Okay, everyone I've asked about tires say I've have to have (or should have) an &quot;E&quot; rated tire in order to haul my 5er around (12,500lbs) :. The stock tires I have do have an &quot;E&quot; rating at around 3000 lbs (or close to that). I was looking at the BF Goodrich tires site and they have a BF Goodrich AT (LT295/75R16D) It's weight rating is at 3414@65 psi. Question is it's a &quot;D&quot; rated tire but rated at a higher level than my stock &quot;E&quot; rated tires. Will this tire work or should I say with the &quot;E&quot; rated tires ??? <br>Thanks for any input...Big dawg

 

Stick with the load range E if your towing that much weight. Its better to get the heavier duty tires to handle more weight, less heat buildup and generally very good tire life.

 

By error a tire installer once installed &quot;C&quot; range tires on a Truck which was factory equipped with &quot;D&quot; range tires. When it was discovered. There were apologies and full credit given. It was explained that if I would have had an accident the tire store would have had partial liability for the accident, I would have had the remainder of liability for having the wrong load range on my truck.<br><br>The load range not only has to do with load capacity but also has to do with stiffness of sidewall and ultimately handling characteristics of the vehicle. Manufacturers will have a list of optional tire sizes which are compatable with your truck. Stick with these. You may get by with others but, is it worth the risk. :'(

 

I've been running BFG MT's for 2 years now on my 2500. They are 33x12.50x16.5's and load range D. I've had well over 30K behind this truck on a gooseneck trailer. The BFG's are great they have a real stiff sidewall and when aired up to 65psi handle the weight quite well infact. 8) The tires don't ever feal hot and ware great. I've got 25k on my set now and they look like new. You do have to rotate them often but it's worth the extra tractions of the MT if you have to take loads off road like I do on ocations.<br><br>Weigh the truck's rear axle with the fiver hooked up and see what it weighs, if it's not over the combined weight of the two BFG's you will be fine in the legal department as well.<br><br>Darrell

 

So, the stock E load range is 3,000 per tire (total of 6,000). The new D load range is 3,400 per tire (total of 6,800). One is 10 ply (80 psi), the other is 8 ply (65 psi). Technically, the load range weight is higher with the &quot;D&quot; load range. I wouldn't think there would be any liability since the weight rating is higher. May wear a bit faster under load, but that's all I can think of...<br><br>Good question! I'm in the same situation with my dually...wanting a 255/85/16 where there is only a &quot;D&quot; load range (no &quot;E&quot; load range tires).

 

Forgot to say in my previous post what made me discover wrong load range tire. On certain winding roads with truck loaded but well below weight capacity I found it squirelly and hard to keep on the road. It was dangerous to drive under those conditions. The wrong tires had a similar weight carrying capacity to the correct tires but at a lower air pressure. The load range as I stated before has to do with stiffness of the sidewall for its carrying capacity at maximum pressure. Too much flexing in the sidewalls is what leads to problems in handling characteristics.

 

Heres the low down on the load ratings. the reason of some of the larger Ds carrying more weight is that volume comes into play.<br>Load ratings has nothing to do with sidewall stiffness.<br>It exactly that a load rating. during the tire test if it holds a certain amout of weight@what air pressure it becomes that load rating.<br>Some of the highest load rated tires are 1ply steel sidewalls with a load rating of &quot;F&quot; @ 100psi and some other C range tires can have a 3ply sidewall.<br>The only thing you have to look at is the total load rating, if it fits in your range its fine.<br>Heres the breakdown.<br>LR B=4ply rating<br>LR C=6ply<br>LR D=8ply<br>LR E=10ply<br>But these are all ratings,not true amount of sidewall plys.<br>So go ahead with the 295s, but remember to keep the air up.<br>A 65psi tire that will carry 3400lbs run @3/4 of the max air will only carry 3/4 of the max weight.<br> I have owned a tire store for 20years and get this question everyday. Danny

 

In the states I have not seen a &quot;B&quot; rating on a tire in several years. The &quot;P&quot; is the equivalent of the old &quot;B&quot; rating as in P225-75R15. Light duty trucks usually have &quot;P&quot; tires from the factory.

 

Well on all the passenger tires in my shop the load range B<br>is on all them and I live in the states. Look close to the bead area,<br>FYI, P means Passenger , but there are extraload Ps also.<br>On speed rated tires theres also a load/speed index #.<br>And on Euros its another story.<br> Danny

 

[quote author=Sierra Phil link=board=11;threadid=6717;start=0#63510 date=1036692211]<br>Forgot to say in my previous post what made me discover wrong load range tire. On certain winding roads with truck loaded but well below weight capacity I found it squirelly and hard to keep on the road. It was dangerous to drive under those conditions. The wrong tires had a similar weight carrying capacity to the correct tires but at a lower air pressure. The load range as I stated before has to do with stiffness of the sidewall for its carrying capacity at maximum pressure. Too much flexing in the sidewalls is what leads to problems in handling characteristics.<br>[/quote]<br><br>I totaly agree, I had a set of C rated tires on my 2500 for about 6 months and they were flat out scary with any kind of a load behind the truck. The BFG MT's have a very tuff sidewall and really do well on my 2500. Like I said before just keep an eye on the #'s on the tire and buy only what you think will cover the weight you will be hauling. <br><br>Happy Hauling<br>Darrell

 

Yeah - The BFG's can handle the weight. I would not recommend it with all D range tires, but BFG's are tougher than most and have excellent real-world reports.<br><br>Put on my 315/70/17 BFG AT's (35&quot;x12.5&quot yesterday. ;D

 

How many pounds is a load range E supposed to be rated for?

 

Actual load carring capacity depends on the size tire ant the manufacturer.

 

I don't think all ply's are the same strength. I think BFG's and Toyo M55 have heavier sidewalls than most. I really like the Toyo M55's for milage and rock puncture resistance. But they are limited in sizes avaiable.

 

Remember BFG is owned by Michelin, some Michelin's are made in <br>BFG Plant