I'm looking at new tires. I want to stay close to the stock size, 265-70R16, to keep gearing the same. I cant afford to loose any power because I tow and haul in the mountains of Colorado. Right now I have BFG TAs and they have been great. They are a LT load range D. I am looking at the Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor. They only come in a P series in the 70s and a load E in 75s. Should I stay with the 70s and drop to a "P" series or go taller and go gor the 75s in an E load?

 

E load is going to be what you want.. the P rated will almost go down to the rim with a trailer and wait behind you.. and thats at full pressure. I saw a ford truck the other day riding almost on the rims because of some concrete sheetrock in his bed.. not safe at all

 

I agree with neliconcept: you'll want the E load 265/75's. They're about 32" diameter and will definitely help with towing.

 

I'm not sure how much weight that guy had in his truck because I have P rated michelin LTX's and I loaded the back of my 4runner with over 700 lbs of concrete mix (eleven 30kg bags) and I was nowhere near riding on my rims (at only 35 psi). As long as you are not going to have any exteme tongue weights on a regular basis, I think you'd be just fine even with the P rated tires. You will also lose some fuel effeciency and power by running a larger (75 profile gives you a 32" instead of a 31") and heavier tire such as a D or E rated LT tire (more weight from additional plies).

 

E rated tires are stiff, my revos are 235/85/16 E and they make for a somewhat jarring ride. I'm ok with it, because I like the 4runner to drive like a truck, but D would have been plenty I think.

 

You could go to a 245/75 16 and get the 75 series with a LT rating and the only thing is that they are a little smaller diameter and your speedo will read about 1 high or so. Thats what I'm doing for a second set of tires.

 

Get a C load range tire - it will be the perfect compromise. Get it in your stock size too - if they don't make it, find another tire brand/model. If you go bigger you're going to lose a little bit of torque and braking.