[ewalbridge]

Hi All,
Wondering if anyone can speak to the amount of difference felt when switching to a 10 ply tire? Difference in weight is approximately 10 pounds, from 42 to 52. Wouldn't this translate to a dramatic change in acceleration, and ability to maintain speed when pulling up a mountain? And do you think the loss is an acceptable trade off for the extra stability when towing?
Thanks for your two cents!

 

[Down South]

BFG K.O. A/T 10ply. Awesome tire

 

[Scan999]

I had 10 ply BFG's for 4+ years and now Cooper S/T's 10 ply and I never experienced any of those things you mentioned. E rated tires might take away a bit of your MPG and the ride is not going to be soft but that is all that I have seen.

 

[qapla]

I have Wrangler 245/75 R17 Load Range E Goodyear Tires on my 2007.

They ride well and are not real "loud" like some tires are. I have not noticed any real difference in my mileage and they have not affected my accelerating that I can detect.

Since I am in Florida I don't have to deal with mountains, however, I tow regularly and I have noticed increased stability and load control with the "E" tires over the passenger tires that came on the T.

 

[desertruner09]

I went from a P265/70/18 Toyo H/T tire to a LT275/70/18 Toyo A/T E rated tire and I could immediately tell a difference without a load. Acceleration was not quite as snappy and it took a bit more brake pedal force to slow the truck down (before I upgraded to 08 brakes). However, some of this difference is due to being a slightly larger tire as well. They also don't ride quite a nice as a P tire. I want to add that these weren't dramatic differences, but enough to tell.

However, I wouldn't go back to the P rated tire. The sidewalls are incredibly thick so it really helped to stabilize the truck when towing. Even though I noticed a difference with an unloaded truck, with a trailer I did not notice any difference in acceleration. Pulling steep grades and keeping speed is just as easy as it was before. Our trucks put out so much torque that adding 10 pounds to each wheel won't make a huge difference when lugging around a combined weight of anywhere between 8K and 14K lbs.

 

[Steamguy]

I would try to get the same height tires as replacements; that way you won't have any handling, braking, or acceleration issues. It can vary a little bit and you won't see much difference. Any good tire store can help you sort this out, because they will have a chart that shows everything.

I had E-range tires on my truck for the last five years (got rid of them four months ago) and can give you some comparisons:

Pros:
You'll have sharper steering response, and a more 'sports car' ride. You'll never have to worry about overloading the tires because they'll be up to anything you can put on them. You'll have way more positive feel and much greater confidence when towing a trailer.

Cons:
You'll have a harder ride. You'll have to work a bit figure out your proper tire pressure because if they are overinflated, they'll be squirrely. Your stopping distance may be increased on wet or frosty pavement because the tread area is harder and less conformant to the road. You may notice a decrease in gas mileage due to the tread pattern in your particular tires.


That said, I finally swapped out the E-range tires for D-range, and feel it's been a good compromise between the grip, carrying capacity, sidewall stiffness, ride noise, and fuel mileage.

Initially I had to get E-range tires because that's all I could find at a reasonable price. When I first went to buy tires (in 2006), proper truck rubber was $1600. So I had my local tire store watch out for a used set for me, and I scored...!! A guy with a brand-new F350 felt that $55,000 just wasn't enough to spend on his truck, so he came in for a new set of wheels and tires. That set of tires had been driven exactly two blocks - right from the Ford store.

 

[ewalbridge]

So it sounds like, if you maintain a stock tire size, the added rotational weight would only really affect fuel economy to the negative, and I guess comfort if you see it that way. But ultimately towing performance will no doubt be enhanced, and power will not take a hit. Solid answers fellas, thanks for this. I'm working on getting exactly what you did Steamguy, a newer set of "factory takeoffs" from a couple of truck shops. Should be a steal if it works out, and I do have time on my side. Should be in about four hun for an installed set of E rated 18's when all is said and done; not bad... Thanks again!!