My old pickup ('92) ran passenger tires...275/60R15. I towed at 70 with them inflated to the max of 35 lbs. and never had a problem. They did wear out fast, but they did that whether I was towing or not due to their section width. Those I run now are a step between passenger and LT tires on 20" rims. They run higher pressures, but that's because they are huge.

When in doubt, look at the sidewall of the tire. All sorts of info is contained there in black and black. Load capacity, pressure, temperatue, wearability, etc. Wear, traction, temperature and stuff found on the tag are for personal info...sort of comfort food. The standards are arbitrary and are determined by the manufacturer...not a govt. agency.
The two things to note are ply rating (not necessarily true ply) and load capacity. Some of even the smallest tires have a load rating of over 1,000 lbs., static. Take a tandem axle trailer, and you have tires that will hold 4000 lbs. Most car/trailer combos are more than that, but it's an example.

In a vehicle such as your Tahoe, passenger car tires will work fine, but they will wear out faster than LT tires. The main difference is in how they handle adverse weather. LT tires simply don't have the traction in wet that car tires do...but they carry more load and wear longer. The trade off is heat. On a suburban, particularly a 3/4 ton, I'd run LT tires exclusively. You compromise the towing/weight carrying capacity on anything less. Simply put, if you feel you need that heavy chassis, then why cheat yourself.


Bill, if you've got a tire that is rated at 44lbs max. compared to 35 on the rest, someone did you no favors when you bought the replacement. I assume your wheels are 15 in or, maybe 16's. You've got a heavier ply tire on your Tahoe, and you should feel the difference in handling and ride.

Nothing sucks more that sitting on the side of the road with a flat on the trailer or truck. I've never had the problem on the truck, or the trailer since I took control of all the variables involved (that I can). I have had a hitch break, but that's another thread.