> From: Mark McCulley <raven@HALCYON.COM>

> Michelin offers the LTX M/S tire in both LT195/75/14 and P205/70/14. The
> P205 tire has a higher load rating than the LT195 tire. Is there more to
an
> LT designation than the load rating?

...my hunch is that it has to do with nothing more than the extra square
inches
of volume in the larger tire and the slightly larger contact patch.  A
larger tire with
the same pressure should be able to carry a greater load....or the same
load with
less pressure.    As an example, I have read that tires on the really huge
earth
moving dump trucks have pressure that is in low single digit psi pressures.
 A
typical skinny tire on a road racing bicycle, on the other hand, will have
pressures
well in excess of 100 psi!

By the way, we recently purchased the Michelin LTX MS 195/75 R14 (6 ply)
for our '87 GL Syncro.  So far, we like 'em.  Didn't care for the raised
white
lettering though, so in addition to having the tires mounted with the
lettering
inside, I took a permanent black marker and blacked out the lettering.
Works
well.

Lawrence Dongilli