That is wrong, passenger passenger tires do have thinner side walls but they still go to 6ply and can handle the weight of the Disco.
I have passenger tires on my truck, 4ply, 44psi max, I run them at 40psi, I have a ARB winch bumper on the front too.
I wanted light truck tires, but I ordered online and they sent me passenger tires and I had to pay for return shipping.
So I kept them, the weight rating in 2,100lbs each.
They've been on my truck for 5? years now, off road too.
Thats all that matters, is the weight rating and side wall plys (layers) depending on what you are going to be doing with them.
Rock crawling and being fully loaded, you want a LT 8-10ply tire.
Snow tires for driving to work and back, passenger tires are just fine.
My wifes mini van weights more than a stock Disco, it also has passenger tires on it.

 

In any case Ill stick with light truck tires for all my future tire needs. Lots of useful information provided thanks to you guys and I really appreciate it. Kind of strange that websites who sell tires and offer passenger and light truck tires dont also have a summery of the difference between the to. So thank you all very much for your input here. I will also look into the sites you guys recommended for new tires. Hopefully mine will hope out another season or so........

 

Beware of buying online, that cheap price does not include installation and balancing which is $20 per tire around here.
So add $80 to the total cost of your new tires.
Plus some of those discount tire web stores sell old outdated tires but you'll never know until you get them.
I have just found it best to buy tires local.

 

Valid points here Spike and your right. I used to buy all my tires from VIP auto. They always had dam good warranties included with their tire packages. I guess Ive become so accustomed to buying all my rover parts online (due to better pricing and relevant compatibility) that it never crossed my mind to buy tires locally. I adopted the notion that local businesses are evil greedy people who know nothing about whats best for me or my beloved Rover!

 

In the past few years when I have had tires replaced on multiple vehicles, I ask to see the actual tires they are going to put on before they install them. Give them a good looking over. Check the manufacture date. I do not like them more than a year or so old. Also, look for blemishes. They say they do not make the tire weaker and cause no problems, but since i am buying, I make that decision, and I do not want them. You do not want to find out these things after they are mounted and balanced and paid for, and you look at them before you drive away or when you get home.

I have 10 ply LT245/75/16E tires on my D2, and they work great. I can tell you that going D rated (8 ply) would make the tire a little lighter and still be a good strong sidewall for off-road, so I may go that route next time around.

Make sure you get a matching size spare with some decent thread. Whether it is new and the same tire brand/model is up to you, but matching size is really what you need. I ran with the stock spare for about a year after going up in tire size, before getting a used tire from a used tire store that must of been a spare, as it had never been used. Going out in freezing weather in the snow with small kids on the trail made me not want to wish I had the same size spare this trip if the need arose.

 

If you read the specs of two tires in the same size/type, one LT and the other not, the difference becomes obvious.
Also, you can't go just by ply rating/load range. LT's come in 4-12ply ratings.

 

Tom, when you say 4-10 ply, are you referring to the sidewall or the tread? It's different plies on all the tires I've had.

 

Tread. Most radials have 2 or 3 ply side walls. Now on bias ply tires, the plies run from bead to bead, at an angle, so a 10 ply tire is 10 ply everywhere.

 

I was talking tread. LT sidewalls are typically 1, 2 or 3 ply.

 

Thanks, I was worried when I got my studded snows and they were only 2-3 ply sidewalls. They felt like babies compared to my KM2s, you can drop the KM2s from 10 feet and they retain their shape.

I've done a bit of off roading with my studded snows and one benefit they have from being soft, is that they conform to every feature for more traction.