Tow vehicle?

[suke]

I am actually looking for minivan tires on my F150. I currently have a 275/55R20 Goodyear wrangler with Kelvar something. The look great, but they do not sound so great inside the cabin. So I was thinking to get the most road friendly tires I could get on it.


I must maintain

• payload
• towing ability
• making up a steep & wet ramp

I would love to get

• something that does not make much road noise
• get decent MPG

I do not mind

• what they look like
• paying a bit extra ( not $300 per tires like some other members do, I got kids to feed)

@I know You know I @suke @2kwik4u @swatski do you have something to give me that I could swallow?

Sound like a broken record here, but the coopers in P rating are hands down the quietest AT tire I've ever run. Those kevlars are like bricks, and once again also likely E load rated. Which is fantastic if you wanna and plan to tow near the max of that truck. One of my biggest struggles you'll find is the traction you're looking for while also being a pure road tire.

 

[Elliott]

My Tundra came with some minivan looking tires, but they have proven to be very capable - wet/dry pavement, wet/dry dirt/gravel, wet/dry grass fields and towing a 28 ft ~6,300 RV trailer.
Pump them up to tow, and run them at recommended lower pressures to have surprisingly good traction on everything. I mean really surprising traction. I tow the RV trailer up a much steeper incline on a gravel drive than most boat ramps (our driveway to our RV site on private land), and the tires do not slip. Additionally, I start this ascent from a full stop; we have to open a gate. I do put the truck in 4WD Low to make it a nice slow climb. In case you are wondering, the trailer has a factory lift kit; otherwise, I do not think it make it without scraping.

The tires are Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza; they are about $200 a tire.

 

[swatski]

I am actually looking for minivan tires on my F150. I currently have a 275/55R20 Goodyear wrangler with Kelvar something. The look great, but they do not sound so great inside the cabin. So I was thinking to get the most road friendly tires I could get on it.


I must maintain

• payload
• towing ability
• making up a steep & wet ramp

I would love to get

• something that does not make much road noise
• get decent MPG

I do not mind

• what they look like
• paying a bit extra ( not $300 per tires like some other members do, I got kids to feed)

@I know You know I @suke @2kwik4u @swatski but do you have something to give me that I could swallow?

I should not and will not speak to tire choices based on actual first hand knowledge as I'm still learning things. BUT, I can parrot what I have learned, primarily via my new fave: ih8mud.com. Many, many serious discussions moderated by very knowledgeable members there about tires. Since I'm going to need some for my LandCruiser, soon, I've read until my eyes bled... lol.

Here is what I have learned, passing it along for you, @Betik:

If you drive on ice and snow look at the Cooper ST Maxx or Falken Wildpeaks. This will also translate very well to messy/difficult ramps, too.

I hesitate however because those are still pretty rugged tires, so I'm leaning towards and will likely go with more of a highway/street tire, and most likely Michelin LTX MS/2 or Michelin Defender LTX M/S. Both are available as P-rated and that is what I will get (as opposed to the LT) but it is a bit confusing especially since Michelin has actually switched over from using the P-metric designation to the Euro-metric designation for their passenger tires.

@Betik What I figured, and I think that is the way to go, the most certain way to identify P-rating vs LT-rating, without an explicit statement about it on the tire, is to look for the max PSI allowed (for example 44 PSI or 80 PSI). Basically, a P-rated tire will have a max pressure rating that is about the normal running pressure used in an LT-rated tire, and the max pressure rating of the LT-rated tire will be very much higher.

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[2kwik4u]

@swatski has the good choices there in the Michelin's. They are a top notch tire.

Most of the Sierra/Silverado guys that are chasing vibration issues over 75mph (google chevy shake, it's a freaking nightmare) swap over the Michelins because of the known quality and easse of balancing them near perfect.

We ran a set of Continental Cross Contact's on my wife's Traverse with great results. I think that vehicle had front wheel traction issues because of drive line setup more so than tire choice. They wore very evenly, maintained balance well, and were quite.

I'm seriously considering these Continental Terrain Contact A/T's when the time comes to replace my tires in the same size as yours. They have great reviews, are a bit lighter, and still fit my load range needs.

Here are the Cooper AT3's that @suke likes. I think they are a fine option.

 

[suke]

@swatski has the good choices there in the Michelin's. They are a top notch tire.

Most of the Sierra/Silverado guys that are chasing vibration issues over 75mph (google chevy shake, it's a freaking nightmare) swap over the Michelins because of the known quality and easse of balancing them near perfect.

