D Rated Tires

grimmysnr · April 8, 2010

I know a stock 2500HD comes with E rated tires but I was looking around at replacements and one tire I noticed the Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac comes in a size that would fit but is D rated. I probably wont be towing much and if I did it might be like a pop up trailer or something. Id probably have a few hundred pounds worth of sand bags in the back during normal driving. Then when I go out for the weekends with camping gear, ATV's, and family.

I was just curious if D rated tire would still be sufficient for this type of forseable use.

hockeypro1411 · April 8, 2010

I think you'd be just fine. E range tires sometimes make for a harsher ride when not completely loaded down.

steiny93 · April 8, 2010

just keep an eye on the weights

i just replaced the tires on my 2500hd, i landed on BF AT's and the D tires had more tread as well as they had a higher load limit then the E rated factory treads

with the weights i tow with that truck i made the call to go with the D's instead of the E's

dewfpo · April 8, 2010

I agree with what the previous two posters said.

DEWFPO

Z'06 · April 8, 2010

Just make sure they are LT (and not P) rated so you get the extra ply.

Shaners · April 8, 2010

I'm not sure what size stock tires are on your truck. But in my case the stock size "E" was a 245/75/16. A 265/75/16 "D" actually has more load capacity than the factory "E" and fills the wheel wells much nicer!

Rat4go · April 8, 2010

If your truck is a 2500HD, odds are that the Gross AXLE Weigh Ratings (GAWR on the door sticker) are less than what the D-rated tires are rated for. Example with sorta made up numbers: D-rated tires are good for 3164lbs EACH (or 6328 for the set on an axle) but your Rear GAWR is 6000 and your front is 4200. If tire rating (for 2 tires) is greater than either axle rating, you're OK unless you plan to overload the truck. I'm pretty sure that a SRW 3500 has a Rear GAWR that is a tick higher than Load D tires can do.

For my 2003 2500HD, this is exactly the case and I've run D-rated tires for the past 100K miles, and I tow/Haul stuff (always under the GAWR numbers, so always below Load D tire ratings).

That said, I thought I saw the GY Duratrac in a Load E ....maybe just in the size (LT285/75-16) that I was looking at?

April 8, 2010

I just put 265/75-16 Yokohama AT/Ss on my '04 2500. They are eight ply "D" load rated and ride WAAAAY better than the ten ply "E" rated tires I took off it. Like others have stated, for what I'll be using the truck for, "D" range should be just fine. And the 265s look sooo much better than 245s!

chrisb1 · April 9, 2010

I have a 2008 GMC 2500 HD Duramax. It came with 265-70-17 load E. I ran them at 63lbs all tires. I changed to Michelin 285-70-17 Load D. Ran the same pressures. The tire

sidewalls were not stiff enough even at maximum pressure to keep the front end stable in any turns or braking. I contacted Michelin and they agreed. The issue is not only the

weight carrying of the tire but the sidewall stiffness. With a Duramax the front end is much heavier than a gasser and the handling and braking were truly scarry.

With my Load D Michelins, LTX MS/2s, the sidewalls would actually fold over in curves and any significant braking would also cause folding. The whole truck would yaw on the

suspension. This was at max pressure of 65lbs cold.

With my truck it have never been a weight carrying issue but rather sidewall stiffness to maintain handling and braking. Michelin gave my money back and America Tires

set me up with Nitto Terra Grapplers, Load E, with a 3750lb carrying capacity. I run them at the same 63lbs per tire. All my troubles went away. Truck is smooth and now handles and brakes safely.

Gregorio · April 9, 2010

D, E, F or whatever the "Load Range" ONLY REFERS TO HOW MUCH AIR THEY CAN HOLD IN PSI. Nothing else. That is why you see fatter tires with a D on them having more weight carrying capacity. 8, 10, 12 or whatever "Ply Rating" is an even older school term that refers to how many belts of fiber, etc the tire is made with. It does not mean it has that many, only that the tire is rated to match a certain number on this antiquated scale.

LT does not mean it has any extra plies. It is just a designation telling you to use a unique scale that differs from P-Metric, Euro-Metric, ST-Metric, etc. However, if you put a non-LT rated tire on a truck or SUV, the rating must be reduced by 10% per USDOT guidelines. These tires will likely have a speed rating designiation instead of ply or load rating. It will be a 2 or 3 digit number (weight rating) followed by a letter (speed rating). As long as the weight carrying capability stamped into the sidewall exceeds your GAWR by 20%, you are safe. Otherwise, you are de-rating your truck's load carrying capacity.

grimmysnr · April 9, 2010

I have a 2008 GMC 2500 HD Duramax. It came with 265-70-17 load E. I ran them at 63lbs all tires. I changed to Michelin 285-70-17 Load D. Ran the same pressures. The tire
sidewalls were not stiff enough even at maximum pressure to keep the front end stable in any turns or braking. I contacted Michelin and they agreed. The issue is not only the

weight carrying of the tire but the sidewall stiffness. With a Duramax the front end is much heavier than a gasser and the handling and braking were truly scarry.

With my Load D Michelins, LTX MS/2s, the sidewalls would actually fold over in curves and any significant braking would also cause folding. The whole truck would yaw on the

suspension. This was at max pressure of 65lbs cold.

With my truck it have never been a weight carrying issue but rather sidewall stiffness to maintain handling and braking. Michelin gave my money back and America Tires

set me up with Nitto Terra Grapplers, Load E, with a 3750lb carrying capacity. I run them at the same 63lbs per tire. All my troubles went away. Truck is smooth and now handles and brakes safely.

Would it be possible that it was the tire and/or manufacturer and not necessarily the load rating? For a company to say "our bad, heres a refund" kinda sounds like it was something they did. Just speculating.

chrisb1 · April 9, 2010

It may be possible the Michelin's were the issue. Softer sidewalls. I contacted my 4 x 4 shop who was

the first Cognito Motorsports leveling kit installer that had an article published (Gresham Four Wheel Drive in Gresham, Oregon) and they agreed. They do not use load D on a diesel. My tire shop, America's Tire in Gresham, Oregon will no longer intall any load D when the truck is a diesel.

My suggestion to to try any load D solution and take the tires through some twisty roads and try aggressive stops. If the truck does not waller around on the suspension with tire sidewalls folding you may be good to go. My tire dealer would not sell me any BF G or Wrangler either. Only load E tires.

I only mention my problem because the truck as truly scarry in handling and braking and I almost put it in the ditch a few times!! Use caution. Have fun!