Load range C vs D vs E

[mgroeger]

That is the exact trail I am referring to. I was last out there a year ago, and I saw very little remnants of a trail. It is nice to know some buggies are still using it. Now I need to head out there again and check it out. Thanks.

Well now you got me wondering lol. Skull Canyon is definitely well traveled and I was walking it about a year ago and I can see fresh tracks so the buggies are def using it. Wild West is further down from it and now that I think about it I never found Wild West because I couldn't see the entrance.

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[James Westfall]

They are the best tire for fuel economy, handling and pavement. Once you hit dirt with a vehicle you are now the .0001% of vehicle owners.

They are the best tire the manufacturer could get a volume deal on for that vehicle. So if it's an F150 XL, it's going to be a long-wearing and durable highway tire. If it's a Sierra Denali, it's going to be a great plush-riding quiet highway tire. If it's a Raptor, ZR2, Rubicon...etc...it's going to be a great off-road tire that is also pretty good on-road. Just understand that "off-road" to most buyers of "off-road" vehicles does not mean what it means to the small percentage of owners that are members here.

OEM tires are commonly among the best in their class because brands don't want their vehicles getting bad reviews just because of tires. Though it does happen sometimes anyway.

 

[Aonarch]

To be fair, just about every OEM tire in history is considered garbage. Part of that is upgrade bias but a bigger part is simply the fact that many times more owners of a particular vehicle have that tire. You see the same effect with KO2's here and on the Raptor forums. Talk to Silverado owners about Duratracs...you'll hear the exact same thing. My experience with OEM tires has been that they tend to be among the better choices for that vehicle...often times they are designed specifically FOR that vehicle. Better yet, they are plentiful and easy to find.

I am an engineer and used to work in the tire industry, this is spot on.

I like KO2s. I've never had a complaint. I know during COVID they had some QC issues, but other than that they are good. But then you'll have people here for example say how they are pure garbage. I don't share that opinion. I have never experienced anything negative with them. Same goes for the comment about multiple Rubicon owners having sidewall slashes. I don't doubt the story. I have no first hand experience with side wall damage or tread chunking. I've had a ton of miles off-road with KO2s on multiple vehicles, the original KOs too. They are a very popular tire, especially in the Toyota world.

There is a reason why Falken shows which sidewall their different AT4W tires have, because it isn't load range specific. My Falkens have the beefiest sidewall they offer and are load range C, but one size up have their least durable sidewall, while still being load range C.

 

[BRuby]

I like KO2s. I've never had a complaint. I know during COVID they had some QC issues, but other than that they are good. But then you'll have people here for example say how they are pure garbage. I don't share that opinion. I have never experienced anything negative with them. Same goes for the comment about multiple Rubicon owners having sidewall slashes. I don't doubt the story. I have no first hand experience with side wall damage or tread chunking. I've had a ton of miles off-road with KO2s on multiple vehicles, the original KOs too. They are a very popular tire, especially in the Toyota world.

It is very evident on this forum there are always detractors for everything. Something always is or becomes contentious. You will almost never get 100% unanimous content on anything.

We also have used original KOs in Load E. They were fantastic for trailer towing duty. Stiff as fuc!. Perfect for that use. Did not flex at all and the compound hard as a rock. Barely showed any wear pumped to 50..

Then KO2s Load C which have a way softer tread compound with 3PSFR - completely different tire.

Millions of KO2s sold around the world. So obviously there will be a few vocal complaints posted on a tiny forum sample.

We also have had almost zero OEM issues with KOs and KO2s . Just pump KO2s to 28 vs 37 and drive carefully. No tire slippage in wet or on snow or on ice. Hell we drive on half worn tread in the winter year after year in 2H without problems and only pop in 4Hi when it gets slippery. The JLUR is fortunately super easy to drive in treacherous conditions. Thing is a traction beast.

Basically comes down to driver skill. As any competent driver should be able to make any tire work ok if they have to. Just adapt to the tire‘s pros and cons accordingly. For simple use like that the base JLU we had as a loaner was left pumped at 37 and was stiff as fuc! - similar to a Load E. You want smooth and super compliant get a C and drop down to 15. JLUR floats like a butterfly or a magic carpet at ridiculously fast speeds.

That base JLU with plain jane base AT tires meant more for the street - were perfectly fine for gravel FSR with huge ruts potholes washboard and somewhat sharp rocks. Just drive with skill and common sense. In that way any AT should do the job. The JLU is that competent.

 

[gato]

The reality is that there are very few (if any) tires from the major brands that are truly bad. Modern tires are simply amazing.

People who say a tire (e.g. KO2) is trash, simply fail to understand the design point for a tire. The KO2, specially the 33, 35 and 37 x 12.5 load C are design to match the OEMs (e.g. Ford/Jeep) requirements. They include NVH targets, fuel economy/rolling resistance targets, and specially weight targets (not only for MPG but for acceleration, braking and tailgate load reasons.

The KO2/KO3 are as good an off road tire that can still meet those OEM requirements.

Of course there are many tires that are much better off road (specially on mud) than the KO2/KO3. But I don't think there are many that meet the weight, NVH, MPG, braking performance, etc that are better than the KO2/3 off road.

A tire can never excel in all conditions. It is all about the design points and what each of us values most. There should never be a tire that is best for all of us. It's all about individual preferences. Just like women - some like them skinny, some like them curvy, some prioritize the bottom, some the top. No way to agree on "the best". But we should agree that most are great.

