265/70/17 vs 285/70/17

[chopperman]

Guys I know this has been beat to death but I need some info. I know you can run 285's on the stock 06 17 wheels what I've been hearing from the tire stores is you can run 28570/17 D instead on E's becuse of the larger tire??? I still want this stiff ride from the E however it seem my options for tires are more with the D rated and don't cost an arm and a leg. I am just a daily driver haul very little and looking for a decent A/T tire that I don't have to sell the kids for in a 285/70/17 for my CTD 4X4. All inputs are welcome thanks Brian

 

[JVolpe]

I if you don't tow heavy or carry heavy loads a good weight rated D tire should be ok. I ran BFG 315/70R/17 ATs for 55,000 miles and now have BFG 285/70R/17 ATs off of a Power Wagon. I have not had any problems with either.

 

[BHolm]

Since you know that you may incite a firestorm:-{} I'll share my thoughts I have been running 285 D rated tires on stock rims for years. the notion that you are going to somehow end up with a squishy ride is false. Its still a stiffly sprung truck. I have had several sets of BFG AT KOs in the bigger size and now have GoodYear Wrangler Silent Armour Pro Grade ATs, what a freaking mouthful!



I run them at 50 psi front and 40 psi rear when empty. I live in an area that is all twisting turning up and down two lane mtn roads. Never had an instability issue. I like the cheaper GoodYear better than the BFG. Not usre what you are considering or where you live but if winter is a factor the GYears are the best I have run across in an AT tire. I think they are comparably priced to the Coopers so they are a decent buy. My are pretty worn now after 45k miles but are still showing excellent snow traction. I am surprised because the BFGs got pretty greasy on snow when worn similarly.



Anyway, you'll have no problems with the D rated tire. The tire store is correct, the actual wieght carrying capacity between a 265 E and a 285 D is nearly identical.

 

[WM-300]

A Load Range D may in fact work well, Until the day you have a tragic accident. If prosecution attorney can in any way point to a tire issue and you have D instead of E's as Dodge instructs to use, your a goner. Expert witness will bring out things about tires you never even heard about. He will easily point out why Load Range E were installed by Dodge when the truck was built. To save a few bucks now on tires, compared to financial destruction in court, go for it.



This is the Day and Age of SUE



Paul

 

[BHolm]

A Load Range D may in fact work well, Until the day you have a tragic accident. If prosecution attorney can in any way point to a tire issue and you have D instead of E's as Dodge instructs to use, your a goner. Expert witness will bring out things about tires you never even heard about. He will easily point out why Load Range E were installed by Dodge when the truck was built. To save a few bucks now on tires, compared to financial destruction in court, go for it.



This is the Day and Age of SUE



Paul

Paul,



Why the hysteria? What you are saying is completely contrived. There is no way that you will ever be liable in any way for what you describe. The load carry capacity in pounds is listed on the sidewall. IF you exceed that number and by some extremely freak chance somebody even checks after an accident, well then maybe. However, the LETTER MEANS NOTHING, the number is what will matter. The 285/70-17D tire is withing a few lbs of the 265/70-17E tire.



Put down the Kool-Aid... . walk away

 

[DHuffman]

A Load Range D may in fact work well, Until the day you have a tragic accident. If prosecution attorney can in any way point to a tire issue and you have D instead of E's as Dodge instructs to use, your a goner. Expert witness will bring out things about tires you never even heard about. He will easily point out why Load Range E were installed by Dodge when the truck was built. To save a few bucks now on tires, compared to financial destruction in court, go for it.



This is the Day and Age of SUE



Paul

Whatever.



Make sure the tires that you go with can handle the max load that you expect to carry. The BFG AT in 285/70 is listed as load range "D", but the load index (the quantifiable rating) is identical to the stock BFG 265/70 (load index 121/118, 3195 lb). They are also stock on the Power Wagon.

 

[WM-300]

Paul,



Why the hysteria? What you are saying is completely contrived. There is no way that you will ever be liable in any way for what you describe. The load carry capacity in pounds is listed on the sidewall. IF you exceed that number and by some extremely freak chance somebody even checks after an accident, well then maybe. However, the LETTER MEANS NOTHING, the number is what will matter. The 285/70-17D tire is withing a few lbs of the 265/70-17E tire.



Put down the Kool-Aid... . walk away

I am not walking away ! I will stay as long as I want !



Paul

 

[MConyers]

Nitto makes the Terra Grappler in the 285/70R17E - 32. 76 OD
Pro Comp Xtreme All Terrain in 305/65R17E - 32. 6 OD
Toyo Open Country A/T in 285/70R17E - 32. 7 OD


These are all spec'd to fit the 17x8 rim that come on most of the 3G Rams (assuming SRW). Of course, a lot more options in load range D, but more are becoming available in E all the time. Interesting, the Toyo A/T has at least 3 different 285/70R17 tires... load C, D and E. Heck, the 285C probably has enough weight rating for my truck, but I'd prefer to stick with the higher ply rating and all that that entails.

