Maybe a stupid question, but can you use a D rated tire at say 1450 lbs in place of an E rated tire at the same weight? I have 265E's @1450and want to know if I could put on 285D's @ 1450 and still keep my payload capacity. I also wonder if it has more to do with the number of plys.

 

Look on the side of the tire. It should have the Max load and PSI rating on the side. E range tires are 10 ply and can handle more weight than a D range tire.

 

A "E' rated tire generaly has more plys and better construction than a "D" rated tire and will take more abuse.
Also a "E" tire will generaly wear longer.

 

Load Range, Ply Rating and Load Pressure for Light Truck Tires




Load Range
Ply Rating
Load Pressure (psi)

LT-metric
B
4
35

LT-numeric
C
6
50

Flotation LT*
D
E
F
8
10
12
65
80
95

*Selected large Flotation LT sized tires have reduced load pressures from the values shown above.

Load Range, Ply Rating and Load Pressure for Light Truck Tires

 

my "d" tires have a higher load rating than the "e"s I had on it

 

Open the drivers door and look at the sticker on the door jamb, go with what you are supposed to have on it

 

The only thing that the letter designation is going to tell you is the number of ply's in the tire.

A "D" range tire is an 8 ply tire, an "E" range tire is 10 ply.

The ply's do not necessarily determine load capacity. The materials and design will determine that. The load of the tire is on the sidewall and on the manufacturers websites.

Usually, an E tire will offer more sidewall stiffness than a comparable D range tire. This is good for towing or high loads as it keeps the sidewall crush and squirm to a minimum. The down side is the ride quality.

If you are not towing heavy all the time and want a little softer ride, then a D range tire with the same load capacity will be fine. If you are gonna tow a lot or be in places that can puncture tires (i.e. jobsites) then get the E range tires.

 

Was looking at my d tires, they're only 2 ply sidewalls.

 

That's just your sidewalls. Your tread area is 8 ply. Only a few of the ply's go from bead to bead.

Most of your off-road, high abuse type tires have 3 ply sidewalls for puncture resistance. Like my Super Swampers TSL's and GY MTR's were 3 ply sidewalls. I know BFG AT's and MT are too.