New Truck Tires HeLP

[HIDE OUT]

I am on my way out to buy new tire and I would like some help on whether to get load range C or D. I have a F150 with 275 -65 -R18 I am also getting a new TT a rockwood 8310 ss dry weigh 7033 hitch weight 856 . will C's be enough or should I get E's. I only tow about every other weekend mostly 300 mile round trips . My tire shop said E's are to much that I wont like them and the springs would give before the tire would even budge and that the C's were good for my use . Needles to say I value all of your opinion's . because you all tow and know what your talking about. Thanks .

[Jim34RL]

Sorry; I can't help since I tend to tow heavy. I am towing a Cedar Creek 34RL with a 3/4 ton Ram diesel engine truck. I am looking at a 10 ply tire for my needs a Nitto Dura Grappler 285/70R/17E 126R which has a weight rating of 3750 at 80 PSI.


I would suggest that you also look at a Ford F150 Forum and see what other users are towing with their F150 trucks. You might get a faster answer.

[vinmaker]

Personally I would go for the "D" rating. If the load of a "C" is 1,600lbs, then four should handle 6,400lbs. You seem a bit over that.

I feel the sum of the tires load should be able to handle the GVWR of the trailer. This might not be exactly correct or how it works but it is a logical rule of thumb I feel comfortable with.

Others will be chiming in soon also. We all love to talk trailer weight and tires. lol.

Vin.

[OldCoot]

I would go with the LR E tires. You might overload the truck springs and just cause the truck to bottom, but if you overload the tires and one blows, you will have your hands and your seat full.

[acadianbob]

I would go LR C. It is more than enough for your truck's payload. E's extra a more money from your pocket and have a ride penalty for the majority of time that you are not towing.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by acadianbob

I would go LR C. It is more than enough for your truck's payload. E's extra a more money from your pocket and have a ride penalty for the majority of time that you are not towing.

I put LR E on my truck and just let the air down to 35 front 30 rear when not towing and the ride is just fine, when I tow, I go 65-70 front-rear.

[B and B]

I put E on my truck as well, i don't drop the pressure and the ride is a bit rougher but after all it is a truck! The tires cut through the snow better with a little more Nitrogen.

[Dave_Monica]

I'd go with the load range E, not specifically that you need that much load rating, but the 10 ply sidewall will be more stable when towing and aired up to 65 or more psi.


Dave

[Ford Idaho]

I run the PSI listed on the sidewall of the Coopers towing or not because there is nothing on the tire that says to do other wise.

Underinflated tires is one of the main reasons tires fail I will not run the risk of wrecking a 160 dollar tire or my truck by underinflating it.

Run the pressure on the sidewall of the tire, it IS the safe thing to do.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by HIDE OUT

I am on my way out to buy new tire and I would like some help on whether to get load range C or D. I have a F150 with 275 -65 -R18 I am also getting a new TT a rockwood 8310 ss dry weigh 7033 hitch weight 856 . will C's be enough or should I get E's. I only tow about every other weekend mostly 300 mile round trips . My tire shop said E's are to much that I wont like them and the springs would give before the tire would even budge and that the C's were good for my use . Needles to say I value all of your opinion's . because you all tow and know what your talking about. Thanks .

Howdy HIDE OUT, just some observations from my perspective of being in the tire biz. It may be hard to find a Load Range D tire in your sizing. Many manufacturers have really consolidated their passenger tire and light truck lines and have done away with Load Range D tires in many sizes. They usually make a SL (standard load or XL extra load), a Load Range C, and a Load Range E (for 3/4 tons and heavier). They are load range D's in some sizes though.

Even if your wheels will safely handle the air pressure of a Load range E tire at 80 psi, you don't necessarily have to run that much pressure which is going to be a stiff ride on a F-150, especially if you don't have a load connected to the truck. However, as heavy as a Load Range E tire will be, you also don't want to run it at too low a pressure, as it will heat up. The heavier the tire, the more energy (fuel) it takes to turn them too.

Now, there has also been some more changes of the years late, in the proliferation of passenger and light truck tires. You can't just necessarily assume that a Load Range C tire will carry a lot more load than a P (either standard load or extra load) tire. This is what causes a lot of confusion too. I would advise to look at the Load Index number of each tire you are interested in, and it will define how much weight the tire is made to handle....and not necessarily just the ply rating if it has one. You could possibly find a SL tire that runs at 51 psi and handles similar weights to a Load Range C tire at 50 psi.

Did I help or confuse the issue even more?

EDIT: Airdale correctly pointed out that I neglected to add that when using a P tire on trucks carrying heavier loads, that the load index number needs to be divided by a factor of 1.1 to safely figure in the weight capacity of the tire. Ex: a Load index of 116/2756 lbs should be factored as 2505 lbs when used on a pickup.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Ford Idaho

I run the PSI listed on the sidewall of the Coopers towing or not because there is nothing on the tire that says to do otherwise.
Underinflated tires is one of the main reasons tires fail I will not run the risk of wrecking a 160 dollar tire or my truck by underinflating it.
Run the pressure on the sidewall of the tire, it IS the safe thing to do.

