Hey guys. I am in need for another set of tires. Right now, I have a set of toyo tires in a 325/50/22. I am looking at going bigger and there are 2 that come to mind.

Nitto trail Grappler M/T in 37x13.50x22. These are an E-10 ply load rating tire and they are rated at 3415@65 psi.

BFG at/ko in 325/60/22. These are an D-8 ply load rating and they are rated at 3415@50 psi.

I was always under the assumption that our X's should always have an E load tire on it.

But the question is besides for the air pressure and plies of the tires, the load ratings are both 3415lbs, but should I stay away from the D's. And for what reason?

I can get the BFG tires for a super great price, about 1/2 of the Nittos. I do know the BFG tires are only 15/32" of tread and the Nitto tires are 21/32" of tread, so I have to take the price into consideration. I have had BFG's before and they have lasted about 70,000 miles. Thanks for some input. Oh, new wheels and tires in 18, or 20" wheels wind up to be the same price as just getting the Nitto tires. And besides, I like the 22's.

 

Get the D's there are alot of arguments for E's.......but the truth is in the rating.......anyone who says E's are required has another agenda.......I've ran both......can't tell the difference when properly inflated.....E's might wear a llittle better.....but that could have been brand

 

Some say sidewall strength is stiffer on the E's. But I dont know if there is a comparison in same tire and same size, just D and E.

 

They are supposed to be ......but the rating is the rating !

 

In early 2004 (IIRC) Ford recalled all Excursions built to that date and removed all the Load Range D tires, replaced with Load Range E (including spare) no questions asked. At 36k on a used Excursion that I just purchased, I got a full set of new Pirelli's for free. Ford must have had a pretty good reason to undertake that expense so I'll stick with the E's on mine.

Lou Manglass

 

But the thing is, did they replace them with the same brand,but just an E? What was the load rating on the D's and what is it on the E's? Some D rated tires have a higher load rating than E rated ones. Im changing sizes to a bigger tire and its between a bfg and a nitto. Both tires have the same weight rating but one is a 8 ply and one is a 10 ply. Does that mean that the 10 ply is stronger even if it has the same weight rating?

 

They did have a good reason. Ford didn't want another Explorer/Firestone fiasco. The decision wasn't based on heat buildup if underinflated like with the Explorer, it was moreso based on instability while towing and random blowouts. And it was Firestone who spearheaded the actual recall as well. Firestone Tire announced the recall of the Steeltex tires mounted on the Ford Excursion, following three fatal crashes that claimed five lives.

 

VASheriff is correct. I coudln't remember the details of the recall and didn't have them handy. While Firestone may have been the target, here's what the Vehicle Safety Information Research Center had to say:

"Thus the recall burden fell on Firestone, despite what appears to be tires that were specified with too low a margin of safety. The recalled tires are being replaced with a higher load range tire (Load Range E)–the same tire used on the Ford F250/350, which shares its platform with the Excursion. The lack of a specific failure pattern, a higher failure rate on a size used almost exclusively on Ford Excursions, and statements from Firestone that many of the failures occurred due to overloading all suggest Ford’s specification of an inadequate load range. Tire experts familiar with the situation concur that this is likely."

To answer your question a different way. The tire that Ford now specifies for an Excursion (LT265/75R16 Load Range E) has a load rating (single) of 3,415 pounds. As long as you equal or exceed the OEM load rating, I would think you should be safe. Personally, I will stick with the "E's" as they should have a stronger sidewall (ever brush a curb in a parking lot?) and I did notice a difference when towing. I'm guessing the Ford engineers were forced to make a comprimise between carrying capacity vs. ride comfort when specifying the original tires.

Lou Manglass

 

The interesting thing is while they changed their load rating they didn't change their inflation numbers on the door sticker. Their main problem on the Explorer was it had a bouncy ride if the tires were inflated to 35psi and they didn't want customers to be turned off by the ride and reduced it to 32psi. The biggest issue then was most drivers rarely check pressures so they were most likely in the 20's most of the time which caused the overheating and the poor handling. If a tire is not inflated to the maximum pressure it is not rated to handle the full load. So - to get that 3415lb rating they have to be inflated to 65psi or 50psi depending on your choice of tires in the OP. I keep my D's at 65psi and soften the shocks a bit to smooth the ride and yet be able to tow the boat at any time.

 

I just checked on my current tires. I have toyo open country a/t in 325/50/22 122R 10P.R. They are "E " load range tires. Here is the deal, they are rated at 3300@65 psi. The BFG tires i'm looking at are "D" load range and are rated at 3415@50 psi. I also thought that all "E" load range are supposed to be 10 ply and "D" load range are 8 ply. Well, my toyo tires now are E's and on the side of the tire is shows tread: 2 steel, 2 polyester, 2 nylon. sidewall: 2 polyester. well, i'm no math expert, but that only adds up to 8. Where are the other 2 plies.

I think i'm going to order the BFG tires tomorrow even though they are D load range and a lower pressure, but have a higher rating than my current E load range tires at 65 psi..

 

Thanks for giving some input to the situation guys. I was very confused on this and most of the calls I made to tire places, the people are idiots. Several of them said I have to stay with E's because my door sticker says to inflate to 80 and I cant meet that spec. Therefore the BFG's being at a higher rating ### arent as strong because the tire pressure is too low. MORONS......

 

In a stock size I would agree that a E would be recommended but not in your case. You will be fine with either D or E in the larger size you are running with the ratings you have posted. I had Nitto Terra Grapplers in 325/65-18 with a D rating. They handled well but seemed to wear a little fast. I ran them at 50psi and they rode better than the current E's I have that I am running at 65psi. I am running a 305/70-18 Nitto Dura Grappler - nice quiet tire that handles well on the pavementand does good towing. Our Ex sees just as many miles towing over 10000lbs as it does without the trailer. Prior to the Duras I tested the Nitto Trail Grapplers. I ended up returning the Trail Grapplers as they were not working well for my situation but may work for you. The Trail Grapplers were louder than expected and I found it hard to hear my children in the 3rd row (wait maybe that is a plus). I also found the Trail Grapplers had a tendency to wander when they had more than about 45lbs. With the trailer having a 1300lb tongue I was not comfortable airing down to 45lbs as the rears were bulging more than I wanted. If I was not going to use for towing I probably would have kept them as I would be able to leave them with 45lbs. I have also heard they tend to wander less after the first 5k miles but I had to decide before reaching that point. The Trail Grapplers look great on the Ex and I hated the thought of removing them but the current Duras are functioning well.

 

Tread depth was an issue too. The nitto tires have 21/32" and the bfg's have 15/32". after all the reading and researching, im going BFG. if they last me more than 3 years, ill be happy.

 

I think the E's are rated at 80 lbs and the D's are 65 which isn't where you should run them but it is where the tires are at their strongest. The C's are rated at 51 pounds. As far as the plies goes, 10 ply tires are history and now they go by the rating which has nothing to do with plies. Don't forget plies can be different material, different size, different thickness, etc. to attain the rating. D rated tires are fine unless you do heavy towing, this has been hashed over many times in here. Don't everybody freak out at once but I have been running my C's for 2 years at 50 pounds with no problems. They are LT tires and passenger tires are out of the question. Anybody else admit to running C's ?

 

Well, not all E's are rated at 80 psi. My toyos e rated, are rated at 65 psi max load. And thebfgoodrich D's are rated at 50psi max load.