Quote:
Originally Posted by TheWendi
Thanks for that, Romeo! Great advice. I hadn't really heard much in the way of concrete comparison between Es and Cs like this (mostly just a lot of worrying about the comparative strength of the tires, hah), but this is a compelling take. Will definitely look into that.
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There aren’t any real comparisons. If your on 16” tires, your stuck with a limited set of C options. Tire manufacturers for whatever reason didn’t proliferate C rated tires in 16 like 17’s or 15’s have. I think there’s a few reasons for this, but in the end it’s irrelevant. Hardly anything new has a 16 anymore, so what’s available is available probably won’t change much.
I think assuming a 3ply sidewall on a purpose built off-road/quality All terrain tires, I think the durability claims of E being “stronger” than C isn’t accurate at all. On straight highway-ish tires? I dunno, Maybe? But I can’t even tell you how much abuse I’ve engaged in the last 1000 miles on these C’s. If they weren’t up to task, it would have happened with all the rocks, sticks, brush, and crunched up pallets in the desert along with the several G outs I’ve done so far on these generals.
The reality is that the tire casingfor an E is constructed to be filled to 80psi, and a load C isn’t. 80 psi at a load range 120+ is something that will never happen on a 4200-6000 lb suv. E tires are built to hold a higher pressure with a higher load rating to match, but I don’t believe saying that saying an E is stronger than a C is accurate. It’s like comparing a big hammer to a little hammer. They aren’t the same. They’re different tools for different jobs.
Load rating E, or the 10 P.R. (Ply rating, which needs to die. Good grief that’s such and antiquated and plain silly way to do this. There ain’t a damn tire one in this universe that’s built with 10 physical plies anymore. Fricking BS, [sounds of bucket getting kicked…. man shouts at clouds]
I firmly believe that the majority of owners and drivers of 3rd gens that aren’t happy with power or acceleration probably have a set of E’s on. Even the wife could tell the new tires were different, and she can’t tell jack chit apart when it comes to the finer points of vehicle dynamics. For the guys that never go off road, an SL probably makes even more sense.