Sturdy tire for 1/2 ton towing

Mitag3 · Sep 19, 2017

I thought I found more options in the past, now that its about time to purchase I'm not finding much at all. Long story short I'm looking for a decent set of tires with a strong load rating, at least 119 or 3000lbs essentially, for my 20" rims.

I don't need anything exotic, or overly aggressive, but I do plan on seeing some decent snow in these and occasional off road but nothing crazy and not very often. I'm assuming the 20" rim severely limits my options on this because I'm not finding much that isn't a "boring" street only tire or that isn't $250+ per tire. This was about the best I found for "ok" off road and snow for anywhere between $140-$160 / tire.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Cooper-Discoverer-H-T-Plus-119T-Tire-275-60R20/47406241

Question being, do I need to stop being a cheap ass and fork over for the $220-$280 / tire range, or is there a decent set more in the middle around $180-$200 / tire? Also, anyone have experience with these Cooper Discoverer H-T Plus Tires?

TRCM · Sep 19, 2017

Why do you need 3000 lbs per tire ??

That's what I had on my 1 ton dually !!

Your truck isn't rated for hauling that much between the truck itself and any cargo in the bed (including tongue weight)...Your truck is probably in the 7000 lb range for GVWR, so why use tires that support 12,000+ lbs ???

smiley · Sep 19, 2017

I am not sure what mine are rated but the BFG All Terrain could certainly handle more than my truck ever could. I think load range E.

Ratket · Sep 19, 2017

I got my Lt275/65/20 Cooper atp from discount tire for $1100 otd. Granit this size most likely won't fit on your half ton but if I where you I would go with a Lt tire and not a p tire.

Mitag3 · Sep 19, 2017

To attempt to avoid more "why do you need that!?" questions instead of answers I'm stepping up to a stiffer tire in the rear to help control stability and sway for my camper..

Mitag3 · Sep 19, 2017

Ratket said:
I got my Lt275/65/20 Cooper atp from discount tire for $1100 otd. Granit this size most likely won't fit on your half ton but if I where you I would go with a Lt tire and not a p tire.

That size would fit fine, its only 1.06" bigger than my 275/60/20 and I have a small lift. My plan was to only do the back 2 since I have 2 almost new tires on the front right now because of a flat. Would 1" difference between front and rear tires on a 4 wheel drive truck mess things up?

Ratket · Sep 19, 2017

Do not run different size tires-
If u ever need 4 wheel drive u can't use it. I highly recommend against it.

Mitag3 · Sep 19, 2017

Ratket said:
Do not run different size tires-
If u ever need 4 wheel drive u can't use it. I highly recommend against it.

Yeah I kind of assumed transmission and transfer case wouldn't be happy about an inch difference, wasn't sure if there was an acceptable amount built in anywhere

smiley · Sep 19, 2017

I run 275/65R20 and before that ran 285/65R20. Both will fit and might give you more options for the LT in the load range you desire. Price will skyrocket though!

Trupiano · Sep 19, 2017

Falken Wildpeak H/T
275 65 R20 rates at 3,760 per tire at 80 psi.

Walmart Online has them for about $170 each free shipping

Mitag3 · Sep 19, 2017

Trupiano said:
Falken Wildpeak H/T
275 65 R20 rates at 3,760 per tire at 80 psi.

Walmart Online has them for about $170 each free shipping

Definitely way overkill for what I need but for the performance at that price it might just be worth stepping up and getting all 4...

Trupiano · Sep 19, 2017

http://www.falkentire.com/tires/tru...e?width=880&height=400&inline=true#tire-specs

It shows all the info under the size & specs tab

TRCM · Sep 20, 2017

Mitag3 said:
To attempt to avoid more "why do you need that!?" questions instead of answers I'm stepping up to a stiffer tire in the rear to help control stability and sway for my camper..

The 'why do you need that' question was because you didn't say why you wanted such a high rating....if we know, it can make helping you easier, and let us help figure out if the 'problem' is something else, and maybe not the tires.

Anyway, it's your truck, you can certainly do with it as you please, but there is no reason to go that high, towing or not, with a 1/2 ton truck. Tires rated that high won't ride as nice (ride quality) or handle as well as tires properly rated for your truck.

I still have the stock tires on my 1500 (the goodyears everyone hates), and have no issues with stability or sway when towing my 6500 lb camper. I do use a WD hitch and a sway control slider tho.

