Anyone regret buying E rated tires?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

J

Jrod

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Feb 11, 2010
Threads
74
Messages
415
Location
Eagle, ID
My 100 is about to need new tires. Currently have 275/70/16, but plan on using my spare set of 18" wheels and running 275/70/18. Most tires available in this size are 10 ply E rated. Has anyone regretted buying E rated tires? I know the ride is very much air pressure subjective. I already have the Ironman lift, so it needs a bigger tire than stock.

Thanks!
 
No regrets. I have two sets of Michelin A/T2's in load range E. Very happy with them.
 
Jrod said:
My 100 is about to need new tires. Currently have 275/70/16, but plan on using my spare set of 18" wheels and running 275/70/18. Most tires available in this size are 10 ply E rated. Has anyone regretted buying E rated tires? I know the ride is very much air pressure subjective. I already have the Ironman lift, so it needs a bigger tire than stock.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

There are a lot of misconceptions about E rated Light Truck tires out there - especially about inflation pressures.

Let's take your specific case as an example.

The P-Metric P275/70R16 tires you will be replacing most probably have a maximum load rating (on the tire sidewall) of 2,601 pounds @ 35 psi.

I don't know what Toyota recommends for that tire on your Land Cruiser, but let's say it is 32 psi for sake of discussion.

At 32 psi, that stock tire has a Load Rating of 2,480 pounds.

The Light Truck tire, LT275/70R18 is a Load Range E tire with a maximum load rating of 3,640 pounds @ 80 psi. There are also, apparently, some Load Range C tires in this size, but I have not been able to find any. A Load Range C tire in this size would have a maximum load rating of 2,680 pounds @ 50 psi.

When using P-Metric tires on SUV's and light trucks, manufacturers increase the recommended Load Rating by 10%. It is not necessary to do that when using a LT tire on an SUV or light truck. Therefore, the actual unadjusted Load Rating for a tire on your vehicle (in this example) would be 2,480 pounds divided by 1.1 = 2,255 pounds.

So, what tire pressure in the E rated LT275/70R18 will yield the same Load Rating of 2,255 pounds? We can get close, it is 2,270 pounds @ 40 psi.

Interestingly, for the C rated LT275/70R18 tire, the target tire pressure is the same - 2,270 pounds @ 40 psi.

This is an important fact that is often misunderstood. For two LT tires of the same size, as long as the target Load Rating does not exceed the maximum load rating of the tire, the tire pressure required to achieve the same Load Rating is the same whether the tire is Load Range C, D or E.

Example summary:

P275/70R16 @ 32 psi = 2,480 pounds / 1.1 = 2,255 pounds Load Rating

LT275/70R18 @ 40 psi = 2,270 pounds Load Rating

My point? ... Oh yeah, my point:

I don't believe you will experience a significantly harsher ride with the larger LT275/70R18 Load Range E tires when properly inflated to an equivalent Load Rating.

:cheers:
 
Topmounter said:
The warning about not using them in winter conditions kept me from going with E-rated AT/KO's.
Click to expand...

My 285/70-17 E-rated BFG AT T/A KO's have the mountain/snowflake symbol (http://blog.tirerack.com/blog/docs-advice-on-tires/is-there-really-such-a-thing-as-an-all-weather-tire) which indicates they have been tested to perform better in the snow.

:hhmm:

No all E-rated sizes of the BFG AT T/A KO's are so rated, but the "warning about using them in winter conditions" sounds like it might be an exaggeration.

:cheers:
 
gaijin said:
I don't believe you will experience a significantly harsher ride with the larger LT275/70R18 Load Range E tires when properly inflated to an equivalent Load Rating.
Click to expand...
All pressure aside, if comparing stock wheels vs the proposed wheel and tires, there is a 15-20lb unsprung weight increase per wheel. You're going to feel that for sure.

Have I regretted going E's? No, but if the same tires were offered in D's, I probably would've chosen D's. I don't need anything near 4,080 lbs of capacity per tire.

But ride wise, I don't think there would be a significant difference between D's and E's.
 
What tire pressure do you plan to run in the E tire? My thoughts are 32-35 would be plenty and still offer a comfy ride and not make any unusual wear patterns.

One thing I can tell you from experience is that if you roll some BFK AT's E rated at 50 lbs per tire on a 3.4 dodge diesel 4 x 4 it will ride in the "very rough" to "super extreme rough" category.

Gettin my LC was a relief for sure!
 
Someone from BFG told me that the E tires were just barely on the other side of the threshold (the D tires barely made it in) for the snow rating. So the difference is tiny, even though it appears they are raising a flag for Es.
 
You can do all the math you want, but my E-rated tires have all ridden significantly rougher. I had a flat on 255/85/16 's that was barely noticeable in the driveway...

:meh:
 
The 285/75/16's E rated AT's on my hundy ride extremely rough when aired up to 38psi. That, along with the OME suspension and I can feel nearly every crack in the road (some would call it SPORTY :steer: ). However, they are less rough when down at 32-30psi.
 
hoser said:
All pressure aside, if comparing stock wheels vs the proposed wheel and tires, there is a 15-20lb unsprung weight increase per wheel. You're going to feel that for sure.

Have I regretted going E's? No, but if the same tires were offered in D's, I probably would've chosen D's. I don't need anything near 4,080 lbs of capacity per tire.

But ride wise, I don't think there would be a significant difference between D's and E's.
Click to expand...

x2
The tires i just bought, Cooper Discoverer ATPs were available in P or E. Out of those two, i picked E. But i would have rather had a D rated tire for the same reasons listed above, mainly, less weight and i don't need the capacity of an E rated tire.
 
So now I'm thoroughly confused. I want an A/T tire for my 18" wheels but there's nothing available in load range D.

I could probably handle the E rated tire but I don't think I need it.

The only other option is to stick with the 16" wheels and get a D rated tire but I don't really want to do that either.

Any input guys?
 
I tried E rated tires a few years ago and while the ride was not horrible, you will definitely notice the power loss and higher fuel usage from the extra 100 (or more) lbs of increased rotational weight.

I suppose the extra plies are great for protection off road but if you are mostly a road warrior, stick with C or P ratings. I have never seen anything but E ratings in 275-70-18. Sorry.
 
mtnracer said:
I tried E rated tires a few years ago and while the ride was not horrible, you will definitely notice the power loss and higher fuel usage from the extra 100 (or more) lbs of increased rotational weight.

I suppose the extra plies are great for protection off road but if you are mostly a road warrior, stick with C or P ratings. I have never seen anything but E ratings in 275-70-18. Sorry.
Click to expand...

Best case scenario is I find a D rated tire. I don't think I'm going to find an A/T tire in 33" that's C or P rated.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom