Just curious if anyone is using a load range "D" tire on their truck... I know it's not recommended but I want to know how they do...I don't haul heavy; a 6 to 7k trailer is about tops for me and that's on rare occasion..My main concern isn't overloading the tire but more of a handling concern i.e. death wobble or similar...
I've seen a few guys running them on Dodges and Fords and they seem to do ok but I want some REAL input....
Actually I know of 3 Fords and one Dodge running the "D" tires with no trouble but I wonder if the guys even know what a load rating is...lol!

 

Time to do a search. This has been kicked around for years. Many of us have gotten away with running D, but they are not as good or as safe. You'll have to ask yourself if the compromize is worth it.

 

I know how to use the search function, but I'm not having much luck...Besides every question to be asked could be searched for....Wouldn't be much of a forum then would it? Thanks anyway!

 

If you had the exact same tire in a D and an E, ready to go on, for the same price, which would you choose? Obviously the E.

Are you towing in the Death Valley in the summer? Are you towing in the Sierras in winter. Are you sure you will never need extra capacity someday? Will your family be with you in the mountains? Will you ever hit a road hazard that might blow out a weaker tire?

I blew a D rated BFG and I know how weak the sidewalls are. For a few bucks more you can get an E that will take more abuse, so why not get the E? Is the extra safety worth debating for a few dollars more?

I've never had DW. Balance and tight steering are the best prevention.

No one is going to be able to tell you that you will be fine with a lesser tire, but you might be. Why is it important to find out?

 

I unknowingly( I had asked for E rated tires to be installed, but my ticket shows I paid for D rated) ran D rated BFG AT KO's on my lightly pulled 3500 for about 45,000 miles. No problems. However, when Discount Tire was made aware that I was running D rated tires, they immediately changed the tires with 45,000 miles on them with new E rated tires at no cost......apparently there is a liability issue.

 

I put BFG Comp/TA KO's on my '03 in November of 2007 when the weather got bad and the almost new Michellin AT's would spin on a slick road. At the time BFG didn't offer these in a "E" rating and knew I wasn't going to be towing much I just went with the "D". I have towed almost 7,000 pounds with them when they were on my '03 SRW 3500 QCSB and had no issues. Once I traded in my '03, those tires were swapped to my '06 and my '08 is my tow rig. The '06 is the wife's truck and she won't part with these tires.



Kris

 

I have run D tires for years, but they are the 315's. First I used the BFG and then switched to the Yokahama's. Really like these new tires. Have used the Yoko's on various vehicles for years and for me, they are the best brand.

 

I have BFG 285s D and have had no issues. The sidewalls are a little softer than the E tires, but otherwise they've been great. I haul a 11k toyhauler as well.

 

Ran D rated Pro Comps last winter. 3195lb load rating. No problems. Going to put them back on in the next couple weeks. See plenty of E rated tires with the same capacity.
I don't tow or haul heavy, but those tires see plenty of high speed curves (mtns) and off road in the winter.

 

It's not THAT important I just asked a question thats all...I mainly wanted to know because there seems like there is more choices in tread patterns and sizes in a "D" rated tire. The "D" rated tire is still rated for more than the axle so I can't see how it's a hazard as far as an overload condition.....I was mainly worried about the softer sidewall contributing to Death Wobble.....
I'm not asking for permission to run a "D" rated tire, I was wanting to know who was running them and the results they are getting....
Thanks again for your input...lol!

 

Lots of us have run D-Rated tires in the past only because getting an E-Rated big tire was very hard to do. Now there are plenty of E-rated choices but many of us, including myself, realize that the D's will do just fine so if we can get them cheaper then that's what we do. I was in this same dilemma when I got my current truck. I was all set to spend $1000 on some E-Rated 285 Nitto Dura Grapplers when I found a set of new D-Rated BFG 285s for almost half price. Since they tow and haul with no issues, I went with the BFGs. I have towed up to 12000lb with BFG 285s and BFG 315s and they did absolutely great. You just have to make sure to air those D-rated tires up before you haul or tow heavy.

There are a lot of opinions on what causes the Death Wobble and it seems to me that the majority of those with the issue have 315s or larger tires combined with a 2" leveling kit. For this reason I will never put leveling spacers on my truck. I have run up to 35" tires on my trucks with never a DW issue at all. There are other combos with this problem and even other makes and models have it too. You really just don't know until you put your tires on....

Lots of opinions here and some of them pretty strong ones. Don't let it get to you. Many people believe in doing things by the book while many of us have found that you can bend the rules a little and be just fine too. IMO, there's nothing wrong with either side. Heck, those of us who have been around a long time know 100% that sometimes you need to bend the rules if you want to make your truck better. That's what made this site what it is today.........

 

You're right Dodgezilla, thanks for ALL of the replies!

 

This is an interesting topic to me, back in 2001 I bought a Brand new 2000 F-350 with E rated Firestone tires, my daughter was just 2 years old and the whole explorer/Firestone deal was going on. I picked the truck up in Denver and drove 70 miles to C. Springs and bought brand new tires mainly because I didnt want to take the chance with my lil baby girl in the truck. I sold the Firestones for $100 just to get rid of them.

For me, the tire is the MOST important piece of equipment on my truck...it's the only part of the rig that makes contact with the road and I want a decent piece of rubber getting me where I want to go. I dont tow heavy often, but that doesnt matter...when I get new shoes they will be E rated. Les Schwab (big NW tire chain) will not put D rated tires on 3/4 and 1 ton trucks for a reason.

It's your money and time, of course you can get away with D rated tires...but why stop there, I think you could get some C rated tires even cheaper and just like the D rated tire they will probably be just fine!!

 

Again....the "D" rated tire is still rated for more than the axle it's on so I hardly think it's a safety issue as far as overloading....Everyone acts like the "D" rated tire is made of cardboard or something....Like zilla said though everyone has their own opinion....
I'll probably go with an "E" rated tire but call me crazy for weighing ALL of my options....

 

psd1, if you were REALLY concerned you would not have sold those tires to someone else who may have had an issue with them....

I'm not saying anything though......

Just messin with you....


Now, on the other hand, I just made a trip to Florida hauling my loaded trailer behind me. The trailer was a bit overloaded so I put my stocker 265 E-Rated tires on for the trip plus I just didn't want to put the wear and tear on my BFGs. You can go to the Towing/Hauling section and read my topic about my trip and see that there really IS a BIG difference between D-rated and E-Rated trailer tires ......