BFGoodrich Tires and Heavy Towing: Load Range, Wear, and Better Options

ByWyatt Brooks

Why Your BFGoodrich Tires Wore Out While Towing

The short answer: load range, not brand, is probably what got you. Pulling 9,000 pounds behind a 6,500-pound van puts serious sustained stress on rear tires — stress that most standard LT tires weren’t built to absorb mile after mile at highway speeds. When a tire runs close to its design load ceiling, heat builds in the carcass, the tread compound works harder, and wear accelerates fast.

BFGoodrich makes solid tires. But “solid tire” and “right tire for this job” aren’t always the same thing.

Load Range: The Number That Actually Matters

Every LT tire carries a load range rating — C, D, E, or F — that tells you how much weight it can handle at a given air pressure. For heavy towing, the relevant ones are D and E.

  • Load Range D: max load roughly 2,540–3,040 lbs per tire at 65 PSI
  • Load Range E: max load roughly 3,042–3,640 lbs per tire at 80 PSI

Do the math for a 6,500-pound van towing 9,000 pounds. A trailer’s tongue weight — typically 10–15% of its total weight — transfers directly to your rear axle. Add the vehicle’s rear axle weight and those two rear tires are carrying a lot. A Load Range D tire might technically clear the rating on paper, but running near the ceiling for thousands of towing miles generates the kind of sustained heat and flex that kills tread early and unevenly.

Load Range E gives you headroom. Headroom means lower operating temperatures and longer tread life under sustained load. That’s the whole game when you’re towing heavy.

Where BFGoodrich Actually Fits

BFGoodrich’s most popular all-terrain tires — the All-Terrain T/A KO2 and the newer KO3 — are available in Load Range E sizes, which is good news. Both hold up reasonably well for trucks that tow regularly. The KO3 improved on the KO2’s tendency to cup slightly at the shoulders if rotation schedules slip, and it rates higher for wet grip. The KO2 still carries a 50,000-mile warranty and has a long track record.

Neither is a deep-mud or serious winter tire. They’re all-terrain tires with a highway bias, workable for towing but not purpose-built for sustained heavy loads.

For heavy-duty work, BFGoodrich has the HD-Terrain T/A KT. Ten-ply construction, Load Range E, CoreGuard sidewall protection. In field testing it handled pulling over 14,000 pounds on pavement without abnormal wear or instability — a meaningfully different product than the standard all-terrain lineup. If you’re running a van near max GVWR and towing regularly, this is the BFG to actually look at.

Better Choices for Pure Highway Towing

If you’re not going off-road, an aggressive all-terrain tread pattern generates extra heat at highway speeds without giving you anything in return. A highway or highway-terrain tire in the right load range will outlast it under towing stress every time.

Tires that consistently rate well for heavy towing:

  • Michelin Defender LTX M/S2 — The benchmark for highway towing. Exceptional treadwear scores, strong wet traction, available in Load Range E. Expensive, but it earns that over the long haul.
  • BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 — The BFG to pick if you still need off-road capability alongside towing. Better wet grip and less shoulder cupping under load than the KO2.
  • Sumitomo Encounter HT2 — Matches top-tier towing ratings at a lower price. Solid all-season traction and strong load indices without the premium cost.
  • Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT — A well-regarded all-terrain option for mixed towing and light trail use. Holds up well under sustained load in Load Range E sizing.

Tire Pressure When Towing

Run your tires at or near their max rated PSI when towing. Most people don’t. Running even 10 PSI under the rating while heavily loaded changes the tire’s contact patch and increases internal heat buildup — both of which accelerate wear. Check cold pressure before every long towing trip, not after you’ve driven a few miles to the pump.

Rotation schedule matters more than most people realize. Towing puts disproportionate stress on the rear tires. Rotating every 5,000 miles — instead of the usual 7,500–8,000 — keeps wear even across the full set and extends the life of all four.

Don’t Rule Out the Van Itself

Worn suspension components, misaligned rear wheels, or a sagging rear spring pack can eat tires regardless of brand or load range. An older van with high miles hauling a heavy trailer is working its rear suspension hard on every trip. A tow-ready alignment check — specifically rear toe and camber — can catch problems before they destroy your next set of tires. Worth doing before blaming the rubber.

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