Do Load Range E tires improve towing feel?

Sashimi_Moto

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I will likely be buying new tires this winter and I'm looking at E-Rated tires (80psi/10ply tires). I have tires like this on my motorhome and enclosed trailer but I've never put E-rated tires on my daily drivers, opting for comfort instead.

Anyone who tows heavy swapped to E-Rated tires and found it improved towing stability at all?
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Frenchy

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It doesn't matter too much between a P rated tire to an LT rated tire. I have P rated tires on my ranger and it did just fine for towing. Now an LT can hold loads a bit better in general but usually P rated tire have a better ride overall. I recently did tow 5,500 with my truck and it did just fine. The feel was nice if you ask me.
 

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I'm going to say yes, if you run the pressures a bit higher when you're loaded up, though It's not going to be a huge difference as long as your standard tires actually have a high enough load rating.

I've also found no downside to running an E-rated tire under normal conditions (at around 30psi), contrary to what most of the people on this forum want you to believe.

If you're planning on doing lots of towing or heavy hauling with your ranger, I think E-rated tires would certainly be an advantage for stability and also reliability.
 

Frenchy

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One other advantage of an LT tire is they are much tougher for Offroad and can be lowered a bit more in pressure.
 

slowmachine

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I have no direct experience with Load Range E tires on the Ranger, but I have been forced to switch from C, to D, to E tires on older vans, as demand for the lighter tires diminished. My experience varied a lot from one brand of tires to another. Yokohama were the worst, like they were filled with concrete. Some Continental and Nokian were not much more harsh than the XL C-range tires. If you search for an E-range tire that is marketed towards SUV/Crossover owners, I suspect you’ll get a more comfortable ride than you would from a tire built for continuous commercial load-hauling. The reviews (to some extent) and actual comparison tests on Tirerack.com are helpful.
 


y2krtaf

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My Grabber ATx’s are an E rated tire,and although I have not towed with them,they were a little tricky finding the right tire pressure for them.Empty seems to be 35 front and 30 out back.
Mine are a 285/70-17
wanted a little tire overkill since the desert rocks absolutely eat tires off-road.
 
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I appreciate the feedback and hope others with my consideration find it helpful too. I'm looking at the Cooper Discoverer ST MAXX 265/70/17 on OEM wheels as my Hankooks are starting to get long in the tooth. The other tire is the General Grabber ATx. I've always had really good luck with Coopers and Generals. I just put 7 Coopers on the Motorhome (1 spare).

As for towing. I have the eibach shocks and occasionally tow a 7500lb 20' enclosed trailer. My primary tow vehicle is the motorhome but usually use the truck for local towing when I don't need to take the hotel with me.

I wanted something that was good for the tow, snow and everything in between.
 

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I appreciate the feedback and hope others with my consideration find it helpful too. I'm looking at the Cooper Discoverer ST MAXX 265/70/17 on OEM wheels as my Hankooks are starting to get long in the tooth.

As for towing. I have the eibach shocks and occasionally tow a 7500lb 20' enclosed trailer. My primary tow vehicle is the motorhome but usually use the truck for local towing when I don't need to take the hotel with me.

I wanted something that was good for the tow, snow and everything in between.
Just to make sure we are all understanding correctly the trailer weighs 7500 lb empty correct? Or is that with all the way you have in it? The reason I ask is because it is unsafe to tell anything past see towing capacity. Let's say the trailer weighs 7500 lb empty and then when you load it up it adds x amount of weight. That is when you get to the unsafe Zone. Yes I know it's kind of the obvious but we just want to make sure you are still in the safe Zone in general and not putting yourself or anyone else at any safety risk.

As for the Cooper ST Maxx I cannot really speak for it. I'm sure it's a great tire for off road and some Street but for snow it's probably not going to do that great on the road when it's very light slick stuff. Even most all terrains have that issue. Could you use it for Towing? I'm sure you could just like any other Tire. I myself used Bridgestone Dueler a t Revo 3. My size is 265 70 17. It is a p Rated Tire and not an LT Tire. Hello capacity is a 117 which equates to a bunch of weight LOL. I've already told 5500 lb with it and it did just fine. I have also recently gone through a pretty big snowstorm here in Colorado because I didn't exactly have much choice in order to get home. For the most part the tires good okay through it even though it is not a true snow tire. What I have been better off with a proper snow tire? Absolutely but I'm not in a situation to go buy some snow tires right now. The real question you should ask yourself is are you going off road quite a bit? If you're going off road every other day than you would definitely want to consider the St Max. If not you might want to consider a nut so aggressive tread pattern. That is my input on this.

