BushPig

Who's running Light Truck tires? And who's running P-Metric tires (such as P265/75/16) ?

I'm trying to decide on some all-terrain tires, something like Yokohama Geolandar ATS or Bridgestone Revo 2's, but not sure if I should get P-Metric tires or some more heavy duty Light Truck tires.

Has anyone ever bust a sidewall off-roading on a P-Metric tire, for example? What sort of stress do you have to put a P-Metric tire through to damage the sidewalls? From what I can see, they mostly have 114 load ratings in the 265/75/16's, which equates to something like 10,000lbs of total load... more than enough for a fully-loaded 4Runner. So with that in mind, are Light Truck tires really necessary when the P-Metric tires have that kind of capability?

Definitely appreciate your opinions.

CJM

Dont even bother with the light duty p metric tires. They are meant for a small suv like a rav 4 or a crv and wouldnt stand up to even a bad gravel road.

Ive always run LT tires on every toyota I ever had and was never disappointed.

KZN185W

iTrader: (1)

go for LT load range C or D. Load range E have a very stiff sidewall and will result to a harsh ride and is also heavy.

tantacoma

I used to run LT tires on my '84 rock-crawler and lived on the Rubicon. I ripped out the sidewall on only 2 occasions over 18 years of crawling. Pretty good durability.

Now, I'm running P265/70R16 tires (Michelin LTX AT2) on the Tacoma. No more Rubicon for me. 95 percent of my driving is on pavement. Better gas mileage, better ride, better handling than LT tires. Love them. I've taken them offroad in snow, offroad parks, and desert (Panamint Valley area) several times with no issues. Plenty of rocks, gravel and washboard. I usually air down to 15 pounds.

BushPig

Good info, thanks.

Most of the P265/75/16 tires out there have a load rating of 114, so a set of 4 is capable of well over double the curb weight of a 4Runner. And the big tire manufacturers are apparently confident enough in them to call them All-Terrain tires, and put their company name on the sidewalls in big bold letters. It's almost 2014 and tire construction and materials have come a long way. So I have to believe that "a bad gravel road" isn't going to challenge a P-Metric all-terrain tire, CJM.

But obviously there is a reason they sell LT tires, and I believe that's for when you're really pushing your tires off-road, heavily-laden (such as with an expedition-built truck, or when towing), or both.

I had a set of P265/75/16 Bridgestone Dueler AT Revo 2's on a 4Runner, but never really had a chance to push them hard before I sold. Now I'm dealing with a heavier truck, so I may go to a Load Range C or D tire just because of the extra 1,700lbs of vehicle weight, even though the factory specifies a P-metric or Euro-metric tire and not an LT tire.

Definitely love to hear any more opinions or experiences. Thanks!