LT rating on tyres?

For me, the only downside is a harsher ride in general - the tougher sidewalls transmit even the minor bumps up into the car. Passenger tyres are positively luxurious by comparison - but like many, I'm setup for those long outback gravel roads and just put up with the bumps when I'm home in the 'burbs. My pick has been BFG for many years now. One can reduce pressures to alleviate the issue, but that leads to premature wear.

Steve,
I've got a set of 694LT's on the Navara. Very happy.
Not a mark on them after 9,000km to Cape York and back, including the Old Telegraph Track and Frenchmans track out of Chilli Beach.

cheers

What does it say in your car's handbook or on the tyre specification label on your door jam.

Go by what it says on the label and you will be fine. Besides if you do not follow those instructions you are putting any insurance you have at risk by not following the manufacturers instructions.

We currently use A/T Coopers but do not have enough experience with others to compare them with any other manufacturers. We definitely do not have any complaints at this stage.

Best of luck.

Phil

I went from Cooper ATR's to Pirelli Scorpion ATR's , wow what a difference, the Pirelli's are light years better . handling, grip, comfort on the Pirelli's are first class, both were LT rated. What was also surprising was I ended up paying less for the Pirelli's than the Coopers. I would highly recommend the Pirelli Scorpion ATR's to anyone wanting an 80-20 tyre.

Downsides of "LT" construction:
- The thicker sidewalls don't dissipate heat as well as a thinner sidewall, so they will wear out a bit quicker than a "P" construction tyre
- The ride is a little harsher
- They don't bag out quite as well when running low pressures in sand.
- They usually have a bit more roilling resistance, so fuel consumption might be a touch more.

But these are all minor considerations. On balance you'll find most prefer the LT tyres for outback touring because they carry more weight and are less likely to die an early death.

I'm running 285/75R16 LT694 at the moment - they are a good AT tyre at a very good price.

694 LTs for $278 - who quoted you that? I've just bought the 694 ATs for the same price from Bridgy themselves.

aaaah - that wasn't the LTs. I'll chase them up tomorrow.

Hi Steve,

I just left a response on post 71762 about my experience with the D694 - I bought them to replace the Grandtrecks on my Prado on advice from the forum and some of my own research.

Have just replaced them after about 84,000 K's. Cannot fault them for my kind of use: 70%bitumen, 30% gravel/paddocks/light off-road. Tow a horse float often.

I paid $275 each for the replacements - looks like others are getting better prices than this.

Peter

Steve

When researching a similar issue a few months ago on this Forum, I was fortunate enough to receive a reply from a engineer with one of the tyre companies regarding LT tyres Vs passenger tyres.
He was replying to my query re minimum tyre pressures for extended off road use.
Despite what the engineer said, the Oodnadatta Pink Roadhouse strongly recommends lower tyre pressures for gibber conditions, albeit probably at lower speeds than someone would be travelling on bitumen.
In my Pajero I hardly noticed the difference in ride between LT and P construction, but perhaps I will pay for it with shorter spring and damper life, who knows? But I'm pleased with the LT tyres.

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The damage that can result from running tyres below minimum recommendation is mainly heat related. When the tyres flex or over deflect past design limits the excess flex/deflection causes excess friction and heat which can break down the rubber components– but also causes stress to internal construction (steel belts and body ply) which can in a worse case fracture and break. Over flexing and over deflection can also cause damage to the bead area through heat and excess movement.

In some cases people may be using pressures 20 – 25% above the minimum cold inflation pressure required to carry the specific load – this can sometimes cause confusion. Due to heavier construction LT tyres generate more heat than a “passenger construction” tyre. Hence, for a given load LT tyres require more inflation pressure than a “passenger construction” tyre. For example:


The LT265/65R17 116S requires a minimum cold inflation pressure of 36 Psi to support 820kg per tyre.

The “passenger construction” 265/65R17 112S requires a minimum cold inflation pressure of 24Psi to support 825kg per tyre. 24 Psi being the minimum for the “passenger construction” 265/65R17 112S.

Steve
Decision is complex, I have agonised in the past.

I don't know of anyone who does a bit of off road travel who has gone back to P from LT. However, I paid less than $10 more for my LTs over P.
I ran three sets of D694s P construction tyres at about 60 000km per set without any problems before going to LT version.
I suppose you have to ask yourself how much would you pay to NOT to have to change a tyre on the side of the road on the assumption a LT tyre saves you 1 puncture! A professional puncture repair is $25 alone.

I've also ran P construction Cooper and Yokohama. I won't get into the brand debate, I don't know if any of us mug consumers can properly assess tyre brands. I'm sure all the main brands are good tyres, it is confounded by something called price.