LT or P rated tires

Looking to get tires. I am torn between falken wildpeaks at3w p rated or lt rated. Are LT tires hard to balance.

 

You're going to get opinions from both camps. Here's my take. If you are using your 4Runner for 95% road, commuting, etc., get the P rated. They are lighter and will yield better gas milage and handling.

If you plan on frequently going offroad (by that I mean literally not on a road, dirt and gravel don't count as offroad in my book) than I'd say get the LT's for the potentially stronger construction.

Balancing isn't so much tire construction as it is shop competence. I've had no issues balancing probably eight different brands of all terrains, ranging from P to E rated without issue. There are out of round tires, but if a shop gets multiple sets and can't balance them, chances are it ain't the tires.

 

Depends on where you live.

Midwest to east U.S. P rated.

West of the Rockies, LT rated.

LT balances just fine if it’s a component shop.

 

Well said! We run LT's, it's for the rock-puncture prevention. An idiot with a balancing machine doesn't work. Balancing doesn't have to be a chore .... but it can be.

 

X2

I'm in the Northeast, I have 50k on my P rated Generals with no problems. Mine is my DD, unfortunately it's not used off-road very often.

I would do a LT C-rated on mine, but I'd avoid an E rated. They're heavy and stiff.

Look at tire weight when looking at tires, there can be a big difference between load ratings.

My unproven theory on the Falkens is that a P rated Fallen is probably the equivalent of at least a C load in other brands. The Falkens are HEAVY!

 

Something else to consider is the tread pattern. The more aggressive, the louder it will be. Especially as the tires wear. Aggressive looks tough, but there are trade offs if you are primarily on pavement.

 

I think this comes mostly because some uses incompetent tire shops who don't know or don't have roadforce balance machines.

I picked P rated tires this time for better on road comfort but pray I don't get a puncture on a trail. When I had LT tires the only thing I was worried is vehicle damage not tire punctures.
Visually Falken AT3W P rated tires look stronger than P rated tires like Toyo Open Country AT3. P rated tires like GY Wrangler Duratrac looks stronger than both Falken AT3W and Toyo OC AT3. The least strong looking ATs I've seen was Nokian (oops I forgot the model I ordered).

Just my thought (not facts) as a non technical user.

 

I normally prefer LT C load tires but whlose summer I regularly drive on the trails with rocks sticking from the ground, so I prefer stronger sidewall. But if I drove mostly on rads including gravel and dirt roads I would probably get P rated tires, they are lighter and have wider range or safe pressure.

 

Balancing isn't a issue with a road force balancer. If you don't go on anything but paved roads most of the time, get P. If it is a hobby like me, go C load. If you are hardcore, go E load

 

If you're going places where the additional toughness of an LT tire might be beneficial, you might as well go with a grippier off-road tire like the Duratrac RT or Cooper STMaxx.

 

It will come down to the type driving your going to do.

Your personal preference .

I have never had problems with tire balance then i have used the same shop 30 years.

 

@PVT Pablo nailed it.

It's not about where you live, but how you use the vehicle. If you're not going to be driving over sharp rocks, or doing other things that increase the risk of a puncture, stick with SL tires. For regular off-road abuse, go with LT/E, or get LT/C's as it's a good happy medium.

I think it comes down to the tech more than the machine. I don't believe my shop has a road force machine, but they always get it right.

 

These are M/T Baja Boss A/T (SL’s). Beefy and heavy and aggressive. Plenty for non-rock crawl’n work, and if you live where is snows….3PMSF. They’re 49lbs 285/70-17

 

I think it comes down to the tech more than the machine. I don't believe my shop has a road forcemachine, but they always get it right.

i agree with James, i have been going to the same shop for several years and have gone through several different types of tires. My shop also does not have a Road Force machine, and i have only had to bring my Runner back twice in all that time for re-balance. I choose load E because of road conditions for one thing, like nasty pot holes, debris on the road. I have learned the hard way that it is not just off road hazards that can ruin your day. My wife hit a pot hole on the freeway last year in her Mini Cooper and tore a chuck out of the sidewall. Luckily i had put run flats on her car and she was able to drive to a safe place to clean her panties out.

 

LT tires are no harder to balance than any other tire. I run LT-E tires on 3 of my rigs and they are smooth as can be when driving down the highway. Only set of tires I had that had balance problems were BF Goodrich All-terrains; they balanced just fine initially but a month or so later needed rebalancing...several times.

If you drive mainly pavement or smooth dirt roads, stay with the P rated tires. Better handling, smoother riding and better fuel mileage. If you drive rocky roads then you need the stronger carcass that LT tires provide. I run Toyo M/T tires on my off-road rigs; they are heavy and noisy but they seem almost impervious to rocks. This is a pic of the carcass construction, note the number of plies in both tread and sidewall:


A "P" rated tire will have 1 or 2 plies in the sidewall and maybe 4 in the tread area so not nearly as robust.