Tire Sidewall Ratings

[Beach]

I was at the tire store last week and was looking at the e rated tires on the rack(specifically 265/75x16E). I noticed a big difference in the stiffness of the sidewalls between tire brands, all tires were E rated(again these tires were not mounted). We all talk about load ratings and tread life, but I'm curious what members here have to say about puncture resistance and sidewall flex in turns, etc of the brand tires they run.

 

[camelracer]

One of the reasons Iv'e been running BFG's is because of the 3 ply sidewall they have. I run them on both my truck and Jeep and have never had a sidewall issue. The sidewalls on my Jeep wear out before the tread but I haven't cut one yet. The downside of a stiff sidewall is that they don't air down as well. That's not a problem with the truck because it weighs so much but I wish I could get the Jeep tires softer without risking a blown out bead.

 

[craig333]

I typically air down to 8-12 lbs in the Jeep with the BFG mud terrains and in twenty years I've only lost a bead once.