Different tire sizes, BUT same issue in the end. My old 88 and 96 K3500 SW trucks came with 10 ply or LR E 245-75-16 tires with a 3042 capacity. I also put the same 16x8" rims and LR D or 8 ply 265-75-16 tires good to 3000 lbs per tire. Quite frankly, I found the 265's to ride better, handle loads, both towing and carrying better etc. When I went to LR E or 10 ply 265's, nor real difference. As I was usually not over the 6000 lbs per axel, hence, the no real difference in handling of loads or pulling. In fact, if they were pumped up to 80 lbs, handling was worst, as I did not have full tread contact width and had to lower the pressure to below 65 lbs to do so. SO no real reason to spend the extra money on the 10 plys vs the 8 plys.
In the end, one must have a tire with the load carrying capacity of what they are operating at. In some cases, as I described, a taller, wider lower load range tire will do as well or better than a smaller, narrower higher load range tire.
marty
05 Chev CC D/A LS Dooley
92 Navistar dump truck, 7.3L 7 sp, 4.33 gears with a Detroit no spin
00 Chev C2500, V5700, 4L80E, 4.10, base truck, no options!
92 Red-e-haul 12K equipment trailer
3 Single axle utility trailers
this is from the tire rack, I was wrong my D 285's are rated about 100#'s less per tire than the E 265's but they are rated higher than the E 245's (that's what comes on the 2500HD's) and the D 305's are higher than all of them....
245/75R16
Load Index 120 = 3169lbs (1440kg) per tire
Load Index 116 = 2806lbs ( 1275kg) per tire
Speed Rating “Q” = 99mph (160kph) 120/116Q E
3042 lbs.
80 psi
18/32"
48 lbs. 6.5-7.5"
7"
9.8"
7.6"
30.7"
678
265/75R16
Load Index 119 = 3074lbs (1397kg) per tire
Load Index 116 = 2806lbs ( 1275kg) per tire
Speed Rating “Q” = 99mph (160kph) 119/116Q D
3000 lbs.
65 psi
19/32"
47 lbs. 7-8"
7.5"
10.5"
8.2"
31.9"
653
265/75QR16
Load Index 123 = 3472lbs (1578kg) per tire
Load Index 120 = 3169lbs ( 1440kg) per tire
Speed Rating “Q” = 99mph (160kph) 123/120Q E
3416 lbs.
80 psi
19/32"
52 lbs. 7-8"
7.5"
10.5"
8.2"
31.9"
653
285/75R16
Load Index 122 = 3368lbs (1531kg) per tire
Load Index 119 = 3074lbs ( 1397kg) per tire
Speed Rating “Q” = 99mph (160kph) 122/119Q D
3305 lbs.
65 psi
19/32"
47 lbs. 7.5-9"
8"
11.3"
8.9"
33.1"
630
305/70QR16
Load Index 124 = 3580lbs (1627kg) per tire
Load Index 121 = 3267lbs ( 1485kg) per tire
Speed Rating “Q” = 99mph (160kph) 124/121Q E
3525 lbs.
65 psi
19/32"
63 lbs. 8-9.5"
9"
12.5"
9.5"
32.9"
633
to top it off a D 295 BF A/T is rated at 3415 per tire (again from the tirerack site) very close to the E rated 265.......Chris.
1986 CJ 7 "locked and ready"
2004 GMC 3500 srw 8.1/Allsion 4x4 crew cab long bed
2007 yamaha grizzly 700
2006 kawasaki 50
A friend of mine just changed from the 245's to Michelin 265/75R16 LE on his 2500 after a blow out while heading south. The speedometer needs calibrating if you do that. Easily done.
moloss wrote: my truck came with E rated 265/75/16's......I've had D rated 285/75/16's on it but I've just bought a 30 gooseneck and I'm also in need of new tires (they are worn out but got almost 40K out of them).......now the D rated 285's actually have a higher load capacity than my E rated 265's, but they are only 8ply......that said the choices in E rated 285's is limited (I had another thread on this subject) but D rated is wide open with choices.....so if the 285 is rated higher than the stock tire just not 10ply is it ok to run the D rated tire (at 60psi during towing)......what do I gain with the extra 2ply's except a firmer ride? sorry to be all over the map on this but I can turn any decision into to something difficult and time consuming.......thanks Chris.
You would tow much better with LT265/75R16E's than a much larger D rated tire like the 285,295 or 305's.
We've been talking mainly about load capacity differences between load D & E rated tires. How about sidewall flex? Does the load D rated tire generally have more sidewall flex than the E rated tire?
They should have equal flex at the same pressure. The difference will be when you compare their maximum psi ratings. The D-rated at 65psi to the E-rated at 80 psi.
* This post was
edited 04/12/08 04:48pm by cs0621 *
2004 Chevy 2500HD Crew D/A LLY SB 4x4, Bilsteins
Reese 16K Slider with BedSaver and Brakes by Jordan
'05 CrossRoads Cruiser CF30BH (2 bunk option)
responding with 33y/o babe, 1 baby, 4y/o mini-me, 7y/o mini-mom, and an AGING fireman...
IAFF local 1721
dadwolf2 wrote: We've been talking mainly about load capacity differences between load D & E rated tires. How about sidewall flex? Does the load D rated tire generally have more sidewall flex than the E rated tire?
Yes, more sidewall flex and a less stable "feel" in my experience when comparing an up-sized tire with similar net weight capacity but lower LR. The previous comment about curb jumping is a good graphic...and is my concern / reason an E rated tire will be my choice for towing or heavy hauling. Going from 265 to 285 is a reasonable change but going to a 305 is going to affect towing performance greatly without a gearing change.
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