Not a typical tire question. Load rating/side wall ply questions towing

[wrench78]

Ok, I have narrowed down to two tires. Both are Falken Wildpeaks. I have a 2017 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4. I tow a travel trailer about once a month. (currently around 3,100lbs: Planning on upgrading to a 6,200 lb trailer in the future.) I live in PA and can have some crazy snowy winters. My truck is a daily driver for work at around 40miles round trip)

My question: Is there a big difference between 8ply and 10ply and D and E load rating in towing my trailer?

Tires in question:
Falken Wildpeak R/T--Load E, 10ply max load 3,415lbs
Falken Wildpeak A/T4W--Load D, 8 ply, max load 3,000lbs 3peak snow rated.

 

[caulk04]

Either one is going to be rated well above the axle ratings for your half ton. I don't see a need to go E rated.

 

[Jeepwalker]

You didn't mention if the travel trailers (old & new) are bumper or 5th wheel mount. And tongue weight. And how long of a distance you tow the camper.

The argument for a 10-ply (rated) tire is a stiffer sidewall should contribute to better handling. Even when not towing. And cooler running. They also typically have deeper tread and last longer. I know a couple guys that, that is all they run on their pickups.

I bought a few sets of Cooper tires 2 yrs ago: 115T's for the Ram, and 10-ply Coopers..(similar tires but ~126 rating), for my short box chevy. I had 10-ply tires on it before, the Coopers didn't make it ride much stiffer. A little stiffer, but not much. You probably wouldn't hardly notice it on your tk. But the Chevy handles better too. You could also drop the tire pressure a bit when you aren't towing. One downside is 10-ply tires weigh more, sometimes quite a bit more, and you might lose .5 or 1 mpg.

If I was doing it I would personally go with the 10-ply. Esp if it's a bumper hitch camper and your towing is longer distance. If your camper towing is fairly short distance than you can probably get by w/o 10-ply. What did your tire shop say?

 

[OC455]

Honestly, I would look at an XL rated tire before throwing an E rated tire on your truck. XL will have a stiffer sidewall and usually have a higher load index rating. My 2018 1500 have the OEM Goodyears and they had a load index of 114. I changed them out for a set of Nitto Terra Grappler G2s that had a 116 load index. Much better than the Goodyears. Same size and only one pound heavier.

I tan an E rated tire on a GMC I had and ended up replacing both wheel bearings and was burning through brakes on the front end.

 

[crash68]

I tan an E rated tire on a GMC I had and ended up replacing both wheel bearings and was burning through brakes on the front end.

Loosing a wheel bearing probably had nothing to do with the tires, and more to do with overinflated tires. When the tire type is changed on a vehicle the pressure needs to be adjusted but is still based mostly on size. Just because the tire states Max Cold inflation pressure of 80 psi, doesn't mean that's where you run them. My 1500 came with Load E tires right from the factory.
The load range has nothing to do with puking brakes. The tire traction ratings and poor braking habits will effect brake life.

 

[OC455]

"I ran an E rated tire on a GMC " Correction, they were C rated....but they still were heavy tire/rim combo, weren't overinflated, and at that time I drove pretty normal.

 

[Dean2]

Ok, I have narrowed down to two tires. Both are Falken Wildpeaks. I have a 2017 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4. I tow a travel trailer about once a month. (currently around 3,100lbs: Planning on upgrading to a 6,200 lb trailer in the future.) I live in PA and can have some crazy snowy winters. My truck is a daily driver for work at around 40miles round trip)

My question: Is there a big difference between 8ply and 10ply and D and E load rating in towing my trailer?

Tires in question:
Falken Wildpeak R/T--Load E, 10ply max load 3,415lbs
Falken Wildpeak A/T4W--Load D, 8 ply, max load 3,000lbs 3peak snow rated.

Seems like the typical tire question to me.

That said, on your 1500 the Es hurt nothing, help when towing and can be aired down when running empty. Tires aren't going to change the ride on a 1500 much, especially with the right pressure for empty vs towing, but they will sure make it tow better, especially in the wind.

 

[KYPOTLICKER]

E rated tires will help with his towing situation
They will not ride as good as P rated tires and they of course are heavier and will impact fuel mileage (if he cares)
If towing was my main concern, I would run the E rated tires.