These are some of the tires I have been considering when I can find another set of wheels (currently running Toyo MT 295/70R17Es). I would like to have a set of (cheaper) ATs to wear out on the highway and back-and-forth to work... hopefully save the MTs for hunting and wood cutting (firewood) season.

18x9 wheels open up a whole new set of tire options, but they seem to all be pricier than the 17s for now.

 

[GButia]

I have run 3 sets of 285 D BFG ATtires on 3rd. gen ctd's... never 1 issue. I have the 285 17 E nitto terra grapplers on the 07. They performed well in the snow this past week. I just wanted to try something diferent this time around, the BFG'S were good tires. Not enough wear on the Nittos to know about durability yet.

 

[DHuffman]

Heck, the 285C probably has enough weight rating for my truck.

Nope.

I'd prefer to stick with the higher ply rating and all that that entails.

And what would that be?

more are becoming available in E all the time.

This is targeted marketing. If you look at alot of the "E" rated tires in the larger sizes, you will notice that the max inflation pressure remains at 65 psi.



The bottom line is that if the tire has a load index of 121 or greater you will be good to go.

 

[CMusgrove]

Brian,



All that I know about tires for a ram truck is what I have learned on this site. I do think when my OEM tires wear out I will look hard at the Toyo AT 285/75-17s. Per the Toyo site they are 33. 6" compared to 32. 7 for 285/70s and 31. 6 for the stock 265/70s. I think the higher tire without being any wider may work nicely? Also hoping to put the 70mph cruising down to about 1,850rpm which is where my truck gets its best gas mileage.



Charlie D.

 

[betterthanstock]

I have just cut up a few chunks of load range E tires from my local tire shop, to make some rubber washers. They contain exactly 2 plies, except at the rim wire, where the fabric is folded around for a couple of inches.

To support the same weight, a skinnier tire will need to run at a higher pressure, hence it will need to be rated for a higher load range, and it will be a stiffer tire. The load range differentiates two identical size tires, one made for a car, the other for a trailer, for example.

When I went to 315 tires, I noticed a softer turn-in characteristic, and a softer traction loss on curves (less sudden transition, due to more gradual sidewall flex), so I don't see how they are really more dangerous. You do give up some sportiness, in exchange for a cushier ride.

 

[2broke2smoke]

Paul,



Why the hysteria? What you are saying is completely contrived. There is no way that you will ever be liable in any way for what you describe. The load carry capacity in pounds is listed on the sidewall. IF you exceed that number and by some extremely freak chance somebody even checks after an accident, well then maybe. However, the LETTER MEANS NOTHING, the number is what will matter. The 285/70-17D tire is withing a few lbs of the 265/70-17E tire.



Put down the Kool-Aid... . walk away

amen brother ... i've always run load range D's after the originals wear out

 

[Giachino]

I run the Nitto 285 E's... happy with the noise and perfromance... . the wear isnt going to last to 30k miles... but a lot of that has to do with my smarty. My personal preference is to stick with E rated tires, but that's just me.

 

[DHuffman]

If you really want to be informed on this issue, read the following document. Your tire dealer should be able to go over this with you should you have any questions.

http://marktg. toyotires.com/file/loadinflationtable.pdf



As an example, my GAWR F/R are 5200/6010. With the OEM 265/70s, Dodge specifies F/R inflation to 60 PSI/70 PSI. When you look those pressures up in the table, the respective loads are 2760/3005. Multiply those by two and you get 5520/6010 - which match your GAWR. If you change to a 285/70 you need to use the following pressures 50 PSI/60 PSI which is 2755/3070 or 5510/6140.

 

[SDockler]

Thanks for all the information. This is the issue I was pondering. Now, from my research, Tire preasure has to do with volumn, the bigger the tire the less preasure is needed to fill the volumn. So if the construction is the same and the rating is the same then you are good to go...

 

[WAnderstrom]

I ran BFG 285's on my 04, pretty heavy too. I had a sled deck with 3 fourwheelers on it as well as pull a 7k TT. I put 15k on in four months on rough alaska roads with no problems.

 

[SDockler]

Looks like a big thumbs up for the 285's.

 

[Mike_0521]

The D load range will ride softer. But not much. I wish my 285's had the same ride as my 265's. But the a/t is worth it plus the great looks. Im moving up to a 305/70/17.

 

[SDockler]

Does anybody know the definition of the letter rating ie... D E ? and has anybody checked out the Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo Tires? From what I have read they are one of the top rated tires...