There doesn't seem to be too much choice in my tire size. So far it seems like only the Goodyear Silent Armour Wrangler come in a 6 ply. All the rest come in 10 ply for my size. Price wise they are all close enough that it doesn't make a difference in which route I go. Is there much of a difference in ride between a 6 and 10 ply tire? Can a person run 10 ply with less pressure when not pulling a trailer to improve ride quality with out affecting the life of the tire?
Spiff
01 F150 Super Crew
06 Zeppelin 303
Reese Dual Cam Sway System w/ Prodigy
I put Kumho A/T Load Range E on my truck several years ago. I have replaced them once, and had one failure.
Reasonable price, and good traction(traction is VITAL on a 4X2!)
I like them.
"Is there much of a difference in ride between a 6 and 10 ply tire? Can a person run 10 ply with less pressure when not pulling a trailer to improve ride quality with out affecting the life of the tire?"
The major difference is load rating and sidewall stiffness. Yes, you should reduce the pressure when not loaded, to give a better ride and prevent the tread from wearing in the center. Also, if only the center of the tread is in contact with the road surface, you have reduced traction by as high as 75% (smaller contact patch); this can be EXTREMELY dangerous on wet roads(it isn't real great on dry roads, either!)
CM1, USN (RET)
'94 Dodge 3500 4X2 CTD, Std. cab, LB, 5 speed, 4.10 LS diff., Jacobs Rambrake, 273,000 Miles
'99 Monaco McKenzie 32' triple slide
'95 Tioga 29H Ford-based Class C
Daily driver: '06 Jeep Liberty CRD
Towed: '06 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited
You asked about running less psi in them. FWIW, my truck came with Pirelli Scorpion STRA's or something like that. Size: LT 265/75R16 "E" A/S. Ford states to run fronts at 55 and rear 70. When towing, I increase fronts to 70-75 and rears to 80. I also have winter tires mounted on own rims to save on alum rims and salt, makes for quick change, and saves the A/S for 3 season use. This is my 2nd set of Pirelli's and am very happy with them. Great 3 season tire. They have a stiffer sidewall than Mich (which were my 2nd choice), but tire guru suggested I go with what I had for Pirelli would better fit the bill for my application (towing heavy).
BTW, my winters (Mastercraft Courser)) are also LT "E" rated. Wally world could not get a "E" in LT for a winter tire. Guess they are a bit difficult to find.
Hope this helps somewhat.
ACZL
2003 F250 SD,CC,4x4,SB,AT,Lariat,6.0PSD
2006 Cedar Creek Silverback 33 LBHTS "Custom"
Member of The Cedar Creek RV Club
"Creekin' in the Summer"
"The best part of RVing and Snowmobiling is spending time with family and friends"
"Catin' in the Winter"
I would seriously look at BF Goodrich tires. THat is what I run and get great mileage out of them. We run Michelins on company F250 and they continue to experience sidewall cracking. My F350 dually came with BF Goodrich and they are smooth and very quite.
Ron & Libby Gordon
07 Ford F350 Dually Tow Boss Diesel
07 Mobile Suites 38RL3 #3698
02 Winnebago Adventurer 35U V10 (Former RV)
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow
If your truck needed 10ply(E) tires ,Ford would have offered or made it with them. No way should an F150 have a 10 ply. It will ride horrible as the suspension was designed to be harmonious with the OEM tires. Michelin LTX/MS in a "P" series will be fine.You could contact Michelin though for maximum inflation pressures with your set up. Go to TireRack.com & check out actual users statements of there success with the brands you're considering. BTW LTS/MS doesn't denote "mud & Snow" rating.It denotes a model name & is an all season rating.If stability is an issue install wider rims,up to the width of the tread at the road.
Avoid Goodyears. I have yet to have a set of Goodyears on anything I have ever owned that didn't give me problems on everything from cars to trucks to campers.
Put Michelin ATX/MS on a Toyota PU to replace the Bridgestone Desert Duelers that had 65K on them. The Michelins handled and rode great and surprisingly good in snow and mud for not being a very aggressive tread.
My Lexus also has Michelins and they perform great in all weather.
I like BFG KO for ride and handling but they don't wear that well. Too soft.
My last two sets on my F350 have been Bridgestone Revos. Awesome tire. Handles and rides well and claws through the nastiest stuff you can imagine. My first set got right at 50K before I replaced them so I got the same tire again. I am sold on them.
Craig and Laura
Asleep in the backseat- Allie the yellow Lab.
Nokia all the way. IIRC it has a nylon ply cap that will keep the carcass together in the event of a high speed blow-out. Not sure about the others, but I always go for tires with a nylon cap if available.
I think the toyo someone else mentioned has this feature as well. You can check the sidewalls, it will say "1 nylon".
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