 

[hunterdan]

Imo, you're perfectly fine with a d rated tire. The difference in tread depth is more pronounced between a p and lt rated tire. I'd doubt there's any difference in a d or e rated tire in terms of tread depth (same brand and model tires). A 6200 trailer, you'd have maybe 750-800 lbs max on the hitch. A d rated tire should be lighter in weight and provide better fuel mileage compared to an e. If you were towing at max capacity on a much more consistent basis, then yeah maybe I'd step up to a higher weight rating. You're just adding extra mass where you don't really want it for no real benefit, proper loading and hitch setup will provide more benefit than the bump from a d to an e rated tire.

 

[wrench78]

Thanks everyone for all the input.

 

[mtofell]

Another consideration with moving to higher load ranges is that rims typically have max PSI ratings. I ran into this on my RV when I went from a C to D rating. I believe it's stamped on the rims somewhere but I never could find it. I talked to the tire shop and they said they checked and my rims were okay for the increase. I'm not sure about 1/2 ton trucks but it's certainly possible that they aren't rated for 80 when the stock is roughly half that.

 

[CanuckRam1313]

E-Rated and consider a great proven tire with excellent road manners and longevity like the Michelin Defender LTX M/S.

Deep treads, super quiet, looks great and is phenomenal in the wet, especially heavy rain with highway ruts and pooling on the sides.

Even when I run empty these tires are smooth with zero harshness.
I run 40psi adjusted cold and have perfect wear with nothing but flat even tread faces on all four corners.

Yes, the A/T's looks more aggressive and perhaps suit the truck more in terms of esthetics, but if more of your travelling is highway and is a d/d... you may want to consider these tires.

 

[EdGs]

I ran Cooper Discoverer A/T "E" rated tires from Walmart. Got over 81k miles out of them, and they cost me less than $700 for the set, otd w/road hazard.

Now that Goodyear has bought Cooper, have no idea if the equivalents are as good.




Have heard that the Falken's are excellent.

 

[Jeepwalker]

I don't really know if there's a "Terrible" product out there. I've run many different brands over the years, incl some no-namers and they've all run out ok for me. Pretty much there's Michelin and all the rest. But it seems to me, from my experience, Japanese companies seem to have consistently really good and smooth running tires that balance well and last w/o problems. .... again, just an observation.

 

[turkeybird56]

Loosing a wheel bearing probably had nothing to do with the tires, and more to do with overinflated tires. When the tire type is changed on a vehicle the pressure needs to be adjusted but is still based mostly on size. Just because the tire states Max Cold inflation pressure of 80 psi, doesn't mean that's where you run them. My 1500 came with Load E tires right from the factory.
The load range has nothing to do with puking brakes. The tire traction ratings and poor braking habits will effect brake life.

Got Falken AT3Ws snow rated stock 18 size. I run psi at 38 lbs sweet spot. Inflate to max cold only when towing. My tires are C rated not need HD tires.

 

[nlambert182]

Another consideration with moving to higher load ranges is that rims typically have max PSI ratings. I ran into this on my RV when I went from a C to D rating. I believe it's stamped on the rims somewhere but I never could find it. I talked to the tire shop and they said they checked and my rims were okay for the increase. I'm not sure about 1/2 ton trucks but it's certainly possible that they aren't rated for 80 when the stock is roughly half that.

There are typically one of two stamps inside the rim, usually either close to the hub or in one of the spokes. They will either say XX psi max rating, or X,X-X-X max load. My 3500 dually rims (Alcoa style) actually had 85 psi and the load rating stamped inside of them.

 

[62Blazer]

Either tire would be fine in your application. You will be nowhere near the maximum capacity of the D rated tires. The E rates tires wouldn't hurt anything, but really don't think they would make any real difference either.
That's not a big trailer at all. If you figure up to 15% tongue weight that is under 1,000 lbs. The two rear D rated tires are rated to support up to 6,000 lbs. The empty weight on the rear axle is maybe up to 2,500 lbs. and add 1,000 lbs. for the trailer and you are still barely over half of the tire rating.
Overall.....don't over think it. Either tire would be perfectly fine.