E Rated Tires

[VWEeplusa]

Has anyone installed E rated tires on an OT or OT+? Stock size or a bit larger?

Eager to know how much the firmness of the ride changes, etc.

Want to put RWL on, as I like contrast against the darker wheels but worry about the added firmness and tire weight.

 

[turbo8]

I put 1 size bigger E load rated KO3s on my 250 and made it ride like crap and killed the MPG compared to the GX OT+. I won't be putting E load rated tires on the GX because of that.

I'm probably going to put 1 size bigger SL load rated General Grabbers on the GX soon. 275/70r18

 

[VWEeplusa]

I put 1 size bigger E load rated KO3s on my 250 and made it ride like crap and killed the MPG compared to the GX OT+. I won't be putting E load rated tires on the GX because of that.

I'm probably going to put 1 size bigger SL load rated General Grabbers on the GX soon. 275/70r18

Do you think it was more size increase giving the negative effect, or did it make the ride rougher due to the hardness of the sidewalls?

 

[turbo8]

Harde

Do you think it was more size increase giving the negative effect, or did it make the ride rougher due to the hardness of the sidewalls?

Definitely the harder sidewalls. Are you planning on off-roading a lot?

 

[VWEeplusa]

Harde

Definitely the harder sidewalls. Are you planning on off-roading a lot?

Not at all

 

[Corbet]

I put E rated 275/70r18LT on my 250. MPG went down almost 3, ride quality is firmer but that does not bother me. Probably prefer it personally. There are only a handful of C rated truck tires available. I’m let’s say hopeful to see some fuel economy return when the summer fuel blends return in the spring. My sales guy says he experiences this every season with his Tundra. I also put a ski box on my roof at the same time as the tires. Over the years I’ve seen nothing to significant MPG effect from those depending on the vehicle.

 

[Rednexus]

I can't opine on the GX550 specifically, but living in the same neck of the woods as you and wheeling around here a lot (as well as going out to CO and UT), I've ran nothing but SL-rated tires on my rig for the past 4 years. Zero issues with flats, punctures, or sidewall damage. We also tow a camper all the time, and the SLs do just fine.

IMO there should be no need for E-rated tires on any Toyota SUV unless it is a dedicated trail rig. I'd stick with a high-quality SL if they come in your size and C if they don't. If you are worried about punctures, it would be better to add onboard air and carry a tire repair kit and some gluetreads (as I do, but haven't yet needed to use).

 

[NinjahGoose]

I have 275/50r18 E-load KO3's on my 2024 Sequoia. I went that direction for the treadwear and the fact that I tow a boat a lot. My wife has Nitto Recon Grapplers in 285/70r17 SL on her Bronco. While the 2 vehicles are not the same in any regards, the ride quality difference in the SL to E-Load is pretty obvious. I know the SL's are going to wear out faster than the E-Loads, but honestly, the softer compound handles the road and the even the trails/beach driving we do better. She doesn't even have to air down when we drive on the beach, she's way ahead of me while I'm sitting there at the side of the trailhead. Then on the way back, I'm sitting there for another 15 minutes airing back up while she and the kiddo are back at the house in the pool.

If the new Nitto Terra Grappler G3's were out when I purchased my KO3's I probably would have gone that way. Nitto offers the G3's in 275/70r18 SL.

 

[Rednexus]

I have 275/50r18 E-load KO3's on my 2024 Sequoia. I went that direction for the treadwear and the fact that I tow a boat a lot. My wife has Nitto Recon Grapplers in 285/70r17 SL on her Bronco. While the 2 vehicles are not the same in any regards, the ride quality difference in the SL to E-Load is pretty obvious. I know the SL's are going to wear out faster than the E-Loads, but honestly, the softer compound handles the road and the even the trails/beach driving we do better. She doesn't even have to air down when we drive on the beach, she's way ahead of me while I'm sitting there at the side of the trailhead. Then on the way back, I'm sitting there for another 15 minutes airing back up while she and the kiddo are back at the house in the pool.

If the new Nitto Terra Grappler G3's were out when I purchased my KO3's I probably would have gone that way. Nitto offers the G3's in 275/70r18 SL.

