Hi all!
I have a question about potential replacement tires for my F-150 HD. Not that I am there yet with 5K miles on the odo, but I tend to do my homework well ahead of time ....
So the truck came stock with 245/75-17 BFG Rugged Trail E-rated tires. That's a load rating of 3,195 lbs per tire.
Now looking at replacement tires, I would like to go with something a little bigger while not effecting fuel consumption too much if possible. Thinking about either 285/70-17 or 275/70-17. There are some tires in that size range that would have about the same weight as the OEM tires, like the BFG Rugged Terrains as an example.
Now here is my question: Would it be a bad idea to also take D or even C rated tires into consideration? Doing so would significantly increase the number of possible candidates. My thinking is that even C rated tires are rated at 2,600 lbs of load. My RAWR is 4,800 lbs, so even C rated tires would cover my axle ratings nicely.
So would I regret going with a C or D rated tire instead of the stock E- rated tires? I am probably about 400 lbs or so under my payload when we go camping and tow the trailer, if that makes a difference, but do load the truck to roughly it's payload a couple times a year with firewood, dirt, junk, gravel, LOL ....
Thanks for any input on this!
* This post was
edited 06/24/12 01:38pm by an administrator/moderator *
Nights camped 2011: 13 (4 in the old popup)
Nights camped 2012: 36
Nights camped 2013: 2
2012 F-150 XLT screw 4x4 HD max tow
2012 Jayco X19H
Do you like the towing and non tow ride with the E raters(and I am assuming you do, I know I love mine)? If so why would you want to consider lesser tires? I love my E rated Michelins for the performance and ride they deliver and would never go with anything less. Running my tires between 50 and 60 psi I get a smooth quiet ride, excellent handling when towing and I am no where near their maximum (80 psi). What's not to love?
if you're worried about fuel consumption you need to move away from off road/trail tires and move to highway all season tires with a less aggressive tread, but no way would I downgrade to a c or d load range from an e. Offroad/trail tires are noisy and poor on fuel economy. Check out tirerack.com for more help and you can also see reviews from real folks on just about every size and brand of tire out there
Desert Captain wrote: Do you like the towing and non tow ride with the E raters(and I am assuming you do, I know I love mine)? If so why would you want to consider lesser tires? I love my E rated Michelins for the performance and ride they deliver and would never go with anything less. Running my tires between 50 and 60 psi I get a smooth quiet ride, excellent handling when towing and I am no where near their maximum (80 psi). What's not to love?
Desert Captain: Yeah, I am running my tires at 55psi also. The loaded ride is great, the unloaded ride a bit stiff. I would not say that I do not like the unloaded ride, but if a D rated tire would not tow significantly worse but would be a little softer ...
And as I said, the selection opens up once I start looking at C or D rated tires also. I am mainly looking for experience from somebody who had both or all three tires on the same vehicle, and can point out differences.
I think it is very hard to make an educated decision based on the fact alone that you like what you have without knowing how the other options would handle.
mobilefleet wrote: if you're worried about fuel consumption you need to move away from off road/trail tires and move to highway all season tires with a less aggressive tread, but no way would I downgrade to a c or d load range from an e. Offroad/trail tires are noisy and poor on fuel economy. Check out tirerack.com for more help and you can also see reviews from real folks on just about every size and brand of tire out there
Thanks mobilefleet!
I did all of my research so far on tirerack, and the BFG Rugged Terrain that I mentioned in my original post is a Highway - All Season tire, E-rated. Seems to be a good choice at 285/75-17 and only 3 lbs heavier than my OEM tires.
What are you basing your opinion to not "downgrade" to C or D rated on? Both would easily cover my axle ratings and GVWR - so they should be able to handle the load well. I thought that an E-rated tire may be overkill for a half ton, but maybe I am wrong here?
(again, I am not opposed to E-rated tires, just trying to find out what's best).
I just purchased a set of the rugged terrains from sears for my trip to colorado. Different truck than yours (f350 PSD), but they were fine for the trip. Quiet at 80MPH and not rough at all with 65 PSI, truck was basically empty, me wife some luggage. They are supposed to be same as the rugged trails but more street oriented. Did have some squirm initially till they got a few miles on them, other than that were great. Comparable in price with others in their size, lok good with the sidewall build ups.
Desert Captain wrote: Do you like the towing and non tow ride with the E raters(and I am assuming you do, I know I love mine)? If so why would you want to consider lesser tires? I love my E rated Michelins for the performance and ride they deliver and would never go with anything less. Running my tires between 50 and 60 psi I get a smooth quiet ride, excellent handling when towing and I am no where near their maximum (80 psi). What's not to love?
Desert Captain: Yeah, I am running my tires at 55psi also. The loaded ride is great, the unloaded ride a bit stiff. I would not say that I do not like the unloaded ride, but if a D rated tire would not tow significantly worse but would be a little softer ...
And as I said, the selection opens up once I start looking at C or D rated tires also. I am mainly looking for experience from somebody who had both or all three tires on the same vehicle, and can point out differences.
I think it is very hard to make an educated decision based on the fact alone that you like what you have without knowing how the other options would handle.
If you go to a C you will be running near its max capacity, not so much with a D. That's one of the many things I love about the E's. I can go to a heavier rig or load as much as I like and know I still well under its limits. I never run anything in my life at max capacity (since I no longer can why should I expect my toys to?).
I hear folks complain about the ride with E's and am always puzzled. With a street tread and properly balanced your ride should be fine. If your truck wasn't new I would be looking at your shocks. Opinions are what you sought and certainly what you are getting but I think you would be hard pressed to find many people who are not very happy with their E rated LT's...especially if they are Michelins.
If you go to a C you will be running near its max capacity, not so much with a D. That's one of the many things I love about the E's. I can go to a heavier rig or load as much as I like and know I still well under its limits. I never run anything in my life at max capacity (since I no longer can why should I expect my toys to?).
Being near or over load capacity is not the question here IMO, as the tires in this case are not the weakest link in the chain. Both the wheel and axle capacity is lower than the capacity of even C rated tires.
With your HD package, in order to handle your trucks 8200 lb. GVWR you need at least a load range D tire. Problem with running a D rated tire is that there are not a LOT of sizes and manufacturers available. You would be limited a LOT in trying to find a particular size D rated tire. That is why the Ford HD trucks moved into the E rated tire market a couple of years ago. My original 2004 HD model was stock with a D rated tire and the ONLY manufacturer who made the size was General and only in the Americana line. It was pretty much a 'junk" tire and I finally upgraded to an E in order to get away from buying yet another set of junk. I'd stay with an E rated tire but can't figure why you'd want an even BIGGER tire since the OEMs are actually overkill for the truck. Anything you go to that's significantly larger WILL effect your fuel economy.
Good luck / Skip
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
Offline
