2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission When do I need "E" rated tires

[Clmsnow]

I tow every weekend in the winter, about 1500lbs. I am considering buying a new trailer that would put my tow weight up to 7000lbs. Do I honestly need an E rated tire or would a D rated(3415lb) tire suffice?

 

[Regcabguy]

"E" rated tire.

I tow every weekend in the winter, about 1500lbs. I am considering buying a new trailer that would put my tow weight up to 7000lbs. Do I honestly need an E rated tire or would a D rated(3415lb) tire suffice?

Get the "E". It's what the truck was supplied with. With the state of lawsuits these days,D/C supplied these trucks with "E" rated tires. I get it.

 

[BTowler]

Since the vehicle plaquard says "E" I think it is a DOT requirement. I did not know this, but when I bought my truck it had C's on it. The tire shop I went to said I had to put E's, they couldn't put anything else on it.

 

[AMink]

I ran Ds on my 97. They will "suffice", even while pulling. I am going to stick with E's on my 06 though. Even if I don't need the weight capacity, I get two more belts to help ease my mind against holes. Also, there are more sizes in E now for us to choose from. For a long time, there were very few choices and trucks with lifts just looked funny with 245/75's. :-laf I think I've seen up to 315's in E now. JMO

 

[Clmsnow]

I found a set of tires I like the E's are rated at 3750 and the D's are 3415. Is 3415 not enough for me?

 

[WadePatton]

The truck is rated for E's in the stock sizes. When you go larger than stock size, the weight rating goes up with the tire volume. So you can drop down the belt ratings and retain practically the same load capacity.



That being said--I'll always try to get the E. The E tire will be stiffer and handle better--with some ride quality sacrifice. But then if you want ride quality--go buy a car. The E should also be more durable and a tad heavier.



I don't frown too much on oversized D's, but a C in any size is too spongy for me. I feel better on underinflated (per ratings) E's than max filled D's. All my 265's are E-rated. Wife is on 315's in D. I think my 285's are E as well. My sister just put on some 305's in E. Now that's a tire.



Another thingy that I take as true. The old # of belts/plys is a misnomer. In the old days all belts were made of the same sized wires/cords--hence higher load ratings required higher number of belts/plys. Now the number of belts (within a general category) are the same, but heavier wires/cords are used in the higher ratings.

 

[PC12Driver]

Empty, you've got about 5,000 lbs on the front axle (2,500 lbs/tire) and about 3,000 lbs on the rear (1,500 lbs/tire). The D range tires you suggested will work just fine. Tire wise, they would put your carrying capacity to almost 7k lbs on the rear axle (almost 4k lbs of payload). There's no way you'll exceed that with a 7,000 lbs bumper-pull trailer.



If I was pulling long distances in the middle of summer heat and I was close to my tire's capacity, I'd go for the higher rating. Since you're not anywhere near any of those (especially the tire capacity), you've got nothing to worry about.



The letter rating is relative. The weight rating is what matters.

 

[JPittinger]

The letter rating is relative. The weight rating is what matters.

I [respectfully] disagree. The sidewall plys make a difference, especially with the weight of our front ends. I've done my own 'taste test': tried D's and imediately switched to E's. I bought the E's. They are stiffer, hold more air pressure, and [in my opinion] the only way to go when steering the lead brick between our front fenders.

-JJ

 

[bkroupa]

I have run two sets of 285 D rated tires. 60k on the 1st set of Yokohama's, 25k on the Michelins that still look new. I tow a 8k TT & run alot of hwy. The size is relative, my 285D's are capable of significantly more weight than the original size E's

 

[kelly4463]

Do the right thing run E rated tires thats what the truck came with ... .

If you put a good set of tires on like (michelin) LTX M/S you will have a nice ride !!!!

 

[PC12Driver]

I [respectfully] disagree. The sidewall plys make a difference, especially with the weight of our front ends. I've done my own 'taste test': tried D's and imediately switched to E's. I bought the E's. They are stiffer, hold more air pressure, and [in my opinion] the only way to go when steering the lead brick between our front fenders.

-JJ

I agree that the Es are stiffer and would be the better choice if he was hauling heavy or more frequently. But, he's already running Ds. Going by his original post, I think he's mainly concerned with the weight capacity and whether or not he needs to upgrade tires with due to the weight of the new trailer. The tires he's got have plenty of weight capacity for what he's doing.

 

[Regcabguy]

Just say no to D's

I have run two sets of 285 D rated tires. 60k on the 1st set of Yokohama's, 25k on the Michelins that still look new. I tow a 8k TT & run alot of hwy. The size is relative, my 285D's are capable of significantly more weight than the original size E's

Just for the heck of it,buy the "E"'s next time. Speaking from experience(partly from dumping the "Fred Flintstone" BFG technology) to Toyo's "round tire" technology and upgrading to an "E" it made a world of difference. Experiencing tire failure on one of these things is frightening to say the least. After seeing firsthand what a "D" rated Bridgestone A/T failing does to your truck at 65mph,I've elected to insist on "E"s The selection of "E" rated tires in oversized tires is pretty good now. I'm lucky AAA fixed my truck. If I were them one look at my underated tire would have voided my coverage.

 

[ChrisOlson]

Speaking from experience

http://www.tdr1.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1573091#post1573091

I would never go to a d again A blow out on the left front at 65 mph was very scary I run toyos 285 load range e now very happy.

a little louder than last les schwab garbage but much better.

my 2 cents worth.

 

[Grizzly]

Spend the money and get "E" rated. How much more can they cost.

 

[FDNYMOPARGUY]

I really don't think it matters. The only tire failure I ever experianced was with an "E" rated tire. It was the front left tire. The only extra weight up front is a grill guard (75 lbs. ) and a plow mount (50 lbs. ). 285/75R16s rated at 3750 each. Inflated to 72 lbs. (90% capacity). What happened? I thought "E"s were the way to go? Only 25000 miles (mostly highway) on them with about 5000 to go. Never had any problems with "D"s.

 

[DBogo]

the guy i bought my truck off of had pep boys put on "C" rated tires, can they legally even do that?

 

[bkroupa]

My understanding is it has nothing to do with the letter designation, just the load capacity.

 

[JPittinger]

Yeah, they just make that 'letter' stuff up...

 

[ChrisOlson]

I was told that the letter desinegation means how many sidewall plys.



the les schwab load range d had 2 ply sidewall

my new toyos load range e have 6 ply side wall

just as i understand it.



chris