Load Range C vs Load Range E rated tires

[BobsTrail]

I am not getting very good answers from tire shops and thought I would ask where I'll get a better answer.

I understand the E tires have a 10 ply tread rating and the C will be less. I think this is a rating for the tread only. How is the sidewall stiffness between the two? I would like the stronger tires for tails but don't want to get too much extra stiffness on road, daily driving.

Looking at Toyo Open Country A/T II and Duratracs.

 

[WXman]

Sidewall is thicker, hence the added capacity on the E. But, weight is much higher which kills performance, braking, and mileage. And, airing down for the trail isn't as effective. So pick your poison.

 

[Titanpat57]

I only experienced a .5 mpg drop once the P's were gone and the E's were on...

But the ride was dramatically improved, as was handling. There was no noticeable difference in braking or performance.

 

[LandCruiser]

As you progress from C to D to E you're essentially going for tires that are designed for much heavier vehicles and are thicker and heavier as a result.

MPG, ride quality, road noise, handling all suffer.

My TE has D rated BFGs, the same I use on a 6000 pound pickup, I would have loved to find some C rated tires--which is what I had on my FJ Cruiser and had much more of a smooth ride.

 

[eddiebx]

For what it's worth, the way I decided between C vs E load is this. According to some nifty charts here, I arrived at the conclusion that I need to run ~45 psi for an LT tire; C load is a maximum of 50 psi I believe. Soooo, that seemed too close for comfort and I went with the overkill and got E load

 

[JB.]

I am not getting very good answers from tire shops and thought I would ask where I'll get a better answer.

I understand the E tires have a 10 ply tread rating and the C will be less. I think this is a rating for the tread only. How is the sidewall stiffness between the two? I would like the stronger tires for tails but don't want to get too much extra stiffness on road, daily driving.

Looking at Toyo Open Country A/T II and Duratracs.

All else being equal (psi and tire model), load E ride harshness compared to load C should be barely noticeable. There's more variation between specific brands and models than between two otherwise identical tires that are load C and E.

There is also inconsistency in overall offroad toughness. One load C could be as tough as another load E because the load range spec is only about ability to contain air pressure (in use) and doesn't have much to do with rubber thickness.

My Revo 2 load E, which feels just fine btw, may be no tougher than the BFG load C it replaced (discussed with pics here) . I can't know because I haven't been able to fully examine it yet.

However, both tires have proven plenty tough under very high volumes of off-pavement use. Reducing air pressure off-road seems to be the key.

I'd say identify the tire (in general) you want, and then get the load range you want. If load range availability is limited, just get whatever is available and don't look back. If you genuinely desire maximum toughness, get the load E but, as mentioned, there will be braking, acceleration, mpg, tradeoffs. Probably not very noticeable, but very real. The ride harshness thing, though, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[scanny]

there were numerous threads about load range and tire pressure. For stock size C load 36-38 psi is fine. I got myself C load 2 years and 25,000 miles ago and so far I'm not disappointed.

 

[TexasAg]

I run about 44psi in my BFG KO "E" and it made a huge difference in the ride compared to 65psi, for the better!

 

[Stu-Runner]

Any update BobsTrail? Which direction did you end up going?

 

[14T4RTE]

I went with the dura's and also considered the Open Country. Neither are a bad tire but I prefer the Dura's for offloading. I also did a 2.5"F/2"R Toytec spacer leveling kit. As for the front damage, one of my pledge brothers didn't see these two Swiss guys in a rental car in front of him on the highway and slammed into their rear. :yuck::wtf:

 

[BobsTrail]

Tires E vs C

I`m still running the OEMs. When it`s time, I will be replacing with Toyo Open County AT2 in a load range C and P type. If the Toyo R/T is available in a P I may get those instead.

I can`t justify replacing early, the darn OEM are doing well. I have been on a number of rough trails and sand dunes with no problems. (This may get me flamed good) I do air down to 20 for trails and 15 for sand.

There is a good thread that was started this morning about E vs C, it`s at:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/179527-lt-tire-questions.html#post1816106

Have a look at the thread and replies, it was good info for me.

