How To Select The Right Tires For Your Tow Vehicle

Racers are usually laser-focused on the performance of their race vehicles, so it’s easy to neglect the other parts of the racing operation. One area that can easily be ignored is the tow vehicle, and specifically, the tires. We talked with the team at Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels and learned a few things about the kind of tires you want to outfit your tow vehicle with.

Most weekend warrior drag racers are using a pickup truck to pull the flatbed or enclosed trailer that hauls their operation to the track. That same truck is probably used for other tasks besides pulling a trailer, so it needs to retain its multi-purpose capabilities. Not all tires are the same, so that’s why you really have to pay attention to the ratings and features of the tires you put on your truck.

Tire Ratings And Features

The size of a tire is just the first thing to think about when it comes time to equip a tow vehicle with new shoes. You need to think about the load you’ll be pulling, the kind of driving experience you want, and the type of performance you expect from your tires. If you don’t consider all of these factors, there’s a good chance the tires you select won’t be the best fit for your application.

Heather Tausch, Director of Product Management at Mickey Thompson Tires & Wheels, talks about a critical number to be aware of when buying tires for a towing application.

“One of the most important items to consider when selecting a tire for your on-road vehicle is the new tire’s load index. The load index shouldn’t be confused with the tire’s load range rating. The load index of the new tire needs to meet or exceed the load index of the tire originally equipped on the vehicle. This helps to keep the tire from being overloaded.”

 You’ll want to select a tire with a load index that’s equivalent to or greater than the OE tire used on the vehicle. – Heather Tausch, M/T

So, what is a tire load index and why is it so important? The tire load index is actually the rating for how much load a tire can carry when fully inflated. This number isn’t the actual weight the tire can carry, it’s the number that represents the load index on a tire load index chart. The chart is what you want to use to find the right tire for your application. As the load index number goes up, so does the load capacity of the tire. You’ll want to look at tires with a load index of 119 or higher for towing. The…