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SUV Tires - Light Truck TiresYou are here: Automotive >> SUV Tires - Light Truck TiresUpdated April 2008Speed ratings represent a tire's maximum sustainable speed. Lower speed ratings generally correspond to better ride quality and tread life, while higher ratings denote better handling and responsiveness, along with better heat resistance but shorter tread life. Historically, S-rated (112 mph) and T-rated (118 mph) all-season tires have been the most popular replacements for SUVs and trucks. In the last couple of years, however, the trend has been shifting toward better handling high-performance H-rated truck and SUV tires (up to 130 mph). Professionals who write on the subject say that pickup and SUV owners need tires designed specifically for those vehicles. That's because trucks tend to be heavier than cars and have a higher center of gravity. Automakers say your replacement tires should match the type and size of tire that came with your vehicle. A growing trend is 'plus-sizing' tires and wheels. This means choosing a larger wheel size and corresponding tire than originally specified for your vehicle. For example, if your car specifies a wheel size of 16-inches, increasing wheel size by one inch would result in a 17-inch wheel -- or 'Plus One' for your vehicle. While the wheel is bigger, the corresponding tire needs to have a shorter sidewall and wider tread, which is supposed to improve handling by making the tire feel less squishy. Plus-sizing may not be a good idea for truck owners hauling loads, where changing the load range of tires may be problematic. See our Alternative Considerations section below for more information on plus-sizing. All-season truck and SUV tiresTesters have been enamored with the wet-road performance of the Goodyear Fortera SilentArmor (*est. $130) since it debuted in 2005, and it is still the most-recommended all-season tire for light trucks and SUVs. On the test track, Road & Track reviewer Andrew Bornhop finds that the Fortera SilentArmor outperforms the Michelin Cross Terrain SUV (*est. $150). On real roads, Outside magazine reviewer Grant Davis reports that a set of Fortera SilentArmors got him and his Toyota 4Runner "through a summer hail and thunderstorm at 75 miles an hour without so much as one hair-raising hydroplane moment." Rick Piwi, a reviewer at 4 Wheel & Off Road magazine, finds the Fortera SilentArmor a suitably quiet road tire for the Kia Sorrento he commutes in -- and not half bad off-road. The Fortera SilentArmor also scores well among drivers who post at The Tire Rack, a retail tire site. Based upon a combined 4 million miles of driving on SilentArmor tires, owners say the SilentArmor scores better on every measure -- wet roads, dry roads, winter roads and ride comfort -- than the popular Goodyear Fortera HL Edition (*est. $120). The Fortera HL Edition took top honors in another leading test, but drivers who own the tires say they are more satisfied with the Fortera SilentArmor overall The SilentArmor gets good scores from owners, but the top pick of drivers at The Tire Rack is the Goodyear Fortera TripleTred (*est. $145), which gets especially high scores for its winter performance. When experts at The Tire Rack tested the Fortera TripleTred for ride comfort, noise and handling, it barely edged out its competitors -- the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza (*est. $140) and Michelin Cross Terrain SUV (*est. $150) -- by one hundredth of a point. However, when it came to braking, the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza outperformed both of the other two tires on both wet and dry roads. Drivers at both The Tire Rack and Epinions like the Michelin LTX M/S (*est. $140). It's particularly slow to wear out, they say. It's also one of the most fuel-friendly tires you can buy -- the Michelin LTX M/S is one of the few tires recommended by GreenSeal.org, a nonprofit organization that encourages environmentally responsible purchasing. That's because the Michelin LTX M/S has an unusually low "rolling resistance," a key factor in gas mileage. Tires that roll easily on the road can stretch a car's gas mileage by as much as 2 mpg, Green Seal points out. Green Seal conducted independent lab tests of 51 tires, using a dynamometer to gauge their rolling resistance. It also gathered data on the tires' treadwear, traction and customer satisfaction from several independent sources. The Michelin LTX M/S not only had one of the lowest rolling resistances, but Green Seal says it also came out at or near the top in all of the other categories. In other tests, however, that good gas mileage appears to come at a price: lesser braking ability. Another low-rolling-resistance tire recommended by Green Seal, the BFGoodrich Radial Long Trail T/A (*est. $95), also gets lower scores from braking in road tests. Still, some light truck/SUV tires do manage to brake well and conserve fuel at the same time; one of those is the Michelin Cross Terrain. For a budget price, the Dunlop Rover A/T (*est. $100) offers creditable performance in tests, making it a good pick as a budget truck and SUV tire. It even grips well in snow, although it performs poorly on ice (like many all-season tires). For more consistent performance on snowy, icy roads, all-terrain tires are often a better choice, according to expert tests. Note that despite the A/T (all-terrain) name, Dunlop classifies