Tires
 

Anyone have trouble with tire retailers not wanting to put a passenger car tire on your 1/2 ton pickup? I've not run truck rated tires on my GMC for some time. But now there seems to be concern about liability with a passenger car tire on these old pickup trucks. I've never had any problems with passenger car tires, but then again I don't drive my truck fully loaded or off paved roads. Just wondering?

Re: Tires
 

I've never run across that situation and I have always run P-rated tires on our Tacoma (I know, apples / oranges but it's still a light truck). My K20 gets Load Range D tires (8-ply rated). Seems like all you should need is tires with a load capacity equal to or greater than your truck's maximum weight rating. Maybe your tire retailer is ill-informed or extra cautious? Have you tried other retailers? This might be worth a call to Tire Rack or America's Tire for a better answer.

Re: Tires
 

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More likely it has something to do with your retailer wanting to sell something more expensive.

Find a different retailer or take the sales incentive out of it by purchasing your tires online and then just pay mount and balance.

http://www.tirerack.com

Hth,

-klb

Re: Tires
 

Sounds like someone is mis informed or trying an upsale trick. My 2017 gmc 4x4 came with passenger tires from the factory. I’d bet there are way more 67-72 chevy’s rolling on P rated tires than load rated tires these days.

Re: Tires
 

The new tires are already on the truck. Where I purchased them said they couldn't balance them because they didn't have the proper size cone for the balancer. They said my wheels are an older technology(?). They're 16in chrome wheels from Wheel Vintiques. So, its when I took the truck to an alternate location to get the tires balanced, same retail company, were the ones that wouldn't work on the tires as they weren't the appropriate tires for the truck. To be fair, the two store managers are working with each other to determine a possible solution. The tires are Michelin Defenders T+H, but don't have a specific "P" code on the tire. Thanks for the input guys.

Re: Tires
 

If they are not LT (Light Truck) tires, which have the Load Range (C, D, E etc) clearly marked on the sidewall, they are most likely P (Passenger car) rated.

Michelin Defender T+H appears to be strictly a passenger tire, not a light truck tire. That said, they should be perfectly acceptable on a half-ton pickup.

What size tire do you have?

Re: Tires
 

Well, right now my front tires are 225/60 16 and rears 235/60 16.

Re: Tires
 

Did they give you a specific reason why they aren't acceptable? For instance, not enough load capacity?

225/60-16 Max load 1653#
235/60-16 Max load 1764#

Seems like those tires should be OK for your truck.

Re: Tires
 

Incidentally, Michelin T+H tires are SL (Standard Load) rated, which falls under the umbrella of P-rated tires. Other ratings are LL (Light Load) and XL (Extra Load).

Re: Tires
 

Wow! In that case, try a different place for the balancing... you'd have to pay though...which sucks.

The other thing comes to mind is take all 4 wheels/tires off the truck, haul them to the tire shop in another truck for balancing. No truck, no problem!

-klb

Re: Tires
 

I think the dealers concern is the tires aren't truck tires, therefore, inadequate for use on a truck. Consequently, they believe it puts the store into a potential liability situation if a tire failed and someone or something got hurt or damaged with the result being the wrong tire application. To a certain degree, I see their point. I'm waiting to see what options they give me for a solution. I was just wondering if anyone else has had this experience and it doesn't appear to be common. Thank ya'all for your input.

Re: Tires
 

Just take them the wheels and not the vehicle

Re: Tires
 

Tell the kid at the counter the wheels/tires are going to be used in the Circus to entertain elephants.

-klb

Re: Tires
 

That's what I do also....problem solved...none of their buisiness what vehicle the wheels & tires go on.

Re: Tires
 

They don’t have the right cone??? Really? Any tire shop (or repair shop) out there has a bunch of cones for the balancer.
BS
Same with the P tire thing, most new 1/2 ton trucks are shipped from the factory with P tires.

Sounds like the marketing department teamed up with the legal department with a scheme for upsales. Kind of how those brake places always sell calipers. Grrr, gives us all a bad name.

I’ve been a mechanic for 20 years, find a different shop.

Re: Tires
 

I purchased the tires for my 68 C 10 from Discount tire and ran into the same problem. They're car tires 235/50 18 and 255/45 20 Cooper Zeon RS3-G1 so they wouldn't mount them. I took the wheels and tires to another shop and got 'em mounted and balanced no problem. Liability issue at Discount I'm sure. I've used that place for years and no problems with car or truck tires.

Re: Tires
 

I had that happen several years ago. I tried to explain to him that most light duty trucks come with P tires. He didn't want to listen. I went somewhere else.
Recently I went to Big-O-Tires to get my tires turned around. I wanted the raised white letters on the inside. He glanced over at the truck & said those wheels won't fit their machine. I turned around & walked out. They are plain steel Rally wheels with rings & caps. I don't understand. It was $100 at the other tire store I went to. I dought if they make much more then that on a whole set of new tires. I think it was a fair price. I wish I could have made that kind of money back when I had a shop. I would be rich now.
George