I finally found a set of 18" FX4 wheels to replace the 20s my truck came with. I originally wanted the 18s, but was unable to find a truck with what I wanted that did not have 20s. A year spent monitoring Craigs list has paid off and I now have the wheels I wanted originally. Of course these came with the lovely Goodyear Wrangler SR-A 'P' tires. I'm planning to sell my 20s and run the 18s long enough to drive to the tire store! I hope to sell the SR-As to someone for cheap so I can recoup some more $$ if possible too.

Now I need to decide on tires. I think have made my decision on size LT275/70R18, which I understand to be about 33 inches. I going to hold off on a LK for now. This size puts me into E rated tires and all the research I have done on this, and other, F150 sites leads me to believe these can be manageable from a ride perspective. I do tow and haul with my truck for jeeping and camping trips as well as the occasional dirt/mulch load, so I want LT tires for sure. I'm thinking about the following:

Goodyear Silent Armors - ran these on a Jeep Commander I had and they were great in the snow and off road.

Nitto Terra Grapplers - no real experience with these

Michelin LTX AT2 - I have always had great experience with Michelin tires.

I have read a lot of posts about managing E rated tire pressure to keep the ride okay, but I wonder about the effect this will have on the tire itself; running the pressure below what the tire calls for. Anyway I am looking for opinions on my plans from those who have ventured down this road with their 18s. I know I am going out on a limb asking for opinions on this forum!

 

IMO i wouldnt run E rated tires on a half ton truck unless you are loading it to the max all the time. It really sacrifices ride. I ran Mickey Thompson E load MTZ tires on my truck and even with 35psi it rode like a brick. The truck just wasnt heavy enough to begin to settle the tires down a litte to get some sidewall squish.

 

I run e load tires (lt265/75r16 goodyear duratrac) on my 06 ranger. I do notice a stiffer ride. However It is not enough for me to be unhappy with it. By the way just a little plug for the duratrac tire, it is the best all around tire I have ever used! They are wearing just perfectly (I run a low psi) and my truck doesn't weigh near as much s yours.

 

I find ride with E is fine at the lower end. I wouldn't run below recommended range though. Kill tire life and MPG.

I think those are all three good tires. The michelins will be least aggressive of the three. The nittos the softest I think. I'd also consider the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo and the Toyo Open Country A/Ts.

 

Thanks for the replies. I know these 1/2 tons are pretty heavy and may do 'okay' on the E rated tires. I really want to stay away from the 'P' tires; there seem to be few choices in LT275/70R18 sizes that are not E rated (even in LT275/65R18).

@powerkid - I did not see the Revo in LT275/70R18 on tire rack; I'll keep looking as this is a tire I like.

 

I ran about 6 sets of the Revos before the last two of Toyos. I really lie teh revos but have foudn the Toyos to last longer. Especially if you drive any gravel roads. I know they'd outlast the Goodyears & Nittos too. But typically its hard to outlast Michelins.

 

im running 275-70-18 bfg's. and the ride isn't much stiffer than stock

if i knew you wanted 18s so bad i would try to work a deal with you since i would like a set of 20's

 

I am running the Michelin LTX AT/S 2's and love them. SOOOOO much better than the crappy Goodyear's that came on my FX4.

 

I'm now selling the 20s if you are interested. I see you are in Altoona; my family has property over by Raystown Lake.

 

Been to raystown a great number of times, I did live in Altoona but I just moved to Columbus oh. Im low on cash any more but I would have been up for some kind of trade

 

Bummer, that would have been easier all around.

 

Hey, will someone with the 18" FX4 wheels take a picture of the lugs with the center cap off? I got lugs with the wheels I bought and I want to be sure they are the correct ones before I spend the time pulling off my 20s and putting on the 18s.

 

Here ya go. Got some pics of the Michelin LTX AT/S 2's also.

 

Thanks bbronco! Those are the ones I have. I like the performance of the michelins a lot even though they do not have a real aggressive look to them.

 

I have to second what BurnstoughFord said about the LT's sacrificing ride. On my old truck, I had P265 70 R17's which were fine but I wanted to get bigger shoes. I went with LT285 70 R17's and the ride was completely different. It really did ride like a "brick". Unless I need to run loaded all the time, I will not get LTs again... Just my experience.