No real need for a D or E rated tire in your configuration.

Firestone C rated Destination ATs are rated for 2475 pound load. No way you are going to overload them. A little added air pressure when running loaded and you'd be set! I've run them on Jeeps and they ride really nice for an AT rated tire. I've also had E rated BFGs on my previous truck, and boy did they have a hard ride. Great tires, but quite punishing on a daily driver.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...del=Destination+A/T&partnum=675R6DESTATOWL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

 

No real need for a D or E rated tire in your configuration.

Firestone C rated Destination ATs are rated for 2475 pound load. No way you are going to overload them. A little added air pressure when running loaded and you'd be set! I've run them on Jeeps and they ride really nice for an AT rated tire. I've also had E rated BFGs on my previous truck, and boy did they have a hard ride. Great tires, but quite punishing on a daily driver.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Firestone&tireModel=Destination+A%2FT&partnum=675R6DESTATOWL&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

I take tire weight ratings with a grain of salt. The stock tires (Dunlops) were useless. They made the truck sway going around corners causing the camper to rock. I couldn't use them with the camper. They were dangerous. So the 2200+ rated tires were crap.
I had the Firestones on my 2003 F250. I didn't like them - too many problems to list. The Destination ATs are not on my list. I’m considering GY Duratrac load range C’s but I want to know if the C rated tire with will work with my application. I need sidewall support. Does anyone any have experience with a high center of gravity in the bed Tacoma truck?

 

The factory dunflops are a P ratec tire, not an LT C rated, but you probably know that. C rated 265/75r16s carry a max inflation of 50 psi, and at 45 or less should comfortably handle well over the payload capacity of the tacoma. That said, I'm running E rated tires, but mainly because thats the only option for the size I'm running - LT235/85R16. Same height as the 265s, just narrower. They ride marginally stiffer than the C rated 265s I had on before, probably similar to what a D rated 265 would be. An "outside the box" idea for you, if you don't mind pizza cutters. They're duratracs too, I don't think you would regret them in either size.

Sorry, no camper experience, but I packed some heavy loads and towed a 3500 lb RV trailer, and no complaints. I've got the rear airbags too FWIF.

 

Well, forget the Firestone suggestion then... I was simply stating that a well built C rated tire would handle your load nicely if aired up properly. There isn't anything specific to the Taco that makes it all that different.

 

The firestone tires was a great suggestion. I'm just not into them. So you believe a C rated tire will work for my application. thanks
I just wanted to make sure before forking over $800.

 

I don't believe that the tire load range rating is very much related to the feel of the tire, in terms of harsh ride. What a strangely large number of people do, is they inflate tires to the pressure printed on the sidewall, so when you have an "E" range tire and you inflate the bugger to 85 psi, obviously its going to ride like a brick. Inflate it to the much more proper 30 psi though, and there should be an appropriate amount of compliance.

Here's a reference supporting my position:
http://www.ehow.com/facts_7606171_dload-ratings-tire-ride-comfort.html

 

I don't believe that the tire load range rating is very much related to the feel of the tire, in terms of harsh ride. What a strangely large number of people do, is they inflate tires to the pressure printed on the sidewall, so when you have an "E" range tire and you inflate the bugger to 85 psi, obviously its going to ride like a brick. Inflate it to the much more proper 30 psi though, and there should be an appropriate amount of compliance.

Here's a reference supporting my position:
http://www.ehow.com/facts_7606171_dload-ratings-tire-ride-comfort.html

:facepalm: Think again. It's the stiffness in the sidewall that causes the difference in ride comfort. That linked article makes a comparison of two similar tires (C to D load isn't too much different when compared to each other).

Trust us when we say that several of us have used multiple load range tires (including comparing to P-rated tires) and there is a difference at the same psi. Running any tire at its max air pressure without the proper weight on that tire is bad for the ride, bad for the tire, and unsafe due to loss of traction and increased stopping distances.

 

^ Are you listening to what you're saying? Even if they don't have the same number of plys (plies?), they still have a stronger sidewall. That's what's key here. A stronger sidewall has less flex which affects ride handling regardless of "reasonable" air pressure. I know you don't think you can take a P-rated tire and just air it up to 85 psi to handle the same load as an LT E tire.

