I have an 06 3500 mega cab 4X4 fleet side. Do I need to stick with the E rated tire or can I go up to a D rated in a 285? Im trying to go with something taller and fill up some fender space. Im finding the E rated tires in a 285 arent very common. Thanks for any help.
Ken

 

You give up a bit of sidewall strength but the D's should be fine unlss you tow or payload to max. Some have reported issues but my gut says the softer sidewall just showed up a hidden problem elsewhere. I run a 315 D with no issues and I tow 14,000 on occasion. Softer ride too.

Cya

 

Really depends on what you use your truck for. If you do alot of towing, I would stick with an E rated. I thought the Toyos had a E rated in that size?

 

Your truck calls for E, I would not skip and go with an inferior tire. Stick with the Es - try BFG TKOs, great tire

 

Toyo's and Nitto's have tons of E rated tires from stock size up to 37 inchers. I wouldn't recommend buying a D rated tire. The truck weighs enough by itself, let alone with payload or when hauling. You can find cheap prices on Toyos at treaddepot.com.

 

if you are lookin to get tires i dont really no alot but one thing i do no is that the nitto terra grappler are not a good tire i bought a pair for my 06 and they were gone in 5,000 miles 40/60pullin i highly recommend you not to get those tires i have michelins on there now and i am happy with drivablity not the best looking but they are good in my opinion

 

Toyo sells E rated tires...my 37's are E . I think they have an AT too....if you like ugly street tires :P.

 

The D rated tires I had were rated to hold more than the E's that came on truck stock. Also as billie said, rode a heck of a lot better. If I pulled heavy everyday I would insist on E's. Otherwise I liked the D's better. All this coming from someone who has F rated tires on truck now, (cause that's what came with my used 19.5's) I guess I am stuck with F's from now on. It doesn't ride as bad as I thought it would though.

 

Thanks for the info guys, I will dig a little more and see what I find. I currently dont pull anything, however, I may be pulling a fifth wheel soon and if I have that set up installed I will go ahead and add the goose neck ball and get my trailer back from my dad. After that I may pull my John Deere to some shows. Thanks again

 

classic,

I ran BFGs with D ratings in both 315s and 285s for 110,000 miles. The 315s cost me about 1.5 MPG and the 285s only about .5 MPG compared to stock.

It's true that they are rated to carry as much as the 265 E tires.

Then I put on a set of Toyo 285/75 ATs with E rating and wow. These are the best tires I've had. They are obvoiusly heavier duty and they roll very smooth and quiet on the highway. The mileage is up too.

Just because a D tire is rated to carry the weight of an E tire it doesnt mean you should buy the D. The serious torque of the Cummins will wrinkle the sidewall under heavy pulling as it winds the tire up a bit. Looks scary! I've decided to never go with another D tire. For those that are looking for a soft ride, and want wimpy tires to give them some sidewall flex, I just ask what the heck are you doing in a heavy duty truck? Get real tires and do some real towing or haulng with peace of mind. Or run over some road debris and not get a blow out.

The sidewall strength of the Toyos is amazing. I pulled out two tires at the tire store and I could push the sidewall way in with my fingers on the 70 series E tire but the 75 series E tires were way hard. The D rated BFGs are the same way, very soft. They feel like inner tubes by comparison to the harder Toyos.

I got a cut in the side of one of my 285 BFGs. It was just a slice about 1 inch long but not completely through the rubber. No cord showing. I decided to run it and a while later at about 70 MPH it blew out at that area.

D tires are not heavy duty enough for me and I don't want to soften my ride by running a set of Ds at low pressure where they can flex too much and fail. It makes no sense to say that Ds are rated for the load but they can be run low on air and get a good ride too. It doesn't work that way.

If you use your truck for more than getting groceries in town, get E rated tires.

John

 

My truck is a grocery getter and I dont run anything but E rated tires. For one...have an accident, tire blow out whatever, if they can blame it on your tires they will. And if you arent running whats specified for your vehicle they can refuse to payout.

 

Mindy,

If what you say is true about running what is specified or you'll be blamed for the accident and/or won't get paid, why are you running 37s?

John