Best Tires for Towing

[Begester]

Does anyone know of tires (for the truck, not the trailer) that are better for towing? Time for new tires and since I?ve only got 2WD, I?ve been able to use good tires as a ?poor man?s 4WD? on some of the steep and salty ramps here in Washington State.

I had Goodyear Alenia?s which were great, but if there are tires that are specifically designed for towing, I?d like to give those a shot.

What have you had luck with?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Best Tires for Towing

There are no tires that I'm aware of that are "towing-specific". There are traction tires, all-season, performance and Spec (OEM equipment) tires. You definitely do not want a spec tire or a performance tire. A traction or aggressive all-season tire would seem to fit the bill for you. If y0ur truck does not have a limited slip differential, you might visit a salvage yard to see if you can locate one.

 

[Begester]

Re: Best Tires for Towing

Thanks for the heads up. Got the limited slip, that definitely helps as well.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: Best Tires for Towing

Same width tires, but lower profile are typically made with a softer rubber compound which gives better traction. You get the added benefits of more torque, more stability, and better braking with the smaller diameter tires too. So if you are running 275-70R-16 tires, for instance, buying 275-60R-16 tires would likely improve all aspects of towing, at the cost of shorter tire life and an optimistic speedometer/odometer.