Load E tires

[blnewt]

Looking for tires. Size 285/75/17 Load C. Was thinking Toyo Open Country AT3. Local shop that did my lift recommended these, but also recommended Nitto Recon Grappler 285/75/17 but in Load E. Thoughts on Load E?

Thanks.

Another consideration is weight and tread depth. A deeper tread depth "should" perform better off road initially and I know the Toyos and BFG ATs have a shallower 15 or 16/32nd depth, not sure on the Nittos tread depth, but most Nittos are heavier tires than most. Also 3 peak snow rating should be considered if you run in colder weather and deal w/ snow often. I know the Toyos are 3 peaks, not sure on the Nittos.

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[LKG]

I can tell you that not all load range E tires are created equally. I've had E's on my 3/4 ton diesel that I could run at 50 lbs and others that I had to crank up to 70 so they wern't "squishy". A stiffer E will make a wrangler ride a little rough, a softer E wouild be fine. I would try to find reviews from a 3/4 ton pickup perspective. I think I remember hearing Toyo's run on the softer side .

 

[blnewt]

Looking for tires. Size 285/75/17 Load C. Was thinking Toyo Open Country AT3. Local shop that did my lift recommended these, but also recommended Nitto Recon Grappler 285/75/17 but in Load E. Thoughts on Load E?

Thanks.

OP, there's another size you might consider a 35x11.5x17, not quite as heavy and wide as a true 35x12.5 but a bit wider tread block vs that 285. Here's a few tires in that size
https://simpletire.com/tire-sizes/35x11.50r17lt
And a true pizza cutter if you want the 35" height but not much width, I give you the 35x10.5X17
https://simpletire.com/brands/kenda-tires/klever-r-t-kr601#v=1&tireSize=lt35-10.50r-17&mpn=601015&pageSource=sizeCatalog&itemId=180454&curationSeq=1&curationPos=1&badge=Best rated&curationSource=top-pick-top-picks&pick=best-rated&delivery=Del2&rad=AB

Here's a 32 page epic thread on those pizza cutters on the Gladiator forum, they have a cult following over there
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/kenda-klever-r-t-kr601-35x10-50r17.28656/

 

[TheRaven]

I cannot recommend E's. Those are heavy tires. I know a lot of guys talk about them being better for rocks but I don't care if you're driving on hot pokers, E's are overkill for a 5000lb mid-size SUV. C's are more than sufficient even for rock crawling, and if you really want that extra piece of mind, D's are MORE than robust enough. Furthermore, E's are supposed to be run at like 45psi+. If you run them at like 30-35 you are going to have treadwear issues. So if you run them at design pressure, your 5000lb SUV is going ride like crap (which is even more pronounced in the Wrangler because it already rides rough) but if you drop the pressure to where the ride becomes acceptable, you are going to be replacing your severely edge-worn tires at 30k miles.

E-Range tires are designed for 3/4 and 1 ton trucks that weigh 7000lbs. For a real world example - i had E-Range 33" Duratracs on my Tahoe originally because that was the only Duratrac available in that size at that time. Somewhere around 2018 they started offering a D-range model so I finally switched to them a couple years back - I GAINED 1.5mpg just from a tire change. Not to mention the ride quality improvement.

 

[Vinman]

I’ve been wheeling for 30 years and have only ran one set of E rated tires. They came stock on my then brand new ‘03 Rubicon.
They were also the only tires I have ever cut a sidewall on, sliced two sidewalls 20 minutes apart.

 

[blnewt]

I cannot recommend E's. Those are heavy tires. I know a lot of guys talk about them being better for rocks but I don't care if you're driving on hot pokers, E's are overkill for a 5000lb mid-size SUV. C's are more than sufficient even for rock crawling, and if you really want that extra piece of mind, D's are MORE than robust enough. Furthermore, E's are supposed to be run at like 45psi+. If you run them at like 30-35 you are going to have treadwear issues. So if you run them at design pressure, your 5000lb SUV is going ride like crap (which is even more pronounced in the Wrangler because it already rides rough) but if you drop the pressure to where the ride becomes acceptable, you are going to be replacing your severely edge-worn tires at 30k miles.

E-Range tires are designed for 3/4 and 1 ton trucks that weigh 7000lbs. For a real world example - i had E-Range 33" Duratracs on my Tahoe originally because that was the only Duratrac available in that size at that time. Somewhere around 2018 they started offering a D-range model so I finally switched to them a couple years back - I GAINED 1.5mpg just from a tire change. Not to mention the ride quality improvement.

I think the Patagonias are a bit of anomaly, my Es don't ride like crap and have been wearing very evenly at 33 psi and I think it comes down to the softer rubber compound. I have 31k miles on them now and could probably run another 8k although I'm not going to. I really want to install my new Mickeys for better overall performance in all conditions, the Pats just aren't good in the cold/wet at all.

I don't think I'd run Es again as I think most other tires in that load range would indeed ride rough and a D load should check all the boxes for a 2dr lighter weight 4x4.

 

[Headbarcode]

Last year, I went from C-rated 38x13.5 Milestar Patagonias to D-rated 40x13.5 Pat's. I previously thought that the taller air cushion would offset the higher load rating. As soon as I turned out of the tire shop parking lot, I immediately felt the added stiffness. Not bad enough to cause regret, but if I could've stuck with the C, I would've.

I think it just comes down to each person's preferences.

 

[jhackathorne]

I feel it's all relative to PSI you run. I've run C, D, and E, and can't tell any difference really in any of them. I ran around 28 PSI on the most recent E's and running around the same on current D's. I can't tell a difference at all in ride quality.

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