Tire types, for someone who spent decades trusting tire stores for recommendation

I had street-vehicles, not off-road, for decades.

Now I have the truck and maybe serious about the offroad, or maybe not. But I would like to know tire types, as I have seen types mention: SL, LT, C, E ...

What are the main types I should know about and advantages/problems with each ... before I become "that guy" you hear a mile away at 75 MPH on the freeway because the 40 in monster-truck tires.

 

SL, LT, C, E are load ranges. Back in the day this was more related to the number of plys in the construction of the tire, but tire design has changed so they do load ratings. Some go for E load because they’re supposed to have stronger sidewalls to resist damage, but the penalty is significantly increased weight and therefore worse on-road performance and fuel economy.

AT tires are generally decent at everything, but usually struggle in mud because they just clog up.

MT tires are better in mud, and generally solid off-road, but can become slippery on road in wet or snowy conditions.


I stick to the lightest weight AT tire I can find and have been quite happy. I hit rocky trails on occasion, but spend a lot of time on the Highway and gravel. With the occasional blizzard for variety.

 

Thanks for that information.

 

Those are all load ratings. SL & XL are for "passenger" tires and stand for Standard Load and Extra Load. From there you're into LT (light truck) which are rated in letters that stand for what used to be the actual number of plies but tires don't generally have that number anymore.

 

What? No mention of "speed ratings" on Tacoma tires? (just kidding)

All good to know.

 

Most offroad tires for Tacomas are speed rated at S or T

 

That was supposed to be a joke ... thanks for the data though. Too many whiners complaining that Tacomas cannot move fast. I assumed if speed rating mattered someone like you would speak up but figures trail rating mattered more.