Needing TV Tire Input

[EvilDoer]

My Ford Expedition is currently wearing P265/70R17 but I'm considering replacing them with LT265/70R17.

I'm towing an X23B, at nearly 5000lbs it's well within the capacity of the TV, and the ride and handling of the vehicle are acceptable while towing. The Expedition is my daily driver and in addition to towing the travel trailer, it sees some serious off-highway use during hunting season.

Would anybody care to comment on their personal experience switching from a passenger tire to a light truck tire? I've heard the ride/handling is less "squishy" with the LTs so wondering if y'all have any advice before I drop a grand on new rubber.

I'm also thinking new shocks (over 200k miles on the truck) but that's a different thread.

[redsnapper]

I put LT AT tires on a F-150 that was equipped with a P rated highway tread.

Barely noticed a difference in ride quality and the MPG dropped .5 miles per.
Keep the air pressure down when not towing your rig......it's all good!!
'
The increased "beef" in a LT, over a P rated tire was well worth it.
Most LT tires are rated "E" load capacity...I would highly recommend a LT tire over P rated tire..all day everyday.

Bite the bullet....just do it.

Regarding shocks......I spent at least an hour with a counter man at 4 wheel parts warehouse just last month.

I told him I wanted a shock that would not "shock" me over ruts, bumps and holes in the road.
Without hesitation, he told me a KYB, Bilstein or Rancho shock will give me what I want to avoid...all of these shocks are stiff and will jar your teeth.

I ended up with 4 Fox shocks....their 2.0 version.

So far, after the sticker shock wore off, I am ok with their ride quality.
The "shock" factor is less....I can feel the road bumps for sure, but they are not as sharp, compared with the low end KYB Excel shock that were replaced.

[North of 49°]

The stock tires on my F150 -- Goodyear Wrangler AT/S LR-C -- needed replacing, but I found a decent deal on a set of Wrangler Trailrunner AT LR-E. I haven't had the chance to tow with them yet, but the stiffer sidewall makes for a much more solid-feeling ride. The fact that they're snowflake rated makes a huge difference in the winters we get around here. During my research into getting new tires, I read that it's okay if you go from a stock P-rated tire to a LT tire, but don't go the other way -- if your vehicle comes from the factory with a LT tire, don't go to a P tire.

The jury is still out on these tires until I tow with them, but based on winter performance, I'd say that so far these are the best tires I've owned.

[Jagiven]

I too installed LTs on my TV a couple months ago. I have not towed with them. I have them inflated to 35 psi, all winter, handling has been great. I installed Rancho's about a year ago.

My last set of P tires were horrible compared to the OEM tires. I figure when two season comes, I'll boost the pressures by 10 -15 psi, and adjust based on handling from there.

[Midnightmoon]

I replaced the factory P series 265/70/17 tires on my wife's 1/2 ton Ram with Bridgestone Dueler AT RHS LT265/70/17's tires. Excellent improvement over the OEM tires. I've had 3 sets of these on that truck now and I couldn't be more pleased with the stability, wear, and traction that they offer.

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by Jagiven

I too installed LTs on my TV a couple months ago. I have not towed with them. I have them inflated to 35 psi, all winter, handling has been great. I installed Rancho's about a year ago.

My last set of P tires were horrible compared to the OEM tires. I figure when two season comes, I'll boost the pressures by 10 -15 psi, and adjust based on handling from there.

Unfortunately life keeps getting in the way of glamping. I took our combo out a few weeks back. We drove about 200 miles round trip on 35 psi, the handling was very good. I'm thinking of boosting the tire pressure on the next trip, but the CG is not far away, and less than 1/2 of the trip will be on the highway, so I might not.

[EvilDoer]

If anybody is interested, I finally have new tires and have towed with them. The LTs are an awesome upgrade. The newest drivers in my family (son and daughter) have never been fans of driving the SUVs; too much "play" in the streering, not like the sporty handling of the car. I spent a fair amount of time and money on steering and suspension components on my last Tahoe with minimal results. The Expedition has handled about like you'd expect from an SUV. However, the LT tires changed that dramatically. The new tires have taken all the slop out of the steering, the handling is no longer "squishy". Running 40psi when not towing, and I'm up to 60psi now when towing and the handling is great. So far gas mileage seems unaffected. While towing I would forget at times the the trailer was behind me except when accelerating or braking, it's no longer able to push the truck around even in high wind or around passing trucks; no more white knuckle grip, the truck goes where I point it and the trailer follows.
One last note, the tire shop initially screwed up my install. I ordered the tires, went in three days later for the install, came out with the right brand, model, size, and tread pattern, but P instead of LT. Spent the next couple days driving around on new P tires waiting for the delivery/install of the LTs. Those tires sucked worse than my old worn out tires. Clearly, the change isn't due to the age/condition of the tire.
For anybody towing on P-metric tires I would encourage you to switch to Light Truck, remeber you'll need 5 if you want to upgrade the spare (lots of places I shopped stocked 4 and could get 1 more, I wanted 5 with the same manufacture date).

