2008 F150 2wd Lariat crew cab tire thoughts

[George Bynum]

I bought my son's truck last week when he replaced it. We know it needs tires. OE size is 265/60R18. He wanted something a little larger for looks, and ran 265/65R18; he suggested going back to OE as he thinks these occasionally rub.

BUT ... some models that year used 275/65/18. Do they use a different suspension for that? I ask because a friend took off a new set of Destination LE2 that size for an offroad tire and will give me a great deal. I don't want to raise the truck, it will be strictly on-road.

Assuming I want to stay OE size, 265/60R18, I like Costco. They presently have a $70 Michelin discount which makes the Michelin Latitude Tour, Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza Plus, and BFG Long Trail TA all substantially the same cost. We have the Latitude Tour (OE) on a Chevy Equinox and are very pleased. The Alenza Plus will likely be discounted next month the way Costco does things, but if it doesn't go up is still priced lower than the others.

What would you experts do?

THANKS!

 

[SteveSRT8]

Use Michelin LTX MS2 for the most amazing combo of traction and tread life with the best wet road performance. A lot of our Northern Members like their snow performance as well.

All the sizes will fit fine, no suspension changes needed. Outside diameter change will alter your speedometer reading...

 

[Bud]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Use Michelin LTX MS2 for the most amazing combo of traction and tread life with the best wet road performance. A lot of our Northern Members like their snow performance as well.

All the sizes will fit fine, no suspension changes needed. Outside diameter change will alter your speedometer reading...


I agree. These are the tires I used on my F150 and was always happy with them.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Bud
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Use Michelin LTX MS2 for the most amazing combo of traction and tread life with the best wet road performance. A lot of our Northern Members like their snow performance as well.

All the sizes will fit fine, no suspension changes needed. Outside diameter change will alter your speedometer reading...


I agree. These are the tires I used on my F150 and was always happy with them.


And I forgot to mention they ride so nicely you will think you got new shocks!

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Use Michelin LTX MS2 for the most amazing combo of traction and tread life with the best wet road performance.


Exactly!!!! I can't stress this enough. These tires really are that good. Costco has a variant of this tire. They do not have the squiggly "sipes" (the Costco variant has straight sipes, which DO NOT perform well) and therefore should be avoided. While they are the same tire otherwise, the squiggly sipes of the LTX-M/S-2 are responsible for the fantastic wet weather performance.

"IF" you go to Costco, make sure to "special order" the LTX M/S-2 specifically.

I'm at 50,000 miles on my set right now, and they have at least another 30K to go!!

Those "squiggly" (and straight) lines are sipes. The reason squiggly are better than straight sipes is that the tread blocks "interlock" with squiggly lines, to reduce tread "squirm". In addition, squiggly sipes have twice the "edge" area, leading to a much more effective bite during wet weather, in off road conditions and in snow/ice.

Please understand, I've used both versions extensively on personal and company trucks. I know what works.

 

[skyactiv]

Stick with the original tire size unless you can recalibrate the speedometer. Your sons truck will be doing 73.5 MPH when the speedometer shows an indicated 70 MPH if the truck is running 275/65/18 tries. Not worth the false prospective thought "I'll just drive 5 MPH slower on the freeway".

 

[DuckRyder]

I think the ones that came with 275 were 4 wheel drive which likely had higher ride height.

 

[DuckRyder]

And I would be tempted to try these:

http://www.michelinman.com/US/en/tires/products/premier-ltx.html

 

[Branson304]

DON'T get the Bridgestones. Those exact tires are on my F-150, I just bought the truck used 2 months ago. They are at about 7/32nds tread & regularly break loose on wet pavement. No hydroplaning but all it takes is half throttle input on a wet road & I am spinning. I have fish tailed in turns on two lane roads too, the tires are dangerous & I'm replacing them before winter for sure.

My favorite truck tire is the Michelin LTX A/T2, although you probably don't need the all terrain for a strictly on road truck. I vote for the Michelin Latitude Tour.

 

[Taildragger]

The 275/65/18 has an outside diameter of 32.1 inches, ( Destination LE 2), same as the 255/70/18 I use on basically the same truck. I have no clearance issues but I am using a slightly narrower tire. I would have absolutely no issues buying your buddies LE 2. Disclaimer, I did reprogram the speedometer for accuracy.

 

[Ethan1]

Slightly off-topic, but the PCM on that truck can be programmed with the new tire size. This will correct the odometer/speedometer and probably improve driveability slightly.

 

[George Bynum]

OP back; F150Forum says the 2WD is limited to 31" OD without rubbing; can lift to 4WD height (2 inches) and handle 33", but I don't want to lift. The LTX M/S2 sounds good, but it is not at Costco and I really want to stay there. I'll likely do the Latitude Tour.

 

[Taildragger]

My 32's DON'T RUB,, at all. 2WD, no lift.

 

[George Bynum]

Our son said the 31.5" (265/65R18) on it now did rub a little when new, and that if he'd kept it, would have switched back to OE. I'm following that advice even though the 32" would cost me substantially less.

Thanks folks!

George

 

[George Bynum]

I decided on Michelin Defender LTX M/S in OE 265/60r18 and am having them installed this afternoon at Discount Tire. Michelin chat recommended them over the Latitude Tour and Premier LTX even for a truck used exclusively like a car. These are their replacement for the highly regarded LTX M/S2. My fingers are crossed.

We'll keep everybody posted, but I drive so little there won't be much news.

 

[George Bynum]

Installation went as close to perfection as is possible. But now to change yesterday's facts for newer facts. DT said the price is lower than on their website ... GREAT. Then he looked at the truck and said it has LT265/65R18 instead of 265/60R18 which I knew. He said he'd give me the 265/65R18 for the same price (supposedly $3/tire higher); they wouldn't rub and would look better. The previous owner said the LT265/65R18 did run a little. DT said that was because they were off-road tires, that street tires are ok at that size, so that's what I drove out on. They are fresh tires, made 1516, so late April this year.

OK, questions for the experts. Label says P265/60R18 which with truck correction is 2064 lb. To MATCH that with the ETRTO 265/60R18 114T, it looks like 30.25 psi is equivalent assuming I still need the truck correction. Am I reading the tables correctly?

So thus the question ... I don't NEED a truck, I wanted a truck, mostly for legroom for my arthritic knee ... and my wife would like a "better" ride when she's in it. What disadvantages are there to dropping the pressure 4 psi, or otherwise stated, what advantages are there to maintaining the higher pressure? This is coming from a guy who previously believed the best pressure was 2-4 psi above a vehicle sticker.