P Metric or LT?

[KYRambler]

I have decided to stay stock with my 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE 4X4 DC besides changing tires. I like the Continental LX20s as far as fuel economy goes, but I travel several gravel roads (and dirt roads) on weekend hunting and fishing adventures. I want to put the BFG TA KO2s (LT 275/55r20) on my truck, but I am wondering how my fuel mileage would be changed against my P metric tires now. I know going from an all season to an all terrain will change things, I was just wondering about going from the P metric to an LT. Should I stay with a p metric all terrain? Thanks in advance.

[Move Over]

On 12/20/2018 at 6:48 PM, KYRambler said:

I have decided to stay stock with my 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE 4X4 DC besides changing tires. I like the Continental LX20s as far as fuel economy goes, but I travel several gravel roads (and dirt roads) on weekend hunting and fishing adventures. I want to put the BFG TA KO2s (LT 275/55r20) on my truck, but I am wondering how my fuel mileage would be changed against my P metric tires now. I know going from an all season to an all terrain will change things, I was just wondering about going from the P metric to an LT. Should I stay with a p metric all terrain? Thanks in advance.

 

I went through this same thing on my last truck, Ram 1500.  All you hear over on that forum is "if you tow, you NEED need need an LT rated tire. I got some, my mileage decreased by about 4 in the city and 3 on the highway. They were heavier tires for sure, they rode like crap unless you put them down the 32 PSI, which at that point they were far under inflated and the sidewalls were all mushy with no steering feel. I went back to an XL P rated tire on that truck and swore I never would get an LT tire on another 1500. Now with my Sierra 1500, I tow an 7000-8000 lb car trailer with XL rated 275/55/20 Falken AT3w's and they handle it very well. No sway or wallowing, and very sure footed. Much nicer than the OEM tires did. 

 

I did a lot of research as to the why of this, and found quite a bit of information.  There's a lot of misguided folks out there that think LT tires are much better all around, but really only if you have the truck that needs that load range. Even at our max capacity, we do not need anywhere near the capacity of a fully inflated E rated tire (nor would we want it, we'd be heavily overloading our axle GAWR).   Here's a post from my last discussion about this. 

 

I think the common misconception about LT tires around these forums is that they will hold more weight at any given pressure. Which, is not the case. If you look at load inflation tables, a typical 275/60/20 LT will hold about 3600 lbs when fully inflated at 80 PSI. Which most trucks (1500’s) won’t even get near or they’d be riding like a buckboard on a diving board.

LT tires on a 1500 need to be inflated to around 50psi (refer to a ram rebel that come with an LT tire stock) but at that PSI an LT tire actually carries less weight than a properly inflated XL rated tire.

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[greatmizzou]

Unless you are towing near max your weight limit it’s suggested to stay with P metric for driving comfort.  

 

I havent read anywhere of a dirt/gravel road benefit with the higher ply tire, but I’d say it’s a good guess it is “tougher” right?   

 

The a/t ko2 tire should perform just fine for your intended use on those roads

[rkj__]

I’d stick with a P rated tire.

No need to go too aggressive for most dirt roads I’ve come across.


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[Black02Silverado]

Stick with P rated.  Like stated above, and LT is needed if you haul/tow at your vehicles max weight  range.

[swathdiver]

One thing not mentioned about those P-Rated tires is how wimpy they are when it comes to road hazards.  The KO2 in that size is a Load Range D and it will take a big nail or stick to puncture it.  Not so with street tires with their thin walls.

 

Years ago I drove a pickup daily for work and replaced 7 tires in one year because of road hazards.  Once I switched to LTs, the number was NONE!  No more flats either for years afterwards.

 

I put Load Range C KO2s on my current ride and had one screw cause a slow leak.  Might go Es next time!

[TRKLGND]

I replaced the stock Goodyear highway tires with Continental Terrain Contact AT's. Great tire so far. My mileage was not effected at all. 

[Zachofalltrades]

It’s not a direct comparison because I’ve only had my Sierra for a week, but I put +1” e-rated Grabber ATx tires on my Colorado to replace the p-rated Goodyear wrangler adventure tires that were stock.  Poor little truck lost 3-4mpg on average, mostly due to gearing change I think.  But don’t forget that those KO2s weigh about 13-14lbs more per tire.  That has an effect.  I looked into the Continentals that another poster mentioned and I think I may have found my next tire, those sound like the hot ticket.

[rkj__]

11 hours ago, paracutin said:

I replaced the stock Goodyear highway tires with Continental Terrain Contact AT's. Great tire so far. My mileage was not effected at all. 

If I could replace my stock Continental Cross Contact LX20s with any tire right now for free, the Terrain Contact would probably be at the top of my list.  They are just a touch more aggressive than a highway tire, so they add a little bit of traction in dirt, mud, gravel and grass, without sacrificing any significant noise, wear, or efficiency on road. 

 

I suspect my stock highway tires will serve me just fine, but it's always nice to have just a touch of extra capability for those unforseen moments. Even on grass, the LX20s don't dig in at all, they just spin.  Having run AT tires for the last 5 years prior to these, I'm not used to that.

[Hillwood]

I replaced the stock Goodyear highway tires with Continental Terrain Contact AT's. Great tire so far. My mileage was not effected at all. 

I put the same tires on my truck.. I like them a lot.

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[dcarl]

My original up-size of tire for my Sierra was a Toyo Open Country AT II P275/60R20 which helped fill the wheel wells and maybe dropped mileage 1-11/2 mpg.  The ride was still comfortable and the tires were durable enough for any dirt/gravel roads I encountered.  I currently have Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT285/60R20 E on there and they ride significantly harsher than the other tires.  I've managed to pick up a couple screws in the tires which required a patch/plug repair.  These tires are also ~10 lbs heavier than the others.  If you can keep the tire weight down to 50lbs or less, you'll be happy with the ride and the mpgs.

 

No tire is going to be completely hazard free. 

[vinemann12]

Since the 70's,, been running BFG All Terrains on my trucks, blazer and Tahoe due to their strong sidewalls and construction.

I do basic hunting and fishing so these type (LT) tires offer on and off road safety and traction with extra insurance from nails, beer bottles and sheet-metal.

This is from my personnel experience with nails,, etc...

 

On my 2016 RCSB,, I had 3K on 275/55/20 Goodyear SRA's when a 3/8 X 2in lag bolt found my right rear tire.

After getting it repaired at buddy's shop ordered 285/55/20 BFG Ko2's.

Yes,, BFG's are more heavy than P rated, but all around driving has proved to me that they are worth the extra cost for traction and confidence.

 

I have lost about 1 mpg around town and 1-2 mpg on interstate,, but it's a Truck...

 

Cheers----Keith