Typical LT-rated tire on "a van" mileage expectation?

[AntiGroundhogDay]

Trying to budget replacement tires here and being used to passenger car and sports car tires, I can't seem to get a read for how long LT or E-rated tires last on your typical cargo van (think Promaster 159in high top or Chevy Express 2500 extended).

I see folks on these expeditor forums get over 100K miles out of a tire, then go on tirerack and read a review and a guy with a Chevy pickup is swearing up and down his tires only lasted 30k.  I realize tire life is very dependent on the weight we are carrying, how it is distributed, what type of driving you're doing (highway vs. in city vs. dirt roads), how often they are rotated, and what PSI they are run at... but can anyone who has been in the game awhile give a reasonable estimation?  I initially budgeted a set of 4 tires lasting 40k miles each (seems low now that I've read up more) and costing $175 when including mounting and balancing (seems reasonable).  And are you rotating in the 5th tire, thus more mileage out of a "set" but more cost?

So what would your mileage expectation be?  60K?  80k?  And would you estimate more or less mileage out of an all-terrain tire (https://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tire/bf-goodrich/all-terrain-t-a-ko2) vs. a regular LT tire (https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...0&autoModClar=LT225/75-16+Light+Truck)[/SIZE]

(FYI OEM tire size on the PM is 225/75-16 and I've seen folks go up to 245/75-16 for looks, ground clearance)

 

[Weight]

The load you carry and the weight range of the tire is most important thing. Scroll down and search Rodger's articles. More than you need to know about tires. http://www.rvtiresafety.net/

 

[AntiGroundhogDay]

The load you carry and the weight range of the tire is most important thing.  Scroll down and search Rodger's articles. More than you need to know about tires.  http://www.rvtiresafety.net/

Thanks for the link there.  I spent 5 minutes reading and searching for average mileage expectations and I did not find anything.

 

[wagoneer]

I buy cheaper chinese "Hercules" in my case because I rarely go over 65 mph and usually 60 on the open road, my current set has about 15k and look like new

 

[Doubleone]

Your absolutely right, mileage depends on application, pressure, load, alignment, driving style, etc.  I find a good indicator is the tire wear and temperature ratings, but these are self-rated by the company so it's not an absolute.  The way it works is a rating of "A" is better than a "B".   More important is to match the tire to the application.  Look at the service code, which are numbers following the tire size.  For example, my Class C has LT225/75R16 115/112R.  Usually there's one service code number unless the tire is rated for dual applications then you'll find two.  The "115/112R" means if I use it as a single tire it's a 115 rating for a max load of 2679lbs, and if used in dual tire application each tire is rated a 112 with a max load of 2469lbs.  The "R" after my service code is the speed rating of 106mph (Q is 99mph, and S is 112mph).  So, buy a namebrand with proper service code and an A wear rating....

As for actual mileage on RV's... they sit most of the year and we usually don't wear out tires from miles.  If you put 10,000 miles a year it would take 10 years to get that 100,000 miles.   RV tires only last about 5-7 years before they unravel all by themselves so it really doesn't matter what the advertised mileage is.   When a tire gets old the threads pull away from the rubber like a run in a pair of pantyhose...  Plan to change RV tires at least every 5 years regardless of actual mileage, Michelins are dead reliable but peel tread right at 4 years.  You can read the date codes as the last four digits of the DOT number molded in the sidewall.   The first two numbers are the week and the last two are the year.  For example, a "1214" was manufactured the twelfth week of 2014, or March 2014. 

245 will be slightly wider and taller, throwing off the speedometer, and might not work in a dual application because of the tire cheek-to-cheek spacing.

 

[highdesertranger]

trying to predict what kind mileage someone will get out off any specific tire is a fools bet at best. generally speaking the more aggressive the tread the lower the mileage. off road driving cuts into your tire life. remember expeditors drive 100% highway driving. highdesertranger

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

 . . .
So what would your mileage expectation be?  60K?  80k?  And would you estimate more or less mileage out of an all-terrain tire  . . .

All I can give is personal experience:
Current vehicle = 2012 Ram 2500 4X4 with camper @ 8000 GVW.  
   Current tires are Cooper AT3s; 14,000 miles, little wear.
   Last tires BF Goodrich Rugged Trail (highway tire), went 60,000 miles.
Last vehicle = 1997 Dodge 1500 4X4, no camper.
   Bridgestone Desert Dueler, went 50,000 miles.
   Pirelli Scorpion, went 55,000 miles.

General rule of thumb:  You will get longer life and better milage from highway tires than A/T tires.  A/T tires will wear better/roll better than mud tires.

 

[AntiGroundhogDay]

All I can give is personal experience:
Current vehicle = 2012 Ram 2500 4X4 with camper @ 8000 GVW.  
   Current tires are Cooper AT3s; 14,000 miles, little wear.
   Last tires BF Goodrich Rugged Trail (highway tire), went 60,000 miles.
Last vehicle = 1997 Dodge 1500 4X4, no camper.
   Bridgestone Desert Dueler, went 50,000 miles.
   Pirelli Scorpion, went 55,000 miles.

General rule of thumb:  You will get longer life and better milage from highway tires than A/T tires.  A/T tires will wear better/roll better than mud tires.

Ok thanks for the personal feedback. I think I'll budget to replace every 50k.

 

[AntiGroundhogDay]

Your absolutely right, mileage depends on application, pressure, load, alignment, driving style, etc.  I find a good indicator is the tire wear and temperature ratings, but these are self-rated by the company so it's not an absolute.  The way it works is a rating of "A" is better than a "B".   More important is to match the tire to the application.  Look at the service code, which are numbers following the tire size.  For example, my Class C has LT225/75R16 115/112R.  Usually there's one service code number unless the tire is rated for dual applications then you'll find two.  The "115/112R" means if I use it as a single tire it's a 115 rating for a max load of 2679lbs, and if used in dual tire application each tire is rated a 112 with a max load of 2469lbs.  The "R" after my service code is the speed rating of 106mph (Q is 99mph, and S is 112mph).  So, buy a namebrand with proper service code and an A wear rating....

As for actual mileage on RV's... they sit most of the year and we usually don't wear out tires from miles.  If you put 10,000 miles a year it would take 10 years to get that 100,000 miles.   RV tires only last about 5-7 years before they unravel all by themselves so it really doesn't matter what the advertised mileage is.   When a tire gets old the threads pull away from the rubber like a run in a pair of pantyhose...  Plan to change RV tires at least every 5 years regardless of actual mileage, Michelins are dead reliable but peel tread right at 4 years.  You can read the date codes as the last four digits of the DOT number molded in the sidewall.   The first two numbers are the week and the last two are the year.  For example, a "1214" was manufactured the twelfth week of 2014, or March 2014. 

245 will be slightly wider and taller, throwing off the speedometer, and might not work in a dual application because of the tire cheek-to-cheek spacing.

Good point about tires rotting before the tread wears.  I plan to do 15-20k miles, so I hope to get all the life out of them.