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Tires? Weight Rating or Load Rating??

10K views 23 replies 8 participants last post by  Skrugs 
#1 ·
2001 Crew Cab, 7.3, 4x4, Short box.
Sits most of the week. The wife and I run errons on the weekend with it.
NEVER loaded to the max. Pull 4000 lbs. trailer with 600 lbs tounge weight, maybe 12 weekends a year.

New tires. The max weight of the truck is 8800 lbs.
Each tire is rated at 2470 lbs @ 50 psi. 4 tires= 9880 lbs.
Load Rating is C.

Question is. If these tires would work for a maxed out 1/2 ton why not an
unloaded 3/4 ton.

Skrugs
 
#2 ·
I personally would not use a "C" rated tire.
have a look at your rear axel rating on the door jamb sticker. mine is a 350, and has a 6800lb rating which would be "e" rated, and 3400lb per tire. at the least go with a "d" rating. "c" rating is not even a light truck rated tire. just my 2 cents.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for your input.

My E rated tires have weigh rating of 3415lbs @ 80 psi.
80 psi is a rough ride empty. If I bring it down to 60 psi it is a better ride. But, now my weight rating is also lowerd.

C or D rated tire would be ok on my truck IF I don't over load them with weight. Is that a correct statment?

Is a C rated tire @ 50 psi equal to a E rated @ 60 psi?
Do you look only at Tire Rating and/or Weight Capacity?
 
#7 ·
I run all mine at 65psi Cooper S/T load range E 265/75-16r & the wear is even. Ride is stiffish but then again it's not ment to be a caddy. Still can handle a good load as well. If you need to you just just bump it up to 80psi again.
 
#5 ·
I have about 10 years in the tire business and personally I would not run a standard size Load Range C tire on a heavy rig. Too much sidewall deflection, especially in a panic turn or in regards to pot-holes.

Now with that being said, you also can look at air volume in the case of some over-sized tires. I have run R85-16 (37-10.5-16 bias-ply) Buckshot Mudders 6-ply rated on two different F-350's with no problem. Larger air volume and very tall sidewalls took care of both of my concerns.

35" and under, I would only run Load Range D or E. Just my 2-cents.
 
#6 ·
whats a good 35" tires that is E=rated. like a mudish tire. is the mtz a E rating? btw looking at a 35/12.50/16. if that matters
 
#9 ·
I run the Toyo M/T 315/75 R16 almost a 35 12.5 and it is a E rating. They handle awesome on road and off. I have hauled 2 1/2 yds of top soil in the bed and was only runnin 50 psi and they handled it great.
 
#11 ·
Those Toyo's look like a great tire.

BTW, Cat - Nice avatar, You should have a small sticker made that says that and put it in one of the lower corners of you're back window.
 
#12 ·
I think my thread has been hyjacked by Toyo talk.:eek::D

Slow at work today, this is what I found. Please correct me if this is wrong.

Load Range means max psi.
C=50
D=65
E=80

I went to Firestone and Goodyear for this info.
A E rated tire at 80psi is good for 3400 lbs (+ or - a few lbs.)
That same tire at 65psi is good for 3000 lbs.
Same tire at 50psi good for 2450 lbs.
At 80 psi and weighing 8800lbs, the sidewalls would not be stiff.

Looked at a stock 2004 F150, crew cab, tires.
C rated, max 50 psi. Weight limit per tire 2535 lbs. 2535x4=10,1400.
Buy the numbers, If these tires were on my Super Duty GVWR of 8800lbs.
they would be ok.:confused:

I'm trying to understand all this. Never to old to learn.
Please correct me if this is wrong.

Thanks for your 2 cents, Skrugs
 
#13 ·
The manufacturer puts those requirements there for a reason, I'd run an E load tire on my truck only. C load tires are not meant for F350's. Period. I am in the tire business also and can tell you i've seen sidewalls blow out of tires (C loads on larger trucks). Its a safety issue. Dont skimp on tires to save money.
 
#14 ·
Opps, sorry about that hi jack! :doh:

One thing that was brought up in chat once was Humvee tires. Now some are load range C & others are load range D. Like the guy I was talking to said you will have to go by the weight rating on the tire like you were just talking about. Because when you think about it a Hummer is heavier then a pickup. Depending on the company a load range d in brand A won't be the same as a load range d in brand B. I could be wrong but that's the way I understand it.

I also agree with Matt, just get E & don't worry about it.
 
#15 ·
I will get the E rated tires. Just trying to understand how it works.

Matt, The goverment puts up speed limit signs for a reson too. :poke:
(All met in fun)

BTW, That F150 door sticker only had tire size nothing with a C,D, or E.

Is Load Range only Tire Presure???
 
#18 ·
DO NOT DO A C RANGE TIRE. my dad had a blow out on his excursion. the dealer new tires on the truck and put C range on there. was on there for about a year and a hald and driving to work one day the sideway blowout of the tire. he went to a tire place and they said they wouldnt put that tire back on because of the rang and than said he could sue the Sh*t out of them. but he just went there and thjey replaced all 4 tires :D and BTW he was empty when it happen
 
#19 ·
I forgot to mention, while I was not making any money today, I found C rated tires for a trailer, 1750 lbs@50psi. Truck tires C rated 2500lbs @50 psi.

96 Stroker,
I will buy E rated tires. By the weight numbers, the tires on your dad's truck should have been ok if they where @ max psi. and not over the tire weight limit.

What is the lowest WEIGHT rating for a E rated tire??

You have all been helpfull. I need to find a solid answer on this C,D, and E rating system.

Skrugs
 
#20 ·
Answer Found. :D


Load Range

Load Range is another way of indicating the ability of a tire to handle stress and weight. This time, we are indicating how much load can be placed on the tire horizontally. Often, these tires are associated with towing because the back end of the car tends to wallow while towing a trailer. In other words, you are exerting stress on the tire from side-to-side.

While there is no industry-wide definition of ply rating, truck tires are frequently marked with ply rating and equivalent Load Range. These markings are used to identify the load and inflation limits of that particular tire, when used in a specific type of service:

Load Range Ply Rating
A 2
B 4
C 6
D 8
E 10
F 12
G 14
H 16
J 18
K 20
L 22
M 24
N 26

Source: Bridgestone/Firestone North America, Sizes and Classifications

Remember, load range indicates horizontal and sidewall strength.

What load rating and/or load range do I need?

Consider the following questions:

How far do I typically drive during the summer months?
Do I typically drive with my vehicle fully loaded?
How fast do I drive? (Interstate, high crosswinds)
What kind of vehicle do I have?
Do I tow a trailer?
Driving a heavy vehicle, fully loaded, during the summer, at high rates of speed puts much more stress on a tire than light-duty low-speed driving.

Light trucks such as the Volkswagen Vanagon have a fairly narrow track and a high center of gravity. The higher center of gravity tends to put more stress on tires due to body roll and load transfer. This kind of stress is exerted in a horizontal direction.

Volkswagen suggests a Load Range of C for its commercial vehicles (Bus, Vanagon, Eurovan). They do so because a 6-ply tire can withstand more side load and will not flex as much under these conditions.

[Most manufacturers do not offer 6-ply tires, nor do they document their load range.]

You should select the tire with the highest load rating and speed rating (and highest PSI) that you can afford that is in the size needed for your vehicle.

Lastly, while a Vanagon Westfalia has a higher center of gravity, and possibly more weight at the top of the vehicle, other models are lower and do not carry weight above the mid-section of the vehicle. The lower the weight is, the less force will be transferred from side to side when cornering or in heavy cross-winds.
 
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