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Picture of wrightd
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I have a F150 truck, and the door jamb calls for P- tires instead of LT- type tires, and I use the exact size specified, and generally I get Michelens and couldn't be happier with the ride quality and overall performance.

But here's my question: WHY does Ford specify a Passenger Tire instead of a Light Truck tire, since the F150 is in fact a Light Duty, full size truck ?

Maybe it's just me, but I don't get it. I bought a Truck, not a Passenger car, so why does Ford specifiy a Passenger tire for one of their bona fide Light Duty trucks ?

I don't get it. I guess if I needed a LT tire for commercial use then I'd get one if it was better, but that's not my question really. I'm curious specifically about the Ford's specifcation itself. My logic is saying if Ford Trucks use Passenger tires, then maybe Ford Cars should specify Bicycle tires. It's not adding up in my pea brain I guess.




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Posts: 16178 | Location: Spring, TX | Registered: July 11, 2011Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Air carries the load.

The tires are on your truck are rated to carry your truck’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), around 7,000lbs, at either 35psi or 41psi. In other words, they hold enough air to carry the load.

My truck’s GVWR is 11,400lbs, so more air is required. There are three options: bigger tires, more tires, higher pressure. The least expensive/problematic of the three up to a certain point is more pressure. The LT tires on my truck are built to hold 80psi. The downside is they are heavier, more expensive, and stiffer than the P-metric tires on your truck. Two tires on my truck are rated to carry 7,500lbs at 80psi, which is a little over the 7,200lb rating of the rear axle on my truck.

Going beyond my truck’s capability, the next least expensive/problematic option to add more tires, a dually.
 
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Because LT tires are overkill for most folks and all it does is add weight, makes a less comfortable ride, and increase production costs.
P rated gives Better fuel economy and comfort all while still being able to handle any load your truck can actually handle all while costing less.

Tires have come a very very long way. I use P rated tires to moderate off-roading these days. Not something one would have really done years ago.

Chevy, Toyota, and Ram all come with most of their 1/2 ton trucks calling for P rated.


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Posts: 25762 | Registered: September 06, 2003Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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The unfortunate truth is that most owners of half ton pickups don’t use their trucks for anything more than commuting or an occasional trip to Lowe’s etc. The passenger tires give the most compliant ride so that’s what is put on them.

Personally I have always changed out to LT tires as soon as the original ones have had their day. I prefer a firmer ride and LT tires help with that. LT tires usually have better sidewall construction and are less prone to having issues. As far as going off-road I would never consider using passenger tires to do that if I had a choice unless you’re just talking about gravel roads….as a matter of fact I’m getting ready to upgrade my Gladiator to E rated tires to get better sidewall protection and to help with the load carrying capability.

The short answer is do what you like. Michelin makes some excellent all season tires like the Defender LTX that would probably serve you well. I put these on my wife’s Grand Cherokee.


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quote:
Chevy, Toyota, and Ram all come with most of their 1/2 ton trucks calling for P rated.


Majority of these are never carrying anything more than a bicycle, some groceries or mulch, not really "pickups" in the sense we used to know.
 
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quote:
Originally posted by smlsig:
The unfortunate truth is that most owners of half ton pickups don’t use their trucks for anything more than commuting or an occasional trip to Lowe’s etc. The passenger tires give the most compliant ride so that’s what is put on them.

Personally I have always changed out to LT tires as soon as the original ones have had their day. I prefer a firmer ride and LT tires help with that. LT tires usually have better sidewall construction and are less prone to having issues. As far as going off-road I would never consider using passenger tires to do that if I had a choice unless you’re just talking about gravel roads….as a matter of fact I’m getting ready to upgrade my Gladiator to E rated tires to get better sidewall protection and to help with the load carrying capability.

The short answer is do what you like. Michelin makes some excellent all season tires like the Defender LTX that would probably serve you well. I put these on my wife’s Grand Cherokee.


Not sure why it is unfortunate that folks drive a truck and don’t always use them to their full capabilities. It’s what best fits their lifestyle.
I don’t baby my Tundra but also don’t haul or tow heavy stuff. But it frequently carries 5 people, a dog, 5 bikes, coolers, fishing gear etc.
Which won’t fit in our Suburban or a passenger car.


If one is doing major off-roading a LT is certainly desired but if one spends most of the time on pavement with only moderate off-roading there are a multitude of P rated tires in 17” and 20” like the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss A/T that have 3 ply sidewalls and are certainly adequate.
Wish I had the time to do some more serious adventuring but I don’t and the majority of folks don’t push their trucks to need a LT tire and tire manufacturers have figured that out.
The advancements in compounds have come a very long way and some of these P rated tires capabilities are quite impressive, presuming you are realistic in what they can handle.

I currently have (20” wheel) 33” Michelin LTX AT2s which are available in an LT/E rating I went with the P rated as the truck needed tires as soon as I bought it and was not sure how long it would be till I got my lift and armor.
They have done very well so far but will be replaced with the 33” Baja Boss A/T on 17” wheels eventually.

Kind of like running high performance all season on many sports cars. The car could benefit from a better tire sure but for the vast majority of folks it would be a waste.


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quote:
WHY does Ford specify a Passenger Tire instead of a Light Truck tire, since the F150 is in fact a Light Duty, full size truck ?


It not just ford, many light duty pickups come from the factory with passenger tires. One of the main reasons these days is to help Federal fuel efficiency standards. Every pickup that I been around that came from the factory with passenger tires lost 1 - 3 MPG when putting LT tires on. Auto manufacturers also put passenger tires on many pickups to save some money on cost per unit.
 
Posts: 2681 | Registered: March 15, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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Aha. Now everythning makes sense. I didn't know all that stuff. Extremely interesting. Like most all city and suburban dwellers, I use my truck for commuting, transporting large or bulky items, hauling bulk landscaping materials, and occasional heavy loads like lunber, crush run & rock dust, etc. When it gets heavy I run max pressure on my P tires (44 psi) and it gets the job done.

But I've noticed the truck is most comfortable with heavier loads. Duh. Very interesting gentelmen, thanks VERY much.




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