2018 tundra 5.7.....and its tire time ( again)

really like the tundra and havent had any issues, other than it seems to be hard on tires. if i need two new tires, i just replace all 4 and be done with it as then i know all 4 match and dont have to worry about it for a while.

truck as 71k miles on it and if i replace all 4, this will be my 4th set of tires for this truck.

I just happen to run into another tundra owner this morning and he said the same thing , even though his tundra is older, and what he did was he went to a L/T TIRE. He said that it doesnt ride as smooth as a regular tire, but he does get more mileage/ wear and tear out of a L/T TIRE.

I did some looking around and i see that some of you have gone the L/T ROUTE and have some have gone the A/T route. which is better ? just trying to find a tire that i can get some more mileage out of.

I dont do any hauling / towing....its just a normal daily driver around town. will be sticking with the stock size which is 255/70/18 and wouldnt even mind going a little wider.

live in the south, so dont have to deal with winter conditions.

 

I have had a similar experience with P rated vs LT tires. I've run two sets of p rated on my tundra (and another set on my sequoia) and the most I've got out of them is 27k miles. I'm on my 4th set of LT tires; first two sets ran 50k, 3rd set ran 40k but could have gone another 5-10k if I really needed. I'm 11k in to my fourth set of LT's.

Part of why the LT tires last longer is because they start with a deeper tread depth. That's also part of whey they are heavier, as well as a heavier built carcass. Typical p rated tires in that size come with ~12/32's tread depth while an LT tire comes with ~16/32's. If you run your tires down to 4/32's (2/32's is the legal limit, but traction is greatly diminished below 5/32's so I don't run them below 4/32's) you get 8/32's of tread wear on an P rated tire and 12/32's on an LT tire. That's 50% more tread life on the LT tire, given the same tread compound.

Given the heavier carcass, deeper tread depth, and overall heavier tire weight of an LT tire, you may experience a slightly firmer ride. A p rated tire is closer to it's max load than an LT tire is, so it will run hotter, flex more, and wear faster, which is why I can get almost double the miles out of LT tire instead of just 50% more mileage. Still, all of those compromises are acceptable to OEM's and safe. Whether or not trading a soft ride and accelerated treadwear for a slightly stiffer ride, better tread life, and arguably better traction in most situations (due to deeper tread depth) is up to you.

Many folks with say p rated passenger car tires are for passenger cars, LT rated light truck tires are for light trucks. Don't mix the two. For my uses, LT tires have fit the bill.

 

Nice to have a little extra meat when an unexpected road hazard appears on an expressway as well. Just might save a rim, maybe even a life or three.