Tire opinion

[Simms]

I want to run either a 33"or 35" BFG mud TA or All-Terrain. I can only find tires in this size rated "D". I do tow my show truck on a 20' trailer (total weight around 10k lb. ) approximately 5 times a year. Is an "E" rated tire a must? The BFG's are rated somewhere over 3000lb at 65psi.

 

[DannyCornelius]

I've pulled my toyhauler several times on ProComps which have a D rating with no problems except very fast tread wear.

 

[DPelletier]

I've had this conversation a couple of dozen times and there are those that'll say they've been doing it forever and its fine. The point I'll make is that the load rating of the tire is only part of the equation. The additional air pressure that the E-rated tires can take (80psi vs. 65psi) translates into a significant difference in stability and lateral movement of the tire. If you've ever had a trailer on the highway start to "have the tail wagging the dog", you'll appreciate how unpleasant this situation is and although an unstable situation has more to do with the trailer loading, tongue weight and axle placement (as well as the trailer tires themselves), the stiffer sidewalls on the tow vehicle will mitigate the situation. I don't know if your "five times a year" is five 2mi flat rural trips or five weekends of 1000mi at 75mph through the mountains so make your decision accordingly. Personally, I bought my truck to tow and haul stuff and I don't take it off road, so my decision to allways run E's is an easy one. Do what you will, but keep this in mind.



Hope this helps,

Dave

 

[Simms]

Thanks for the advice guys.



My trips are usually a few hours (2-6hr) trips on the highway to shows.



I did find a Parnelli Jones Dirt Grip tire that is 33" and load rating E. It is more expensive, but probably worth the the extra piece of mind for me.



I'd hate to loose this load.

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[DPelletier]

Nice.



Dave

 

[DannyCornelius]

That is a bad rig! The one on the trailer isn't too shabby either.

 

[Simms]

Thanks guys. Here are some closer pics of the toy.

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[SteveMiller]

DPelletier is right about the truck wagging more with the taller tires but it has more to do with there being more sidewall to flex.



The D rating on a larger tire will hold the same weight as an E rating in a smaller tire. The D and E has to do with the pressure the tire can hold in not how much it can carry. You can carry the same weight at a lower pressure with a larger volume of air.



Personally I think you can get away with the taller D rated tire and tow that just fine as long as the trailer is properly balanced. However, If you have any waggle in the trailer at speed now, even a small amount that you don't really notice, I wouldn't go up in tire size.



I pull a 12k and 15k lb trailer (neither perfectly balanced but I can't change the load). The 12k I'll pull with my 2500 with larger tires and get waggle at 65+, the 15k I will only pull with my 3500 dually because the waggle is too bad with a single wheel with any tire.



Don't know if this helps but basically the D,E rating doesn't matter too much as long as the tire is rated for the right weight. Stability of the taller tire is the concern. If you can find a taller tire that is E rated the sidewall should be stiffer which may help with stability. Or waggle may not be an issue with your set up which means the larger D tire will be a great choice.



Happy decision making.

 

[SteveMiller]

My fiance is from Beaver, PA by the way so I know there is plenty of rolling hills and up and down driving around that way. That's something else to consider. Trailers always seem to like to try to come about you on downhills. I have lots of fun with that in the rockies but good trailer brakes help alot. anyway, if you ever don't feel comfortable coming down an incline there is another good reason to stay with the smaller stiffer tires.



Oh and that is a dang nice lookin truck.

 

[Simms]

I am actually very impressed with the way my setup pulls. I usually go 70-75mph with no problems and no waggle. I don't know if the weight distribution hitch helps this or not, but it has pulled perfect since day one. I would say I am confident the trailer is balanced very well.

 

[Spooled-up]

If you were interested in 35's, Toyo makes the Open Country M/T in a load range E. They might come out with some 33's that would work. They do answer e-mails eventually, so give them a shout.



Nice trucks by the way!

 

[SteveMiller]

In that case, I'm willing to bet the tire change your looking at will not affect it enough for you to notice or not be happy with it. My friend has 33's and pulls a well balanced 12k setup and he's always been happy with it. He runs the BFGs, goes about 75-80 everywhere and is happy going I-70 over the rockies.



Good luck

 

[clem]

If you want a big tire to carrie a lot of weight and and very little side wall flex and your wheels will take the pressure the side walls have steel in them no nylon. Good Year Makes a 235/85 R16 load "G". G614 is the name, they take 110 psi. They are big and wide and tow great a lot of big trailers use them. Just adding my 2 cents

 

[Spooled-up]

235/85 R16

I think he has an '03 or '04 and a 16" wheel won't fit.

 

[clem]

OOPS

 

[Duluth Diesel]

That Toyo requires an 18 inch rim. Hmm... .

 

[MMiller]

Here's my $.02

I went from stock "e"s to 33x12. 6X16. 5 BFG mts, on 9. 75" wide rims. I was concerned with the "d" rating. I tow pretty heavy, and the truck tows more then regular driving.



My e's had some wiggle about 70 mph. I always though I needed a rear sway bar. When I went to the larger wider tire, I have had no squirmy since then. Had to turn up the pump to compensate for the larger diameter tires. I do pull a goosneck, I recommend them all the time. I also do haul 2 pickup trucks on my goosneck at the same time. See my pics in reader rides. I run the tires at max psi when towing, and 35 when empty. I keep good tires on it all them time. I have not noticed increased tire wear going to the mud tread, but then again, I do spin them "occasionally" from the stop lights.



As a side note, I have noticed most all "camper special" trucks in my area run wagon wheels with a 12. 5 wide tire in the rear, and stock width tires up front. You know the trucks, ford made a bunch of 2wd 3/4 tons set up to haul in the 70's. I reason that a wider tire may be more stable then a narrow one.



Hope you have good luck with your decision. I am "not growed up yet" and won't be going back to stock tires for a long time. I like the way the truck looks, and it does what I need it too, when i need it too.



Michael

 

[DPelletier]

Steve makes a good point about the sidewall height and as I suspected you have recieved advice from a number of people running D rated tires suggesting you'll be fine with D's. And you may well be, but to reiterate my point; if you have 80psi in one tire and 65psi in another tire of identical size, the 80psi tire will be firmer and more stable with less sidewall flex. Yes, the larger D tire with a larger volume of air may be rated at a load carrying capacity as high or higher than the stock size E's, but the stability of the D's is less. Period.

Many people like the look of larger, more aggressive tires and decide based on the load ratings that life is good. I'm not suggesting that this is necessarily a bad thing, just that for towing at or near maximum GVWR/GCWR you are taking a step backward with any D rated tire.



Myself, I too would be hard pressed to keep running the stock size E on a SRW because frankly, it looks small on the truck. Luckily for me the stock DRW tire size seems to look like it fits the truck much better.





Dave

 

[Berrigan]

I used to run D rated tires on my old srw one ton. I had a 3800 lb camper in the bed and it worked ok but side wall flex was most of the rocking problem. With E tires and or with drw you are alot more stable. My 2cents.

 

[mcoleman]

Michyln now carries the LTX M/S in a 285-75-16 which is E rated and is 33 inches tall but I don't know if they have it in a 17 inch for the 03 and up trucks. I'm going with the 285 BFG K/Os as I found the LTX's to not be agressive enough for use on the farm and at various trailrides we go on. Anyone know a place cheaper than Discount Tire Direct or Sams to order them from. So far those are the cheapest by a bunch. 706. 00 or 708. 00 a set is the best quote I've seen so far.