Do I Need 10-Ply Tires?

[BigDawgWill44]

I have a stock 2016 F-150 with the Lariat 20” chrome wheels. It’s time to change the factory tires which are 275/55/20. I want to put on the Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires but the two sizes I believe that will fit my truck without lifting or leveling are either 4-ply SL or 6-ply XL (275/55/20 and 275/60/20). My question is, do I need 10 ply? I don’t tow anything over 3,500 lbs. The truck is a city driver most of the year with hunting season and some weekend getaways where I can see gravel, mud, rocky trails, snowy mountain passes, etc. Also I have heard 10-ply can really worsen the ride. Will the 4-ply be ok? THANK YOU for helping.


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[cjdewese]

In my opinion the 10 ply will really roughen up your ride if you're not towing much and you don't plan on abusing them in the rocks no need to get the 10 ply in my opinion. Either the 4 ply or 6 ply would work.

 

[EastMT]

It’s been my experience working in the tire industry when I was younger that the number of rock punctures in 4/6 ply are a lot higher. I run 10 ply on everything I can, never had a rock puncture yet. We used to patch them from gravel roads all day long, so it scared me away. A little tougher ride sure, but I’m not in a Lincoln Town car so that’s ok with me

 

[The Ri Guy]

I'm no expert, but I've been fairly active reading overlanding and off-roading forums as I'm building out my Colorado ZR2 for hunting purposes.

Seems the general consensus is you only need 10-ply if you're regularly going to be rock crawling/climbing, or on extremely jagged roads. Otherwise, 4/6 ply are lighter and "better" in most all other scenarios. My ZR2 is my daily driver on top of my off-road rig, and I was strongly advised by pretty much everyone to stick to 4 or 6 for weight savings (obvious mechanical and fuel consumption benefits) versus getting 10-ply that I'll "need" maybe 10% of the time if that.

Edit: BTW, I have the Falken AT3W 265/70 R17 on my truck and they've been fantastic thus far.

 

[TSAMP]

I feel that the you will reap benefit from any quality AT over factory rubber regardless of ply. But a 6 ply would be my minimum. I did the same thing to my f 150 with 8 ply BFG. I highly recommend those tires.

 

[Brent]

I would use no less than D rated (8 ply) tires for any purpose with a 1/2 ton truck. Get LT tires for any truck you plan to use.

 

[WCB]

no you don't...I have Duratracs on my Silverado 265/65/18 which I believe are 4 ply. Just got my first flat starting my 3 hunting season with them and over 50,000 miles on them. I would say 15,000 miles of that is on gravel, two track roads, or just driving across fields and pasture in WY, the Dakotas, Montana. Finally got done in by a self tapping metal screw (bolt) from some machinery. I don't drive slow either.

 

[BCsteve]

I would use no less than D rated (8 ply) tires for any purpose with a 1/2 ton truck. Get LT tires for any truck you plan to use.

I agree, my trucks never leave the dealership’s lot with the stock tires. LT in 8 or 10 plies. P tires are passenger (read car tires) with an all terrain thread.

 

[browning2480]

I say yes. I have not had a flat tire in over 14 years with 10 ply tires. Sure, I have gotten some nails in them, but they don't go flat like the 4/6 ply ones. You can even run them flat for a ways with no issues. They are just so much stronger of a tire. I also don't like changing flats.

I also believe the ride difference you will feel will be minimal. You don't have to run 80 PSI in the 10 ply. I have mine on a Chevy Tahoe and usually have 45 to 50 pounds of air in them. When I am hauling something large, I will air them up. I get about 40-50,000 miles out of them.

Are they necessary, no, but the first time you have to fix a flat while out in the middle of nowhere, you will wish you had them.

 

[shoeshineman]

I recently put 10 plys on my sequoia. No complaints with highway ride quality at all.

edit- like browining2480 said, i dont run them at 80psi when not towing something.

