Tire recommendation for towing

[brroberts]

Bought the truck specifically for towing. I have about 20K miles on it. First day I put blue Sumos on it replacing the factory bump stops, and i put Bilstein 4600 shocks on it. I typically tow close to my 1823lbs payload, and the trailer I most commonly tow is 4600-4700lbs. I use an Equalizer hitch set up by myself. I had no trouble with the stock tires, and switched to Continental Terrain Contact AT. These are not LT tires, but tow just fine. I have 15K of the 20K on the truck towing. The only problem has been a nail in a tire on the last trip. I also bought a used 5th wheel and have a true matching full size spare. I typically stay around 35-36 psi on tires all the time.

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[WOADKIL]

XLT FX4 towing an approx 4,200 single axle.

Bilsteins in rear, Reese friction sway bar, eliminated almost all sway.
Stock Hankooks.

 

[Frenchy]

Chances are the tires are fine. What i suspect your issue is are the following:

1, the shocks as we have all figured out those are a bit to soft and questionable.

2, the load is a bit to front heavy causing the front to wonder a bit(yes its a thing)

3, the load of the trailer is a bit to rear heavy causing for rear tire wander as it wont keep good contact with the road(very dangerous)

 

[Frenchy]

Round ones work for me......

And here I thought you preffered square ones from misfits island!!

 

[JimG_AZ]

Agree about hitch, tire pressure ect...
But, the Duelers are only 2 ply sidewall with a four ply rating....still 2 ply's of material. If you pump them up to the max of 51 lbs the ride is just plain bad.
My set up is properly set up. but my hitch weight is near max, and the 2 ply tires don't cut it.
That's why I'm looking at a set of LT tires with a 6-10 ply rating...much less flex and much more stable than the Dueler's which are basically nothing but big car tires, never ment to tow a 7000 lb trailer with a 700 lb hitch weight.

Yes, the LT tire is probably the way to go. Also, I'll bet if you pump those Duelers up to 50 psi, they will be over-inflated and you are just running on the center of the tread. Below is a link on how to do the tire chalk test to test for over-inflation.

Chalk test

 

[Grumpaw]

Yes, the LT tire is probably the way to go. Also, I'll bet if you pump those Duelers up to 50 psi, they will be over-inflated and you are just running on the center of the tread. Below is a link on how to do the tire chalk test to test for over-inflation.

Chalk test

Actually the Duelers are rated for a max psi of 51 psi....it's on the sidewall. But I usually run around 45 psi when towing, but it still gives a lousy ride, still "squirrels", and I just do not feel "safe n secure" towing what I tow with a set of 2 ply tires.

 

[GTGallop]

There are only three tires that I recommend.

Off Road Performance - BFGoodrich ATKO series tires depending on your need. I prefer the Straight up T/A ATKO. Had them on at lest three off road vehicles and they are a great balance of performance. - https://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/auto/tires/all-terrain-t-a-ko2

Driving Around Town and Highway - Michelin Defenders. This is my default tire that I put on every car we have bought after the dealer set wore out. Fantastic tire all around performance and great tread life. - https://www.michelinman.com/auto/tires/michelin-defender-ltx-m-s

Trucks for Heavy Use like Hauling / Towing - Michelin LTX. Absurdly rugged tire and great for fuel economy and tread life when you are driving an on-road tow vehicle or commercial vehicle. - https://www.michelinman.com/auto/tires/michelin-ltx-m-s2

As always, understand your load and buy the correct tire size AND LOAD RATING in what ever you buy.

 

[Grumpaw]

There are only three tires that I recommend.

