Hey everyone, I have a question about tire load ranges. Can I use load range D on my truck? I'm looking at buying 315/70R17 tires for my truck, being my truck isn't really used for work, would this be a dangerous decision? Also I'm going to use my factory wheels, just in case that is a factor. Thanks

 

I have been running D rated tires on my truck for about 3 years. They are rated at 3400 lbs each at 65 psi, and I haul some heavy loads. I have checked my axle weights and have come it just under 6K, which is 1k under the tire's combined load rating. You shouldn't have any problems, especially if you watch the air pressure when loading something heavy.

 

20k on my Cooper St's in load D, no issues at all, properly inflated and rotated regularly they have shown excellent wear with no drivability issues. I don't see an issue at all, if your honest about your intentions with your truck and like saving a few dollars I say get the D's.

 

Thats what I was thinking, but just wanted to see what ya'll thought. Didn't know if they had to be rated E because of the 6.0 diesel or if it was a GVW thing. Thanks ya'll

 

my 35x12.50x18 General Grabbers are load range D, my truck is mostly a DD but I also use it to pull my 20' 14K gvwr deckover. I have about 20-25K miles on them. Havent had any problems or trouble yet but my next set of tires will be GY Duratrac's which are E rated.

 

When I got this SD I got a second set of factory wheels . One ( with 285 x 75 x 16 "E" rated ) to haul my 5th wheel or when I have more than 2500 lb of pin weight . My second set of wheels ( with 315 x 75 x 16 "D" rated ) I run most of the time because 1 - the D rated tires have a softer side wall , and tend to ride better even if you put the same air psi in both sets . 2 - "E" rated tires tend to be more expensive and have a stiffer ride . With the 285s I like to get a tead that is more road tuned ( hiway / all terain ) and the 315s ( all terrain / mud and snow ) this way I can have the best of both worlds to tow heavy during the week and on the weekends I can change ( about 20 mins , not nascar speed ) out and be ready to get out in the woods to hunt or camp .

 

I think Roadfind makes the point for my opinion about D range tires. The sidewalls have more flex.

A D range tire with the same load rating in pounds of an E range tire will still have more sidewall flex. More sway. Less control. More heat. Etc, etc.

What Roadfind does, switching out for E range when loading, is the only way I would ever consider D range tires. They simply are not intended to handle the weight the way an E range tire is, and our trucks were designed around E range tires.

I don't want to have to change tires whenever I might want to drop a load in. I may get a call to haul firewood, or pull a trailer, from a friend on a moments notice and I don't want to have to go change tires. So I run E range.

I would never run D range on anything but an empty truck. You may get away with it for a long time. But you may not.

 

Not all D range tires have the same load carrying capacity. I looked at some that only would carry 3100 lbs/tire. The ones I have carry 3400 lbs/tire, which I feel is sufficient for what I carry. If I was loading heavy every day, I would go with an E rated tire, because the sidewall is stiffer and the tires would last longer.
If someone does the research, a good D rated tire can be sufficient.

 

i run bfg at's on mine in a 315 70 17 and they are rated for 3250 pounds i believe. my rear axle is rated for 6000 pounds on my f350. that leaves about 500 pounds of extra capacity. the D's will flex more but are still rated for the load. i would think about getting a wider rim though. i got 17x9 ultra wheels for my truck

 

Yes... you can find D range tires with higher load capacities rated in pounds.

The sidewalls will still flex more than a similar E range tire, which is my point. They will still not carry the weight as well as a similar E range tire. There will be more sway under heavy load. Sway will give you less control. There will be more heat build up.

The pounds per tire rating is not the whole story.

 

the pounds per tire is not the whole i agree, i would have bought e range if bg made them. but it is still rated for what my truck can legally carry. you guy's talk like it's illegal to put d's on a superduty and the tires are going to fall off. they are not. even with the 4000 pound payload my truck has the tires are still good for another 500 pounds. yes they flex more and i stated that in my previous post.

built ford tough 757 also says that this is a daily driver and isn't used for work so a d range tire is in fact a legal and viable option.

if he was loaded all the time with 2 tons in the back then i would say no to d range tires. it is better to go higher in capacity when you can. as long as people understand that a d is not as tough as an e range and use there head they will probably never have any issues

 

They won't fall off probably, but I'll argue about lug nut torque if y'all want ... really in my mind it's blow outs that become more likely. You can damage a tire by overloading it at any given pressure, which is easier to do on a tire that is not just rated for less weight, but uses a lower air pressure. It's impossible to eye-ball tire pressure (if your tire looks low, it's waaaaay low), so unless you use a gauge, odds are your tires are incorrectly inflated, and in my experience people who don't frequently check have tire pressures that are very, very wrong. Last trip to the dealer I got a sheet saying they set my tires at 75psi... back passenger was at 85 and front passenger was at 65, other two were at least in the 70s. Missing 10psi on an 80psi E-rated tire isn't the same as missing 10psi on a 55psi D-rated tire and will cost you proportionally more of the load capacity of the D tire. So unless you're **** about tire pressure (which the OP might very well be, I know I am, and I hope all y'all are), you're more likely to unknowing damage D-rated tires. Throw in sidewall flex, heat problems, trad block stability, and steering stability, and the headache just keep rolling in. If you've ever had an over-sized tire come apart on your truck, especially while towing, you won't want to go through that again.

If the OP wants to run d-rated tires, more power to him. I've done it before, and it's perfectly fine if you do it the right way. I look at tires as just another maintenance item, and there's a difference to how I maintained e vs d rated tires. If I ever got 19.5" wheels and commercial tires, I'd probably come up with something to worry about on them too.

 

In this day and age, when Ford will save $1 by omitting the courtesty light in the glove box, you have to ask yourself why they don't EVER put D rated tires on the Superduty. They could save at least $100 if they did, but they don't.

Wonder why?

 

If ford put d's on a superduty. people wouldn't buy them because "they're not rated for the weight" according to you guy's. they even put e's on f-150. are they needed? no. are they safer? yes.

funny how all of you are worried about the weight capacity and none of you are worried about putting a 12.5" wide tire on what is probably a 7.5 to 8" wide stock rim which is not recommended by the tire manufacturer.

if everyone is so worried about sidewall flex then why don't you all have 20" rims? less sidewall, less flex.

you should all have f-450's as well because they are safer because of the higher weight capacities.

i should only carry 3000 pounds in my f-350 even though it is rated for 4000. any more weight and i should have a dually. next i should have a diesel to pull anything over 5000 pounds. right?


when it comes down to it the tires are rated for the weight. are they the safest option, no.

 

No, they don't. Not most of them, anyway. It might be an option.