this tire as an all-season. Three-season truck and SUV tiresIf you live in a mild area, experts say you can expect better handling and lower noise from a three-season tire as opposed to all-season tires. Although the Pirelli Scorpion STR A (*est. $120) is officially rated as an all-season tire, testing shows it doesn't perform well on either ice or snow. However, it does get slightly better scores than the all-season Goodyear Fortera tires when it comes to overall handling and low noise. The Tire Rack classifies the Michelin XPS Rib (*est. $210) as a summer tire. Consumers who post there do not rate this tire on winter performance at all. However, the XPS Rib earns the highest ratings of "excellent" or "superior" on every other measure, from consumers who have driven more than 885,000 combined miles on the tires. This tire is particularly slow to wear out, they say. The Michelin XPS Rib also gets a nod as an environmentally friendly tire. It is one of the few tires recommended by the nonprofit organization Green Seal. Tests there show that the XPS Rib combines a low rolling resistance (a key factor in gas mileage) with good performance. Among less expensive three-season truck and SUV tires, experts suggest the Hankook DynaPro AS RH03 (*est. $100). Like the Pirelli, the Hankook tire isn't the best choice for snowy or icy winter driving, but it's very competent in both wet and dry conditions. It scores a bit lower than the Pirelli tires for responsive handling, but the Hankook DynaPro AS RH03 does get "excellent" marks in every category (except winter driving) from consumers who post at The Tire Rack, earning it a spot in ConsumerSearch Fast Answers. All-terrain truck and SUV tiresAll-terrain tires are a good choice for SUV and truck owners who venture off paved roads. In general, all-terrain truck and SUV tires deliver a bumpier, noisier ride than all-season tires, but they offer better traction on dirt and gravel roads and driveways, as well as in snow. This benefit comes at the expense of tread life and rolling resistance. All-terrain tires often have no treadwear warranty at all. This doesn't mean that they won't last a long time, however. Many owners report driving their SUV or truck 50,000 to 70,000 miles on one set of premium AT tires, then throwing the very old tires away with useable tread still remaining. Owner feedback forums mentioned elsewhere in this article can be useful to help determine how long a particular all-terrain tire might last in real-world conditions. The Hankook DynaPro MT RT03 (*est. $180) is the best all-terrain tire in ConsumerSearch Fast Answers, with recommendations from four off-road review organizations. The Hankook performs well enough on mud and rocks to satisfy reviewers at 4 Wheel & Off Road and Four Wheeler magazines -- which usually favor ultra-aggressive, specialty mud-bogging and rock-climbing tires -- while retaining its highway manners. We couldn't find any expert winter tests for this tire, but several consumers who own it report that it goes well in the snow. Some consumers recommend studding the tires for better ice grip. At another site, Off-road.com, reviewer Rob Sutter says he switched to the Hankook DynaPro MT RT03 after being disappointed with a set of the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO (*est. $150) tires. Sutter then tried his Hummer H3 on slippery New England mud and wet rocks and on the rocky Golden Stairs slope at Moab, Utah. The Hankook handled them both with ease, he says -- as well as smoothly and fairly quietly covering the 5,000 highway miles in between. "To put it in perspective, you can talk on your cell phone at 80 mph with the windows up and still hear who you're talking to," Sutter writes. For $50 less per tire, the Pirelli Scorpion ATR (*est. $100) earns just as many good reviews as the Hankook, making it the top budget all-terrain tire in Fast Answers. Like the Hankook, the Pirelli handles well both on- and off-road, says a review in 4 Wheel & Off Road magazine, accompanied by a photo of a Jeep fitted with Pirelli Scorpion ATRs negotiating a nearly vertical slope in the Nevada desert. At Four Wheeler magazine, reviewer Jimmy Nylund notes that the Pirelli isn't great on sand or real mud. However, "it doesn't get much better if you want a tire that has practically impeccable road manners, yet can deliver trail traction that may exceed the capabilities of many late-model pickups and SUVs," Nylund writes. A freak hail-and-ice storm doesn't bother the Pirelli Scorpion ATR, Canadian Driver reviewer Jil McIntosh finds when she tests the tire on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Pirelli has no problem holding a Hummer on a muddy, nearly vertical slope, either. McIntosh's trail test through Valley of Fire State Park never really gets off the gravel, but McIntosh points out that neither do most light truck and SUV drivers. The tire that disappointed Off-road.com reviewer Rob Sutter, the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO, is a favorite at consumer sites. In fact, that's how Sutter says he wound up with the tire: He asked advice from Hummer owners online. The tire's main weakness, Sutter found, was mud, which is a problem where he lives in New England. However, the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO is not a mud-terrain tire; BFGoodrich has a separate mud-terrain lineup. Among all-terrain enthusiasts at Offroaders.com, the BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO is the most often-reviewed tire, with about 90 reviews posted. It's also one of the best-liked tires there. At Epinions, consumers have posted more than 50 reviews for this tire. Several of the reviews note that the tire gums up in the mud, but they praise its overall traction and durability. Important Features: Truck and SUV tiresFirst, experts say you should understand the kind of tire you need. Experts caution that you should stick with the size, type and load rating of your original tires. Since SUVs and light trucks are more likely to be overloaded than cars, load ratings are especially important. Choose a tire type and size to suit your vehicle and driving conditions:
