10 ply tires on a half ton TV

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Marc L

Marc L

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Joined
Jan 2, 2007
Posts
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Location
New Brunswick, Canada
My GMC 1500 came with car tires (P) and it drives, well like a car.  They are now worn, so I need new tires.  I am definitely going with truck tires (LT).  There is a good sale on a model of Goodyear only sold at Canadian Tire, price is hard to beat.  Only potential issue is that they are load range "E", which is 10 ply.  Given my trailer has a GVWR of 6000lbs, I don't need that heavy of a tire, I was more looking for a "C", maybe "D".

My only concern is the harsh ride of the 10 ply.  I don't mind a truck driving like a truck, I had 6 ply on my Xterra which was also over rated for the vehicle, it drove a little bit rough, but cornered way better than P rated tires.

For those of you that have 10 plys on their half ton and usually drive with unloaded like me, I'd like to get your opinion on the ride.  I certainly expect a rougher ride then the crap I have on right now, it's just how harsh.

Thanks,
Marc...
 
Marc, not sure if this will help but...

I have 10 ply Firestones on my 2500 and I can tell you the ride is nice...as far as dump trucks go, that is! :D I run them at the 80 PSI max rating in towing season but do air them down to about 60 - 65 PSI in the winter - this helps a little, but not much. Now, I know the suspension is stiffer on the 2500 but I'm guessing these tires would not give a much better ride on a 1500. When I had my 1500 (99 Silverado ext cab Z71), I had LT's with a 6 ply rating - that ride was very comfortable. A couple of my buddies tow with "P" tires on their pickups and it scares the crap out of me thinking about it!

Joe
 
Before we closed out our greenhouse/Christmas tree business eight years ago, we had a '97 Ram 1500 pickup that I used regularly for making the 60-mile round trip to and from the farm when I needed to be out there, which was fairly often.  I put 10-ply Cooper Discoverer on/off-road tires on the truck because the OEM Goodyears (as I recall, they were Wrangler STs) were worthless except on dry pavement.  With the Ram being a fairly heavy vehicle, my opinion was then and still is that it didn't ride badly at all.

It's always better, IMHO, to go with more tire than you think you need.  On the off chance you'll need to really load the truck down, the capacity will be there.  Believe me -- you'll be glad you did.  And if you're getting a good deal, that much the better.
 
I spoke to my friend's dad who ran some 10-ply on his 1500, had to put glue under his dentures to keep them in place.  I'll continue shopping for 6-ply, I'll overload the truck before the 6-ply.

I found a deal on winter tires on Kijiji, probalby P-rated which I don't mind in the winter since my biggest load in the winter will be travel to relatives for xmas.  I'll watch for deals for LT tires before towing season.
 
LT tires usually have a stiffer sidewall than P tires, which can give a rougher ride.  But P vs LT is not the issue when replacing the tires. You need a tire rated to carry the GVWR of the truck, whatever that may be. Check the GVWR and the front and rear axle ratings, dividing the axle GAWR's by two to get the max tire load for each axle. Then select a tire that can carry at least that much load and buy four of them. 

Load Range index letters (C, D, E, etc) are not a specific weight rating. They are merely relative values for comparison within a single brand and model of tire. Use the Max load capacity in lbs or kg to determine if the tire is hefty enough to carry your load.
 
Thanks for the extra info Gary.

No problem on the weight rating, my GVWR is 7000 lbs, so any tire over 2000lbs (easy math) makes more than 7000 lbs.

The P rated I am getting for the winter are rated for 2670 lbs each.  But the soft sidewall of the P is also exactly what I don't like about them.  But I'll have summer tires that will be LT on before I de-winterize (summerize) the trailer.  I am not going to more than a C load rating (6-ply) though, but I'll make sure it can handle the weight.
 
Had ten-ply tires some years ago and they lasted forever but made for a very rough ride.  Like the rest have reported.  Which is more important to you?
 
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