Tires, is there a right answer?
 

I've read so many pages of info related to tires, I just can't read anymore. :(
Analysis paralysis :confused:
The problem shouldn't be this difficult.
I have a 1996 S10 - 4.3 v6 with an automatic, and 250k miles on the clock and it need tires. 22 to 23mpg is what I've been getting very consistently. Mostly interstate driving. No need for off road or snow tires.
I want something that will not reduce mpg and also will last for a few years. (15k miles per yr) After all the reading, am I wrong to think that LT tires should do better than a P rated tire? If that is correct, should they do enough better to pay for the difference, since LT tires cost more?
And what about LRR tires?
205/75-15 is what is recommended. It wouldn't bother me to run a slightly different size, if the availability / price is better in another size.
Thoughts or suggestions appreciated.

On a truck you will find that your tires need to handle the loads you tow around

If your like me and don’t care about that you can put LRR car tires on the front and LT on the rear, air em up to sidewall max and live with faster wear.

Most folks want their tires to last though

Thanks for the reminder. I don't haul anything with any real weight. Mostly just my paraglider, paramotor, and a few gallons of fuel (under 100lbs). I don't know what the fiberglass topper weighs, 100lbs? so 200lbs total + or -.
If I put p rated on the front and LT in the back, then I can't rotate the tires.

I didnt think LT tires help mileage over a P tire, I thought the extra plies were actually a mileage penalty. If you’re loading your truck and the back end squirms around at all, then I’d go for a LT tire, otherwise I’d run a P tire.
So assuming largely commuter type service, from tire racks offerings, I’d probably stick a stock size hankook kinergy st on it.

If they are the same size you can rotate but you need to take care of when and how long, on my 2wd trucks not being able to rotate wasn’t a big deal but YMMV

NON LT tires need to be inflated fully above the door placard on a truck or they tend to blow sidewalls as an FYI

Even when they are rated for your loads, sucks but over 30 years of playing that game it just seems to work that way.

If you want buy a set of LRR tires off the discount rack at Walland and test them all around
If your truck is light enough they might still provide good service the worst that will happen is a prematurely blown tire

Good Luck

If you've read a lot about tires and fuel economy, then you shouldn't need to ask the question. But allow me to repeat myself.

There is a technology triangle involving treadwear, traction (especially wet traction) and rolling resistance (fuel economy). In order to get better results in one category, one or both of the others has to be sacrificed. Typically, treadwear is very important to the consumer, so most tires are designed in that direction - usually at the expense of RR.

But tires supplied to the OEM (vehicle manufacturers) are designed at the request of the OEM to have good RR, and treadwear and traction are compromised in the process.

Further, LRR is a relative term. It means better RR compared to other tires with similar treadwear and traction properties. All OE tire will be LRR - and actually have low RR. But most tires labeled LRR don't actually have low RR values - they only have better RR by comparison.

LT tires? As a general rule, LT tires are worse for RR. They are designed beefier in order to carry higher loads than P type tires and RR suffers as a result.

In this case, you are dealing with an older vehicle and the tire size has fallen out of favor. You just won't find many options. I did Tire Rack and only found 4 all season tires available.

Changing the tire size to P215/70R15 and there are more options (27) and some of them are LRR. (Please note: Tire Rack uses the term "Eco Focus" instead of LRR because of the confusion between tires that have low RR values and those that are just better by comparison.)

I'm afraid your options are limited.

Your S10 certainly doesn't need LT tires, most full size half tons don't even call for LT tires, at least the years I'm familiar with. My 94 F150 4wd stock tire size is a P235/75/15XL. The XL is a slightly higher load rating than without the XL designation, but it's still a P tire, only 6-plies.

I would never put an LT tires on something as small as an S10, because if you're looking to carry that kind of weight you need something bigger, or you will be way overloaded.

Don't put p metric tires on a truck.
If you really don't want to pay for LT or flotation size tires get a car.
The weaker size walls and lower inflation pressure could likely result in worse fuel milage even if you use a p metric LRR tire compared to using a low rolling resistance LT highway tire.

When I worked at the local Ford garage, all the new half tons came in with P designation tires. Every old Half-ton I've seen (including mine) also designates a P tire. I've only every seen LT tires specified on 3/4 ton plus, which is why half tons have tire pressure specs of 35-41 PSI, and 3/4 and tonners specify 65-80, depending on tire location.

My '94 F150 has had several sets of P- tires over the years. Once upon a time I tried a set of LT tires and boy was I glad you could return them if you didn't like them! Rough riding and noisy. In 28 years of work and towing I haven't ruined a P- tire due to loading. I agree that a little compact truck almost always will fare better with P- tires.