We ran a set of Continental Cross Contact's on my wife's Traverse with great results. I think that vehicle had front wheel traction issues because of drive line setup more so than tire choice. They wore very evenly, maintained balance well, and were quite.

I'm seriously considering these Continental Terrain Contact A/T's when the time comes to replace my tires in the same size as yours. They have great reviews, are a bit lighter, and still fit my load range needs.

Here are the Cooper AT3's that @suke likes. I think they are a fine option.

That model of the coopers will definitely be the best all around for that line. They have more aggressive versions now, I think they have 3 different ones(4s, LT, and XLT) going from least to most aggressive....yet still an AT tire. I have the previous generation which closely resembles the LT.

 

[2kwik4u]

@suke Just checked my tires at lunchtime. They're actually Load Range D tires, not the E I thought they were. 113/115S according to the sidewall. Still probably more than I need, but not as overkill as I thought they were

 

[suke]

@suke Just checked my tires at lunchtime. They're actually Load Range D tires, not the E I thought they were. 113/115S according to the sidewall. Still probably more than I need, but not as overkill as I thought they were

Yeah for sure. I'd check load range C or even P rated if you can get away with it. P rated for mine, my jeep is fairly light as far as SUV's go, I was able to get a decent weight rating with P rated and not have to incur all that extra weight I wouldn't need.

 

[Liveto99]

I just bought a 2018 4Runner Limited last year and drove 1500 miles to break it in. Them towed my 21 FSH down to Islamorada Fl. From upstate NY. 1,200miles No issues.
Here you go... took a little getting used to I tow with a Tundra or Titan most of the time and never know the boat is there 75 no problem all the time. In the 4Runner you know the boat is there. Trying to drive easy on the pedal was a waste of time and when it shifted into high gear is did not feel totally in control. I got onto the pedal a bit and it towed great! Weather it was at 60 or 75 no problem but the RPM’s at 3k or above it was fine. I think it just needed the HP that came with the higher RPM’s. The negative was 8 mpg. It has a 23 gal tank so we stopped every 2 hours for gas. I love the 4Runner and it towed the FSH21 fine. The Limited is awd all the time but you can shift it to 4wd or 4W lo, if you are worried about power put it in 4W lo before you drop the boat in or pull it out and you will have tons of power at the ramp. Just remember to wash off any salt water if it does not rust it will last 20 plus years that and Honda Accord are the longest lasting cars. And most of the time you don’t tow a boat!

 

[Zeusmotorworks]

Liveto99,

Thanks for your personal experience!

 

[Liveto99]

The yellow and green are painters tape just take it off and the bugs are gone. There was a lot of bugs after 1200 miles.
575lbs on the hitch 2 men in the front seats and 2 suitcases in the back seats I left the back space just for our coats due to the weight on the hitch.
Pic at rest area on the way to Fl. I took the canvas off of the T-top for the trip.

 

[suke]

View attachment 86594 The yellow and green are painters tape just take it off and the bugs are gone. There was a lot of bugs after 1200 miles.
575lbs on the hitch 2 men in the front seats and 2 suitcases in the back seats I left the back space just for our coats due to the weight on the hitch.
Pic at rest area on the way to Fl. I took the canvas off of the T-top for the trip.

Looks nice!! Dig the painters tape. Doesn't look like it's squatting at all with almost 600lbs on the hitch.

 

[swatski]

I just bought a 2018 4Runner Limited last year and drove 1500 miles to break it in. Them towed my 21 FSH down to Islamorada Fl. From upstate NY. 1,200miles No issues.
Here you go... took a little getting used to I tow with a Tundra or Titan most of the time and never know the boat is there 75 no problem all the time. In the 4Runner you know the boat is there. Trying to drive easy on the pedal was a waste of time and when it shifted into high gear is did not feel totally in control. I got onto the pedal a bit and it towed great! Weather it was at 60 or 75 no problem but the RPM’s at 3k or above it was fine. I think it just needed the HP that came with the higher RPM’s. The negative was 8 mpg. It has a 23 gal tank so we stopped every 2 hours for gas. I love the 4Runner and it towed the FSH21 fine. The Limited is awd all the time but you can shift it to 4wd or 4W lo, if you are worried about power put it in 4W lo before you drop the boat in or pull it out and you will have tons of power at the ramp. Just remember to wash off any salt water if it does not rust it will last 20 plus years that and Honda Accord are the longest lasting cars. And most of the time you don’t tow a boat!

