I am researching tires for my 2012 Ram 1500 5.7 QC 4wd w/ tow package. It's an Outdoorsman with 265 70 17s.
The oem tires are Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor and are "E" rated I believe.
I have hauled one load of mulch and pulled a 28 ft camper about 400 miles this year. Do I really need "E" rated 10 ply tires?
I am also confused on the load ratings. I see some that say E, D etc. and some that have a numeric rating. 118, 121 etc.
So with that said my question is what ply or load rating should I buy? Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks in advance

 

Never seen a 1/2 ton truck that came with E rated tires. Most of them don't even come with LT tires, they come with P rated.


As for what you should buy, you should match or exceed the load rating of what is listed on the door jamb.

 

the LT tires have a rating system of plys, like the "E" are not really 10 plys but "10 ply rated". The can hold a lot more air pressure thus more load. Lots of E rated tires out there but you can hardly find D or C in a metric size. These tires are also a lot heavier than the P tires. You pay an MPG penalty with them (1-2 MPG)

The P tires are rated by "Load Index", the 113, 115, 118 etc. They typically can carry all of the load you need with less air pressure so they ride softer. The bigger the tire the higher the load index. More air means more load.

My truck came with 265/70R17 tires from goodyear that had a load index of 115. When I first replaced them I found most brands were LI 113 but Coopers were 115. I ran Coopers for a while but I did not like the way the wore out too fast. I had to replace 2 of the Coopers due to road damage and I went with Nitto Terra Grapplers 265/70R17 LI 113.

Some owners like the E rated tires for durability over sharp rocks and less sidewall flex. I prefer the P tires for the ride and they work fine for towing.

 

Awesome reply. Exactly what I needed.
I was looking at the Cooper Discoverer AT3. I have had 4 sets of Cooper tires but not these particular ones. I had a set of Discoverer H/T on a 2wd S10 and they tended to flat spot. Other than that it has been Zeons and RS3-A's.
I was also looking at the Falken Wildpeak A/T. I had a set of those on a Dakota but only for 3 months before I traded. In the time I had them they did fine.

 

You don't need "E" rated tires, I had E rated on my last truck and they ride stiffer due to the 80 psi you can load them to. As far as the Falkens they might be a good tire but the sipes only go down less then half way and the tire starts to look like crap after a while. The Cooper AT3 is an mazing tire and in my opinion you can't go wrong with it. Try looking at one more tire though. The cooper Zeon LTZ which is also an amazing tire and has an awesome tread pattern.

 

I like the look of the LTZ but not for $245.00 per tire.
I will most likely go with the P rated 118 AT3's .
I found a local shop that I can get them for $625 installed.
Thanks for all the help and advice.

 

I bought the Cooper LTZ's for all their good points. Aggressive tread pattern, fairly quiet, good traction, decent price (for me, a couple years back). But they have had terrible tread life. I'll be lucky to get 40K out of them. Went with the Nitto Terra Grapplers for my next set.

Rob

 

How do you like the Terra Grapplers?
I have been reading reviews on them this evening.

 

I don't have them on yet. I bought them early because I got a good deal and wanted to have them here in case my LTZ's are used up in the middle of winter and didn't want to be forced to buy in a pinch. The LTZ's still have enough life for the moderate use I need from them this winter (likely don't need to pull a big trailer).

Rob

 

Just on a side note, I would be cautious pulling a 28' trailer with "P" rated tires, I would at least get "LT".