E Rated Tires Necessity

[Quint]

I'm going to be putting a shell FWC or ATC on a 2011 Tacoma PreRunner access cab 6 foot bed truck. The payload is 1300 pounds. Most tires including the highest rated passenger tires for my truck exceed my payload capacity. If I keep it at or under payload why do I need E rated tires? I am going to be using this 99% on the highway and when not on streets and only some forest service roads. Where I live there is no snow and I'm not in loose or deep mud only gravel and hard pack mud. The camper won't be on the truck but once a weekend a month or so. The rest of the time I'm driving 40+ miles a day on the highway to work without it and don't want to lose much horsepower, gas mileage, comfort, road noise, or handling. Does anyone run a good P rated 245/75/16 (suggested by Toyota for this truck) or an E rated one for comparison with the conditions I have stated? I know it's a compromise but since I use the truck for such city commuting it is a concern. Thanks.

 

[craig333]

Probably don't for your truck. I need them because my truck weighs in at 8k lbs and the diesel puts half over the front tires.

 

[takesiteasy]

I put D-rated BFG AT tires on my Tacoma. I did not run the P-rated with the camper so I can't do a comparison. The tires are noticeable with the camper off compared to the P-rated tires but not in a bad way. Mostly feels more like a truck instead of a car. But I like the ride and handling with the heavier tires when the camper is on. The stiffer sidewalls are the main benefit. The truck feels very solid and secure with the camper on, especially cornering. And I have picked up screws with no damage to the tire- another benefit. I like knowing I can drive on rocks if I want to and not worry so much about the tires. I imagine I am giving up mpg but life is tradeoffs. I have about 25,000 miles on the tires and wear is not apparent. I'm thinking I might get better life out of the heavier tires which should offset the cost a bit.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Many of us, who spend miles off the pavement, like the cut and puncture resistance of E-rated tires even if our loads might not require them. Having once cut two sidewalls 60 miles from asphalt using less manly tires, I swore it would never happen again.

But your setup and travel plans might not need E-rated tires.

 

[Lighthawk]

You could try it Quint. I ran my original P rated tires for a few months, but then switched up to E rated BFG's when we decided to go to Saline Valley If you do change tires, remember this is a five tire purchase to get the real deal spare to match the others. I found that my used truck only had four matching rims, so I had to locate a fifth rim.

That said, we had a great run of 30k on our first set of BFG's with a Tundra/Hawk with ZERO punctures. We just got back from TDay trip yesterday, which included nearly one hundred miles of dirt and the tires were great. I aired down to 28#/35# for the 30-40mph graded dirt, but then for a short, difficult section I went down to 22#/25#. The tires can do amazing things when soft. I left the air low the next day until we got back to pavement. We missed the first gas station, and I was too lazy to break out the compressor, so we drove another 30 miles on pavement with low pressure until we hit Minden, where we aired up. The stiff sidewalls help the tires corner on curvy paved roads quite a bit.

I realize you are planning a shell, but don't underestimate the loading of your Tacoma. IMHO, tires are the most important element in rigging your truck/camper.

 

[Smokecreek1]

Many of us, who spend miles off the pavement, like the cut and puncture resistance of E-rated tires even if our loads might not require them. Having once cut two sidewalls 60 miles from asphalt using less manly tires, I swore it would never happen again.

But your setup and travel plans might not need E-rated tires.

2x-always use E-rated-never can tell that you might have to go of that paved road!

Smoke

 

[Taku]

Unless you are sure you won't be driving rocky roads, especially limestone and lava that tend to have sharp edges, I would go with E rated. Even then you can puncture them on of those rocks. Spend a bit more know, so you don't whine later!

 

[fish more]

The "E" rated tires will make your rig more stable while driving on mountain roads with alot of curves. Also wear of the tires will be better than "P" rated tires with the camper. I have "E" rated on my F150 and would not go back to stock tires for anything.

 

[Bosque Bill]

I went back and forth on this issue myself. I left the factory tires on my Tacoma for several months before a single rocky road in the middle of nowhere woke me up to the fact I never wanted to have a flat just before dark in unknown terrain - I was lucky that time, but didn't want to push my luck.

I thought about getting D-rated tires, but ultimately bought the E-rated tires simply for the peace of mind on those rare occasions when I found myself driving a road of sharp rocks. I got the BFG AT E-rated tires, which were actually less expensive that the D-rated tires for some reason. I stayed with the OEM size tires.

The truck felt more stable and secure with the camper on and I've no complaints about the ride with the camper off. If you stick with your current size there should be no issues with less power, handling is great, and I don't think there is much difference in MPG (but didn't actually check that). There is a slight increase in road noise due to the tread, but I rarely really notice that anymore.

 

[Texan76]

Look at the side of your tires and get the load rating in pounds. Let's assume it says 2500 lbs. Multiply by 2, and you get 5000. This is the max you should put on your rear tires. Fill up with gas, go to a truck stop scale and weigh your truck. Subtract your truck's empty rear axle weight from the tire rating you calculated above, and this will tell you how much your camper and gear should not exceed. For example, if your weight on your rear axle was 2800 lbs, then subtract that from 5000. You could safely carry up to 2200 lbs in the rear of your truck with this hypothetical example.

As far as the stiffer tires for off-roading, I can't comment. But if you're staying on halfway decent pavement, then using the above calculation will tell you what you can carry for the tires you have.