Stock tires - AS XL vs AT SL???

[RainorshinePNW]

I'm gearing up to upgrade from the stock tires, and in confirming stock tire specs noticed a difference that I'm not sure is material-

All Season (and what I have on my Lariat) - General Grabber HTS60 116T XL, 2756 lbs Max Load
All Terrain (from @Just-another-guy 's post) - Dynapro AT2 115T SL, 2679 lbs Max Load (Ford specific?)

I'd like to go to a 3PMSF rated tire with a more aggressive tread and would like to only match the Max Load ratings of the stock tires (mostly for weight), but I'm not sure if the SL vs XL rating makes any difference other than that 77 lbs of Max Load?

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[ExCivilian]

The differences are greater than they appear.

The XL tires will be reinforced more than the SL tires and should have deeper tread. They also have greater differences than those load numbers on paper indicate because when p-metric tires are mounted on a truck (or an SUV) their load calculation must be reduced by 9 percent (a difference of more than 350 pounds per tire).

I don't have a half ton pickup. I run E rated tires on my RAM. E rated tires may be too heavy/stiff for your tastes but I don't know how I'd feel about SL rated tires on my Lightning when it comes in. Well, I do know how I feel about it...I feel like I wouldn't do it, but I'm willing to listen to half ton owners and their experiences

 

[RainorshinePNW]

The differences are greater than they appear.

The XL tires will be reinforced more than the SL tires and should have deeper tread. They also have greater differences than those load numbers on paper indicate because when p-metric tires are mounted on a truck (or an SUV) their load calculation must be reduced by 9 percent (a difference of more than 350 pounds per tire).

I don't have a half ton pickup. I run E rated tires on my RAM. E rated tires may be too heavy/stiff for your tastes but I don't know how I'd feel about SL rated tires on my Lightning when it comes in. Well, I do know how I feel about it...I feel like I wouldn't do it, but I'm willing to listen to half ton owners and their experiences

If there are these differences, why are the AT option tires only SL and the AS option XL? Is there something about the AT tires that allows them to be SL, whereas the AS tires have to be XL?

 

[RainorshinePNW]

Here's is the AS tire and it's specs - https://m.tirerack.com/tires/Spec.j...reModel=Grabber+HTS+60&partnum=76TR0HTS60XLV2

And the AT - https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tires....lternate+Design&partnum=76TR0RF11V2&tab=Sizes

 

[ExCivilian]

If there are these differences, why are the AT option tires only SL and the AS option XL? Is there something about the AT tires that allows them to be SL, whereas the AS tires have to be XL?

The AT tire happens to be SL and the AS tire happens to be XL. Those are the tires Ford was able to negotiate as their OE tire; these are off-the-shelf tires and Ford doesn't determine the specs. If I had to hazard a guess it'd be that these are the best tires they could find for the price and weight that meet the load requirements.

There isn't anything specific that makes an AT tire SL or an AS tire XL. The load ratings are dependent upon how the tire is constructed. Both of these options are passenger vehicles tires with the XL having additional reinforcement (same 4-ply construction, though) than the SL resulting in slightly more durability and increased psi (increased carrying capacity and better efficiency than an SL tire at the expense of comfort). Here's the same AT tire with an LT (light truck) designation in an "E" load rating: https://m.tirerack.com/tires/tires....dewall=Blackwall&partnum=865SR0RF11&tab=Sizes

The E rating, unlike the SL/XL designation, is 10 ply construction. They can also be aired up to 80psi (nearly double the XL). Much more durable tire and a significant increase in weight capacity but the specs indicate they're not comfort oriented if that's a big concern for you in your truck. My truck is no longer a work truck but it's 9,000lbs! So if I put passenger vehicle tires on its 17" rims I'd probably pop a bead if I hit a corner too hard. Even if that's an exaggeration the handling would feel spongy and I want as many plies as I can get in my $2,000 dollar tires.

 

[RainorshinePNW]

Here's the stock AT tire option (the Hankook Dynapro AT2) and the upgrade I'm looking at. Given these specs are nearly identical, should be a one for one swap in terms of being consistent with OEM specs? Both 115T and SL.

 

[skyak]

This is the tire I plan on going with:

https://simpletire.com/paid?brand=n...rm=&v=1&delivery=Del3#anchor=SiteProductSpecs

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