Looks like I'm going to need some new tires on the F150 in the coming months and am starting to look at options. The current tires that are on there are Hankook Dynapro HT's and I'm not real impressed with them. The dealer put them on at 43k and now at 82k they are pretty worn out. The snow traction is not great and even on grass and gravel they are not that great. 4WD helps get moving but it can be especially bad while towing. Hoping to get through the winter and put new tires on in the spring.
Looking for maybe an AT tire this time around for better traction on grass, gravel, snow, and while pulling the camper. The camper is a 9900 lb GVWR bumper pull and it tows fine with the Hankooks. We do air up to 40 psi in the summer for a better ride.
Thinking of the Cooper AT3 as it's got great reviews and is reasonable on the price scale. Question is how do they do while towing? Any inherent advantages or disadvantages to this type of tire for towing?
AT Tires for Tow Vehicle
- Thread starter itguy08
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Cooper AT3 all the way I put them on a F150 work Truck and I liked them so much I put 4 on my Suv. You may want to get LT for the load range that's your call.
4WD
$50 site donor 2023
One of my staff has them and tows his Jeep on a trailer ... loves them.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
No complaints with 2 sets of AT3s and one set of ATPs, quiet, good ride, good traction on dirt although they flat-spot overnight. Towing 10k I'd probably get Es and give up some ride for more capacity.
This is the tire I have on my Duramax.
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=LTX+M%2FS2
The have been on the truck for 33K now they have about 50% of the tread life remaining. They have been used in all climates and about 75% or the usage has been towing my 14,000 lb. DRV. Next year will be their last year on the truck due to age. Quiet, good in the rain and good in the snow ( I don't tow in snow).
My Dad is on his 3rd set (or 4th) of the AT3s and loves them on his 2006 Chevy 2500HD Duramax. I used it one summer when my Suburban fuel pump went out and towed my trailer to Montana, Wyoming and back to Michigan with it. 29' travel trailer that weighs about 7800 lbs. It towed really well, felt very stable and traction was good. They were mostly worn out at that point. Everyone I know that has them likes them. I think that is what I'm getting for my Suburban next spring. My parents tow a 5th wheel with theirs.
I have a set of AT3 LT's on a 4runner. I now have over 80,000 miles on them and still have 7/32" of tread. Regular rotations and pressure checks is all I have done. I know the 4Runner is definitely lighter than an F-150, but talked my dad into getting them on his F-250, and he loves them as well. They do great in the snow and ice. Will be getting a set soon for my new F-150. Results may vary. Cooper has some rebates right now as well, check their website.
Thanks for all the replies. I will take a look at the Michelins as well as I'm a Costco member and can probably get them at a reasonable price. Probably come down to which one has a lower overall cost as the Coopers are on par with the Michelins.
The only thing I have to decide is if I need to go to an LT tire or stick with the P-metric. We've been generally happy with the way the Hankooks tow the camper - maybe a little bouncy but I think that may be inherent to the setup as we are nearing the chassis limits of the F150.
If I do go with LT tires, how do you adjust the pressure as I know they need more air than a P-metric to carry the same load.
If you have one of those pancake compressors for a nail gun etc. its a piece of cake to add air if needed. I run my Michelins at 70 PSI all the time. The Duramax still rides very well and it helps a hair with the MPG.
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Thanks all. Was out in the truck today after a light rain and the Hankooks that are on there were crazy unsafe. Going up a slight hill at part throttle resulted in spinning tires. Was with a friend and we both were surprised at how easily broke free. That combined with the loss of traction in grass and an upcoming camping trip to NY State and it was time.
Pulled the trigger on the P-metric Cooper AT3's from Wal-Mart. Should be here Monday. Was going back on the LT vs P and decided on the P as we're happy with the towing performance of the current tires. Also looked at the Michelin LTX from Costco but they were 5-10 days out which wouldn't work for our trip.
Just a shame that a 70k, 4 year old tire is done at less than 40k.....
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