Tire Expert Needed: Cords in Body Plies

[Thai]

Hey all,

I am thinking of having two sets of tires...one for highway/all-weather and one for off-roading. I currently have Firestone Dest. M/Ts for off-roading on my G. I am looking into getting the Michelin LTX A/T-2. Although i would love for it to have the snowflake symbol, i think that i can pass on it while living here in Texas.

So, anyway, i emailed Michelin about the 265/75/16 Load Range E. This Load Range has a 3rd steel belt...thus, making the tread quite strong. However, i am also concerned by the sidewall strength. I asked if the sidewall is any stronger than regular Michelins (P-rated for example). I also asked them to compare it to BFG AT KO and Goodyear SilentArmor. Here is their response:

"Thai,

Thank you for your email. We appreciate the opportunity to serve you.

The LTX A/T2 is an excellent tire. The load range E has heavier cords in the body ply than the load range C and D but it is not as strong and durable as the All Terrain T/A KO or Mud Terrain T/A KM tires. We don't have information to compare to Goodyear or other companies products."
-----------------------------------------------
So, what do you guys make of "heavier cords in the body ply"?? Does it mean that the plies are of heavier duty material or thicker?? If so, then that is pretty cool because the sidewall is indeed stronger with Load Range E.

What is your take??

 

[fourwd1]

Body ply strength has no relation to side wall strength.

If you want a tire with side wall strength get any Interco tire, side wall strength is one of their strong points. But their tires are mainly for more serious wheeling and not for every application.

I've seen small sticks and rocks penetrate or slice open the side walls of MTR's or BFGs, but never Swampers.

If you are worried about side wall strength, get an Interco tire.
I'll never get anything else. :bigok:

 

[Thai]

Body ply strength has no relation to side wall strength.

I think that it does because the sidewall is made up of body plies. This is why your sidewall often say, "2 or 3 polyester plies." So, when the Michelin people said that the cords in the plies are heavier duty, then i think that this applies to both the tread and sidewall plies. If you look at the tire cross-section, then you will see that the sidewall plies are an extension of the tread plies.

The way i think is that, for it to be a Load Range E, the sidewall gotta be stronger to carry the heavier loads, right? So, what Michelin wrote kinda makes sense.

As for Swampers, i am interested in a semi-tough highway tires. As noted above, I already have Mud-Terrains for off-roading...so, i am not interested in another mud tire.

As for off-road competition, i see more GY MT/R and BFG MT than i do Swampers. Maybe in mud competition, i can see Swampers, but when i see pics of rock crawling competitions, i see BFG or GY most of the time. I think that tells a lot about BFG and GY's sidewall strength against rocks. Then, you have Baja races where BFG dominates.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

I had a set of these on my Isuzu. TOUGH & Good!http://marktg.toyotires.com/file/18975.pdf

What I have seen is if you look at some of the commercial tires they provide some neat options. Most of the commercial tires use extra wide steel and carry at least one steel belt up the sidewall. I assume they're all about curb hopping, overloaded delivery trucks.

I have a 3 axle boat trailer that's a 20000lb gooseneck setup. And no, I don't tow it with my 4Runner:awais: The only tires we can keep on it are commercial, steel "all the way to the bead" Bridgestones. The trailer tires are a highway tread but I am sure Bridgestone would have an agressive tire also. (They say Made in Japan on them, considering everything they are the smoothest, roundest tires I've ever used!)

Good luck and in that size I'd study up on the light commercial tires if Swampers were more than you want in terms of noise and aggressive tread.