Looking at new tires, trying to keep the cost down as much as possible.

We have a 2005 V8 4x4 Sport. We tow a 4,500lb boat occasionally, lake is about 20 miles away, northern California.

Not much off road, maybe fire roads and light trails a couple times each summer.

Was looking at the Kumho KL61's in 265/70/17 only option is P rated tires. After reading, it seems like a lot are going with the LT Tires, which aren't available in the KL61, so now I'm also considering the KL78 E's. I'm looking at the E's because they're a lot cheaper than the KL78 C's. Looking to get the longest life that I can out of the tires.

1. KL61's although P metric, have a higher load capacity than the KL78 C's
2. KL61's have a good mileage warranty (60k)
3. KL78 C's are way more expensive than the E's.
4. Does anyone have experience to compare both tires?
5. Do I need to step up to the E Load tire or will the P be fine?
6. Anyone with towing experience with the KL61's?

(I put it in "General" forum because there are more users than just the Gen 4 section.)

See the thread below regarding load capacity of P compared to LT. Also, note that nowhere in the manual does Toyota recommend LT tires for towing.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't run them. They'll provide a more stable fee if that's what you're after, but they're not needed for load capacity in this application and actually have less unless you add significantly more air pressure. I don't know what you're after but it sounds to me like the P tire wins on paper.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/genera...-pressure.html

Higher psi is ok if it's better for hauling the boat. I just don't want te sidewalls wearing out after a couple years from the loads. If Pmetric are better, anybody have any comparisons with the kl61's vs Pmetric kl78's?

Ended up getting the Cooper ATP's. Smokin deal during the Memorial Day sale from Discount Tire. Couldn't pass it up.

The ride is definitely more firm but not bad. Amazing how much of the soft "mush" in the ride is gone now. I thought it was just the suspension, but now realize it's all the tires.

Only bad thing about the ATPs is they are "E" only in that 265/70 size and that is way overkill for a 4runner and will hurt performance, braking, and fuel mileage. I'd have probably recommended the AT3 instead so you could have gotten it in "C" load range.