Recently I went to a Load range C General Grabber X3 from a load range E Kanati Trail hog. Both are 3 ply sidewall tires. They Kanati’s did phenomenal with the abuse I put them through. Lots of sharp rocks while air’d down, and great traction overall. They’re basically a knock off of the Duratrac. Lots of high speed rally stuff in the desert also.

While they held up fantastic, the rig always felt “over tired” if you will for a lack of a better way to describe it. It had a set of 245-something SL tires before I went to the 265/75/16 Kanati’s. Obviously it’s an apples to pineapple comparison between a 245 street tire and 265LTE basically mud tire. But the one thing that always nagged at me was how “heavy” the tires felt while driving. They just didn’t want to roll easily and sucked out the power. If I set the tire pressure to 38-40, it basically solved the rolling issue on the road to wherever I go wheeling, but it rode like wooden wheels. Anything under 36 psi and the 4runner almost couldn’t make it to interstate speed. At 30 psi, over 60 was difficult.

Now my impression of these LTC generals are only on the street so far. Lately I’ve just been just working on the rig (installing a winch and new seat belts/seats this week) instead of out wheeling it. So I need to get out and deflate them, do a few 60mph burns through the desert and some crawling…. But, man o man does the 4runner feel so much lighter on its feet with the Load C tires while driving. They weigh about the same at around low mid 50lbs range as the other Kanati LTE tires, and same factory 16”wheels cause, well……. I’m going to get rocks thrown at me for saying this, but they are the lightest wheel there is. Period. So that was an easy decision to keep the factory wheels this go again.

But wow…. After reading all the threads on practically every Toyota forum there is on the C vs E tire subject, I thought what the hell I’d take the plunge. She has felt like she needed more power for a while, and I considered a supercharger….but eventually talked myself out of the commitment of that one.

I found one tire that met the criteria. General Grabber X3, Load C, 3 ply sidewall, and what seems to be a good reputation. It still likes to be aired up to 38 psi for the 70+mph part, but the wooden wheel feel is completely gone going over bumps and gutters, and man does it roll easy. Light pedal gets up and moving in a way the LTE tires never could despite being almost identical in weight. Dramatically different. To the point where I doesn’t really feel under powered now. Cause let’s face it, the lack of modern power is the only wrong with the 3rd gen. Outside of some of the finer points like ease of large tire fitment and fuel tank placement, there just isn’t anything else wrong with what they are.

Only about 50 miles so far, but I think load E tires just aren’t the appropriate fitment for a light suv that will never see over 40 psi pressures. That said choices are limited for Load C tires in 16.

Like I said earlier, I need to go thrash on them before a verdict can be made, but the initial impression is wow. So much better in every way. The struggle of getting to speed just seems all but gone. Still not modern 300hp fast, but at least I don’t feel like holy hell, is this a dog and I’m waiting for a 6.2 gm diesel to pass me…. Ok maybe not that bad, but compared to my other rides, she’s slow.

Biggest problem is the lack of choices in a 16” load C 3ply MT tire. If you move to AT and remove the 3ply requirement, you get a few more choices and open yourself to the duratrac. If you go to 17”, there are way more choices. I’m glad I tried it so far. It’s made the 4runner way more fun to drive.

As long as it wheels good and still feels light and quick on its feet at 18ish psi, it seems like a home run so far.

Thanks for this, the ratio of function to looks posts is pretty dreadful so this is a welcome exception!

In my size, too, LTC are few and far between. It is basically KO2 or going 255 75 17 which is not a bad idea for a 5th gen....

Here in AZ, tire blocks are getting eaten up by terrain (and speed). I doubt it matters if it is C or E for that. As you say, there is no reason to have an E on a 4R if a desirable LTC exists in the correct size.

Good information about the load range. I run e tires (yokohama geolandar mt) at about 32 psi and i'm so used to e tires it doesn't bother me. I am running 285's and 4.88 gears, so acceleration is totally fine.

I would like to argue your wheel point though. From quick research the oem 16' wheels weigh roughly 21.5 (5 star) or 22.5 (limited 6 spoke) (give or take) pounds. My 16x8 konig countersteer offroad wheels weigh 19.2 pounds. So it is possible to find lighter wheels. Its not easy to find, and not a cheap option though.

Thanks for writing all this out! Great information to know. I'm in the market for tires as my worn Duratracs are scary in the ice and snowpack and I'm definitely considering switching to C instead of E. Very helpful!