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by EvilDoer

If anybody is interested, I finally have new tires and have towed with them. The LTs are an awesome upgrade. The newest drivers in my family (son and daughter) have never been fans of driving the SUVs; too much "play" in the streering, not like the sporty handling of the car. I spent a fair amount of time and money on steering and suspension components on my last Tahoe with minimal results. The Expedition has handled about like you'd expect from an SUV. However, the LT tires changed that dramatically. The new tires have taken all the slop out of the steering, the handling is no longer "squishy". Running 40psi when not towing, and I'm up to 60psi now when towing and the handling is great. So far gas mileage seems unaffected. While towing I would forget at times the the trailer was behind me except when accelerating or braking, it's no longer able to push the truck around even in high wind or around passing trucks; no more white knuckle grip, the truck goes where I point it and the trailer follows.
One last note, the tire shop initially screwed up my install. I ordered the tires, went in three days later for the install, came out with the right brand, model, size, and tread pattern, but P instead of LT. Spent the next couple days driving around on new P tires waiting for the delivery/install of the LTs. Those tires sucked worse than my old worn out tires. Clearly, the change isn't due to the age/condition of the tire.
For anybody towing on P-metric tires I would encourage you to switch to Light Truck, remeber you'll need 5 if you want to upgrade the spare (lots of places I shopped stocked 4 and could get 1 more, I wanted 5 with the same manufacture date).

Thanks for posting your experience. I sincerely hope folks with handling issues read this.

IMO, TV and TT tires and inflation pressures play a mayor role in handling and sway, but often are not given the consideration they deserve.

[RedHorse1]

Originally Posted by EvilDoer

My Ford Expedition is currently wearing P265/70R17 but I'm considering replacing them with LT265/70R17.

I'm towing an X23B, at nearly 5000lbs it's well within the capacity of the TV, and the ride and handling of the vehicle are acceptable while towing. The Expedition is my daily driver and in addition to towing the travel trailer, it sees some serious off-highway use during hunting season.

Would anybody care to comment on their personal experience switching from a passenger tire to a light truck tire? I've heard the ride/handling is less "squishy" with the LTs so wondering if y'all have any advice before I drop a grand on new rubber.

I'm also thinking new shocks (over 200k miles on the truck) but that's a different thread.

Wow! Reading your post was a blast from the past! We towed our 23B with an ‘03 Expe (5.4). We were about 4900# and we were close on the Rear GAWR with the Bride and I in the TV. With another couple in the rear seat (and their gear we were over). Our max tow num was 9500# IIRC but at just under 5k# we were maxed. The Max Tow # has zero value IMHO. We now tow 13k# with an F350. Another 1 or 2 k and we’d be in dually country. So, back to the Expe, have you been to the scales? It’s worth a trip, was eye opening for me.
I had Michliens on the Expe while we owned it.

[EvilDoer]

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

Wow! Reading your post was a blast from the past! We towed our 23B with an ‘03 Expe (5.4). We were about 4900# and we were close on the Rear GAWR with the Bride and I in the TV. With another couple in the rear seat (and their gear we were over). Our max tow num was 9500# IIRC but at just under 5k# we were maxed. The Max Tow # has zero value IMHO. We now tow 13k# with an F350. Another 1 or 2 k and we’d be in dually country. So, back to the Expe, have you been to the scales? It’s worth a trip, was eye opening for me.
I had Michliens on the Expe while we owned it.

The Gen1(97 to 02) and Gen2 (03 to 06) Expeditions are two different animals. Your Gen2 had a stiffer frame, bigger brakes, and more horsepower and torque than mine, allowing for a higher gcvw yielding a towing capacity around 9000 pounds where mine is closer to 6700 with my trim package. However, for that generation Ford chose to scrap the solid rear axle and usual F150 suspension in favor of a four wheel independent arrangement and long travel suspension thereby significantly lowering the gawr.

I typically refer to these trucks as a soccer mom's F150; they haul more kids and groceries with a softer ride than a pickup even though drive trains, suspension, and a chunk of the body are interchangable. Unfortunately, each new generation gets a "more comfortable" ride so even though it has more power to tow, you're right that it can't support the weight.