now im not picking on you headhunter thats good advice, but ive seen the reference of P tires vs LT tires several times before.  this is another misconception.  granted P tires, when mounted on a truck or suv are rated, i believe at 9 or 10% less than the max weight rating stamped on the sidewall. but if the rating is appropriate why does it matter if its P or LT?  my 02 trailblazer came with P tires, the GVWR is 5550, the tires were rated at 2094 max so subtract the 10% and you get 1885 which multipiled by 4 tires is 7540..well above the max GVWR. you may also notice 3 tires are aprox the max GVWR, it is MY understanding (after talking with a tire manufaturer) this is to prevent internal damage to the 3 remaining tires in the event of a blowout.  most vechicles ive checked, and trailers for that matter, are set up with 3 tires aprox. equal to the GVWR.

interesting, are you refering to the physical ply or the max psi--old ply equivalent?

i just switched my worn out P OEM tires to an 8 ply equivalent BFG...car tires are just no good in the field.

i will say it handles different, dont know if id go so far as to say it helps stop sway but i wont say it doesnt. never had much sway problem, had a 2h straight bp dont remember it ever swaying. have this 2h slant w/dress bp now, it has yet to sway.  i will say i was concerned about the noise and ride of an All Terrain tire 8 ply tire, but it turned out to ride quietly and smoothly not like the what i remembered. i kept the OEM size, just needed the all terrain tread pattern, only have 2wd w/lsd need all the bite i can get.

nice to see someone else has a firm grasp on tires.

From what I remember a "P" passenger tire is similar to 4 ply. When Nissan introduced the Titain and Armada last year, they had "P" rated tires on them for better handling and though I asked many times, but they never answered my question on how many ply rated they were. The GMC Denali Quadrasteer has "P" rated tires but is rated by GMC to tow the highest trailer capacity of the Quadrasteers, where the HD 1500, 2500 and Suburban 2500 Quadrsteers, have "E" 10 ply rated tires. But I've seen the Denali with heavy trailers attached and we had to over inflate the "P" tires to support the weight and not have so much sidewall flex, where the E- 10ply tires at their proper air pressure didn't flatten much. So I would conclude that under loaded conditions a LT tire would flex less, heat less and last longer than a "P" rated tire.

You're are right ratings go up by two:

C= 6 ply, D= 8, E= 10, F= 12, G= 14

Get a weight distribution hitch with sway control for your trailer and you should be ok. You are not hauling a freight train..... The weight of a two horse trailer should be more than ok for a 1/2 ton truck of any kind... Just make sure you have a towing package on the suburban and it is in good repair and if you are looking at a used vehicle have it checked out by your auto repair man. Or buy from a well known dealer not some side of the road used car place...

Good Luck and hope you and your have fun riding...