
| Another perspective Posted by Mark on August 20, 2000 at 23:00:33: In Reply to: IMPORTANT TIRE INFORMATION... read it posted by MG/WCB on August 15, 2000 at 16:01:08: Hope this is not too late ... I would like to add to this thread. Have been shopping for tires and this is my conclusion. The stock tires on the Disco are basically H rated Euro-metric tires. The Euro classification is what the tire industry is moving to from the P-metric. They are not LT rated but they are H rated. So the tire is meant for high speed and is built to run fine under the load and speed which builds heat. You also get sidewall stiffness with a H rated tire, something you don't get with a lower speed rating. The Stock Michelin XPC has a max load rating of 2039 lbs @ 36 psi. Note the pressure. Not low. The problem is that nearly ALL A/T tires are S or Q speed rated at the best. So the tire is not built to take heat and does not have the sidewall stiffness to handle the extra load. This can be somewhat compensated for by moving to a LT tire. The sidewall stiffness goes up and the load rating is increased. Ride suffers somewhat. BUT the speed rating is typically not listed. But how many Disco's see high speed? I did find a substitute for the XPC. Pirelli makes a 235/70R16 Scorpion AT that has the same load rating and is H rated. Virtually identical. I wanted to go to a LT tire but wanted to maintain the tire width. The LT225/75R16 looks to be at least 1 inch narrower on tread width. I live in Colorado and the typical soil is broken down granite and soft sand. The LT245/75R16 would have required a lift. Maybe down the road. So 235/70R16 it is. Bottom line - there more to the question than no P-metrics and LT is not always a choice. Does require more research. There may be other H rated 235/70-16's but I'm happy with the Scorpion. - Mark
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