The only negative about LT tires is they do not come with a mileage warranty, the P do!

 

As I narrow down my tire choices, I find myself in a bit of a dilemma.

As I said, I bought a set of 18" Lariat wheels. These have the beige inserts, which I planned on painting the beige portions gloss black as I saw done from someone on this forum.

As I look at 18" tires, it looks like my choices are a bit limited.
I think my optimum size would be 275/70-18.
The tires I like, looking at tirerack, are the Goodyear Silent Armour, and the Bridgestone Dueler D695.

But, these are both load range 'E' - I really don't want to go with that stiff of a tire.

So, I look at 17" tires - both those tires are available in a 'P' tire.

My truck has the chrome clad steel wheels (17"), which I really don't like at all.
Maybe I should think about selling the 18" Lariats, and look for a 17" wheel that I like (for ~$250...?) and go with a 'P' 17" tire?

 

Check out the BFG or Nitto 285x65x18 all-terrains. These are close to 33 inches tall and fill up the wheelwell pretty good. If you go down to a 17" wheel like I did the 285x70 or 295x70 would be a great size. Nitto, BFG and Toyo are worth looking at. I myself do not like "P" rated tires on my truck's because I go on construction sites sometimes and with the P tires I used to get a few flat's every now and then. Since I went with LT tires I haven't gotten a flat yet and the tires are also a lot tougher. My BFG's look like I can get 75k miles out of them easily. Good luck in your decision!

 

Thanks for the suggestions -

When I look at that size 285/65-18, it seems they are only available with a load 'E', as most of the 18" tires are.

Just being cautious - as my truck is a daily hard road driver, I don't want too stiff a tire.

A load range 'C' sounds perfect, but can't seem to find anything in an 18".

Edit: I seem to be getting hung up on the 'E' load range. Through this discussion, with all your help, I came from wanting a 'P' tire to wanting 'LT' now for sure.

I got a good deal on the 18" rims I bought, and really want to use them. Just leery of too harsh a ride......

 

If you do not over inflate them, they will only be a little harsher than a LR C. If the LR E has a max of 65, use 45. If it has a max of 80, use 50. Those numbers should give you good tire wear and be able to handle an loads the truck is rated at. I would not go lower than 42 for the max 65 and 45 for the max 50. Then when you do haul or tow, bump them up.