Good point - SLs flex really, really well and grip terrain. Es and even Cs don't. I realized that in my cycling days when hard/heavy tires had crappy grip on loose gravel. Soft/supple ones that flex are able to deform more and grip things.

IMO, it's well worth the faster wear factor and slightly higher puncture risk.

My SLs tow just fine at 42 psi as well. They are rated for 51 psi but I've never needed to get them that high.

 

[NinjahGoose]

Good point - SLs flex really, really well and grip terrain. Es and even Cs don't. I realized that in my cycling days when hard/heavy tires had crappy grip on loose gravel. Soft/supple ones that flex are able to deform more and grip things.

IMO, it's well worth the faster wear factor and slightly higher puncture risk.

My SLs tow just fine at 42 psi as well. They are rated for 51 psi but I've never needed to get them that high.

I repaired a few punctures in the SL tires on my old 4Runner. As long as the puncture is not on the sidewall (which it shouldn't be, no-one should rock crawl with SL's), then repairs are typically very easy.

I will say, I purchased the Discount Tire warranty on the Bronco's Nitto's, I didn't on the KO3's. The wear shouldn't have been a thought to me but I tend to overthink on these kinds of things.

I will definitely switch over to the Nitto G3's when the time comes to replace my KO3's. My boat only weighs about 3,000lb's on the trailer, I don't really need the added strength, it was all peace of mind. It's not worth the 3-4mpg penalty to go with E-Load.

 

[Corbet]

What sucks is the very limited selection of SL tires if you choose that route. I'm not liking my MPG with LT's but currently there appears to be no dedicated snow tires options in a SL. And options of all terrains are very limited.

All of our needs are different as well. My truck sees 2 miles of dirt road every time I drive it as we live in a mountain community off pavement. I need a dedicated snow tire to have the winter traction I'm accustomed to. I prefer the durability of a LT for the same roads in the summer. Towing as well. I'm also confident that the broken rock conditions I see offroad in the San Juans is harder on tires than most see back east. Pretty hard to cut a tire on a sandy beach.

I've just never owned a vehicle this sensitive to tire choice with respect to MPG. And its my only real disappointment in the vehicle.

 

[Rednexus]

What sucks is the very limited selection of SL tires if you choose that route. I'm not liking my MPG with LT's but currently there appears to be no dedicated snow tires options in a SL. And options of all terrains are very limited.

All of our needs are different as well. My truck sees 2 miles of dirt road every time I drive it as we live in a mountain community off pavement. I need a dedicated snow tire to have the winter traction I'm accustomed to. I prefer the durability of a LT for the same roads in the summer. Towing as well. I'm also confident that the broken rock conditions I see offroad in the San Juans is harder on tires than most see back east. Pretty hard to cut a tire on a sandy beach.

I've just never owned a vehicle this sensitive to tire choice with respect to MPG. And its my only real disappointment in the vehicle.

We have lots of silica-rich volcanic rhyolite and chert here in the Ozarks. The rhyolite fractures on sharp edges (and is harder than most of the softer volcanics in the San Juans that aren't as silica rich), and the chert is arrowhead material that can be knife sharp. Since our gravel roads are covered in broken chert, they are known to destroy cheap tires.

I've never a sidewall cut on my AT3W or AT4W SL-rated tires wheeling here, or on the popular trails in the San Juans, or a puncture for that matter.

AT3W/AT4Ws are pretty good SL rated tires. Not sure if the cheaper/lighter SLs would fare as well as the Wildpeaks have.

 

[Corbet]

We have lots of silica-rich volcanic rhyolite and chert here in the Ozarks. The rhyolite fractures on sharp edges (and is harder than most of the softer volcanics in the San Juans that aren't as silica rich), and the chert is arrowhead material that can be knife sharp. Since our gravel roads are covered in broken chert, they are known to destroy cheap tires.

I've never a sidewall cut on my AT3W or AT4W SL-rated tires wheeling here, or on the popular trails in the San Juans, or a puncture for that matter.

AT3W/AT4Ws are pretty good SL rated tires. Not sure if the cheaper/lighter SLs would fare as well as the Wildpeaks have.

Thus my use of the word "most" for those of you back east.

