Do I really NEED LT tires?

Alright, admittedly I commute highway about 90% of the time, but outside of that, I'm towing a small pop up, with kids, dogs, gear.

Is it worth getting the LT tires (economy hit, weight, ride, etc), or are the P or SL just fine? I still haven't picked my tires to be honest, keep bouncing between the falkens, coopers, hankooks, which isn't the easiest of decisions!

Thanks all.

 

Not for what you are doing. If you were hardcore off-road with sharp rocks etc then yes.

 

take the sl and the ligher weight. you aint gonna do yourself any favors going e-rated, especially for your scope of work.

 

P / SL have plenty of weight capacity for a Tacoma. As mentioned above the only reason to buy LT is to reduce the chance of getting a flat off road.

 

But E rated usually look so aggressive!

Which is why 85.34% of the folks run them. The other 14.66% actually need the durability.

I think you are on track. Buy what will serve you well for 90-95% of the miles you drive. You'll be happier, even if you're not rolling like the kool kids.

 

Finally bought stock size p 245/75/16 Mastercraft Stratus AP for my 98% of driving. I know it doesn’t sound very exciting but rides nice and I figure I save about $20 in fuel every 3 weeks. I have BFG commercial T/A for Winter

 

Love my SL cooper AT3 4S.

If you live in a cold climate the p metric SL tires make way more sense. They are softer and handle the cold much better.

If you do lots of offroading and hauling, don't hesitate to buy E rated.

 

Ha... Yes the E rated do look so nice. Even the Cooper and Toyo LT look a bit more aggressive on the sidewall..

I think I have it narrowed down.
Hankook Dynapro ATM
Toyo AT3
Cooper AT3 4S

Those are in order from lowest to highest price surprisingly.

The E that was in the mix was the Authority from Walmart. Only $139 at my local store.

 

standard load FTW

 

I drive a lot on rough dirt roads, gravel roads, farm roads, with some true off road driving. I've damaged too many P rated tires over the years due to rocks or other debris and had to replace them long before they are worn out. An E rated tire works best for me and ends up costing less in the long run since they are much less likely to be damaged on the types of roads I drive on.

But as far as load carrying any of the standard tires will carry more weight than a Tacoma is rated to carry. They generally cost $20-$25 or so less per tire and do ride somewhat better.

I didn't see any decrease in fuel mileage at all when I changed to E rated tires.

 

Just got these.

 

Nearly the same use as you.

I went from stock size Cooper 4S’s to LT255/85r16 Maxxis MT-762’s.

I feel like the LT tires ride better, they soak up road bumps instead of bouncing. I prefer a firm ride however.

They tow and haul better. The stiffer sidewalls handle weight with ease.

I lost 1-2mpg between the big tires and a 2” lift.

I’m 95% sure my next tires will be LT255/80r17 Falken Wildpeaks on TRD 4Runner wheels. If there was an AT tires in 16’s I’d probably just stay with them.