I have an 04 f-350 crew cab long bed 6.0. I have Firestone Destination AT 285/75/16 Load Range E on there now. I got a free set of BF Goodrich All Terrain TA KO 285/75/16 Load Range D. Will the BF's be ok to run on this truck considering the OEM tires are E rated.

 

You will have lower cargo capacity. Do the math. Each tire besides the general ratings have actual pounds rating stamped on it.

 

If you use the truck, no.

 

Here is the real answer from 11 years of experience 9 of those years running BFG "D" load range tires.

I have pulled three of my campers with NO PROBLEM what so ever. You will never have an issue as long as you don't overload you truck to exceed the tire carrying capacity.

To put a blanket statement out there that if you use your truck is simply rubbish. Sorry but the truth is the truth. So what if you de-rate your truck, 90%, or more, of these trucks sold to daily drivers will NEVER see the limit that they are capable of. If you're a hot shot / transfer / car hauler / etc / etc then maybe so.

I'll venture to bet you that a "C" load range would suffice; however, any ligit tire store would not put less than a "D" on a Super Duty.

 

Those tires are rated for 3300 at 65 psi which is just as high as some E range tires

 

My truck came with BFG Rugged trail "E" rated at 3195 # @ 80psi.. I replaced with BFG Mud terrain "D" they are rated at 3195# @ 65psi...

I know that it doesn't sound right but that is what the BFG Website says & I called their customer service to verify before making the purchase...

 

Regardless of how much weight the tire can hold. The E range tire is constructed better and will take more abuse. So its up to u I have had friends put D range tires on there SDs but I wouldnt

 

Yes, you can run "most" Load Range D tires on a SD, and not break any weight restrictions on the tires. You will be 100% legal, within manufacturers specs, and in my mind, completely safe. If the max sidewall load per tire times four tires is more than the GVWR of the truck, you will be fine, irregardless of if you "use the truck" or not.

That being said, D rated tires are constructed differently than a E rated tire. The D will flex more under load, resulting in the tire heating up more, and reducing tire life. That's why some people put a blanket "DO NOT USE" on D rated tires, because you're running them closer to their rated capacity. Yeah, I could run my air compressor at 100% duty cycle and it'll make 5CFM, but I could buy a larger compressor and only run it 50% of the time to get the same amount of air. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which compressor is gonna die sooner.

From personal experience, D's feel less stable than E's in similar sizes. But sidewall height has a lot to do with that also. E-rated 35s on 17" wheels will probably feel less stable than D-rated 33s on 20" wheels, because of the amount of sidewall. A lot of discussion about tires is relative to something else, there are very few absolutes when comparing Tire A to Tire B, some things make one better than the other, some make one worse. You just have to pick a combo of features that works for you.

 

You can get by with the load range D tire but as others have said, more flexing will occur and shorter tire life will probably result. I would think twice before putting those tires on my truck!

 

Chances are you will exceed the rated GVWR of the truck before reaching the rated weight limit (front or rear) of either tire. If you do a lot of heavy towing/hauling close to or exceeding the trucks ratings I would prefer an E tires for the extra plys.

The D 285s on my truck exceed the weight capacity of the E stockers that came on my truck by around 300lbs per tire. The sidewall just isn't as stiff and has a ply or two less on the D and you will tend to get more flex. I have been running 285 Ds on my SD for years as has my father on his SDs.

 

Unless there is a real safety issue I'd be all over a FREE set of tires.

 

Some not so published facts.
-tire can take 5 to 10 times the rated load while not moving
-tire will take 3 times rated load while rolled at slow speed on limited distance.
-what is killing the tire is the heat when heavy load meets high speed and especially under-inflation.
Meaning even if once every 2 years you take heavy load of gravel for your driveway, you don't really need to buy heavy tires for this job. All you have to do is drive the few miles slowly. Now doing it every other day is totally different story.