Just my opinion after driving a bunch of 4Runners and Tacoma with e loads c loads and standard- e is not necessary and is super heavy.
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
I'll go one step further (or less?) and recommend P-rated tires. Lighter tires are more flexible, provide better MPG, acceleration, and braking. Plus they are cheaper. I've off-roaded with my P265/70R17 Wildpeaks extensively and tow our 3,500-lb loaded camper with them too - no issues whatsoever. The C's and E's may provide better puncture protection and wear but come with a lot of other tradeoffs in general driving performance. Several manufacturers make P-rated AT tires all the way up to 285/70R17 (the Wildpeaks, Toyo Open Country, and Nitto Ridge Grappler come to mind).
I’ve been in Death Valley on really rocky, rutted, cliffy, and hilly terrain over 50 miles from the nearest gas station. On situations like that, you are glad you are on e rated tires.
On a hot day in this remote terrain you are also glad your cooling system, battery, brakes, and fluids are in tip top shape.
And yet I still overheated the brakes in this darn death valley trip because of the rocky descent was too steep and I was on the wrong road. I had to turn around and go back uphill. I should have used DAC but I thought I had it on my own.
So, my point is that you prepare for the worst and hope for the best when you go far off the pavement.
Now if you don’t find yourself in these type of situations, then don’t go overboard with the preventive maintenance like the cooling system or the battery. Nor worry about stronger sidewalls with e rated tires. A tow truck or the auto zone are within easy reach.
My point of view is different because of those situations that I’ve been in and probably find myself in when exploring in the near future.
On a hot day in this remote terrain you are also glad your cooling system, battery, brakes, and fluids are in tip top shape.
And yet I still overheated the brakes in this darn death valley trip because of the rocky descent was too steep and I was on the wrong road. I had to turn around and go back uphill. I should have used DAC but I thought I had it on my own.
So, my point is that you prepare for the worst and hope for the best when you go far off the pavement.
Now if you don’t find yourself in these type of situations, then don’t go overboard with the preventive maintenance like the cooling system or the battery. Nor worry about stronger sidewalls with e rated tires. A tow truck or the auto zone are within easy reach.
My point of view is different because of those situations that I’ve been in and probably find myself in when exploring in the near future.
My GX has been on rocky, rutted trails in Moab and Colorado a good 50 miles from a gas station, loaded with my wife and small kids. And on lots of trails here in the Ozarks where I might not be 50 miles from a gas station, but on a trail that gets a person down it every few weeks at most, so very little chance of ever finding a passerby (more in a walk-out situation and call a buddy to come extract your rig later....). We also have lots of chert and sharp volcanic rocks in this area. My P-rated Wildpeaks have done a great job every time, aired down to 15-18 psi. I've been off-roading for around 13 years now (first in a Subaru) and have definitely sliced sidewalls on rocks before and ruined tires (Yokohama Geolandars - only AT tire available in 205/70R15 
). When that's happened I've just changed the tire and kept going . I carry lots of tools and am no stranger to a trail or roadside repair.
Perhaps if I was driving to Patagonia, or did more full-time exploring, yes I'd have C or E rated tires. For a GX that is also my daily and needs to do everything, they really don't make sense as the reduction in drivability doesn't make up for the same performance and slightly higher reliability off-road (considering the P's have been reliable for me to date in adverse conditions).
). When that's happened I've just changed the tire and kept going . I carry lots of tools and am no stranger to a trail or roadside repair. Perhaps if I was driving to Patagonia, or did more full-time exploring, yes I'd have C or E rated tires. For a GX that is also my daily and needs to do everything, they really don't make sense as the reduction in drivability doesn't make up for the same performance and slightly higher reliability off-road (considering the P's have been reliable for me to date in adverse conditions).