Also here is a cool little video for that input.

 
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Sashimi_Moto

Sashimi_Moto

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I keep going back and forth between the general atx and cooper and I think the atx has much better snow rating. We dont get much snow here but I do drive up to the resorts in the winter.

My trailer is just a 20’ enclosed. Only way it weighs 7.5k empty is if its made of lead. But full, it is on the high side of 7.5k for sure that’s why my primary tow vehicle has a 6.8L v10 and 6 wheels.
 

y2krtaf

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I keep going back and forth between the general atx and cooper and I think the atx has much better snow rating. We dont get much snow here but I do drive up to the resorts in the winter.

My trailer is just a 20’ enclosed. Only way it weighs 7.5k empty is if its made of lead. But full, it is on the high side of 7.5k for sure that’s why my primary tow vehicle has a 6.8L v10 and 6 wheels.
Just drove through some beautiful snow yesterday to get to a cabin we are staying in,and can not be more pleased with how well the Grabbers worked!There were some pretty good stretches of I can’t see the road anymore as well lol.
 

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I appreciate the feedback and hope others with my consideration find it helpful too. I'm looking at the Cooper Discoverer ST MAXX 265/70/17 on OEM wheels as my Hankooks are starting to get long in the tooth. The other tire is the General Grabber ATx. I've always had really good luck with Coopers and Generals. I just put 7 Coopers on the Motorhome (1 spare).

As for towing. I have the eibach shocks and occasionally tow a 7500lb 20' enclosed trailer. My primary tow vehicle is the motorhome but usually use the truck for local towing when I don't need to take the hotel with me.

I wanted something that was good for the tow, snow and everything in between.
I've been running ST Maxx on my vehicles for the last 3 years through colorado winters, and have to say they do pretty good in the snow. On black ice they certainly won't compare to a studded snow, but they're as good as any other AT I've used in the winter (which includes many snowflake rated tires, where the coopers are not). Especially combined with the ranger's 4wd and electronic controls, my truck performs phenomenally in the snow/ice. Obviously you do still need to be aware that you're driving on slick conditions, and adjust your speed accordingly, but that applies to all tires.

ATx seems like a good tires as well, but I've never used it so I can't comment on it.
 

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I keep going back and forth between the general atx and cooper and I think the atx has much better snow rating. We dont get much snow here but I do drive up to the resorts in the winter.

My trailer is just a 20’ enclosed. Only way it weighs 7.5k empty is if its made of lead. But full, it is on the high side of 7.5k for sure that’s why my primary tow vehicle has a 6.8L v10 and 6 wheels.
They are in completely different classes, if you want to compare the Generals to Coopers, I think you need to look at the Discover AT3 LT. Those ST Maxx compare more to General’s mud tire. The AT3 LT and more so the AT3 4s are considered the best tire in the snow and ice outside of a true snow tire.
 
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DHH

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I never towed with the stock tires, so can't talk to that, but at 500mi, I switched to the Cooper AT3 XLT (265/70/18). I wasn't really looking for a 10ply tire, but these were at a price I couldn't refuse.

I did notice that the ride is definitely rougher. I was amazed at how smooth the Ranger was stock. With these tires, the truck is still smooth; you just feel the bumps more.
...but they're as good as any other AT I've used in the winter (which includes many snowflake rated tires, where the coopers are not).
My XLT's are snowflake rated.
 
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berlow94

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Just so you guys are aware, running 30psi to make an E-rated 10 ply tire ride smoother is dangerous. Instead of bending 2-4 layers of sidewall you’re now excessively bending 10-layers of sidewall more then they are designed for. The tire builds heat a lot faster and wears a lot faster.
You should really do the math to determine what load range is actually required. I bet you’ll find that certain LT tires will fit the bill and allow you to run proper air pressure without sacrificing ride quality.

Also, if you’re concerned about ride quality, keep in mind that most E-rated tires weigh double what the P-metric tire weighs in the same size!
 

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Also, if you’re concerned about ride quality, keep in mind that most E-rated tires weigh double what the P-metric tire weighs in the same size!
That rotational mass kills MPG too.
I'd go with P-Metric for Comfort if you rarely tow and LT if you tow. If you are getting into the beefier E-Series you probably need a bigger tow rig. Sell the ranger and get a 250.
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