Best tires for towing

I am looking for ideas for the best truck tires for towing.  The tow vehicle is a 2013 F150 Ecoboost pulling a 7,000 travel trailer.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

tonylight said:

I am looking for ideas for the best truck tires for towing.  The tow vehicle is a 2013 F150 Ecoboost pulling a 7,000 travel trailer.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

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I am going with Cooper At3 on Tuesday on my 2013 Chev 3500 Duramax which pulls my 15000 lb toy hauler i have Cooper Zeon on my 2010 1500 6.2l which we use for pulling our 5500 lb boat and i really like them. Other options are Hankook, Bfg Ta 2, or Toyo Open Country, or Nitto Terra Grappler ( im taking these off, ok life - so so traction - not my fav tire ) my Wifes Zeons on her truck have been great

Anything with 10 ply side walls.

I don't about towing per say but Michelein MS 2 LT are amazing put them on our farm truck and basically forgot about them harsh ride but tough tires, Not great in the snow however.

Most major brand tires rated for your truck will probably be fine for towing, as long as you are within your truck's factory towing capabilities.  From a previous discussion (someone else with a newer Ford Ecoboost) I'm sure you are well within your pulling limits, but be aware that longer trailers have towing issues that are often better served with a 3/4 ton (F-250 or 2500) truck.  Tires are just one component, but perhaps look into what similar-aged F-250 trucks have installed.  It may be the same thing your F-150 has.

I would go with an E load rated LT tire.  Much stiffer, stronger than what came on your F150.  The Michelin MS2 is a popular truck tire, although it isn't intended for off road.

Load Range E = 10 ply rating.  Same thing, different words.

I just put Michelin Defender LTX M/S LT275/65/18's on my 2010 Ford F-150 for towing upgrading from the stock P tires. Reviews say these are better than the old version MS 2 LT's but I have nothing to compare. I am running 45-48 lbs around town and get a nice, not harsh, ride. I plan on bumping up the pressure when I start towing but after having both units weighed.

martin2340 said:

I am running 45-48 lbs around town and get a nice, not harsh, ride. I plan on bumping up the pressure when I start towing but after having both units weighed.

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And I don't know about newer trucks, but my '95 Suburban 2500 has door stickers that recommend tire pressures to use when towing & not towing.  35 front / 50 rear for regular driving (up to 8 passengers and 200 lbs cargo), and 55 front / 80 rear for heavy trailer towing.  Pretty big difference to handle the heavy load of a trailer, and yeah it rides much smoother with the lower pressures during non-RV season.

scottydl said:

And I don't know about newer trucks, but my '95 Suburban 2500 has door stickers that recommend tire pressures to use when towing & not towing.  35 front / 50 rear for regular driving (up to 8 passengers and 200 lbs cargo), and 55 front / 80 rear for heavy trailer towing.  Pretty big difference to handle the heavy load of a trailer, and yeah it rides much smoother with the lower pressures during non-RV season.

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  1995 that was 20 yr ago a few things have changed since then lol we now have cell phones, and internet ... and just kidding my truck its just 60 psi front and  80 rear psi regardless 

Load range E  or 10 ply seems a little overkill for an F150.
I googled it and saw on a couple forums that some agreed with me while some others ran these heavier tires.  Some that ran these tires were not happy with the trucks ride when they weren't pulling.
  I'd be looking at load range D range. 

there is nothing wrong with a 10 ply tire on a 1/2 ton other than it will give a rougher ride - on most 1/2 tons with 20 inch rims a XL meaning extra load works great - that what i run on my 1/2 ton and a 10 ply on my 1 ton

from tire rack

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=55

P-Metric Passenger Vehicle Tires
Load Ranges Abbreviated Maximum Load Pressure
Light Load LL 35 psi (240 kPa)*
Standard Load Nothing or SL 35 psi (240 kPa)*
Extra Load XL 41 psi (280 kPa)*
*In an effort to internationally harmonize load ratings and ranges, recently introduced and future LL, SL and XL P-metric sizes will use ISO/Euro-metric maximum load pressures of 36 or 42 psi
Standard Euro-metric tires will have nothing branded on their sidewalls, while extra load/reinforced Euro-metric tires will be branded as such and identified by an XL or RF in their descriptions, as in 305/50R20 XL or 305/50R20 RF.

Euro-Mc Passenger Vehicle Tires
Load Ranges Abbreviated Maximum Load Pressure
Standard Load Nothing or SL 36 psi (250 kPa)
Reinforced or Extra Load** RF or XL 42 psi (290 kPa)
**Reinforced and extra load nomenclature may be used interchangeably to designate heavy-duty tires

They are rougher ride indeed but they work great and are much tougher then a P tire.  If you work your truck they are a good investment.

I ran load range E BF Goodrich All terrain T/A's on two half ton pickups and had no issues with the ride.  After all,  they're trucks, not limos.

steveblonde said:

  1995 that was 20 yr ago a few things have changed since then lol we now have cell phones, and internet ... and just kidding my truck its just 60 psi front and  80 rear psi regardless 

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Funny you should mention that, I think 1995 is when I got my first cell phone AND my first e-mail account (Unix based)!  Dawn of the internet there...   I was 17 and turned 18 that year.

Derby6 said:

Load range E  or 10 ply seems a little overkill for an F150.
I googled it and saw on a couple forums that some agreed with me while some others ran these heavier tires.  Some that ran these tires were not happy with the trucks ride when they weren't pulling.
  I'd be looking at load range D range.

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I was looking for a little overkill but with the unit I am currently towing I was seeing a bulge in the sidewalls of the Passenger rated tire stock tires. I didn't see a D range tire in any of the places I was researching. I decided to go with Michelin's purchased at Costco with a $70.00 rebate and have yet to tow with the new tires. First trip is coming up in 3 weeks and about 700 miles roundtrip. This should give me a good indication of where the tire pressures need to be. I plan to take along my gas powered compressor and adjust pressures as I feel needed. I have a weigh station about 2 miles away and will stop there fully loaded ready to roll and make the pressure adjustments then.