C Load or P Load?

[DannyLlama]

About to pull the trigger on cooper A/T3

I see they have a C load but it's $60 more a tire. Is it worth it?

Both are 275/65/18

 

[ColoradoFrosty]

I would say yes. It depends on how you are going to use them I guess.

But personally in my eyes the 5th Gen 4Runner deserves at least a C.

 

[Ukie]

About to pull the trigger on cooper A/T3
I see they have a C load but it's $60 more a tire. Is it worth it?
Both are 275/65/18

What is a difference in a tire weight?

 

[DannyLlama]

What is a difference in a tire weight?

Good question and don't know. Discount tires website is scarce with information. I sent Cooper an email with that question.

 

[DannyLlama]

I would say yes. It depends on how you are going to use them I guess.

But personally in my eyes the 5th Gen 4Runner deserves at least a C.

Did you go with a C rated tire?

Sweet rig btw!!! is it lifted?? You digging the tires? Or are the Tires digging!! < WIIISE GUY

 

[1engineer]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/113734-tire-load-rating-question.html
Read the above link.
If you are going to pull a heavy trailer a lot or are going to be off road a lot get the C rated tires. Don't stop there get the E rated tires.
If you are going to be like most and be on road a lot with little off road get the P rated as they will perform just fine. I go off road a lot and got the P rated. I go in dirt and muddy conditions not so much rock crawl though. I have owned P, C and E several times in the past and have returned to P as they are less expensive initially and wear just as long and lose very little mpg vs. stock due to weight. If I were in rocky conditions a lot I would get the C or E and that is the only reason.

 

[ColoradoFrosty]

Did you go with a C rated tire?

Sweet rig btw!!! is it lifted?? You digging the tires? Or are the Tires digging!! < WIIISE GUY

Yep. I went with the C. I wanted something off-road worthy, yet quiet and not too heavy for my highway miles, didn't want too big of a loss in MPG.

I'll tell you truthfully though... I am loving these tires!

No lift yet but it's coming when I my Slee Shocks come in! :cheers:

 

[DannyLlama]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/113734-tire-load-rating-question.html
Read the above link.
If you are going to pull a heavy trailer a lot or are going to be off road a lot get the C rated tires. Don't stop there get the E rated tires.
If you are going to be like most and be on road a lot with little off road get the P rated as they will perform just fine. I go off road a lot and got the P rated. I go in dirt and muddy conditions not so much rock crawl though. I have owned P, C and E several times in the past and have returned to P as they are less expensive initially and wear just as long and lose very little mpg vs. stock due to weight. If I were in rocky conditions a lot I would get the C or E and that is the only reason.

More than the off road capability. Having more ply in the tire will preform noticeably better on road with slightly less roll resistance. At least that's what the tire shop guy said, unless I'm being ripped off lol < nothing new.

 

[ColoradoFrosty]

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/113734-tire-load-rating-question.html
Read the above link.
If you are going to pull a heavy trailer a lot or are going to be off road a lot get the C rated tires. Don't stop there get the E rated tires.
If you are going to be like most and be on road a lot with little off road get the P rated as they will perform just fine. I go off road a lot and got the P rated. I go in dirt and muddy conditions not so much rock crawl though. I have owned P, C and E several times in the past and have returned to P as they are less expensive initially and wear just as long and lose very little mpg vs. stock due to weight. If I were in rocky conditions a lot I would get the C or E and that is the only reason.

Yeah in Colorado/Utah there are rocks... lots of rocks. And on my back-country trips I carry a crapload of gear (camping, climbing, paddling, biking). So I wanted a C at least.

I have E's on my Tundra that has a 1000lb+ pop-up camper. Those things are very stiff, but they need to be as when it's loaded with fuel/water/gear/camper it's a LOT of weight.

If I did a LOT of rock-crawling type of 4wheeling with the 4Runner then a D/E would have been in order. Frankly on the Front Range here in Colorado you have to do a lot of highway miles to commute to the good stuff out west. I just didn't want to sacrifice ride/comfort/mpg, thus the C seemed the right choice.

Also another thought, from what I recall I think that the tread depth on the P was not as deep as the C... so the C may run longer on your rig justifying the additional $60? (Not taking into account fuel expenses of course...) Out.

 

[JB.]

More than the off road capability. Having more ply in the tire will preform noticeably better on road with slightly less roll resistance. At least that's what the tire shop guy said, unless I'm being ripped off lol < nothing new.

I presume you already know about Load C, D, E reduced load capacity with no pressure increase.

P type tires generally use different tread compounds than LT tires that result in better road traction particularly when wet. The crisper cornering feel of a heavier sidewall doesn't necessarily translate to better grip at the limits of road traction.

Now, in the case of ATs, considering what is expected of the tread, it seems logical the above difference may be compressed, perhaps quite a bit.

If I were in the market for AT tires and was going to be treating them rough enough to consider LTs, I'd get the answer about AT compound from <a href="http://en.allexperts.com/q/Tires-2359/" target="_blank">this</a> guy. But I'm years away from needing tires.

The truth is out there.

