Towing with new tires?

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Lukenick1

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Joined
Jul 12, 2015
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23
Hello all....just replaced my very worn P265/70/16  Bridgestone Duelers with new P265/70/16 Yokohama Geolanders on my 2001 Tundra.  Same load in the TT as always with same set up on WDH.  This trip was the worst towing experience I have had ever.  My Truck was swaying all over the highway while my TT remained stable.  I bumped the psi to 40 going and then 48 coming back.  Both rides were equally bad.  Even a small SUV passing me on the highay was pushing and pulling me.  On the ride home I even adjusted my wdh to put more weight on the front axle and still all over the place.  I have done some research and questioning on FB pages related to towing and the majority thinks I should upgrade to LT tires.  My TT weighs 5,200 loaded.  I called my tire salesman and he agreed to let me swap the tires out.  However he cannot get me the same size in an LT tire.  He said I would have to either go from a 265/70/16 to a 265/75/16 or he can get me a 245/75/16.  Ideally I want to stay with the same size because I cannot adjust my hitch any more.  I am already at the very bottom hole on the shank.  Will going from a 70 to a 75 require a hitch adjustment?  He can get me a Yokohama in the LT which is the brand I have now.  Is the Yokohama brand the issue?  Will it feel better in the LT version?  I am so confused about all of this.  I do not want to tow with that feeling ever again.  I towed fine for 2 years with my worn out P rated Bridgestone Duelers, what was the big difference?  By the way I would have kept the bridgestones but we didn't pass state inspection with them.  I thought for sure getting new tires would make the drive even better not worse.  Thanks for any help!
 
Of course you need truck tires, you are using it as a truck.  Go to TireRack.com and compare the diameter of the tires and get LT's that are as close to the original equipment as possible.
 
Not sure if my experience is comparable but I just put a set of Toyo tires on my motorhome and the ride back to the storage shed, about 20 miles, was horrible. The coach was really jumping around.  So I did some research and was happy to find that new tires (on a motorhome at least) take some miles to settle in.  Almost every reply I got said to stay cool and things would definitely improve.  All I can do is offer the same advice.

Bill
 
P metric tires, because of their inherantly soft side walls make for some bad towing experiences.  If there is an LT option I certainally would go for it.  BTW, I have Geolanders on my dually towing heavy and am more than happy with their performance.  Also tread pattern can make for horrible towing situations.  Are the new tires aggressive tread pattern by any chance?
 
The 015s are an A/T tire and should be fine.  Im running Yokahamas on both my dually and DW Suzuki with good results.  I suspect the problem is soft sidewall of the P metrics.  Swap them for a LT version of the same tire and go happy.
On second thought, what air pressure are they set at?
Bye bye the way, Yokahama offers the same tire in LT version in the same size.  Unless you really need that treat pattern, you miht look instead at a more A/S tread pattern just to ensure tread is not contributing to the problem.
 
I had the P tires set at 40 going and then bumped them up to 48 for the ride home.  Both experiences were awful. 
 
My dually has the HK-YKS on it.  They are A/S, really quiet and ride nice.  Of course with a 4X2 I do t need an aggressive tread patyern.
 
A/S should tow well, but you really need to decide what sort of tire you really need 24/7/365.  If an A/S will wirk for you then thats what you need.  If a more highway tread will work fine for you, then go that direction.  What you need and my n?ds are likely totally different, so you must determine what is best for you.
I still think your problem is soft side walls vs load.
 
This truck is only used to tow a travel trailer less than a dozen times a season and to plow a small parking lot in the winter.  Other than occassional use we don't put many miles on it. 
 
I clearly support the LT tire for your needs.  Here is the summary on size.

265/70 16 are 30.6" diameter and 150.9 circumference
265/75 16 are 31.6" diameter and 156.0 circumference
245/75 16 are 30.5" diameter and 150.2 circumference

As such, the 245/75 will have minimal impact on speedometer or odometer or actual tire height.

New question:  What is the load rating of these new tire sizes and the existing P tires?  This must be at least half of the gross axle weight ratings (2 tires per axle)

Based on a 5,200# TT, I doubt you are overloading the vehicle suspension, but you could be on overloaded tires.
 
grashley said:
I clearly support the LT tire for your needs.  Here is the summary on size.

265/70 16 are 30.6" diameter and 150.9 circumference
265/75 16 are 31.6" diameter and 156.0 circumference
245/75 16 are 30.5" diameter and 150.2 circumference

As such, the 245/75 will have minimal impact on speedometer or odometer or actual tire height.

New question:  What is the load rating of these new tire sizes and the existing P tires?  This must be at least half of the gross axle weight ratings (2 tires per axle)

My tire shop offered me to replace the new Yoko's for LT tires.  Only problem is that he can only get size 265/75/16 or 245/70/16.  Which size would be better for my need?  My current tire size is 265/70/16. 

Based on a 5,200# TT, I doubt you are overloading the vehicle suspension, but you could be on overloaded tires.
 
My tire shop offered me to replace the new Yoko's for LT tires.  Only problem is that he can only get size 265/75/16 or 245/70/16.  Which size would be better for my need?  My current tire size is 265/70/16. 
 
If it were me and I was happy with the Bridgestones but unhappy with the Yokohamas with the exact same specs, I'd be wondering why!!  Geolanders are pretty good tires...  Could it be one defective tire????  Have you done a tire rotation?  Are the tread wear patterns looking OK and similar on all of the new tires???  Maybe a LT tire will solve the problem but I'd be wondering what happened with the Yoko's????  I had some of those Bridgestones and replaced them with some BFGoodrich MT's for more off-road traction and didn't notice any differences except for the extra noise.  In fact the Bridgestones were 18" and the BFG's were 17's so the sidewalls were even taller.  You might compare the load rating between the Bridgestones and the new Yoko's????  Obviously something has changed but what?  Defective tread somewhere, wheel out of round, balance weight fell off... I don't know but it sounds suspicious.
 
Someone told me that it may have been because the tread was so new.  They said new treads will need time to wear down before they feel comfortable on the highway.  Not sure how true that is?  I am so torn up about this.  I don't know what to do.  I just know that I can no longer tow if i feel like that ever again.  My truck felt like it was zig zagging all over the highway.  Very scary experience. 
 
Taoshum to answer your questions......these Geolandars were just put on 1 week before I towed. 
 
Several years ago I installed new tires on a SUV we leased.  The thing became so squirlly it was nearly impossible to drive. My tire dealer eventually replaced them with Michelins and all was good again.  It is simply that some vehicles are suspectable to tire design differences.  I would replace them with a different brand of tire and go camping.
 
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