Thank you for this and i look forward to more detail as you drive.


I have a 2019 with 17's and went with the Duratracs in a C rating since they do better in my cold snowy climate. I just couldn't justify a E load for such a small SUV that goes off roading only a few months a year. Glad I did because it seems to me they don't overburden and they balance better. Though they are only rated to 90mph, but luckily i can monitor tire temp and pressure.

I keep mine at just under 40psi and they feel great.

My first 4Runner BFG-KO tires (in 2013) were load range D. Now, the BFG AT-KO2 is only available in E. I've had C tires on Land Cruisers and Toyota trucks before. D is slight overkill for a 3rd gen 4Runner, E is way overkill. IMO, C's feel good with the compliant ride, but are too easily chunked if you wheel in areas with sharp rocks. YMMV.

Thanks. I try to always go with function first. You can make them look great and perform well without ruining the function.

I've actually been waiting for these Falkens to wear down for this reason; gonna make the switch from E to C (going with Yokohama Geolandar X-A/T). I like my ride a little stiffer but E rated is just too hard for my tastes

Those are lighter aren’t they? Maybe it was the 17” I was comparing them to. Something to think about in the future no doubt, but it’s hard for me to justify nice wheels that will just get thrashed

I kind of like oe wheels though because they just don’t have any drama. I know, zero cool guy points, but they work. I’ve lost count how many times aftermarket wheels on buddies trucks and cars have had issues with torque, falling off, and fun stuff like that.

That said if there’s a spacing issue, then an aftermarket wheel is the right way to go.

I don’t think you’ll regret it.

It’s hard not to like them duratracs if you live around snow. Man they work good in the winter.

I wished they still made the 3 ply sidewall and in a LTC with some of the fancy durability carcass stuff. Man that would just be perfect.

The stiffness was tolerable with the E’s. But it’s much less with the C’s. The biggest thing is just how light it feels now. We’ll see if economy changes at all, but I don’t see how it can’t. It feels like night and day on mine and just a better match so far.

I need to go bang on them, but after helping my brother mount them, they’re not flimsy or weak by any means. In fact he commented on how stiff and tight both sets of tires were to mount using his machine. Maybe it’s the 3 ply sidewall? I don’t know. ….

After spending a week in wheeling on the Load C X3 grabbers, I can say without a doubt the move from load E to Load C was 100% worth it. Better ride. Better performance. Less slip on the slick rock at Hells Revenge, and made short work of the rough sections on the other trails.

They seem to maybe need more air than the prior set, so I’ll play with them a bit. 18-20 seemed to work really well enough though as I didn’t feel like messing with my deflators. I’m guessing it’ll be happy somewhere between 20-25 for the high speed desert rally stuff. Even climbed the sand hill on poison spider and the play loop above long canyon with ease.

They’re noisy, but that’s to be expected being M/Ts. Seems like Toyos are the only less noisy mud terrains I’ve experienced. The grabbers even made 22.4 mpg on the way home.

After making the change, my opinion is that there isn’t a single reason not to go the LTC route. I’m a fan of the 3 ply sidewall for my use case. I don’t think even the old wives tale of E’s being more durable holds true. Even the tire shop guys perpetuate it. Granted I’m comparing a 3 ply sidewall tire here, but I really really drove over lots of stupid sharp rocks last week. Scuffed sidewalls, and just general abuse. About 300-400 miles worth mostly off-road Enough abuse that I know I need lower A arm bushings because every time I powered into a banking sandy S turn section could get the tire to rub plastic……🥸 guess I’ll add that project to the list now.

Your mileage may vary, but I think I’m going to reserve Load E tires for my 1 ton truck from now on.

I've tried to buy C twice and both times they gave me E for same price because they couldn't find enough C ones. Got Goodyear Ultraterrain AT in E and surprised how much less harsh they are than the brick-like KO2. The sidewall seem much less stiff on the Ultraterrain. They did great this winter but so did the KO2 before the top layer of compound wore off, and became not great in the wet.

I think there's something to be said for buying tires commomly available for replacements and E is much more available around here at least.

Very happy with these Ultraterrain E so far. There is still that "heavy feeling" slug factor you mentioned though.

I just put on a new set of C range Wildpeaks and man, I am one happy camper. I noticed the improved ride immediately-- more smooth, less loud, and just less harsh resistance in general. Very happy!