Thursday, May 30, 2013

Tow Vehicle Maintenance - Tires

I feel one of the most important parts of any vehicle are the tires.  Last year, when we towed our rental, I felt like I was driving on marshmallows.  I thought an LT tire was going to be in my future, but in the size that I wanted, 245/70R16, the choices were slim.  Then, this winter, when I went to pick up the Roo, I had my Firestone Winterforce P245/70R16 tires on.  I noticed no marshmallow feel over my stock Goodyear Wrangler ST P225/75R16 tires.  That is when I opened up my search to both P rated and LT rated tires.  My tire finalist were Falken Wild Peak LT, Cooper Discover AT3 LT, BF Goodrich Rugged Terrain P-Rated, Firestone Destination AT P Rated, and the Hankook Dynapro ATm P-rated XL Load.  All seemed to be good by the reviews.  But, some of the best reviews went to the Hankooks, and that is what I got.

I can't tell you right now how they tow, since I only have less than 50 miles on them.  But initial impressions are good.  No noticeable increase in road noise over my stock tires (sound of the diesel may be drowning it out).  The tire feels good.  And, I like the fact that it is good for 50PSI and 2403lbs of load (Load Index of 111)

 Nice aggressive tread pattern.  Good for a bit of off road trails.

 I wanted the white lettering out.  That was my preference.

 Extra Load Baby, with LT high pressure valve stems.

 Rated at over 2400 pounds!!!  My gross axle rating is 3150, and the CAT scales says I am about 3000 while towing.  More than enough.

I got a 5th tire on the way to replace the spare.  But, the spare marshmallow is rated at less than 2000 pounds.  And, there is a 6 pound difference between the tires.  It will suck for fuel mileage, but I didn't buy the Diesel just for the fuel mileage.

4 comments:

  1. Are you sure that your rims support the higher PSI required?

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  2. No markings for weight or pressure on the rims. I will ask on the Jeep forum of anyone knows. I doubt that I will be up to 50 psi, even when towing. I know some people run Load Range E LTs on their jeep.

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  3. How did you get past the spare tire on the Liberty to allow for towing?

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    Replies
    1. Sorry for the delay. I never realized someone commented and work has been crazy.

      I should do a blog on this. 1st mod to the jeep was to flip the spare tire mount 180 degrees. This raises the tire up and sucks the bottom in. 2nd thing, the reese drawbars have 2 holes, 1 for 1000lb max tongue weight, and the other for 1400lbs. The 1000lb hole slides the drawbar further out.It is a tight fit, but I can tow without removing the spare. I personally would rather have the ball as close to the tow vehicle as possible, but not sure what to do with the spare yet.

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