Tire Ply Rating

[AngelPhoenix]

Alright, one more from me on the tires here.

Been doing a lot of research on a new set to (immediately) replace the crappy stock Goodyear's. I've pretty much narrowed it down to a couple of "light" A/T tires, but I've recently starting coming across a lot of mentions that one should have "10 ply" tires for towing.

My problem is, I can't reliably find the "ply rating" on most tires.

There's also quite a few mentions of "LT" tires, which is another designation that only seems to be attached rarely.

Just a bit lost here, and want to make sure I am getting tires that are good for towing.

 

[OleNavyMane]

10 ply? That would be like riding on bricks. You may want to continue researching. Try tirerack.

 

[Richard320]

10 ply is an E rating.

Load range and ply ratings are pretty simple. A =2, B=4, C =6, D=8, E=10 and so on.

For my 18" wheels, tire rack shows more E range than C range! I don't know what size wheels you have.

 

[LouNY]

To add to your confusion even Load range "E" tires are no longer actually made with 10 plys ,
more like 3 in the sidewalls and maybe 4 or 6 in the tread.
heavy load range tires will tend to weigh more then lighter load range and will have a higher load rating.
But with a half ton pickup do you need a tire rated for 5000 pounds? and the corresponding lower fuel mileage and harsher ride.
The "LT" or "P" really don't mean near as much as the load rating.

 

[AngelPhoenix]

22 inch wheels, looking at Cooper Discoverer AT3 4s. Their load rating is "XL" which seems to be on a separate scale from the A-E ratings Richard mentioned.

 

[Rambler]

Alright, one more from me on the tires here.

Been doing a lot of research on a new set to (immediately) replace the crappy stock Goodyear's. I've pretty much narrowed it down to a couple of "light" A/T tires, but I've recently starting coming across a lot of mentions that one should have "10 ply" tires for towing.

My problem is, I can't reliably find the "ply rating" on most tires.

There's also quite a few mentions of "LT" tires, which is another designation that only seems to be attached rarely.

Just a bit lost here, and want to make sure I am getting tires that are good for towing.

YOU DON'T MENTION WHAT YOU'RE TOWING OR THE SIZE OF YOUR DESIRED TIRE. I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH MY CHOICE OF THE 8-PLY (D RATING) KO2 BY BF GOODRICH. MY TIRE SIZE IS 275/60R20. I BELIEVE GOING BIGGER TAKES YOU TO LT TERRITORY (MUCH HEAVIER & 10-PLY GENERALLY).

 

[Richard320]

YOU DON'T MENTION WHAT YOU'RE TOWING OR THE SIZE OF YOUR DESIRED TIRE. I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH MY CHOICE OF THE 8-PLY (D RATING) KO2 BY BF GOODRICH. MY TIRE SIZE IS 275/60R20. I BELIEVE GOING BIGGER TAKES YOU TO LT TERRITORY (MUCH HEAVIER & 10-PLY GENERALLY).

 

[AngelPhoenix]

View attachment 107087

Always feels like people are yelling at me when they do this

YOU DON'T MENTION WHAT YOU'RE TOWING OR THE SIZE OF YOUR DESIRED TIRE. I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH MY CHOICE OF THE 8-PLY (D RATING) KO2 BY BF GOODRICH. MY TIRE SIZE IS 275/60R20. I BELIEVE GOING BIGGER TAKES YOU TO LT TERRITORY (MUCH HEAVIER & 10-PLY GENERALLY).

Sorry, I'm looking at trailers in the 3900-5300lbs dry range (GVWRs max out at like 7600 but I doubt I will get anywhere near that loaded, I'm doing weekend camping trips, mostly). Tire size is 285/45r22.

However, I'll probably only be towing the trailer about 6-8 times a year. Rest of the time this is my daily driver, mostly highway.

 

[Rototerrier]

Gotta buy the tires for the most demanding thing you plan to do. Can’t sacrifice safety some of the time for comfort most of the time. I just recently put a set of cooper discoverer at3 xlt on mine for similar reasons. Picked up an Rv and the stability is significantly better. But the ride is way harsher but I don’t mind. Feels like riding in a truck and still softer than a stiff sports car. Mine are E rated load range. Slightly noisier but nothing major. Trade offs have all been worth it for me. Once you find the tire you should be able to find the exact specs on the manufacturers website.

 

[AngelPhoenix]

Gotta buy the tires for the most demanding thing you plan to do. Can’t sacrifice safety some of the time for comfort most of the time. I just recently put a set of cooper discoverer at3 xlt on mine for similar reasons. Picked up an Rv and the stability is significantly better. But the ride is way harsher but I don’t mind. Feels like riding in a truck and still softer than a stiff sports car. Mine are E rated load range. Slightly noisier but nothing major. Trade offs have all been worth it for me. Once you find the tire you should be able to find the exact specs on the manufacturers website.

Okay, but so...like the Cooper's I mentioned are "XL rated", which translates to 2601lbs of load capacity per tire. So, that puts me at 10,400lbs, which is 3,300lbs more than the GVWR of my truck. So, assuming that my trailer doesn't add over 3K lbs. of additional pressure to my truck tires via it's loaded hitch weight (with that theoretically being at most whatever my payload can handle, so say 1100lbs), that leaves me plenty of breathing room right?

I know that XL tires have stiffer sidewalls than other "P" rated tires below that load rating, but then of course LT tires that are 8 ply+ are even better in that regard.