Tires come in varying sizes. You can find out what size tires are right for your vehicle by consulting your owner's manual or by looking on the sidewalls of the tires youre currently using. Passenger tire sizes (called P-metric) and light truck tire sizes (LT-metric) are represented by a ratio followed by a whole number. The ratio comprises the width in millimeters and the percentage of that width that makes up the profile (the distance between the rim and the outer edge of the tire); the whole number is the rim diameter in inches. A tire with a size of 215/60-16 is 215mm wide, 129mm (60% of 215) from the ground to the rim, and is intended for a 16-inch wheel. Tire manufacturers use letters to represent the maximum speed (in miles per hour) at which a tire should be driven. There are about 20 different speed ratings, but the most common for SUV and light truck tires are Q (up to 99 mph), S (up to 112 mph), T (up to 120 mph) and H (up to 130 mph). Experts say that even if you have no intention of driving at speeds of 130 mph or more, tires with a high-speed rating are also better performers at more mundane speeds.
Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our * Also see our Comparison Chart.
The Hankook DynaPro AS RHO3 gets high scores for handling, but its lower snow and ice scores keep it from functioning as a true all-season tire. Experts say the Goodyear Fortera SilentArmor is a better premium all-season truck or SUV tire -- though for considerably less money, the Dunlop Rover A/T all-season tire performs almost as well in tests. Among all-terrain tires, the Hankook DynaPro MT RT03 is the favorite of 4x4 truck owners and reviewers, with all-around good performance on rocks, mud, snow and dry pavement. The Pirelli Scorpion ATR is the best budget all-terrain tire, delivering as much off-road traction as most pickup and SUV drivers will ever need. For serious off-roading, reviews say the BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM 2 is the best all-around mud tire.
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This report only briefly covers tires developed primarily for off-road driving. So-called "mud tires" may be suitable if you are one of those rare consumers who regularly uses a pickup or SUV for extreme driving on non-paved surfaces. These kinds of tires are not suited for most drivers, however, because they're louder and ride more harshly than dual-purpose tires on paved roads. They also tend to be greatly oversized to increase their ability to go over rocks and ruts, which raises a vehicle's center of gravity and makes it more prone to tipping over in normal driving. Among the mud tires on the market that also get high marks for on-road behavior is the BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/A KM 2 (*est. $185). Reviewers at both 4 Wheel & Off Road and Four Wheeler magazines say this is an excellent off-road tire -- great at rock-crawling and mud-bogging, yet still relatively quiet on the highway. Note that the price can range as high as $500 for the largest size. For a truly extreme mud tire, 4 Wheel & Off-Road magazine gives its highest honors to the Interco Super Swamper Bigger LTB (*est. $630). In a head-to-head test of seven extreme off-road tires, editors found the Bigger LTB (so named because it comes in bigger sizes than Interco's regular LTB) the best of the pack for all-around performance on big rocks, loose rocks and deep mud. Our companion report on passenger Recall NoticesIn June 2007, federal officials ordered a recall of some Chinese imported replacement radial tires for pickup trucks, SUVs and vans because they lack a safety feature that stops the tread from separating. It was estimated that 450,000 of the tires were sold between early 2004 and mid-2006 under the brand names Westlake, Compass, Telluride and YKS. The importer, Foreign Tire Sales, Inc. of Union, N.J., initially said it could not afford a full recall, then announced in August it would recall 255,000 tires. Tread separation is the same defect that led to the 2000 recall of Firestone tires that were linked to deadly crashes. Owners can visit the website of Foreign Tire Sales, Inc. for more information. In November 2007, Goodyear announced it will replace about 400,000 pickup and minivan tires because of tread separation problems. The tires, all in size P215/70R14, were made from 2003 to 2006 under 23 private label names including Douglas, Kelly, Mohave and Republic. Under a voluntary "precautionary customer satisfaction campaign," Goodyear says it will replace the tire with the Goodyear Regatta II. For more information and a complete list of the private label brand names, visit Goodyear.com. The "penny test" is no longer good enough to tell whether