Off Road Performance - BFGoodrich ATKO series tires depending on your need. I prefer the Straight up T/A ATKO. Had them on at lest three off road vehicles and they are a great balance of performance. - https://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/auto/tires/all-terrain-t-a-ko2

Driving Around Town and Highway - Michelin Defenders. This is my default tire that I put on every car we have bought after the dealer set wore out. Fantastic tire all around performance and great tread life. - https://www.michelinman.com/auto/tires/michelin-defender-ltx-m-s

Trucks for Heavy Use like Hauling / Towing - Michelin LTX. Absurdly rugged tire and great for fuel economy and tread life when you are driving an on-road tow vehicle or commercial vehicle. - https://www.michelinman.com/auto/tires/michelin-ltx-m-s2

As always, understand your load and buy the correct tire size AND LOAD RATING in what ever you buy.

I am leaning toward the Michelin LTX's. Had 3 sets of them over the life of our previous motor home and a set on my previous Subaru Crosstrek.
Never had a problem with them, especially the 6 on the class c at almost 12,000 lbs. Easily got 35,000 miles out of each set before replacing at a 4 year interville.
I'm also looking at LT tires in all the major brands that have a 30 to 32 inch diameter to keep close to the OE Dueler's 30.5 inch diameter with at least a D or E rating (8 ply-10 ply sidewall)

 

[JimG_AZ]

Actually the Duelers are rated for a max psi of 51 psi....it's on the sidewall. But I usually run around 45 psi when towing, but it still gives a lousy ride, still "squirrels", and I just do not feel "safe n secure" towing what I tow with a set of 2 ply tires.

I understand this, but it does not mean that you can pump your tires up to 45 - 50 psi and possibly not be over-inflated. I ran into this situation with Michelin LTX M/S tires on my Explorer years ago. I was towing a Prowler travel trailer that weighted @ low to mid 4,000 # loaded. The Explorer pulled it very well until I decided to have Discount rotate the tires right before a camping trip. We got the rig on the highway and any speed faster that 55 mph was downright scary. Noticeable stability and sway issues. At the time, I had no idea as to what was wrong until I remembered that Discount rotated the tires a few days prior to leaving. I got off the highway and checked the tire pressure and it was @ 45 psi. I dropped it @ 35 psi per tire and it was a night and day difference.

 

[Frenchy]

I understand this, but it does not mean that you can pump your tires up to 45 - 50 psi and possibly not be over-inflated. I ran into this situation with Michelin LTX M/S tires on my Explorer years ago. I was towing a Prowler travel trailer that weighted @ low to mid 4,000 # loaded. The Explorer pulled it very well until I decided to have Discount rotate the tires right before a camping trip. We got the rig on the highway and any speed faster that 55 mph was downright scary. Noticeable stability and sway issues. At the time, I had no idea as to what was wrong until I remembered that Discount rotated the tires a few days prior to leaving. I got off the highway and checked the tire pressure and it was @ 45 psi. I dropped it @ 35 psi per tire and it was a night and day difference.

For some reason individuals like to think that if you are towing you must increase tire pressure. In the book it clearly states that you run the pressure stated on the tire placard. For towing it does not state anything different

 

[Discount Tire]

I have a 2022 Supercrew XL and tow a 4000 lb camper. The OEM tires are Bridgestone Dueler 685 HT and they are terrible for towing. The truck wanders and feels like riding on jelly. I increase tire pressure to try and stiffen up the sidewalls which helps but its still not comfortable. Can anyone recommend a good strong tire that would solve this problem? Thanks!

Thank you for posting your inquiry,

The common thread in all these comments is tire upgrade and I would agree. Stronger sidewall with more air pressure should take the jelly ride feeling away. If you are not interested in changing tire size, 255/65R-17, BF Goodrich makes the KO2 in a Load range D. Max air is 65PSI that would give you the ability if needed to increase for towing.

 

[BReeves61]

Thank you for posting your inquiry,

The common thread in all these comments is tire upgrade and I would agree. Stronger sidewall with more air pressure should take the jelly ride feeling away. If you are not interested in changing tire size, 255/65R-17, BF Goodrich makes the KO2 in a Load range D. Max air is 65PSI that would give you the ability if needed to increase for towing.

i wouldnt mind going to a 265/65r/17 if that would help too

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