 

But the point that you're missing is that it doesn't have to be *thicker* in order to be *stronger*. It doesn't necessarily lose flexibility, or if it does, it is probably such a small amount that you couldn't possibly notice it. It isn't like you would be going from paper-thin to an inch thick. The difference may be going from 2-ply nylon chords to 2-ply kevlar. You won't be able to feel any difference, but it will be 10-times as strong and capable of withstanding the high pressure needed for the E rating. In fact, you could go from 2-ply nylon to 1-ply kevlar, GAIN ride quality, and INCREASE the load capacity.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Dealer_sa...el_belted_tread_why_the_why_is_the_dealer_saying_12_ply_when_nothing_is_on_tire

 

I trust a resource like TireRack more than Wikiwhatever for tire information. I am well aware of how the newer load rating system works VS the old number-of-plies system. As has been pointed out already, equal-sized tires of higher load range are heavier compared to lower load range. It's not because kevlar weighs more than nylon. It's because there is more material in a LR-E tire than in a LR-B. Even if the number of supporting plies is the same, those plies are thicker, heavier, and stronger. And the rubber carcass is also thicker, heavier, and stronger -- including the sidewall.

 

And did you read what it said in that link? Again, strength = load rating. We're aware of the ply ratings. Like Splicer said, there's more to it than just the actual plies inside. I was one of the first to try out the Goodyear Wranglers with the kevlar belts...back when they had manufacturing problems with them where they couldn't balance them on our light trucks (a fact they readily admitted and they have since fixed).

Let's speak from experience here. When did you run both an LT-D or LT-E and compare that to say a P-rated tire on handling / ride comfort? How about comparing the LT-D to LT-E? Many on this forum (and several other forums that we are also members) are speaking from experience. When did you last run a LT-D or LT-E on your Taco? I have run an LT-D and reviewed the handling characteristics between that and other tires. Others have done the same with an LT-D vs LT-E. There is a true difference in handling between them. How they rebound from potholes/bumps is completely different.

 

Well OK, you're entitled to your opinion. And you're right, I haven't tried them out on my tacoma yet, since the factory dunlops are still kicking. All indications, however, looking at this objectively, is that (a) a lot of people will tend to overinflate the high load rated tires, causing an extra harsh ride, and, (b) don't under-estimate the power of psychological preconceptions.

Edit: and (c) even if its noticable, is it significant enough to be a problem?

 

We're really getting off topic here, and I apologize to the OP. But we'll see if we can finish this up.

I don't think the D was too hard. But 08TRDOFFROAD had E and they were very harsh. Think about when you hit a pothole. The tire drops in, hits the other side, absorbs some of that impact, and then bounces back up. A P-rated tire will flex more when it impacts the backside of that pothole and absorb some of the energy before bouncing back up. When the D rated tire hits that far side of the pothole, it'll feel more like you didn't have a tire (I ran mine at 33 psi front, 32 psi rear...just like I do for all my tires since that's about right for mountain driving and the weight I'm carrying). You will notice a difference. Same thing on flexing on turns with the sidewall. Hitting a large bouncing bump on a turn at 65 mph (have one on the way home) on a P-rated tire will give the back end some sway. Not noticeable until you drive that same stretch with a LT-D. Then it doesn't sway at all (like having a lower profile tire). It's this characteristic which got the OP to start this thread. Hit this type of spot on the freeway like I do everyday, and you will immediately notice the difference when you switch tires (I'm on my 4th set of tires on this truck). I can't imagine hitting a pothole at 35 mph like there used to be on our road with a LT-E. It can't be good on the truck's suspension. Now granted, a lot of that harshness in hitting the pothole may have been due to the weight of the tire. But the effects of sway over bumps at speed, that's attributable only to the sidewall (all other things being constant).

 

Very well stated, MrReaper.

 

^ True. I had no problems with them. Great tires with good traction in everything but mud. But people had a lot of problems with them in the 265/75-16 size.

 

265/75R16 is very similar to 31x10.5R15 which I had.... The extra sidewall height I had, of course, wouldn't make matters any better.