1/2 ton truck tires

Looking at getting new tires. Mainly highway use and 2 trips a year out west hunting. Thinking of going with. C rated tire, or is it worth it going with a E rated

C rated tires are rare but if you can get them for a 1/2 ton I’d get them if I’m hauling heavier stuff or going off road. E is way overkill on 1/2 ton.

But then again, this is IDO. Bigger is always best.

One year while hunting in Arizona in January for Mule deer. We had 4 flat tires with in 2 days.
All flats were rock punctures. There is no way I would use a 6 ply tire on the roads in the areas I hunt. It’s 10 ply all the way for me.

I Have been running Michelin 10 ply tires on all my trucks for several years now. I bought a used Tundra and it came with 6 ply Michelin tires brand new with less than 2000 miles on them, and I have been running them, but I will certainly be going back to 10 ply when the time comes. The current tires are squatty when I hook up the boat, and did not seem to have the same grip in the harvested fields last fall while out hunting. Lots of spinning. They also seemed to be effected by cold temperatures more and would loose air pressure when the cold snaps happened. That could be a rim issue however, I had to add to all 4 tires. I added air 4 or 5 times over the winter. The kids truck sits outside and has the same tire, but in 10 ply. Never had to add air to his, and I checked them with the gauge. Also I have not had a flat tire in several years, until this winter, and sure enough, it was a 6 ply tire that went down. Even my wife has an SUV with 10 ply tires and never had an issue. Some say it effects the ride of the truck, but I say its a truck, If i wanted the smoothest ride possible, I would not be starting with a truck. I want to do truck stuff in my truck. I have never heard anybody regret buying better quality. I would say unless you are saving 30% or more money by going to a 6 ply on a pickup that will ever be off pavement, it is likely not worth it. If you have a truck and use it like a car, then the 6 plys make sense.

biggill wrote:

C rated tires are rare but if you can get them for a 1/2 ton I’d get them if I’m hauling heavier stuff or going off road. E is way overkill on 1/2 ton.

But then again, this is IDO. Bigger is always best.

Why are E rated tires overkill?

Angler II wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Biggill wrote:</div>
C rated tires are rare but if you can get them for a 1/2 ton I’d get them if I’m hauling heavier stuff or going off road. E is way overkill on 1/2 ton.

But then again, this is IDO. Bigger is always best.

Why are E rated tires overkill?

They are not. If you pull a boat or drive off the beaten path they are what you want. It it was only a tar road truck and no trailers then it could be over kill. But for the cost you are better off upgrading to e

Nitrodog what do you tow and or how heavy do you load it up? Most people out there are not running E load range tires on there half ton and have no problems. There is nothing wrong with doing so and yes the cost is not that much more, but in my opinion you only get more out of it if you need the extra load range. I really wish the tire companies still catered to us outdoor guys and made more tires in the D load range, that in my opinion was the sweet spot. For highway tread tires look at the Michelin Defender LTX or Bridgestone Alenza AS.

Most tires (at least in sizes I buy) offer the same size tire in either a P-tire XL/SL load rating or LT-tire E load rating. I almost never see a C or D load rating but that might just be in the sizes I’m buying. Yeah I guess the E load rating is overkill from a load capacity but with the LT-tire you don’t just get more load capacity. You also get a lower mileage warranty, more tread depth, thicker rubber, and a lot heavier tire. Those are good and bad differences but to me the good outweighs the bad by a long shot.

Yes, all my 1/2 tons get E.
Compounds seem a bit more ridged, some have deeper tread depth, I get about 75k from mine.

Load range E tires are for hauling heavy loads and off road where punctures can easily happen. They are not for driving everyday, unloaded. They are designed with a stiff sidewall and will ride rougher 100% of the time. Hooking a boat to a half ton truck, is not “overloading” it… what’s the tongue weight ? Its all about your personal preference, if its a work truck, get the “E”, if its 2 trips across country twice a year and weekend boat warrior, “C” will be a way better ride the other 90% of the time. But like said… this is IDO, go big or go home mentality.

Read this on the internet – Tirerack.com. Has to be true ?? :

E tires are engineered to travel a maximum distance of 2.5 miles one way at a top speed of 30 mph. E tires are tasked with traveling moderate distances at relatively high speeds; consequently, they’re designed with load capacity, speed, and heat dissipation in mind.

Anyone have any hard data on mileage going from an SL/XL tire to an E? We bought a 5800 lb. (dry) travel trailer and am contemplating going E on my next tire change. I do drive my truck 40-ish miles round drip daily for my commute, but if the mileage difference isn’t substantial and/or people feel it is absolutely worth it I’d make the change. Currently have the General Grabber ATX, which I love, but would move to a C or an E if recommended. Also pull an 8X16 wheelhouse 4-6 times each year but haven’t really ever had an issue with it.

Is C rated really an option though? Seems everything is moving to SL or E, basically P-tires or LT-tires. I’d choose the LT if you’re hauling anything of weight and/or ever leaving pavement.

Well that is part of it too with the C’s…in the tire size I’m looking at (275 65 R18) the 7 available C size tires are essentially the same price as going with an E. IF we’re only talking a couple miles per gallon maybe on fuel consumption then I will most likely go E if for nothing other than peace of mind.

Waldo, while the trailers you mention would not require an E load range. If it were me I would put the E’s on next tire purchase. I like the ability to put extra air in when towing and know I have a stiffer side wall to help with the load. I also added air bag suspension to mine to help with the load and keep the truck level.

I’ve never seen where it made a difference in MPG on a tire rating.
Now tire brand, tread pattern, and just being new tires will affect MPG.
Now load rating can make a difference in how many miles a tire will last. Many E rated tires come with 14 to 16 32nds of tread and an S rated tire might only have 11 to 13 32nds of tread. There usually a difference in tread depth between tires and manufacturers.
This is JMO

I have E’s on my half ton right now. Yes, they are stiffer, but I also run Bilstein 5200’s rather then Chevy’s stock Z71 Rachos, because I like to feel planted and stable when towing. Also run Sumo springs on the rear to prevent sag. My boat is only like 2700 lbs pulling weight, but it tows much better on this setup than it did before I made the suspension and tire changes. Just my .02

I don’t mind a stiff ride, the only thing that bugs me is hwy 65 between River Falls and Hudson, the expansion joints on the concrete highway are spaced just right as to give me a horrible resonance and I bounce all down the road. My neighbor tells me his brand new 3/4 ton, and his older 3/4 ton feel exactly the same on that stretch of road, so I don’t really care much.

If you overload a P tire or LT tire, it will adversely affect fuel mileage. Think of it as what’s easier to move… a trailer with fully inflated tires or partially flat.