Good tires for towing

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I am looking for a new set of tires that will be good for towing.

I had a E-350 van that had a set of Hankook tires on it, it always towed my trailer great, little or no "sway" from wind or when traffic passed me. You could feel a semi truck push you around a little when it passed, but it was very controllable.

I decided to splurge before a trip to Key West and buy a new set of Michelin Defender LTX tires since the Hankooks  were getting worn and vibrated some, and I didn't want to deal with the vibration on a 1200 mile trip. 
The vibration was gone, but boy was it a handful to drive with the new Michelins. Any wind, or traffic passing would push the van around something terrible. I adjusted tire pressures,  my trailer leveling torsion bars, and the sway control, nothing really made it any better.

I searched around on the net and found that it was caused by tread squirm on the new tires, and I wasn't the only one that had had that problem, and that Michelin and told other people that it will go away in about 8000 miles, once the tire wear some.

Well I sold the van, I have a truck now that will need new tires soon, and I don't want to buy a set of tire that will squirm for 8000 miles because I only use the truck for pulling the trailer, and I don't want a "white knuckle" ride until the tires beak in. 


So my question is what tire can I buy that people have had good luck towing with, meaning no tread squirm when they are new.

 

[Doubleone]

I had same issue with Michelin LTX on my E350 Class C and went with Bridgestone R500. The have a good positive road feel, and also seem to roll easier. I pasted a link below to an old post with more detailed explanation...

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=34411&pid=426607#pid426607

 

[highdesertranger]

I have always had tread squirm on new radial tires. but nowhere near 8k miles. mine do it for a week or two. I only buy made in USA tires, Cooper, Goodyear, BFGoodrich. highdesertranger

 

[mespringer]

There are a few basic things to consider. The "rubber" that Hankook uses on its casing and tread seem to be a bit more stiff than some others. You will notice a difference if you increase the ratio of the tire. The larger the ratio (55 vs 75) may come with more sidewall flex you may experience. The stiffness increases with the increase in tire pressure but the increased pressure will change the performance of the tire. Obviously the thickness and rating (C vs E) of the sidewall will make a tire more or less squirrely. An E rated tire will allow you to carry a larger load and maintain a more uniform footprint but a C rating will be a softer ride. Similarly the number and material used in the belts will make a difference. For an all around tire we have been using the BFG KO 285/75/16. We have had a series of them on our E350 for the past 15 years and they seem to do OK. They also tend to be $20 to $40 cheaper per tire. Micheline tires are good but may not offer the sidewall stiffness you are looking for.

 

[[email protected]]

The Michelins were the same size and load range as my old tires, they had a very thick tread which I guess made them squirm a lot.

 

[Gr8ful]

Here's a link to emergency vehicle tire facts https://www.jems.com/articles/2010/03/choose-right-tires-making-cont.html

 

[JD GUMBEE]

The main reason for "jellyfish" like tire behavior in all my vehicles was wimpy sidewalls or underinflation.
The newer tires tend to have thin sidewalls and more of the jellyfish or 'spineless' feel. They do this for the best possible MPG, I am told. Not exactly sure how yours reacted, but if you can sway it from side to side with the wheel and it takes a moment for the "sway" to correct itself, wimpy sidewalls would be my first guess.

I suggest calling Tire Rack and explaining your previous issues and asking what they recommend.
The people there truly know their tires and will send you in the correct direction.
You can even try a set first to make sure if you go to their place of business.
(At least you used to be able to.)

The stiffer the sidewall, the harsher the ride...and the better at wind and sway while towing.

 

[[email protected]]

Jellyfish is exactly right.
No matter how much air I put in the Michelins, even at the max pressure of 80 psi, you could push on the side of the van and watch the tires squish like a jellyfish.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

Stiff sidewalls is likely the issue.
Squirm, (called "release burn off" by many Northerners) like HDR said, is gone very quickly and would not have been hanging in that long.

https://tires.tirerack.com/tires/Sidewall Stiffness

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