P or LT Tire

I am new to truck tires and I am looking for a little insight on choosing the right tire for my 2001 Prerunner .
I will always have a load of 800-1200 lbs. in the bed. Will mostly do interstate/highway miles. The OEM is a P tire but if I need an LT then I need an LT.
I just started looking at tires onilne and am inundated with information.
Any info is gladly welcomed.

Gonzopia

 

Running Michelin LTX 31x10.5x15 on mine. They ride good and handle the loads in the bed and with a enclosed trailer attached. Mine came with 29x9x15 (? I think it was 9 wide?) I had to get something that if I needed a tire on the road somewhere I could find one and not have to wait for one to be ordered. As far as going regular or metric the choice is up to you. I'm sure now you will probably be able to find metric better than a regular size. I know the 2nd gens are going metric but it could also be cause of the rub issues. I don't have any with mine.

Murph

 

The first set of tires I bought were michelin ltx a/t 2's in P265/70/16 and they were mushy on my regular cab 4x4. I ended up buying them again just because they were awesome tires aside from the mushiness. I bought LT265/75/16's this time and the mushiness is gone! So...P's may be a bit mushy and if you dislike that go with the LT.

 

I was leaning towards the Michelin LTX M/S from Discount Tire. Would there be a difference buying this tire directly from Michelin or are they the same tire?

Gonzopia

 

I beleive this too.

 

I would go with the LT if your gonna carry anything in the bed

 

True ...and I'm running "P" tires without any complaints.

I agree, you are carrying a significant amount of weight frequently then you want a "LT" tire which have a higher load rating.

Prices on LT and P of the same tire don't seem to vary much, I believe it was about $20/per tire more for the LT's when I bought mine. I got P rated because they are lighter ie gas mileage, they were cheaper, I don't carry large loads, but they also hold up on any trails I'll be going on just fine.

 

I went to a local tire place and they tried to sell me on a P tire. I would figure they would sell me the LT to make more money. Seems like a little conflict?

Gonzopia

 

An LT tire is going to be heavier and decrease gas mileage. It may also decrease ride quality as well since it is stiffer and has increased sidewall strength. I run P rated tires and they have been fine. The tacoma is in the weight range of the of the P rated tire. One thing you should look is at the load rating on the P rated tire. They come in D,E, and a few others.

 

It's possible that's all they had in stock in what you were looking for...in which case a good salesman would try to keep the sale by selling you on a "P" tire. Just my thoughts as someone that was formerly in sales...