Kate drives that truck, 2016 4R LTD! She loves it so much, wont even entertain looking at anything else. Always wanted a Wrangler but she basically stopped looking... (she's a CJ7 kind of a person)

We have done some long-ish trips with family and love the 4R, also towed our previous 190 with it a few times.
I find premium 93 helps the 4R run and tow more nice, especially highway speeds.
Great trucks, overall!

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[Zeusmotorworks]

View attachment 86594 The yellow and green are painters tape just take it off and the bugs are gone. There was a lot of bugs after 1200 miles.
575lbs on the hitch 2 men in the front seats and 2 suitcases in the back seats I left the back space just for our coats due to the weight on the hitch.
Pic at rest area on the way to Fl. I took the canvas off of the T-top for the trip.

Isn't the max weight at the hitch 500 for the 4runner?

The 2014 4runner Trail Edition is the Wife's. She too loves it. I put Bilstien 6100/5110 suspension on it (big ass shocks with big ass pistons) and she loves it even more being it now rides 2.5" higher, and has rear springs with a 10% higher rate (although longer).

To the tire talk, she has stock size 265/70/17 E rated General Grabber AT2's on it. It's the second set of those on this truck. They seem to have little to no downside for here in Texas and do to the suspension we don't notice the E rating.

 

[Liveto99]

Yes 500lbs is the limit. But I figured they would assume people load it up when they have a camper on vacation. I kept the back empty, two winter coats and a pair of sneakers. My best friend and I went down so being males we just had 1 suitcase each and put them in the back seat probably 80 lbs total. I figured the back being empty it would be fine and it was. You can always shift weight in the boat to adjust the weight on the hitch. Forward of axels more weight on hitchbehind the axels less weight on the hitch. @swatski there Is a 15 wrangler in my driveway your wife can use she has great taste in vehicles. But it can’t tow crap on the highway.

 

[suke]

Kate drives that truck, 2016 4R LTD! She loves it so much, wont even entertain looking at anything else. Always wanted a Wrangler but she basically stopped looking... (she's a CJ7 kind of a person)

We have done some long-ish trips with family and love the 4R, also towed our previous 190 with it a few times.
I find premium 93 helps the 4R run and tow more nice, especially highway speeds.
Great trucks, overall!

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Curious if the 93 would help me at all. Will give it a go, especially now that gas is fairly cheap. I've run it in my wrangler before when driving up in the "mountains".

 

[swatski]

Curious if the 93 would help me at all. Will give it a go, especially now that gas is fairly cheap. I've run it in my wrangler before when driving up in the "mountains".

Couldn't hurt, my read on those things is Toyota's ECUs adjust timing to octane quite vigorously.
https://jetboaters.net/threads/premium-vs-regular-93-or-87-octane-for-your-tow-vehicle-toyota-trucks.19891/

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[Betik]

575lbs seems rather excessive for that boat. I cannot image more than 400lbs will be needed to be safe

 

[suke]

D

Couldn't hurt, my read on those things is Toyota's ECUs adjust timing to octane quite vigorously.
https://jetboaters.net/threads/premium-vs-regular-93-or-87-octane-for-your-tow-vehicle-toyota-trucks.19891/

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Did some digging and didn't find anything that Jeep does/did for timing using premium. It likely couldn't hurt, but doesn't sound like I'd get the benefit you got.

 

[2kwik4u]

D

Did some digging and didn't find anything that Jeep does/did for timing using premium. It likely couldn't hurt, but doesn't sound like I'd get the benefit you got.

Really depends on how the ECU is setup.

Been talking with some friends that do tuning. Apprantly the '14+ GM Fullsize engines have a VERY high number of timing tables in the ECU. Something like 15-20 of them. Lets you run several different fuels through the same system. Also allows it to seamlessly adapt from one fuel to another. I'm working on getting those tables in front of me. Once I get that I'll post up what I find.

 

[Zeusmotorworks]

View attachment 86601 Yes 500lbs is the limit. But I figured they would assume people load it up when they have a camper on vacation. I kept the back empty, two winter coats and a pair of sneakers. My best friend and I went down so being males we just had 1 suitcase each and put them in the back seat probably 80 lbs total. I figured the back being empty it would be fine and it was. You can always shift weight in the boat to adjust the weight on the hitch. Forward of axels more weight on hitchbehind the axels less weight on the hitch. @swatski there Is a 15 wrangler in my driveway your wife can use she has great taste in vehicles. But it can’t tow crap on the highway.

Nice... She "mall crawls" the 4Runner, we "play" in the FJ