E vs C rated tires

[wanderer]

as far as side wall protection goes I belive E is provides superior protection ? True or False?
How much stiffer does theride feel on the road? anyone tried both? what about off road when airing down seems like the c rated might flex more but offer less side wall puncture reisitance? so what are the pros and cons of each? and please answer based on your experience with either or both. Thanks

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[roaniecowpony]

I also believe an E rated tire has a more robust sidewall. I have bought E rated tires for my trucks, even the 1500 GM trucks I've owned, specifically for the sidewall protection.

 

[Headbarcode]

I don't believe it's so cut and dry. Depending on the specific terrain, a more flexible C would give and an E could get slashed from trying to out strengthen a rock.

Just my own preference, but I'd rather have a more comfortable on and off road ride and more contact patch when aired down, but have to be a bit more picky about what line I choose when in the jagged terrain.

 

[Whiskey 13]

I don't do rock crawling, not much of that down this way but I do run the forest floor. I have used C and E tires on several Jeeps. I prefer E tires for my application. I have never had a side wall failure with an E but I have had a couple with C tires. As for ride, I drive trucks and Jeeps if I want quiet and smooth I get in the wife's Volvo.

 

[1quick1]

I've been rocking E - K02's for over 30k miles. I'd be curious to see if there is a real world ride quality difference between C and E.

 

[Yellowssm]

IMO C's all day over E. C's have less weight, better acceleration because less rotating mass, much smoother/comfortable ride, and better mpgs's, for the 95% of people that daily drive their vehicles with the occasional weekend off road adventure. Unless youre doing some serious all day everyday rock crawling on jagged rocks, then id might do D, but still not an E. There is nothing gained from a E rated tire for 95% of the jeep drivers. E's are good for heavy full size trucks or if youre carrying/towing alot of weight. Even a stock Raptor that weights close to 6000 pounds come standard with C load rating KO2's.

 

[gbr]

I switched from D to C and noticed a ride quality improvement. Better tire flex rock crawling as well.

 

[Yellow Cake Kid]

How many R17 37" DOT approved tires are available in a C rating?

When I looked, there did not seem to be many choices, and when I did find examples they were listed at 4wd specialty vendors.

There were a few instances where I found vendor listings of a C rated version of a 37" tire, but found that the manufacturer's website did not list that tire in that size with that rating, which made me think that the C rated tires are produced in limited run batches and you have to search them out.

What are the prominent and easy to locate choices for R17 37" tires that are made for off road but also DOT approved for driving to the trailhead?

Thank you.

 

[DirtRoad]

I put E-rated KO2's on an older rig. They cost me about 3-4 mpg and noticeably increased braking distance. So the extra weight is a pretty big disadvantage if you're doing most of your time on-road. You don't need the extra load capacity on a Jeep either. On a 3/4 ton truck, no doubt about it, I'd go with E's. They do have more plies so they are tougher and that may have some off-road advantages.

 

[Yellowssm]

How many R17 37" DOT approved tires are available in a C rating?

When I looked, there did not seem to be many choices, and when I did find examples they were listed at 4wd specialty vendors.

There were a few instances where I found vendor listings of a C rated version of a 37" tire, but found that the manufacturer's website did not list that tire in that size with that rating, which made me think that the C rated tires are produced in limited run batches and you have to search them out.

What are the prominent and easy to locate choices for R17 37" tires that are made for off road but also DOT approved for driving to the trailhead?

Thank you.

Well I couldn't find any M/T's that were C rated 37's so I ended up with the Milestar Patagonias in a D rating, but I then found out later that the Patagonias in 38's are C load rating! I've already purchased 2 sets of tires for my jeep having it for only 6000 miles, so I wasn't going to purchase a 3rd set. If I knew this info up front though, I would have got the 38's in a heart beat!

 

[blnewt]

Yeah, for some reason 37s in a c-rated are like seeing Bigfoot. Some sizes like 295/70/17 I haven't even seen them in a D
I don't have a problem running Es if the tire I want only comes in that, but ideally a C or D would get the nod if I had a choice. Sure wish the STT Pros had Ds in 315/70 or 35s.

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