Tire Genius Needed....

[n0useforaname]

OK. I found a tire I like. The website is Home | Interco Tire and I like the SSR tire. Thing is, I have been hearing a lot about load ratings lately. I currently have a load rate E....but after reading some websites....a load range D might scare me a bit. If I'm correct, a load range E has 10 plys, and 8 on a D. The SSR has 10 and 8 depending on tire size. With my setup, what size tire can I run that is load range E from the Interco SSR tire. If someone could go to their website and look at the sizes in a 16 inch wheel, and 10 ply and see if any will fit my truck, that would be great.

[Tow Master]

Wow that does look like a decent tire! Interco makes it which is the same company that makes super swamper so it might not have good wear.

The options are

33x13.00R16
295/75R16
35x12.50R16

The only problem is all of them are a wide tire. Your best bet will be the 295. It is a little taller and winder than a 285/75/16. But, it will be close even with your leveling kit!

[n0useforaname]

Thanx! I don't mind trimming the plastic...but if I have to cut metal or anything like that....I'm not sure I'm going to do it.

[adamsdmax]

I had SSRs on my blazer and after a little while they started riding rough. I would rotate them every 3,000 miles but that didnt seem to help. The tires look good and performed good offroading, but if you drive alot on the road i dont think i would get them.

[n0useforaname]

Thanx for the heads up.....I do a lot of road riding. Most of my miles comes from going to NY...so it's a lot of 70MPH highway driving. But I live in a crappy small area that doesn't plow roads in the winter....and we always get bad winters here.

[midieselguy]

What scares you about D rating? I just put new tires on mine and went from stock E to the D rating. By going to a larger tire I'm able to carry about 300# more per tire even though I went down to an 8 ply.

[n0useforaname]

I just read some article that stated the Load ratings, and their PSI, and how much they are rated to carry. Here is the article:

A "D" rated tire at about 3,300 lbs. at 45-50 psi ain't much better. My 40ft 5th wheel weighs 3,300 lbs. at the hitch pin, plus the hitch, firewood, coolers, a couple of gas cans and a toolbox, we're up to about 4,000 lbs. A load which a one ton truck's suspension can handle with ease. Add that 4,000 lbs. to the 3,000 lbs. the rear of the truck weighs and you've got a problem. Even with a "D" rated tire you are as much as 1,000 lbs. overloaded.

A tire is basically a balloon that holds air. The bigger the load the more air pressure you need to support it. The limiting factor a tire has is it's ability to contain pressurized air and to withstand as well as dissipate heat. The bigger your load and the faster your road speed, the more heat is generated. This is also magnified by tire flex and outside air/road surface temperature (Ever notice the thousands of blown tires along the highways in the desert?).

What it boils down to has happened to me a dozen times. As the tread wears on my 35" load range "D" tires to about 50%, its ability to dissipate heat is reduced dramatically. The tread lugs work like the cooling fins on a radiator, giving a tire more surface area. As the tire loses its ability to to shed the heat of being overloaded three things begin to happen:

The tread begins to separate from the carcass.

The carcass begins to shear and the cords/plies separate.

The tire becomes distorted or "out of round."

Obviously any or all of these conditions will lead to more flex, more heat generated and to premature and probably catastrophic tire failure. If you've ever had the tread separate from a 38x15.50R16.5 tire at 70+ mph, you know what a 70 lb. piece of rubber ten feet long and 16" wide can do...

Every tire I've ran, regardless of manufacturer has done the same thing. At 50% of tread wear, the carcass splits apart or the tread separates, while towing! Never empty, never on the way to the Safeway, always towing under a load...

[midieselguy]

I understand what you're saying - quick question about the load though. Each tire is rated for 3300#, thats 6600# at the back of the truck in load capacity. How are you going over that?
I had a trailer tire blow up on me last month towing. Load range E Carlisle's. Put a hole through the inner fender of my toy-hauler.

[n0useforaname]

I really don't know much about tires, I just read that article and it made me wonder if a load range D tire was going to be a waste of money for me. I do a lot of Hwy driving but need an aggressive tread for home use...and I also tend to haul heavy loads in my bed that I probably shouldn't. So far the load E has done fine for me...I just don't wana blow out a tire, or have crappy tread wear. And I'm also not sure if tire manus..rate them both at 3300 or a piece....I never checked into that.

[Hook'em_Horns!]

The greater advantage that 10-ply ‘E’s have over 8-ply ‘D’s is they run at a higher pressure which in turn reduces tire temperature under load. A lower operating tire temperature reduces the chance of tread separation/blowouts and increases the mileage life of the tire. This is why all HDs should consider running ‘E’s.

With your lift, you may be trying to go taller than the existing size. If you’re staying with the size in your sig, might I suggest a look at this data sheet. As this tire wears, the compounds and tread design change to continue performing as when new. Excellent roundness throughout the life of the tire, usually only requiring an ounce or so to balance. Excellent snow performance as well as smooth on road traction/ride, these tires refuse to hydroplane under any circumstances.

Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo

If you’re going for the wide mudder look, then these are not for you. However, For performance in off road use, a tall narrow tire will always beat the wide fat tire, with less drag and they will unload the tread quicker, not to mention less on-road hydroplaning and better fuel mileage.

If you play in the sand, only then is a wide tire better.

Again, if you're going for the bigger tire looks, then never mind.