I've punctured one of my Yoko G003' on my 80 outside Silverton but do't know if it was a rock or some piece of random mine ruin metal. I was also at full HWY pressure at the time, didn't help. Seen tons of Goodyears punctured in the area. Original MT/R and of course Duratracs... I had studded Duratracs on my 80 for winter use. Tore a sidewall and punctured the tread with a rock using them on the road. What a crap tire, but snow traction was good.

I'm leaning towards the Nokian Outpost tires for summer use as they look to be some of the least aggressive LT all terrains out there and lighter than most.

 

[Rednexus]

Thus my use of the word "most" for those of you back east.

I've punctured one of my Yoko G003' on my 80 outside Silverton but do't know if it was a rock or some piece of random mine ruin metal. I was also at full HWY pressure at the time, didn't help. Seen tons of Goodyears punctured in the area. Original MT/R and of course Duratracs... I had studded Duratracs on my 80 for winter use. Tore a sidewall and punctured the tread with a rock using them on the road. What a crap tire, but snow traction was good.

I'm leaning towards the Nokian Outpost tires for summer use as they look to be some of the least aggressive LT all terrains out there and lighter than most.

I did trash a number of Yokohama Geolandar AT-S tires as well on my old Forester, including 2 sidewall punctures. They were the only AT tire available in that size, so you kind of got what you got.

In my college years I had a summer job driving around 100-200 miles of Ozark gravel per day in a state-issued van. For awhile I was getting one flat per day on the crappy Goodyear passenger car tires the van had. After showing up in the tire shop daily, they finally hooked me up with a set of 10-ply Goodyear truck tires and I never got another flat.

The Wildpeaks are the only SL-rated tire that I can confirm has robust sidewalls. And that's why I go them again - not wanting to chance it with another SL that I'd tear to shreds. Other ones might work well too, I have just not tried them.

 

[NinjahGoose]

What we really need is a greater investment in the SL and XL load range in the A/T range of tires. Really, it would be great to see a resurgence in the B load while we're at it. I'm not saying we need a vast range of sizes. But the typical 32.6-34" (285/70r17 or 265/70r18 up to 275/60r20) would be great for the vast majority of vehicles. The LC 250 does not need to be overburdened by E-Load tires!

 

[Rednexus]

Can you guys run 17s on the 250/550? Or are 18s required due to caliper clearance? There are lots of SL options available in 285/70R17, but really nothing above that. TBH, I will postpone running anything bigger until my rig is not a daily driver due to the added weight/likely performance reduction.

 

[Corbet]

Can you guys run 17s on the 250/550? Or are 18s required due to caliper clearance? There are lots of SL options available in 285/70R17, but really nothing above that. TBH, I will postpone running anything bigger until my rig is not a daily driver due to the added weight/likely performance reduction.

17's fit but tire size options are more limited. I want larger than 285/70r17 but 285/75r17 does not fit under the truck as a spare.

 

[Rednexus]

17's fit but tire size options are more limited. I want larger than 285/70r17 but 285/75r17 does not fit under the truck as a spare.

285/75R17s seems to be limited in general. Same with 295/70R17s.

I'd also really like a 265/75R17 which would be a 33 that's a bit skinnier than a 285 is, and not a pizza cutter like a 255. But, such a tire does not exist.

 

[Goforth]

I put Cooper’s rugged trek in 275/70 on the factory 18 inch wheel. It’s an E rated tire that weighs 58 pounds. This size tire fits fine without any modification to the suspension or body/ flaps.

Ignore the predator steps and all the ugly they represent… they’ll be gone soon

 

[joseywales]

I put Cooper’s rugged trek in 275/70 on the factory 18 inch wheel. It’s an E rated tire that weighs 58 pounds. This size tire fits fine without any modification to the suspension or body/ flaps.
View attachment 3812642
View attachment 3812643
Ignore the predator steps and all the ugly they represent… they’ll be gone soon

Looks great. Any rub at all? I have 275/70-18 Toyo RT Trails on Methods (likely will get put on the stock wheels, and the Methods will get 285s and go on my Sequoia) ready to go on our 1958 as soon as it lands. Momma no likey that kind of rubbing, so I need to be sure to not offend her sensibilities.