As said, you don't want different tires sizes or different tire ratings front & rear, so it'd be best to replace all 4 at the same time with the same tire.

Also, if you are going to go that high, make sure the rims & valve stems are rated for that much as well (load rating & tire pressure). On my 97 dually, the rims were actually rated 50 lbs less than the tires that were on it when I got it.

Good Luck !

Riccochet · Sep 20, 2017

Why it's needed was simple for me. I tow a heavy 8300# camper. The added load rating and stiffer sidewall results in a little more peace of mind and significantly less sidewall rolling/wobble at highway speeds reducing sway. You might not think it helps, but it does. I've towed my camper 1000's of miles with both P metric and E rated tires. The E rated tires just provide a more stable tow.

Setup is also key, but 1090# tongue weight is still 1090#. Even after weight distribution it comes out to about 940# being applied 40/60 front and rear on the truck, plus cargo and passengers.

I err on the side of "I'd rather have more than needed than push what I have to it's limits" in regards to tires.

14hemiexpress · Sep 20, 2017

I have the cooper discovery ht they are still a P tire I liked the xl rating on them but they don't do much still very soft of the sidewalls they have good traction and ride nice but I would step up to a d rated or higher my boss just picked up a set of BFG k02s they are D rated 6 ply 60 psi tire he said smooth ride and quiet he's very happy with them on his 1500.

wobly · Sep 20, 2017

I like the BFG KO2's in 275/60R20. They are a D rated tire, but they have done well for me towing my trailer. They are around $275 per tire, though.

Mitag3 · Sep 21, 2017

14hemiexpress said:
I have the cooper discovery ht they are still a P tire I liked the xl rating on them but they don't do much still very soft of the sidewalls they have good traction and ride nice but I would step up to a d rated or higher my boss just picked up a set of BFG k02s they are D rated 6 ply 60 psi tire he said smooth ride and quiet he's very happy with them on his 1500.

Ahh I was afraid of that. and D rated 6 ply? I was under the impression Passenger tires were like 4-6 ply, D rated was 8, and E was 10. Is that incorrect or just not always the case?

Riccochet · Sep 21, 2017

Mitag3 said:
Ahh I was afraid of that. and D rated 6 ply? I was under the impression Passenger tires were like 4-6 ply, D rated was 8, and E was 10. Is that incorrect or just not always the case?

P-metric and XL are typically 2-4 ply, D rated are typically 6 ply and E rated are typically 8+ ply.

At least that's been my experience buying tons of trailer and truck tires.

My only suggestion if moving up to a D or E rated tire is replacing the valve stems with bolted in metal stems and verifying that your wheels can handle the additional pressure. Most will be fine for the 65 PSI of D rated tires, but can't handle 80 PSI of E rated tires.

Mitag3 · Sep 21, 2017

Riccochet said:
P-metric and XL are typically 2-4 ply, D rated are typically 6 ply and E rated are typically 8+ ply.

At least that's been my experience buying tons of trailer and truck tires.

My only suggestion if moving up to a D or E rated tire is replacing the valve stems with bolted in metal stems and verifying that your wheels can handle the additional pressure. Most will be fine for the 65 PSI of D rated tires, but can't handle 80 PSI of E rated tires.

Ah okay I gotcha. I do need to check on PSI still, I have the factory 20" rims currently. I assume I would be better off running a D tire at 65 than I would running an E tire at 65

Riccochet · Sep 21, 2017

Mitag3 said:
Ah okay I gotcha. I do need to check on PSI still, I have the factory 20" rims currently. I assume I would be better off running a D tire at 65 than I would running an E tire at 65

You can run an E rated tire at 65. When I had my F250 and F350 I rarely aired them up to 80 PSI. You sure as hell don't want to be daily driving either D or E rated tires at full PSI, unless you want your teeth rattled out of your head. lol

Determine the load you'll be carrying, check the tire's inflation load chart (most manufacturers have these specs on their websites). A D rated tire at 65 PSI is for max load, but even at 50 PSI it'll carry a higher load than a XL tire at max pressure.

I run my D rated tires at 40 PSI daily and only air them up to 65 when towing my travel trailer. I don't bother airing up when towing my bass boat.

Sturdy tire for 1/2 ton towing

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