your tires have enough tread left, according to Consumer Reports and The Tire Rack. For decades, drivers have used it as a rule of thumb: If you can see the top of Lincoln's head when you hold a penny upside down in a tire tread groove, you've got less than 2/32-inch of tread left and it's time to replace your tires. But in July 2007, "Tire Test Results" at The Tire Rack showed that on wet pavement, it takes much longer to brake to a stop on tires worn down to that extent. "Panic Stopping: How Much Tread Depth Do You Need?" is a video of The Tire Rack's test report. In November 2007, Consumer Reports announced it had conducted similar tests and found the same thing. Both organizations now recommend replacing tires with less than 4/32-inch of tread left, visible with a new "quarter test" (your tread should reach to the top of Washington's head, with the quarter upside down). A new law requires tire makers to start telling consumers how fuel-efficient a tire is. As part of a sweeping energy bill signed into law in December 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration must develop a system for rating tires' fuel efficiency. The law also calls for the creation of a nationwide program to educate consumers about tire maintenance, such as proper tire pressure, alignment, rotation and tread wear -- all of which can boost fuel economy, safety and durability. Often, when tires are recalled because of defects, not every driver who owns the tire hears about the recall. In January 2008, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed a new electronic system for consumers to register their tires, so they will be easier to reach in the event of a recall. However, a consumer safety organization, Safety Research & Strategies, argues that won't be enough. SRS proposes that tire makers be required to embed "Radio Frequency Identification" (RFID) chips into tires, which would automatically alert a mechanic to replace a recalled tire. SRS says the chips would cost about 89 cents per tire. They're already in limited use. Commercial fleets use the chips to track mileage, aircraft use them to extend tire life, and NASCAR uses them to prevent cheating. Buying new tires can be a daunting experience. There seem to be too many tires to choose from, and all of them have strange, seemingly meaningless, numbers and letters molded into the outer sidewall. In February 2004, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the release of ratings for tires used on most of the nation's passenger vehicles. SaferCar.gov's "Tire Ratings" are not comparative reviews of tires. Rather, this grading system rates the quality of tires with letter or number grades in three categories: Temperature, traction and tread wear. Temperature, or heat resistance, is graded A (highest), B, or C (lowest and the minimum performance standard required by federal regulation). These grades represent the tire's resistance to heat generation and its ability to dissipate heat. The temperature grade is established for a tire that is properly inflated and not overloaded. Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, as well as lead to sudden, catastrophic tire failure. According to the NHTSA, the majority of tires rate B for temperature. Traction is also rated with letter grades. A tire with a higher grade should allow a car to stop on a wet road in a shorter distance than a tire with a lower grade. Grades are AA (highest), A, B and C (lowest). The traction grade is based on braking straight ahead and does not include cornering or turning traction. Currently 3% of tires are rated AA; most are A-rated. Treadwear is graded in comparison to a hypothetical control tire that is assigned a grade of 100. The tread wear grade indicates the expected life of a tire in comparison to the control tire. A tire with a grade of 200 would be expected to last twice as long as the control tire. The relative life of tires depends on the actual conditions of their use, including driving habits, service practices and differences in road characteristics and climate. According to the NHTSA, "how the tire is used, your personal driving style, the type of vehicle you drive, where you drive and what kind of tire maintenance you perform routinely can influence tire life more than the brand name and the price paid." Besides its thorough reports, The Tire Rack has an incredibly vast amount of objective information on tires. You can search for prices, sizes and other specifications at this website. Another helpful site is 1010tires.com, which offers discussion forums on tires. This site also has information for Canadian buyers. If you're confused about the difference between P-metric "passenger" and LT-metric "light truck" tires -- and how some passenger tire lines are suitable for light trucks, but others aren't -- Canadian Driver offers an article by Paul Williams called "Advice: Light Truck vs Passenger car tires: what you should know" to help you sort through the maze. Using the wrong tire can cause safety issues, and it's an easy mistake to make. A Canadian Driver associate reports he wound up with the wrong tires on his Ford F350 SuperDuty because of a confusing tire name. Tire manufacturers Advertisement
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* Pricing information is approximate as of the time this report was written and is based on observed market selling prices and/or list prices. Actual selling prices may differ.