This chart is what Goodyear puts out for different loads at different pressures which, if I understand it tells folks they can adjust the pressure and do not have to run max sidewall pressure.

[Ford Idaho]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

This chart is what Goodyear puts out for different loads at different pressures which, if I understand it tells folks they can adjust the pressure and do not have to run max sidewall pressure.

Does that apply to ALL tires or just Goodyear?
If all tires would Goodyear stand behind their data in the event things went south?
If Goodyear tires only then that data is worthless for use with other brands correct?

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Ford Idaho

Does that apply to ALL tires or just Goodyear?
If all tires would Goodyear stand behind their data in the event things went south?
If Goodyear tires only then that data is worthless for use with other brands correct?

All tire companies put out the same type of charts.

[Ford Idaho]

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company - Proper Tire Inflation

Driving on tires with improper inflation pressure is dangerous.

• Under inflation causes excessive heat build-up and internal structural damage.
• Over inflation makes it more likely for tires to be cut, punctured or broken by sudden impact.

These situations can cause a tire failure, including tread/belt separation, even at a later date, which could lead to an accident and serious personal injury or death.
Consult the vehicle tire placard, certification label or the owner's manual for the recommended inflation pressures.

[Dave_Monica]

Originally Posted by Ford Idaho

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company - Proper Tire Inflation

Don't think anyone is saying to run tire pressures less than the what is listed as recommended on the door post placard, which is always less than the max inflation pressure shown on the tire sidewall.

Dave

[OldCoot]

Here is a website showing the load/pressure charts for all the major tire manufacturers. Tire_Info

[Edmund]

D or E. Better too much than too little.

[HIDE OUT]

Originally Posted by wmtire

Howdy HIDE OUT, just some observations from my perspective of being in the tire biz. It may be hard to find a Load Range D tire in your sizing. Many manufacturers have really consolidated their passenger tire and light truck lines and have done away with Load Range D tires in many sizes. They usually make a SL (standard load or XL extra load), a Load Range C, and a Load Range E (for 3/4 tons and heavier). They are load range D's in some sizes though.

Even if your wheels will safely handle the air pressure of a Load range E tire at 80 psi, you don't necessarily have to run that much pressure which is going to be a stiff ride on a F-150, especially if you don't have a load connected to the truck. However, as heavy as a Load Range E tire will be, you also don't want to run it at too low a pressure, as it will heat up. The heavier the tire, the more energy (fuel) it takes to turn them too.

Now, there has also been some more changes of the years late, in the proliferation of passenger and light truck tires. You can't just necessarily assume that a Load Range C tire will carry more load than a P (either standard load or extra load) tire. This is what causes a lot of confusion too. I would advise to look at the Load Index number of each tire you are interested in, and it will define how much weight the tire is made to handle....and not necessarily just the ply rating if it has one. You could possibly find a SL tire that runs at 51 psi and handles more weight, as compared to a Load Range C tire at 50 psi.

Did I help or confuse the issue even more?

Thanks for to much info This is what I found out. My current tires Good year wranglers P275/65 /R18 have max load 2601. The tires I am looking at Cooper A/T3 C's have a max load of 2335. E's max load is 3415. So if I am thinking right my current P tires 4ply hold more then cooper C tires 6 ply. So if I want to get rid of the squirmy swaying problem I have to move up to E range no??. Or I just keep my current tires ???

[rsdata]

I have a one ton Dodge Ram 3500 Van that I purcahsed used with LT load range D tires that I used for a year. I stepped up and bought qty 4 load range E, Silent Armor Goodyear... top of the line tires when I started pulling my TT. I run them at 60-65#. In two years I have now twice hit significant bumps on the interstate, both times towing and both times I could do nothing about it... one was a 4X4 straddling my lane... the other time was in a driving rain storm and I hit a big pothole on the side and lost my hubcap.

The tires took both in stride. I stopped within a few miles of hitting these significant obstacles and could find not even a scuff mark on the side walls of these tough tires.

The ride is a bit stiffer without a towing load, but not so bad that I would say I made a bad decision. They corner better and have great snow traction. Twice a year Goodyear gives $80 dollar rebates (double if you use their credit card) on a set of 4.

I think I paid about $1100 with rebate at a local owned Goodyear dealer. He discounted to nearly meet online price offered by Tirerack dot com but I get FREE every 6K miles balance and rotation for life of the tires... with about 25,000 on them in two years, they look brand new with no significant tread loss to my eye.

[FordHauler]

When I stepped up to 245-70r17 load range E Michelin X M&S, from the factory Hankook tires, my "wiggle" went away. They are expensive, however, I value my life more! I do deflate some when not towing but as someone said, it is a truck.