What are the best tires for towing on the highway? TFLtruck recently received the following question from Dan L.
I have a 2015 F-150 with 20-inch rims. The truck came from Canada and has snow tries on it currently. I am thinking about D or E rated tires. I am also having a hard time finding a 275/50R20 tire size. What about going to a 275/65R20? Do you have any idea how different this mite feel? I would like a quiet tire, since we are full-time RV-ing.
Dan, thank you for contacting us! The topic of tires is very involved.
Personally, I prefer BFGoodrich KO2 TA tires, as I have over a decade of towing experience with the KO and KO2 tires. They are relatively quiet on the highway, but they are a more aggressive off-road tire. I do not tow with these full time. I also like going off-road and treading through lots of Colorado snow and ice. The KO2 tires are relatively expensive, and they will not last as long on the highway as a more street-biased all-season tire would.
Ford F-150
The Michelin LTX 275/55R20 tires were one of the original equipment tires for the F-150. I would go with these if fair weather highway towing is your primary goal. The noise level should be low, but I cannot verify it at this time.
I would recommend going with a tire with a bigger sidewall for a more comfortable ride. The 275/65R20 should ride just a tiny bit better than a 275/50R20. Unless you are absolutely in love with the 20-inch rim design, I would go a step further and get new 18-inch rims. This will lower the price of the tires, and it will allow you to get an even taller sidewall for additional on-road comfort.
Please use the comments section below if you have towing experience with the Michelin LTX or any other tires.
Here is a 2017 Ford F-150 towing a heavy load up and down the Ike Gauntlet™ – world’s toughest towing test.