 

[DAOutfitters208]

I have yet to get a flat on my 10 ply tires I am running on a F 150. The 6 ply I bought it with got a flat on my first trip into the woods. It is worth the extra dough in my mind. I have yet to notice a "rougher" ride.

 

[bivouaclarry]

2013 F-150 - I run the 10 ply Toyo Open Country AT's on 18 in wheels. They are harsher, but when I'm 45 miles away from a paved road, I don't mind. I get almost 60k miles out of a set.

 

[SouthPaw]

Factory-provided 'p' tires are trash and do not belong offroad. A good non-OEM AT like the Falken AT3W would be fine for YOUR described use (the 'P' falken weighs almost as much as some LTs in the stock F150 size, so its burly).

I'm offroad a bit more often and ran a set of LT-E on my 2016 F150 and zero flats but the ride was jarring on the light aluminum F150, even at proper pressure. I replaced them after 75k with LT-C Toyo AT3s and the ride is far better, still a plenty durable tire after comparing the physical tread and sidewall to the LT-Es in the shop and no issue yet. Be smart about tire pressure and speed when offroad, watch your lines and you'll be fine.

 

[Aaron Warpony]

My best friend has worked at a tire shop for quite awhile and he refuses to sell me anything less than 8 ply for a truck. I don't think you'll notice the ride difference. the suspension on your truck is what you'll feel I bet. If you think they're stiff and aren't hauling heavy, i would just lower the psi.

 

[BigDawgWill44]

The problem is I want a AT tire with the snowflake symbol and it seems every tire brand only offers 4-ply or 6-ply in 275/55/20 or 275/60/20 with the snowflake and I believe that is the max I can go without leveling. I think the only option is the KO2 which is 8-ply but a little hesitant since a bunch of my buddies said they sucked, even though they are like the most popular AT tire ever...


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[backcountry_hunter]

KO2 - 10ply here, multiple experiences.... none bad.

 

[taybou]

KO2 - 10ply snow rated tires on my tacoma here, 10ply Toyo AT II's before that. The ride is a little harsh, but it's a truck. I hate dealing with flats, and some of the SE Oregon roads like to chew up tires, so I'd rather not spend days of my hunts/trips out getting a flat fixed.

 

[browning2480]

The problem is I want a AT tire with the snowflake symbol and it seems every tire brand only offers 4-ply or 6-ply in 275/55/20 or 275/60/20 with the snowflake and I believe that is the max I can go without leveling. I think the only option is the KO2 which is 8-ply but a little hesitant since a bunch of my buddies said they sucked, even though they are like the most popular AT tire ever...


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The only bad experience I had with them was the wet weather traction when they had about 3/4 tread left on them. At first I thought they were the best ever, then I started noticing the loss of traction. I thought it was my Tahoe, so I started checking things out with no luck. A little research online led me to people with the same experience. I drive in a lot of rain, so that is important to me. If that wasn’t the case, I would have bought another set. Never had that problem with any other tire.

 

[SIontheHunt]

I doubt you NEED 10 ply 99% of the time but that 1% when you do is a pain. If you carry a full size spare i would not worry about it. I used to run mud tires on my truck for that 1% of the time I went in mud that actually needed them, then i switched to all terrains and wouldn't you know it i got stuck... I am still on the fence about going back since they do not last long riding pavement and they suck on fuel.

 

[Tod osier]

The problem is I want a AT tire with the snowflake symbol and it seems every tire brand only offers 4-ply or 6-ply in 275/55/20 or 275/60/20 with the snowflake and I believe that is the max I can go without leveling. I think the only option is the KO2 which is 8-ply but a little hesitant since a bunch of my buddies said they sucked, even though they are like the most popular AT tire ever...


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Maybe "hate" is too strong a word, but there is a lot of hate for the KO2. I think just given that a lot of folks consider them the gold standard in the market (rightly or not) makes them a target (they aren't cheap, either). I've had them on everything from a Tacoma to an F250 and they have done well for me. I think I'm on my 5th consecutive pair. I'm pretty happy overall. I may try something different next time, but they sure have not let me down given what I've asked of them.