We just bought an older extended 3/4 ton cargo van. One of the tires was flat so we took it into Discount tire and they sold us a used (but in very good condition) used tire. When the guy found out that it was going on this van, he did not think it would work. He checked the sticker on the driver’s door, and also the lettering on the tires, and he said that they were all 4 ply tires and that he cannot legally put 4 ply tires on there. He said that because of liabilities, he cannot put the tire on and that we need to buy AT LEAST a 8 or 10 ply tire.
We only spent $ 400 on this thing and I really need it to get to Upstate New York as soon as possible. I do not want to put an extra $ 600 into it (money that we do not have as of yet)… but, just what is the right tire for this van?? Also, consider the fact that its a extended 3/4 ton, and that we are going to PACK it tight with stuff. It will have a load. Also, it has to go 12 hours to get to its final destination.
On the door, it says LT225/75R16D… but, the tires that are on it now says P235/20R16.
What is the right tire? will the ones that are on there work for a full load, 12 hours?
Sorry, the tires that are on it says P225/70R16, NOT 20r16. Typo, my mistake.
Anyhow, I also suspect that the sales guy would of wanted to sell us new tires??
used tires at discount tire.
Joe:should have what it says on the door. the D means load range D. this is for heavy duty apps. It has car tires on it now. NOT SAFE.
Mark F:You’ve got a huge problem!
On a 3/4 ton van the specified tire is a Light Truck metric sized LT225/75R16 115/112R Load Range E inflated to 55 psi front, 75 psi rear. That translates to a load carrying capacity of 2,060 pounds for the front tires and 2,560 pounds for the rear tires.
A passenger metric tire sized P225/70R16 101S standard load range tire (roughly equivilant to a B load range), besides being smaller in diameter which makes the speedometer and odometer read fast and changes the gearing for reduced fuel economy has grossly inadequate load carrying capacity for a vehicle this size. Maximum load carrying capacity is only 1,819 pounds at 35 psi! For the rear tires that is equivilant to running the correct LT225/75R16′s under-inflated by 30 psi!!!!!
Maximum inflation pressure for the tires you have is going to be either 35 or 44 psi (depending on brand and model). Clearly it is not safe to run them at the recommended 55/75 psi settings. How do you think that van is going to handle at 44 psi all loaded up compared to the 55/75 psi inflation it was designed to have? How well will it track going down the road with a bunch of passengers and/or cargo and tires that are nearly half way under-inflated?
The guy at Discount was absolutely correct in refusing to install tires on the van that are grossly inadequate and potentially dangerous. You should be thanking him for knowing his stuff.
You need four new tires in a LT225/75R16 115/112R Load Range E size. A D load range tire (load index 110/107) won’t do as it has a maximum inflation pressure of only 65 psi where an E-load will go to 80 psi. My personal recommendation is the Firestone Transforce HT. Very reasonably priced, good traction, and will wear like iron shoes.
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