 

[willbgood]

I`m still running the OEMs. When it`s time, I will be replacing with Toyo Open County AT2 in a load range C and P type. If the Toyo R/T is available in a P I may get those instead.

I can`t justify replacing early, the darn OEM are doing well. I have been on a number of rough trails and sand dunes with no problems. (This may get me flamed good) I do air down to 20 for trails and 15 for sand.

There is a good thread that was started this morning about E vs C, it`s at:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/179527-lt-tire-questions.html#post1816106

Have a look at the thread and replies, it was good info for me.

I may be wrong, but I believe the third gen had a b rated tire. I do not understand any one running is an e on such a light vehicle. I certainly would not run anything above a c for the highway and likely not for off-road either. Of course a person should educate themselves about all the variables, because you can get a c or d that is not as robust as b.

Here is some good information on Speed Rating, Load Index: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35

As well there is great information on wiki including this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire#Specifications

and this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_code

It should also be noted that all manufacturers have the information the salesman does not want you to have because he wants to sell you the most costly tire in order to increase his commission. Hence allot of people are running e rated tires who have not made the logical choice based on the facts, not to say that running e's is necessarily wrong, but I always wonder why?

I am going to run these for the winter: Mickey Thompson Baja Radial STZ Tire 265/75R16 116R OWL...they are b rated 4 ply, and I am sure someone somewhere is reading this and shaking their head. But the facts are clear, this is plenty of tire for the job as shown on the Mickey Thompson site: Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels

Of course then there is the personal preference based upon appearance, and most tire purchases fall in this category, based upon all the trucks with large, fat, aggressively treaded tires I put out of the ditch each winter. Some guys won't go skinny for snow no matter what they are told, because they look bad...but I always go narrow and tall, and I never get stuck or spun off the road.

So I guess tire size, rating, will always be a matter of personal choice, kind off like tits on a woman.

Flame away....

 

[Jhalko]

I may be wrong, but I believe the third gen had a b rated tire. I do not understand any one running is an e on such a light vehicle. I certainly would not run anything above a c for the highway and likely not for off-road either. Of course a person should educate themselves about all the variables, because you can get a c or d that is not as robust as b.

Here is some good information on Speed Rating, Load Index: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35

As well there is great information on wiki including this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire#Specifications

and this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_code

It should also be noted that all manufacturers have the information the salesman does not want you to have because he wants to sell you the most costly tire in order to increase his commission. Hence allot of people are running e rated tires who have not made the logical choice based on the facts, not to say that running e's is necessarily wrong, but I always wonder why?

I am going to run these for the winter: Mickey Thompson Baja Radial STZ Tire 265/75R16 116R OWL...they are b rated 4 ply, and I am sure someone somewhere is reading this and shaking their head. But the facts are clear, this is plenty of tire for the job as shown on the Mickey Thompson site: Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels

Of course then there is the personal preference based upon appearance, and most tire purchases fall in this category, based upon all the trucks with large, fat, aggressively treaded tires I put out of the ditch each winter. Some guys won't go skinny for snow no matter what they are told, because they look bad...but I always go narrow and tall, and I never get stuck or spun off the road.

So I guess tire size, rating, will always be a matter of personal choice

Flame away....

Interesting information there, getting that post count to 35 eh? Haha, before someone gives you a hard time for reviving this older thread I'll say thanks for searching and adding relevant info.

I would comment that you referenced a 16" tire size which most say they don't fit our Runners, not sure if that is a typo.

 

[mo_mo]

I may be wrong, but I believe the third gen had a b rated tire. I do not understand any one running is an e on such a light vehicle. I certainly would not run anything above a c for the highway and likely not for off-road either. Of course a person should educate themselves about all the variables, because you can get a c or d that is not as robust as b.

Here is some good information on Speed Rating, Load Index: http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=35

As well there is great information on wiki including this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire#Specifications

and this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_code

It should also be noted that all manufacturers have the information the salesman does not want you to have because he wants to sell you the most costly tire in order to increase his commission. Hence allot of people are running e rated tires who have not made the logical choice based on the facts, not to say that running e's is necessarily wrong, but I always wonder why?