 

[1engineer]

More than the off road capability. Having more ply in the tire will preform noticeably better on road with slightly less roll resistance. At least that's what the tire shop guy said, unless I'm being ripped off lol < nothing new.

A stiffer sidewall will help some on cornering. It will also ride a bit rougher than a P tire because it is thicker. Rolling resistance is all about tire compound and tread design and nothing to do with plys. He told you all the good and none of the bad lol. Did he also tell you about the hit in efficiency especially around town? It shouldn't be a lot but it all adds up. Here it is:

$240.00 additional up front for C rated tires.
Let's say 1 mpg less because of additive unsprung mass. @3.50/gallon for gas, going from 20 to 19 mpg over 50K miles -
If you got 20 mpg you would spend $8750.00 in fuel in 50K miles
If it reduced to 19 mpg you would spend $9210.00 in fuel in 50K miles

This = $700.00 (9210-8750+240) additional cost for going to a C rated tire. Do you need them? Your call.

 

[Ramzey28]

Like the math of 1engineer.....very true. I debated for months on this same issue. I actually ordrered p's then changed 4 days before install for C load, so glad I did it. Very happy with C load tires at 40psi (cold). I got them for only 5 bucks more for the tire (should have been about 70) but they screwed up my quote and they honored it. I dont think I would have done them for 280 more....but for 20 bucks and increased to 275....very happy. I only lost
.5mpg to 1 at the most.....heavier and bigger. I noticed some horsepower decrease (feeling)...I seem to give it more gas to get up and go at certain times or situations but that could be just in my head

 

[36bound]

I've had P-rated and C-rated tires on various Jeeps. Stemming from this experience I chose to put P-metrics on my T4RTE. All I can say is that I have NEVER (not yelling, just on an iPhone and just trying to emphasis a word) had a P-metric tire fail me. Not once in 30 years. Besides, I've always had a full size spare aboard so I've never had the least amount of concern about having to deal with a flat, should one ever occur.

 

[DannyLlama]

Thanks for the advice guys!!!!

Really, I can't say enough how much I appreciate the feedback and knowledge from this forum.

I went with the regular P rating, 275 65 18. It ended up being $70 less per tire, giving me the room to buy a spare wheel and tire.

Thanks!!!!

 

[OrangeTexan]

What is a difference in a tire weight?

FYI if anyone is still curious:

Passenger: 52lbs
tread depth: 0.41 inch

LT C load: 51lbs
tread depth: 0.52 inch

LT E load: 55lbs
tread depth: 0.50 inch

They are all listed with the approx. same dimensions otherwise (diameter 32.7, tread width 8.7 for P and 8.8 for LT). so it would seem that the extra weight of the P tire vs the C load is because there is a larger tire carcass along with the shallow tread depth on the P.

 

[JB.]

Got a link? I suspect a mis-print or something on that tire weight for the P.

 

[OrangeTexan]

Not sure how I can say it differently, but the carcass on the P tire is larger with respect to the overall diameter than the similarly sized LT tire. Obviously enough to make a difference. That, or you are right, the info is not accurate.

Go to Discount Tire Zone on the web.

 

[453030]

Here are the weights of the A/T3 for 17" wheels as provided to me directly from Cooper last week in case anyone is interested:

The Lt275/70R17 (E), (C), and Lt285/70R17 (E) Cooper Discoverer A/T3 tires should weigh the following listed weights:

LT275/70R17 E A/T3 spec 5875 weighs 51.88 pounds

LT285/70R17 E A/T3 spec 5850 weighs 55.17 pounds

LT275/70R17 C A/T3 spec 5871 weighs 50.70 pounds

Interesting that the E only adds a pound over the C in the 275. FYI, I also checked the bad ass S/T Maxx in a 285 E, and was told it weighs a whopping 60 pounds. With its sidewall reinforcement I would have a lot more confidence in it over the 285 DuraTrac off road, but it is 7lbs. heavier.

 

[OrangeTexan]

Here are the weights of the A/T3 for 17" wheels as provided to me directly from Cooper last week in case anyone is interested:

The Lt275/70R17 (E), (C), and Lt285/70R17 (E) Cooper Discoverer A/T3 tires should weigh the following listed weights:

LT275/70R17 E A/T3 spec 5875 weighs 51.88 pounds

LT285/70R17 E A/T3 spec 5850 weighs 55.17 pounds

LT275/70R17 C A/T3 spec 5871 weighs 50.70 pounds

Interesting that the E only adds a pound over the C in the 275. FYI, I also checked the bad ass S/T Maxx in a 285 E, and was told it weighs a whopping 60 pounds. With its sidewall reinforcement I would have a lot more confidence in it over the 285 DuraTrac off road, but it is 7lbs. heavier.

edit: nevermind I just realized you listed a different size than what was being discussed....


I agree the ST MAXX looks like an awesome tire!

 

[453030]

edit: nevermind I just realized you listed a different size than what was being discussed....

I agree the ST MAXX looks like an awesome tire!

Apologies if I should have put this info in a different thread. Lately the A/T3 has generated more interest it seems so I thought I would add the weights since they were being discussed here.