Tire load rating

[sliwa]

This is not another “HOW BIG CAN I GO” post!

I’m planning on going with 265/75 R16 on the stock wheels. Can someone explain load rating for someone who’s been off the trails for a dozen years? Are a standard load tire adequate? Is it worth the $ to go with 10 ply load rating E?

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[dgorsett]

This is not another “HOW BIG CAN I GO” post!

I’m planning on going with 265/75 R16 on the stock wheels. Can someone explain load rating for someone who’s been off the trails for a dozen years? Are a standard load tire adequate? Is it worth the $ to go with 10 ply load rating E?

I know a lot of folks say E rated will ride worse, but let me say I have never had a sidewall or tire ruining puncture on an E rated tire, I have had several on lighter tires. Air pressure can be adjusted (within specs) to minimize ride issues.

Maybe some well informed forum member can clarify how new load ratings 111, 115, 119, 123 relate to old B,C,D,E or God forbid, real old 4, 6, 8, 10 ply ratings.

 

[ZackDanger]

This is how I understand it:

Load rating is a representation of how much weight the tire can safely carry… increased weight capacity is usually related to increased PSI… increased PSI requires more sturdy/rigid/resilient sidewalls.

Thus a higher load rating can usually be used as a cheat to determine how “strong” a tire. For people that are going to air down and drag their tires across rocks, a stronger tire should help prevent lacerating the tire sidewall.

The downside is that to make a tire stronger to increase the load rating, it requires more material in the sidewalls. This not only increases the weight of the tire (not insignificant when multiplied by x4 and unsprung), but it can add to tire rigidity. A significant amount of suspension cushion comes from tire flex, so increased stiffness results in a more harsh ride.

Mind you, if your goal is to achieve more resilience off road on your relatively light vehicle, they make lower load rating tires with armored sidewalls for just that purpose.

Also, higher load rated tires are presumed to be going on larger vehicles… so the higher load rated tires may also have deeper treads… this may result in longer life span and more aggressive appearanc..

 

[jasonkosi]

Personally I’d stick with load rating C. Never had an issue with them on trails with my F150 at 35psi and they’re not even A/Ts. I’ve only ever seen E rated tires on 3/4 or 1 ton pickups.
(disclaimer: I am by no means an expert on this)

 

[Apples]

I run load E tires because I'm rolling through sharp Utah rocks often. The negligible road difference between load D and E tires makes it worth the heavier tire.

Another factor to consider is, lower rated tires will flex/bulge more when aired down, which puts stress on the bead. If you're going to air down below 20 PSI regularly (which I do) then it makes more sense to go with a more rigid tire. This can, of course, be mitigated by running beadlocks but there are trade offs there as well.

 

[Tricky Dick]

I've had E rated on light vehicles before and didn't like it. I try to stick to C or D in this class.

 

[kodiakisland]

People go both ways on it, so it's really what you want to personally run. Some tires are just more comfortable than others, regardless of rating. Running the proper inflation helps a lot.

E rated tires come with tradeoffs since they usually weigh more than C or P metric tires of the same design. I like the extra sidewall strength off road, but not everyone needs or cares about that.

 

[Gamecock]

I think if you drive off road; D is a baseline for occasional use but accepting more risk; E is the right tire for aggressive off-roading with rocks involved. I'm concerned about the stock Sas Cs....

 

[sliwa]

So is C considered “standard load”?

 

[dgorsett]

I know a lot of folks say E rated will ride worse, but let me say I have never had a sidewall or tire ruining puncture on an E rated tire, I have had several on lighter tires. Air pressure can be adjusted (within specs) to minimize ride issues.

Maybe some well informed forum member can clarify how new load ratings 111, 115, 119, 123 relate to old B,C,D,E or God forbid, real old 4, 6, 8, 10 ply ratings.

I'm going to through this out there, 'cause if I'm wrong i know I will be corrected.

111=B=4
115=C=6
119=D=8
123=E=10

I recently looked at a 111 rated tire that was LT so I assume C equivalent so I may be wrong.

From experience I would say never run a B or 4 ply rated tire off road, and although I run 123 -E's currently, 115 C or 119 D are probably the sweet spot for a non truck off roader. Thoughts?

 

[North7]

So is C considered “standard load”?

No, C rated are not “standard load”. P or S/L are typical “standard load” passenger load tires, many are made in truck sizes. I will be running S/L myself for the more compliant ride they provide for a 95% daily driver and I don't have any harsh off-road conditions I'm concerned about where I live. Most likely I will run Falken Wildpeak AT3W tires as they have a good reputation for low noise, comfortable ride and sidewalls that stand up to a fair amount of off-road abuse.

Next, head on over to tiresize.com, tons of tools and listings to learn. In your 265/75 R16 size you will see there are the following number of tires by load ratings, use the filters and play about with it.
https://tiresize.com/tiresizes/265-75R16.htm

Next, here are some tables to show you the different types of load ratings, see this link for more information.
How to Read Speed Rating, Load Index & Service

Falken examples for the Service Description number, 113, 116, etc.
https://www.falkentire.com/tires/light-truck-suv-cuv-tires/wildpeaka/t3w-tire

 

[AZ_Liberty]

Most LT tires are E rating for some reason. I actually like D or 8 ply a bit better.

Hate P rated tires. Puncture your tire the first time you drive over a twig, or a cholla spine. Got a flat tire on my wife's Expy because of a damn twig, changed out all four tires for E rated Coopers.

First thing I do on my base is swap the soft factory tires with some LT265/75R16s

And when I say most are E rated, I mean it. Look at Discount tire. For a 265/75R16

32 are P rated (31SL +1XL)

Of the LT Tires
4 are C
1 is D
73 are E

 

[wilbersk]

This thread should of had a poll! I’m still undecided/unsure if I want to go C, D, or E.

 

[North7]

This thread should of had a poll! I’m still undecided/unsure if I want to go C, D, or E.

C if you want a comfortable ride, but S/L is even better.

D if you need more sidewall protection for rock crawling.

E if you want a harsh ride with no compliance to the tires.

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