You're looking at the static load on a given tire and not the dynamic loading which includes engine and braking forces.
The 20" tires on my 3500 has far more bead to wheel contact that 17" that are stock on 2500s. If I was to lower the tire pressure to 40psi,
the wheel would likely spin on the tire on high traction surfaces. Think of a drag race vehicle, dirt bike with rim locks and off road vehicles with bead lock wheels.
I'm not looking at anything, I'm expecting the manufacturer to consider all of these things in the context of spec'ing a tire, and pressure, that's appropriate for the application, which in this case is half-ton trucks.
I'm also not sure what your mentioning of your 1-ton has to do with your point about half-tons, which is, in case you forgot, the point I was responding to:
userfriendly said:
1500 braking on a hairpin curve decending a 14% grade between Lillooet and Pemberton, BC @ rated GVW and trailer in tow. What is the load on the outside front tire?
Your one ton has a placard that lists the appropriate pressures for the LT tires spec'd for it, a half ton that came with P-Metric tires will have a placard that shows the spec'd pressure for that tire, which will be wholly inappropriate for an LT of the same size and result in a lower load carrying capacity.
This isn't that complicated.
The GVW on the 3500 is 12,000 lbs. The tires are 126 Load rating and 128 on my 2500 (285/75/18s and 295/65/20) for a total far higher than the GVW. I guess that 90% of the time both trucks run around empty under 8,000 lbs, or about 50% of the tires' load capacity. I run all of them at 65 psi and only crank them up to 80 for storage or max loading.
Again, what does any of that have to do with running load range E tires on a half ton? Last time I checked, LT's were factory spec on 3/4 and 1-ton trucks, and the tire pressure spec'd was with that, and the appropriate load carrying capacity, in mind.
This whole conversation is like you telling me it's logical to run a .50BMG muzzle brake on a .223 because what if you shot a deer? I point out that your .223 didn't come with a brake because it doesn't shoot a cartridge big enough to need one and the big bore brake may actually have a negative impact on ballistics even though it looks "super awesome" and then you start telling me about what you run on your Barrett M82A1 and McMillan TAC-50. Those two points aren't congruent.
BTW, I and many others (even women who are not compensating for a small package) that run E-rated tires need the tread depth and puncture resistance they offer.
I'm not sure where this bizarre and immature quip about phallic inadequacy is coming from, I've not drawn into question the integrity of your manhood or that this should somehow correlate with the topic at hand. I haven't got the sense that you identify with either of my fictional stereotypes (Freddy Bobby or Joe Operator) whose liability stems from ignorance and the pursuit of form over function.
You just provided two personal examples of trucks that spec LT tires, which I have no issue with, however, the relevance to our original exchange is still a mystery at this point, as this was in response to my post about half tons, which was in response to your post about running load range E tires in 1/2 ton applications, which quite often spec a P-Metric tire.
I'm not sure if this is typically how you converse, but to describe this as a train wreck in terms of trying to maintain any sense of consistent and structured discourse is being extremely generous. I don't know what it is you THINK you are conveying here, in terms of a point, as I assume you have one, but whatever it is, is quite clearly lost in the series of tangents and anecdotes with little to no relevance.
I've been quite clear as to the topic of half tons having load range E tires slapped on them and the potential pitfalls, caveats and general ignorance that swirl around that activity. Yes, LT tires will have increased puncture resistance and tread depth. They can also succumb to thermal fatigue if run perpetually under-inflated, which is a significant possibility with them in an application that didn't spec them and has a placard that lists pressure for P-Metric tires. In the context of your average 1/2 ton and SUV driver dragging the boat back and forth to the cottage or bringing home stuff from Home Depot, those characteristics are mostly irrelevant and it is almost assured that the pressure run will be inappropriate and the resultant combination is actually less safe and less capable than with the OE spec tires on it.
There have been numerous exchanges on this board over the duration of our tenure here about tires, the load tables, and similar. And the tire pressure exchanges in particular, are extremely enlightening as to the general lack of knowledge as to what's appropriate when using a non-spec tire in an application, and in particular, the issue I previously outlined regarding having to determine, manually, the appropriate pressure using the load tables when using LT tires in P-Metric applications. Given this, in the context of a group of enthusiasts, if you extend that to the general population where ignorance is vastly more abundant, it becomes quite clear that this is a subject where the majority is going to be doing it wrong.