I am going to run these for the winter: Mickey Thompson Baja Radial STZ Tire 265/75R16 116R OWL...they are b rated 4 ply, and I am sure someone somewhere is reading this and shaking their head. But the facts are clear, this is plenty of tire for the job as shown on the Mickey Thompson site: Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels

Of course then there is the personal preference based upon appearance, and most tire purchases fall in this category, based upon all the trucks with large, fat, aggressively treaded tires I put out of the ditch each winter. Some guys won't go skinny for snow no matter what they are told, because they look bad...but I always go narrow and tall, and I never get stuck or spun off the road.

So I guess tire size, rating, will always be a matter of personal choice, kind off like tits on a woman.

Flame away....

Let us in the 5th gen forum, where this is posted, know how those R16s clear the brakes! Your own Mickey Thompson link only shows a std rated (generally a P) and an E rated tire in the size you are looking for. Not sure where you're finding a B rated tire, but be sure to check the load index.

 

[USKTog]

When I put new tires on back in July, I opted for Load Range C tires as I did not feel that I was going to put my Runner in any position to need to air-down to the point where 10-ply tires would save my bacon.

Since putting the new tires on (Big-O branded Cooper A/T3's), my fuel economy has remained the same as before with P-Metric stock tires. My offroad performance, however, has increased pretty substantially. Definitely feel more comfortable putting Lucille through her paces out in the backcountry. These tires are 6-ply tires so I 'can' air-down some if desired and the tires will have sufficient sidewall to keep me safe, though I have yet to actually do any of that...

 

[DAGNABIT]

went E rated and not only is it piece of mind off road, it feels a bit tighter on road in turns. the mpg loss going up to 275 and E rated was minimal if at all. no more than .5mpg

 

[willbgood]

3rd gen info

Let us in the 5th gen forum, where this is posted, know how those R16s clear the brakes! Your own Mickey Thompson link only shows a std rated (generally a P) and an E rated tire in the size you are looking for. Not sure where you're finding a B rated tire, but be sure to check the load index.

Rookie forum User error, 16's may not fit the 5th gens, I am referencing the 3rd gen, and I did not realize that I was in the 5th gen section here.

nevertheless, I would think that even with the larger wheels, the info would be pertinent, with the exception that the load range and size info would need to be adjusted for the 5th gen.

As well I have researching the Cooper discoverer A/t3 and I am thinking it might be a good choice for the off-road summer tire for my 3rd gen and are likely good for the 5th gen as well. Note that you can purchase them in load range e or c. I do not know what the proper load range is for the 5th gen, but I am pretty sure it would be c.


Here is some info: expeditionportal.com/where-the-rubber-meets-the-road/

Specs: Cooper Tire & Rubber Company - Discoverer A/T3?

Sorry about any confusion caused by posting in the 5th gen section, but I pretty sure the info, adjusted for generation, and vehicle weight, is still correct.

 

[KidVermicious]

I am not getting very good answers from tire shops and thought I would ask where I'll get a better answer.

I understand the E tires have a 10 ply tread rating and the C will be less. I think this is a rating for the tread only. How is the sidewall stiffness between the two? I would like the stronger tires for tails but don't want to get too much extra stiffness on road, daily driving.

Looking at Toyo Open Country A/T II and Duratracs.

Do not fear the load range. The difference in ride quality between the two is negligible compared to the increased protection against pinch flats and sidewall gashes. If you're wheeling decently hard, you want load range E.

Definitely do not wheel on a P tire. I speak from experience.

 

[Ron4RNevada]

My last set of load range C tires = Sidewall cuts and punctures on all four tires = all were replaced under the road hazard warranty......

My last two sets of E tires = Never lost one to cuts.......

I guess it all has to do to the terrain you drive. In my area the E tires are a must.

 

[cjacob316]

I've been curious to know if you lose more mpg from stock with a the heavier LT275, or larger P285.