 

[JBV]

i've never heard of XL rated, i'd ask the tire dealer to explain that. tires are very complicated, however, the P and LT ratings are fairly straightforward, then there's preference for tread and weather ratings, etc. and then size availability, and then stock availability will come into play as many tires are simply not available for purchase due to the global **** show we're in, oh, and China, most problems stem from China, never forget that.

it's more straight forward for me, 18" wheels with a need for puncture resistance off road and durability, so it's LT all the way, E rated. sounds like you could get away with D rated. don't worry about 'actual ply' numbers, that's from yesteryear, it's all by the ratings now, which is how the tire is manufactured and tested. personally, i'm doubtful that the ride quality is drastically different from rating to rating, you're talking a huge heavy truck with the best suspension in the business. you can always lower your PSI by 2 or 3 as desired.

a local large tire shop, with good reputation may be your best source of info for your truck, in your location. i do plenty of internet research on tires (everything actually) and when it came down to it, a great local shop had some different tires, and first hand experience in local weather, trails, etc, and that all important availability.

 

[djevox]

Cooper tires has decent customer service if someone wants to call and get a detailed explanation.
Cooper tires
tel:+1-800-854-6288

 

[AngelPhoenix]

i've never heard of XL rated, i'd ask the tire dealer to explain that. tires are very complicated, however, the P and LT ratings are fairly straightforward, then there's preference for tread and weather ratings, etc. and then size availability, and then stock availability will come into play as many tires are simply not available for purchase due to the global **** show we're in, oh, and China, most problems stem from China, never forget that.

it's more straight forward for me, 18" wheels with a need for puncture resistance off road and durability, so it's LT all the way, E rated. sounds like you could get away with D rated. don't worry about 'actual ply' numbers, that's from yesteryear, it's all by the ratings now, which is how the tire is manufactured and tested. personally, i'm doubtful that the ride quality is drastically different from rating to rating, you're talking a huge heavy truck with the best suspension in the business. you can always lower your PSI by 2 or 3 as desired.

a local large tire shop, with good reputation may be your best source of info for your truck, in your location. i do plenty of internet research on tires (everything actually) and when it came down to it, a great local shop had some different tires, and first hand experience in local weather, trails, etc, and that all important availability.

Looks like I can't even get anything higher than an XL rated tire with the factory size (285/45r22). Have to go up to 285/50/r22, and those tires are STUPID expensive, man. Over $150 more per tire! They'll probably last a really long time though.

Will I get rub from the tire being a bit taller?

 

[LouNY]

The load rating is a 3 digit code that translate to a weight capacity for a tire;

The XL(extra load) or SL(standard load) doesn't mean much till you look at the load rating.
And then you have your letter code that relates to your speed rating which you shouldn't exceed.

 

[AngelPhoenix]

The load rating is a 3 digit code that translate to a weight capacity for a tire;
View attachment 107145
The XL(extra load) or SL(standard load) doesn't mean much till you look at the load rating.
And then you have your letter code that relates to your speed rating which you shouldn't exceed.

Okay, so after looking at this, and then again at a set of "E' rated tires (Yokohama Geolander A/T G015 285/50r22), they also have a numbered load rating: 121.

So, versus the 114 load rating of all the XL tires I've looked at, that's a nearly 700lbs per-tire difference, for an extra 2,800lbs of load capacity.

That's huge. But how do I figure out if I need that much extra load capacity? I guess the idea is that the bumping and bouncing along the road will put more pressure on your tires with the extra weight of the trailer, right? Like, having tires that are 3K lbs+ over your GVWR is fine to absorb extra pressure from the truck by itself bouncing around, but you should have a larger cushion when towing a trailer, is that right?

 

[LouNY]

With the 116 load rated tires you will be far past your trucks axle rating.
Also those load ratings are usually at the tires max rated pressure which will result in a rough ride unless
the truck is "overloaded".
I don't believe that your tires will see much change in pressure from loading bumping and bouncing.
You will see several pounds increase from heat build up from tire flex.
Also unless using an equilizer type hitch you will not increase the loading on the front tires from a trailer.

 

[Nick57]

With the 116 load rated tires you will be far past your trucks axle rating.
Also those load ratings are usually at the tires max rated pressure which will result in a rough ride unless
the truck is "overloaded".
I don't believe that your tires will see much change in pressure from loading bumping and bouncing.
You will see several pounds increase from heat build up from tire flex.
Also unless using an equilizer type hitch you will not increase the loading on the front tires from a trailer.

unless your truck has the air ride...

 

[AngelPhoenix]

With the 116 load rated tires you will be far past your trucks axle rating.
Also those load ratings are usually at the tires max rated pressure which will result in a rough ride unless
the truck is "overloaded".
I don't believe that your tires will see much change in pressure from loading bumping and bouncing.
You will see several pounds increase from heat build up from tire flex.
Also unless using an equilizer type hitch you will not increase the loading on the front tires from a trailer.

Yeah, I was thinking there's no way you'd need tires with a load capacity so much higher that your rear axle weight. But apparently lots of people swear by the increased stability and control you get from high-ply (E rated) tires when towing.

However, a lot of those same people also think that half tons shouldn't be allowed to tow anything bigger than a uHaul trailer and I think that at least sometimes that's just them trying to justify their overkill truck purchase.

And speaking of overkill, it really seems like E tries on my 1500 towing a ~6500lbs camper 7 times a year is exactly that. BUT. I want to be sure my set up is as safe as possible, and I'm inexperienced. So I'm quite torn here.

 

[Mirowpl]

I agree with several others, I suggest you find a good local tire shop that carries many different brands and such. Tell them what you plan on doing let them look at your truck specs and they will recommend several different choice. I am lucky in that our local shop also is the tire place for all the farmers’ tractors and combines so they really know their stuff. I personally feel that the tire that came with the truck suits my needs just fine so when time to replace I will not change the type of tire, but maybe the manufacturer. I tow my boat, occasionally a 16 ft trailer to get supplies at Lowe’s and yard stuff like dirt. Good luck