I'd say even if you're off roading, which I do a ton of, I don't run a thick tire. I keep a full size spare, that's it. I don't have some major overlanding rig though, I drive south of Austin, way out west sometimes and occasionally new mexico/arizona/colorado. I can't speak for everywhere, but I get great mileage, ride, and plenty of fun done with a regular wildpeak 285/70/17. I don't go to the 10. the 6 is fine for me.Only about 6lbs difference between those two tires, so it won't make a huge difference in performance, but it could negatively impact ride quality to go to the 10-ply. As above, if you're not doing much off-roading, it's probably not worth it to get the 10-ply.
What about towing, would 4 ply be fine for towing anything the truck is capable of towing (Within the spec)?Our trucks are too light to make a 10 ply worth it in my very, very humble opinion. If you were doing a massive heavy overland build, 10 ply all day. Full size truck with a ton in the bed every single day running hot shot (tool delivery to way out of the city locations) yeah.
Me? It's me, two dogs, and a mostly empty bed beyond 10 gallons of gas and five gallons of water. extra 500 lbs in protection around her. I don't need a 10 ply.
Towed my boat (6000lb+) this summer with factory tires without issue. Would it have been better with a 10ply? Maybe.. is a 10ply necessary no.What about towing, would 4 ply be fine for towing anything the truck is capable of towing (Within the spec)?
Owner's manual has information about how to choose a load rating. Basically if the load rating of the tire divided by 1.10 is still greater than 50% of the gross axle weight rating, you're good to go. From what I've seen, even the 4-ply tires still have margin, so even if you're towing and have the axle at capacity, you're good.What about towing, would 4 ply be fine for towing anything the truck is capable of towing (Within the spec)?
This was a great help in ensuring I felt good about going with the 4 Ply passenger tire, I’m never going to go above the manual in load weights, and the tires give ample room for load on the axle. Thanks for this, it also gave me a bit of knowledge on loading!Owner's manual has information about how to choose a load rating. Basically if the load rating of the tire divided by 1.10 is still greater than 50% of the gross axle weight rating, you're good to go. From what I've seen, even the 4-ply tires still have margin, so even if you're towing and have the axle at capacity, you're good.