back. Really pleased with it and it get lots of looks by other dad's off-roading in the Target parking lot LOL. Seriously, though, I've had it in the rain, dirt, ice, and mud and no issues so far. About 15,000 miles on them at this point.

Years ago I had the Hummer version LT315x70x17's BFG TA/KO's on a F150. They were D rated back then and were 50 psi max but I'd run 42 psi daily. Best tires i ever owned and the only problem was rubbing until I found wheels close to stock specs to eliminate it. Running 275x70x18 BFG KO2's on my '21 FX4 Expedition and quite pleased with them so far. E rated 10 ply with stiff sidewalls for towing our 8800 lb max loaded camper. I air up to 65 psi and after adjustments on the Equalizer hitch it helps take some sidesway sway out with moderate sidewinds. Still picking up nails from rebuilding our house after hurricane Ida.

 

[wakeboarder]

Use the different calculators on this site to check for speedometer errors, rolling distance, gear ratio, etc.

Wheel Offset Calculator

Use our wheel offset calculator to visualize the new tire position when changing wheel and tire sizes. Convert wheel offset and backspacing to calculate the correct setup for your vehicle.

tiresize.com

I went from stock Michelin 275/65-18 to 275/55-20 Coopers XL

Cooper Discoverer® AT3 4S™ Tire | Cooper Tire

Explore the Cooper Discoverer® AT3 4S™ tire from Cooper Tire. Visit us to find a Cooper Tire retailer near you to schedule a tire installation appointment.

coopertire.com

2 years on them know and very happy with them, (driving in MI) especially when towing.

I noticed when using the psi tool for p275r55/20 to LT275/55r20, this website understates the required pressure. I think it is because the P rated tire is listed as load rating 111, but our expeditions require load rating 113.

Edit: scratch this, the option is there when selecting metric instead of p metric. Also, the equivalent is 52 psi.

 

[LazSlate]

You wont notice any difference. I always get the higher rated. The load range has nothing to do with tire tread and compound (unless its a special load rated tire). Its strictly the amount of plys in the tire.
The amount of flex from the tire on the highway will not be felt and it also depends on the rim size. The smaller the rim the more sidewall you will feel. But you wont notice going up one or 2 plys in load rating.

 

[Huntsw1]

I run Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 3 LT load range E tires. They're a little louder than the stock tires, but the ride isn't bad. I keep them aired down in the mid-upper 40s unless I'm towing.

What pressure when towing? How much weight are you towing?

I am going with these same tires towing 7500 lbs

 

[Squark]

What pressure when towing? How much weight are you towing?

I am going with these same tires towing 7500 lbs

My trailer is about 7800lbs. According to my last visit to the CAT scale, my front axle is 3080lbs and rear is 4040lbs with the trailer hooked up and weight distribution engaged. I follow the load chart here for my size tires (LT275/55R20): https://tirepressure.com/lt275-55r20-tire-pressure. I also add a couple PSI for a safety margin, so I'm usually around 45psi front and 52psi rear when towing. Some people say to go higher for a stiffer sidewall, but I'm afraid of overinflating and reducing the contact patch on the road. I need all the grip I can get.

 

[chuck s]

There's a tire pressure sticker in the door jam and that pressure will support the truck's GVWR. Increasing tire pressure or fitting LT tires does firm up the sidewall and will increase the tire's weight capacity but does not change the the vehicle's weight ratings. Look at the weight capacity of the OEM tires and they're more than competent and greatly exceed the axle weight ratings.

You're getting close to GVWR with a 7800 pound trailer and at least 780 pounds (10% is the minimum for a conventional trailer) on the ball. Your tongue weight is?

Seems most folks run out of cargo capacity before they run out of towing capacity towing conventional trailers due to tongue weight. (Motor) Boat trailers put much less weight on the ball due to their geometry and aft weight placement.

-- Chuck

 

[Squark]

There's a tire pressure sticker in the door jam and that pressure will support the truck's GVWR. Increasing tire pressure or fitting LT tires does firm up the sidewall and will increase the tire's weight capacity but does not change the the vehicle's weight ratings. Look at the weight capacity of the OEM tires and they're more than competent and greatly exceed the axle weight ratings.

You're getting close to GVWR with a 7800 pound trailer and at least 780 pounds (10% is the minimum for a conventional trailer) on the ball. Your tongue weight is?

Seems most folks run out of cargo capacity before they run out of towing capacity towing conventional trailers due to tongue weight. (Motor) Boat trailers put much less weight on the ball due to their geometry and aft weight placement.

-- Chuck

Those are good points. My tongue weight is 900lb, which is the limit for my Expy. I shifted weight around in the trailer to get it down to 900lb. My GVWR is 7720lbs and I'm at 7120lbs with the trailer in tow. My front axle is rated at 3550lbs and I'm at 3080lbs. My rear axle is rated at 4380lbs and I'm at 4040lbs. I've made many visits to the scale to make sure I'm in line with the numbers.

But all that said, it's still a lot of trailer for the Expy. I'm looking at getting a Super Duty or RAM HD. My travel trailer is 33' long, and that big of a sail with that much weight pushes the Expy around (no sway, just push from wind and semis). I have a ProPride hitch, Bilstein shocks, and LT tires. All of that helps, and it tows fine in ideal conditions. But I've pulled in 35mph crosswinds and it's not comfortable.

 

[chuck s]

You've done the homework! Replacing the truck all depends on how often you tow plus spending $60,000 (?) for a few tows a year wouldn't make economic sense to me nor would driving -- and parking -- a F250 every day.

-- Chuck

 

[Squark]

You've done the homework! Replacing the truck all depends on how often you tow plus spending $60,000 (?) for a few tows a year wouldn't make economic sense to me nor would driving -- and parking -- a F250 every day.

-- Chuck

You hit the nail on the head. We have 3 kids and don't want to lose the third row seating. Plus maneuvering and parking the truck in the city doesn't sound like fun. We looked at downsizing the trailer and keeping the Expedition, but then looked at fifth wheels and realized how nice it would be to have the extra space. We only camp 6-8 times per year, so is it worth it? I haven't decided yet. If I had the funds I'd keep the Expy and add a truck to the driveway.

 

[chuck s]

We don't own an "RV" we have a camper. Roo 23SS hybrid is under 6000 pounds and 30 feet long when open with more floor area and sleeping space than a box travel trailer. Plus my wife insists on sleeping in a tent which in this case is just steps away from a full bathroom and kitchen. Two queen beds plus the dinette and sofa as needed and there are models with three queen beds. This camper is now on her 3d tow vehicle. First couple of years an Explorer did the work. Expeditions are overkill but overkill always works.

Our use may not be common or fit your needs. We rarely spend much time in the camper other than sleeping. We spend the days exploring and usually leave after breakfast and return for dinner. We don't need a house on wheels (5th wheel) for this.

-- Chuck

 

[Polo08816]

You've done the homework! Replacing the truck all depends on how often you tow plus spending $60,000 (?) for a few tows a year wouldn't make economic sense to me nor would driving -- and parking -- a F250 every day.

-- Chuck

Is parking an F250 CCSB that much more difficult than parking a F150 CCLB? If the 1/2 ton and HD pickup are both crew cabs with 6.5-6.75 foot beds, I don't think it's that much more difficult to park. But if you're comparing against an F150 with 5.5 foot bed, then you have a point.

The exterior dimensions of 1/2 ton pickups have certainly increased over the years that I would argue they are not that much smaller than a comparable HD pickup.