The LT. refers to the tire being rated for Light truck applications.  The P
rating indicates passenger car service.  When using P metric tires for light
trucks, you are supposed to de-rate the tire 10% from the sidewall rating.
Note that LT. tires are usually not rated for speed.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Lawrence Dongilli <buspilot@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM <Vanagon@VANAGON.COM>
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 1998 11:00 PM
Subject: Re: yet another tire question

>> 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