Tires

[Phird05]

I bought my truck with P275/65R18 tires and wasn't too concerned about putting the weight of the camper on the truck. The 5.4L engine, and installing airbags alleviated any concern for power or suspension. Again, I really never gave it too much thought, until I had the camper on the truck. As I do quite a bit of off roading to get to the spots I enjoy fly fishing and biking, I became increasingly concerned, specifically with the sidewalls failing. Well, I just went and had tires with an E load range rating installed on my truck, and YIKES! what a difference. Not only am I not concerned about puncturing a sidewall in the middle of nowhere, but the stability with the camper on is incredible. I can now say I am completely satisfied with my rig, or should I say, my rig is now complete. Anyway, I thought I would share this, for those of you that may be holding back on upgrading your tires, because it makes one hell of a difference.

Good travels

Paul

 

[John D]

Paul, You are absolutely right. A set of real truck tires is a big improvement for a truck camper, almost a necessity. I would not go off road without them. John D

 

[Bat]

Can you explain to me why an E rated tire has a stronger sidewall THANKS

 

[EdoHart]

Can you explain to me why an E rated tire has a stronger sidewall THANKS

E Rated tires have 10 plies (in addition to the steel belts), while D rated tires only have 8 plies. More layers mean thicker and stiffer sidewalls. This also gives them a greater PSI and load capacity compared to similar size tires. It's also important to put on heavy duty valve stems if you're going to run E Rated tires at pressures above 65 PSI because the standard valve stem used on cars and light duty trucks is only good to 65 PSI. On a heavy 3/4 ton truck with E Rated tires, you'll probably run over 65 PSI (at least in the rear) when fully loaded.