Tire shopping

[JEFF1963]

Micron - does your F150 have steel or aluminum alloy rims? I ask, and reference "need-a-vacation"'s alluding to "rim rating". I consulted with our local tire dealership and our Chevy dealer (because I have a Silverado) about this "rim rating". Both dealers said: "..unless an owner has a 'special - meaning extremely soft aluminum alloy' rim, most truck factory rims are steel, and will hold a Load Range E tire at whatever suggested psi with no problem. They offered 2 other observations: 1 - should one air to 80 psi to carry something heavy enough to require that air pressure, the truck's suspension on a 1/2T pickup would probably let you know before the rim bead failed or the rim bent; and 2- neither dealer had ever heard of a "rim rating" - rather they postulated one should probably know steel is usually stronger than aluminum alloy. They also advised that even if a truck was wearing aluminum alloy rims, a Load Range E tire will work fine as long as the weight being carried isn't excessive enough to require 80 psi.

[Dustdevil]

I would be more concerned about a steel rim separating at the weld, assuming it's a two piece welded construction. I'd also be more concerned about the rubber stem blowing out and the tire bead crawling up and over the rim bead channel.

[Bobx2]

The BFG KO is a good tire, but waaaaay over priced. As someone mentioned previously, the Cooper Discoverer ATP is a great tire at a much more reasonable price. They have been the best wearing tire that I have run on my Duramax by a fair amount, and handle great with a load on them.

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company - Discoverer ATP™

[clutch]

Originally Posted by Dustdevil

I would be more concerned about a steel rim separating at the weld, assuming it's a two piece welded construction. I'd also be more concerned about the rubber stem blowing out and the tire bead crawling up and over the rim bead channel.

Good point. Steel rims are not necessarily stronger than alloy rims.

[oldnnew]

I would also add that I never even come close to airing my tires up to 80 psi. I run right around 47 psi (rear) and 45 (front) while towing, 34 psi unloaded. My axle weights loaded are about 3,200 lbs. (rear), 3,000 lbs. (front). I've noticed that running pressures above 50 psi causes the tire to lose contact patch with the road (overinflated condition) verified with contact patch test. At about 47-48 psi the rig is very stable on the highway with no sway issues. My TV is an old (2001) F-150 and my combined weight with TT loaded is about 12,000 lbs. My old P rated tires were able to be inflated to 44 psi max, which helped, but my E-rated tires feel much more stable.

[micron]

Thank you all for your suggestions and advice. I ended up getting the Falken tires. They are p rated XL tires. They look like like an All Terrain but ride pretty well and are quiet. Being XLs they should be fine handling the TT's weight when towing. They also have the mountain snowflake rating so I'll see how they do in the winter. Not that it had any bearing in my decision but they do look much better on the truck then the stock Pirellis.

[JEFF1963]

Micron - curious about your new Falken's (since a few of us have chipped in so much), so I went to the Falken website. Did you see the big WARNING admonition regarding some of these Wildpeaks (specifically the exact info in your last post)?! I don't know where you purchased your set, but if you haven't, I really recommend you check out the Falken site. I hope I'm wrong, but it's worth a look - quick like a bunny.

[micron]

Yes there is a warning on the Falken Tire website. Luckily I saw it before buying my tires and was able to check out the tires before they went on the truck. This dealer has been selling Falkens for quite a long time. I believe the shop I used is a decent shop as I've bought there several times prior with no issues. Thanks for the "looking-out" Jeff1063!

[Ottawasteve]

Micron, let us know how you like the Falkens, unloaded and towing, after you get a few pulls under your belt.

For others who read this, I'll throw in my 2 cents on Michelins. It may have been mentioned, but the Michelin MS2's (now Defender MS2's) come in both P-Rated and LT tires. Both will exceed the axle ratings on the F150. I first went with the P-rated Michelins to replace the stock Good Year Wrangler SAs (hated these tires unloaded and loaded). The Michelins were a marked improvement over the Goodyears. Last December, I went with the LT Michelins because they were only $15 per tire more IIRC. There is a marginal improvement towing but the ride is harsher while unloaded. I had some difficulty determining what to run the LT's at unloaded because it is not published for my truck and everytime I take it for service, I have to reinflate the tires to 45 lbs because they lower it to 35 lbs as per the door tag. The LT's give the option of running at a much higher max pressure if you wish to and I run them at 45lbs unloaded which seems to give a slightly harsher ride. If both tires were run at 45 lbs, I wonder if there would be any difference in ride quality. The tread patterns were the same and both tires give good winter traction and are quiet on the highway and are supposed to have a 65,000 mile treadlife (probably shorter with a lot of summer towing) which is about 15,000 more than most comparable tires.

[micron]

So far I am pretty happy with the tires. One thing I didn't consider until I hooked up the camper is that the tires raised the trk 1" and it did affect the WDH set up ever so slightly. Now I have to dial it in...again. The tires ride very smooth and quiet and showed no sidewall flex.
I also contacted a Falken rep for advice on air pressures. They said 35-38psi for everyday driving and no more than 42psi for towing. He said the tires actually hit max load capacity at 35psi and anything over 40 is considered dead air. He was able to review all of the Ford factory specs before providing me with the Falken reccomendation.