Hey guys,

Some people have their morning coffee, I have my morning rant.

I took my 05 Crew PS Fx4 in for its 30k (@ 40k) service sportin' my new 295/70/r17 Nittos and the Service guy got this panicked look in his eye! "I hope for your sake they hold up" he says. Like i didn't research it or anything.

What up with the drama? Did i break some sort of rule about what I haul or don't haul in my truck?

Maybe you guys can shed a little light on this for me, since I've only been driving this thing for a year now. Did i put my family in harm's way by getting the 8 ply D rated Nittos?

Thanks

 

I don't think so, you should be just fine.

 

shew. thanks. man, i was concerned there for a second. i'm not haulin' jackass trailers, just takin' surf trips.

 

Nothin to worry about. What was the issue? Did he think your gonna blow out the sidewalls? Jackass trailers, that's classic!

 

you'll probably only notice a difference if you're loaded up heavy or pulling a trailer. the E rated tires have stiffer sidewalls and will tend to have less sway, kind of like going from a low profile tire to a high profile. i put d rated geolanders on my 03 and it was fine til i loaded the box full of topsoil, then it felt like standing up in a canoe, if you tried to change lanes. that was enough to convince me to go back to the E rated, but if you don't load heavy it won't cause any issues

 

I have been running "D" rated tires for 2 years now, and I tow heavy and load 3-4 k in the bed during haying season. I know some "D" rated tires have a low load range-about 3100 lbs, but mine are rated at 3400 lbs per tire, so I feel mine handles as well as the "E" rated tires I took off. I think a person needs to look at the weight rating along with the letter rating when getting new tires.

I think even a low load rating on a "D" tire-3100 lbs per tire- is sufficient for someone who doesn't tow or load heavy because they still give a 12400 total load capacity on an approximately 8,000 pound truck.

So just relax and don't let some service guy get you in a when you feel you have done what is right for your truck.

 

"D" and "E" load range ratings are just...... ratings. They are based off of older tire technology, and in no way indicate the exact load, number of ply's, or strength of a tire. They are simply a guide.

There are plenty exceptions of brands out there that have "D" range tires that handle loads better than certain "E" range brands.

On average however, most "E" rated tires will probably handle heavier loads slightly better. Most of the time I've noticed that if you tow heavy all the time, many "E" range tires will wear a little better than their "D" range counterparts. However, there are exceptions as I've already mentioned.

As long as your "D" range tires are rated for a specific load that you are carrying, then there's no need to worry. Inflate to the proper air pressure and drive/tow like you normally would. Your dealer freaked out for no reason whatsoever, and is probably relying on old wive's tales/misinformation/etc.

In case you wanted to know, my tires are "D" load rated, and I've towed trailers well over 16K lbs (which puts me well over what my F-250 is legally supposed to tow).... all without a single problem.

 

You are just fine. I used to run Load D 295 Nitto Terra Grapplers. Mine were 3400lb tires. That is as much as a lot of load E tires. I pulled a 20 foot steel livetock trailer loaded with those tire, with no problem.

If you were towing heavy loads frequently then you would definately want Load E.

 

thanks guys. this is all good stuff. can't wait to hit the beach this summer! the 265's we had on it last summer dug in like pizza cutters. we're super stoked to have the 295's on there. y'all take care, and drive like you mean it!

 

Wow, this is the first time I've read a thread on tire ratings without hearing some factless rants!

I tow a 6000 lb trailer along with two quads on top of the bed and 800 pounds of fuel and water in the bed. On D rated 315/75-16 tires. That is a lot of side wall! I am still well under weight rating (rating on BFG ATKO is very high), and it drives and handles very well. No sway or white knuckles.
I do, of course, air them up to max when hauling like that.

Until we hit the sand, when I drop them to 15 psi and drive nice and slow. And right around all the stuck Heeps! The look on their faces as I cruise by with trailer in tow is absolutely priceless!

 

i guess it's all in the question you ask

i'm going to head out to the "north end" some evening this week and see how she does now that i've got a little width under her.

i don't think i'll be towing a trailer though.

 

I see in your profile that you're in North Carolina. Do you need to air down on that sand?
Out here, we definitely do as the sand is very, very loose.

 

most of the sand is pretty packed by all the hodads who go out there to pile up all their trash. [rant]

they call it 'sugar' here. it's pretty loose most places. newbies and big bubbas stay on the packed tracks. like everywhere else.

 

@mwsF250, where are you?

 

We live in Chico, California, but we take the quads up to Oregon Dunes at least once or twice a year and get together with a bunch of old (well, mid 40's) high school friends. We save about $400 each trip by sand camping rather than staying at campgrounds. That pays for the monster tires pretty quickly!

We also run around in the Nevada desert pretty frequently. With the big tires, we are yet to get stuck. If we sink into soft sand, just air down and she pops right back up on top.