I'm tire shopping for my 02 4WD Dakota, and getting more confused than ever. One of my Mopar buddies is a long time tire guy, and suggests LT tires, in a load range C. Says D or E range cost more, and I don't need them. I went online to Tire Rack and Sam's Club. Found a few LT's, but mostly P tires. Most had load range E, and some didn't list an alpha designation, just a weight rating.

I've been online researching, and it seems that the vote is split between LT and P-metric, but I'm leaning towards LT. I don't ever have a heavy load in the truck, and only tow a john boat. It'll see a little mud when I go to the fishing hole, which the 4WD can handle. What do you guys recommend?

Also got an education at Sam's. Seems they will only install the exact size listed on the door jamb sticker, which in my case is 235/65/16. However, I have the original window sticker for the truck. It says:

Standard Equipment (Unless replaced by optional equipment)
Tires-P235/70R15 XL OWL All-Season

However, under Optional Equipment is the Customer Preferred Package 26C, which includes P265/70R16 OWL All-Terrain, which my truck came with. I pointed that out to them. Doesn't matter according to Sam's. Gotta follow the door jamb sticker. I just shrugged and left. Didn't realize at the time that the jamb sticker has 15's, window sticker has 16's. But as I type this and read the sizes again, I realize they're gonna have a helluva time putting 15" tires on my 16" wheels...

In addition, the shot tires that were on it when I bought it are LT265/65/16 Mud & Snow. A little taller and narrower than the OE 70's, but I think I'd like to go back with the 65's for a little added height.

Also, the truck came OE with All-Terrain's, but now has the M & S. New tire choices include All-Season, Mud & Snow, and All-Terrain. I'm thinking of going with All-Season for more of a street tread, with a better ride.

Any advice would be appreciated. My head is spinning right now...

One thing I would do is narrow down the tire search by tire size. Specifically, what diameter tire makes the speedo read correctly?

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Also got an education at Sam's. Seems they will only install the exact size listed on the door jamb sticker, which in my case is 235/65/16.

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That is approximately 28.0" diameter tire.

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However, I have the original window sticker for the truck. It says:

Standard Equipment (Unless replaced by optional equipment)
Tires-P235/70R15 XL OWL All-Season

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Also just a smidgen less than 28.0" diameter.

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However, under Optional Equipment is the Customer Preferred Package 26C, which includes P265/70R16 OWL All-Terrain, which my truck came with.

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Approximately 30.6" diameter.

Does your speedo read correctly with those big tires? If so, probably have to get something similar in diameter or tolerate the speedo error.
If not, how much is it off by? Reading low by 9%? Or less?

Frankly I'm surprised that tires that big fit in the front wells. My '01 Durango R/T has 275/60-17s (30.0" dia.) at all four corners, and the fronts - when turned slightly - just clear the fender flares at the forward and rear parts of the front wheel well.

Get the LTs.P is just a car tire with truck type tread.When I buy tires for the Durango or the 04 Ram i always buy LTs.They are more but last.That and if you have any weight they are safer.Even in LTs there is a difference.Th Generals I bought for both of mine I looked at the weight also.I found The Gens were almost 48 pounds each.I found other tires in the same size and LTs that were only about 37 pounds.Rocky

Stock tires were P. There is no reason to exceed what the factory thought was safe from frivolous lawsuits, except if you're going to be carrying heavy loads or towing big trailers which could benefit from the stiffer sidewalls common to the LT tires.

Load range D or (God forbid) E tires will turn your ride into a lumber wagon, as far as ride quality. Don't even think about it.

I hate Sam's Club and Costco when they act like they're doing me a favor to sell me tires. Often times I end up buying the tires and taking them out the door. Or mail ordering from Discount Tire.

Ask a question on this site and you will always get the more expensive answer. For example, build a 440 for your Newport cruiser and you'll hear, "You need a forged crank". Clearly you don't, but the majority will say you do. Buy pistons for that same motor and you will hear, "Have to have forged pistons, hypereutectic aren't good enough." Rework old heads for your 4000 mile-per-year cruiser and you'll hear, "Put in hardened seats" even though it'll hardly ever see full throttle acceleration more than 5% of the time.

The tendency is to err on the cautious side, especially when they're spending somebody else's money!

R.

Based on the fact you are looking for street friendly with no heavy loads and light towing, I say stock sized p-metric all the way.

That's what I have on mine--it handles the loads I carry and moderate mud and snow no problem.

The reason they put Ps on from the factory is because they are cheap.Just like the factory tires on cars.They use the cheapest unless you want to upgrade for better tires.P means passanger car.I started selling tires back in the 60s.Look at the weight of a P Vs a LT tire.Reminds me of my buddy that put 15K into his Harley then bought 40 buck cheap tires.Rocky

Sam's would probably have a heart attack with my 93 Dakota 4x4, the door sticker lists 4 different tire sizes! I don't need tires, but just seeing what they say might be interesting.
My Dakota has 235LT x 75 x 15 tires with an aggressive mud & snow design. I swapped them off my 50 4x4 when it got wrecked. They take a bit of power to get them rolling, ride sort of rough and I'm sure the thread pattern is not helping my gas mileage, but they will probably be the last tires this truck will see. I have driven the truck less then 3,000 miles in the last 2 years. Rust will kill it long before it wears anything out. Gene

I agree with Marq - pick your diameter and shop accordingly. Also find an independent tire shop near you that will sell you what you want. I have 2 I work with who will (and have) mounted any non standard tire I choose. Or find somebody who will mount mail order tires.

As far as P metric or LT I don't think it matters much in your application. A decent quality tire in either type should do fine.

Be Safe and Sound------Go with LT

I have a 2000 dakota and it came with 31 x10.50 -15 from the factory. I don't see any clearance issues with what you're looking for.p-metric will be a little cheaper, and might ride nicer, The lt's will probably last longer,plus if you live in a pot hole area,they will handle those better,save the wheels from getting damaged.The lt's are slightly heavier,but I don't think that you will notice any mpg difference. you might need someone with a scan tool to recalibrate speedo if you change sizes.