 

[TheRaven]

There is a reason why Falken shows which sidewall their different AT4W tires have, because it isn't load range specific. My Falkens have the beefiest sidewall they offer and are load range C, but one size up have their least durable sidewall, while still being load range C.

YES THANK YOU. I can't seem to make this clear enough - LOAD RANGE IS NOT AN INDICATOR OF HOW PUNCTURE RESISTANT OR "TOUGH" A TIRE'S SIDEWALL IS.

 

[wanderer]

So I am currently running nitto recon grappler in a37 x11.5 d load range. . I think they ride of stiff even at 26 psi on road I’m thinking it’s because of the narrow size of the tire and the D load range that being said I’m thinking about swapping out to a 37 12.5. In a c load range.
I wanna retire that’s pretty quiet on the road because like everybody else has 90% of my driving off-road my stuff is mostly desert so it’s a lot of sand
I’ve seen all kinds of discussion on C versus D versus E loading load range and relative sidewall thickness. Oh, I thought I would ask the community what you guys recommend given the criteria that I have if I find the right tire, I will be selling these.nittos
So what is everybody thought on this? I just read at least 25 pages of different opinions but some of them digress quite a bit and some of them don’t seem to be that spot on I run K02 a lot I like them. I’ve had falken cooper Kelly safari but none of those seem right this time around so I am looking for some new possibilitit’s. Thanks
I would also really like to hear from somebody running KO threes

 

[roaniecowpony]

So I am currently running nitto recon grappler in a37 x11.5 d load range. . I think they ride of stiff even at 26 psi on road I’m thinking it’s because of the narrow size of the tire and the D load range that being said I’m thinking about swapping out to a 37 12.5. In a c load range.
I wanna retire that’s pretty quiet on the road because like everybody else has 90% of my driving off-road my stuff is mostly desert so it’s a lot of sand
I’ve seen all kinds of discussion on C versus D versus E loading load range and relative sidewall thickness. Oh, I thought I would ask the community what you guys recommend given the criteria that I have if I find the right tire, I will be selling these.nittos
So what is everybody thought on this? I just read at least 25 pages of different opinions but some of them digress quite a bit and some of them don’t seem to be that spot on I run K02 a lot I like them. I’ve had falken cooper Kelly safari but none of those seem right this time around so I am looking for some new possibilitit’s. Thanks
I would also really like to hear from somebody running KO threes

You're going the opposite way that you desire. KO3 37" tires for 17" wheels, are only available in Load Range F.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Load Range ratings aren't a direct indicator of sidewall stiffness. It's a generalization. Looking at each of your candidate tires, in the specific size you want, and actually flexing the sidewall by hand on an unmounted tire, will likely tell you as much or more about "sidewall stiffness".

 

[jadmt]

maybe give the Mickey Thompson BB AT a go. After having the baja boss in AT and MT in moab there really was no other tire I even considered...for me on this set it was a flip of the coin between getting the 37 in MT or AT and 100% would have been happy no matter what side the coin landed on...

 

[roaniecowpony]

maybe give the Mickey Thompson BB AT a go. After having the baja boss in AT and MT in moab there really was no other tire I even considered...for me on this set it was a flip of the coin between getting the 37 in MT or AT and 100% would have been happy no matter what side the coin landed on...

These have been the best tire experience I've had with A/T tires. I've bought a lot of them over the decades.

 

[jadmt]

These have been the best tire experience I've had with A/T tires. I've bought a lot of them over the decades.

I am Fing sick I have bought 3 sets of Mickey thompsons in the last 1.5 years........I am embarrassed to admit to how many sets of tires I have had even in the last 10 years not let alone the last 3 decades. it is easier to name a tire I have not tried vs have tried...for a while was a loyal Toyo, Falken and Cooper fan with a bunch of GY and BFG thrown in but not sure I will ever try another unless I break down and get a set of Interco IROKs.

 

[Ratbert]

I am Fing sick I have bought 3 sets of Mickey thompsons in the last 1.5 years........I am embarrassed to admit to how many sets of tires I have had even in the last 10 years not let alone the last 3 decades. it is easier to name a tire I have not tried vs have tried...for a while was a loyal Toyo, Falken and Cooper fan with a bunch of GY and BFG thrown in but not sure I will ever try another unless I break down and get a set of Interco IROKs.

Some women buy lots of shoes. Some men buy lots of "shoes" for their Jeeps. You're fortunate enough to be able to do that experimentation. That's awesome!

 

[roaniecowpony]

I am Fing sick I have bought 3 sets of Mickey thompsons in the last 1.5 years........I am embarrassed to admit to how many sets of tires I have had even in the last 10 years not let alone the last 3 decades. it is easier to name a tire I have not tried vs have tried...for a while was a loyal Toyo, Falken and Cooper fan with a bunch of GY and BFG thrown in but not sure I will ever try another unless I break down and get a set of Interco IROKs.

Sounds like my list. Although I'm new to Falken. I bought a set of AT4W tires for my pickup last year. I'm a little disappointed that they are as loud as they are. They have a high pitch howl. I thought I was going to get a really quiet A/T.

 

[jadmt]

Sounds like my list. Although I'm new to Falken. I bought a set of AT4W tires for my pickup last year. I'm a little disappointed that they are as loud as they are. They have a high pitch howl. I thought I was going to get a really quiet A/T.

This stretch is generally a loud stretch of road.

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