Definitive reviews requested on E Load Rated Tires

Circumstance finds me having to replace my Stock Tires in October. I am going Deer Hunting at 9000’ Elevation about 40 miles from nowhere. If we get hit with snow (a real possibility) I need to be able to get out and about and finally off of the mountain.

After reading here and then researching Tires I am asking for Reviews, Data, Feedback from those that are running E Load Rated Tires. The dilemma is that most NON E Rated Tires are rated as SL which is the 4 Ply low end.

The LT series E Load Rated Falken Wildpeak A/T3W Each weigh 8# more than the SL Rated. So 32# is not going to be that big of a deal. Methinks that the 10 Ply E rated will far outlast the 4 Ply SL rated version. Plus when Aired Down the E Series Sidewalls should clearly outperform.

We are running the Wildpeak A/T3W LT Rated E series on the 9000# Diesel F250 and we like the Snow Performance the Off Road Performance and the tread life.

 

My son and I run E rated BFG KO2's. I "use" my truck - fill the bed with rocks, gravel, tree stumps, pull utility trailers filled with crap, etc; daily drive it in Michigan (100ºF summer days, -10ºF winter days with lots of snow, spring and fall with lots of rain; take it offroad in a variety of trails from rocks to rivers to sand dunes. The only area where I have found the E rated to be a pain in the butt is on the sand dunes - even at 12 psi they don't squat out enough to really aid as much as I want. Otherwise they take what I dish out and survive - I have only lots one in the past six years to damage and that was running over a 1/2" bolt at the dump, but it drove fine with it embedded until I could get to the tire shop who replaced it for me. They suck when it is time to rotate tires due to the weight, and I'm sure the extra 30 or so pounds of unsprung weight hurts fuel economy but I don't care.

 

I have the e rated wildpeaks after having the SL ones. The e rated gives you 4/5mm more tread depth and wear like iron. The SL are shit I put about 8k on a set and were more than halfway worn swapped to the E rated and down like 2/3 mm after 12k miles. The SL also has a softer compound. Is like running winter tires all year round. I’m wheeling the E rated and holding up well, they provide far more grip since the lugs are deeper. Only place they’re worse is cold starts after truck been sitting. Take a little to round out. But that’s norm on a 10 ply tire. The SL was the worst tire I’ve ever run. Others on here will swear they are the second coming but the oem tires are better. Which isn’t saying much. Also my mpg difference from SL 265 to E rated 285 is like maybe 1mpg difference in city and no difference on highway.

 

Pros-
I don't worry about hauling, abusing, Smashing or slashing.

Cons-
I immediately lost 2-3 miles per gallon

 

Swapped from the OEM GY Wranglers to E rated 285/75r16 Yokohama Geolandar AT GO15s about a month ago. Drove about 500 miles over two weeks, then left for a 14 day 2800 mile road trip through Colorado towing my travel trailer.

On road DD: Definitely can tell it's an E rated tire, but it isn't terrible like most make it out to be. I run 35 psi up front and 40 psi in the back. Fuel economy dropped 1-2 mpg. I generally don't accelerate aggressively, drive the speed limit around town, 5-10 mph over the speed limit on the highway/interstate and have 500-550# constant load in the bed. I personally like the feel the E rated tires give on all but the crappiest of roads. Well paved roads, the E rated tires feel planted and firm. Roads that are laced with potholes, repairs, etc. are an adventure. It can become jarring on bad enough roads. Reducing speed definitely helps in these situations.

Towing/off-road: E rated tire shine in both instances. A lot more stability while towing and less concern with blowouts or tire problems in general. This is the same for off-road, more confidence in performance in most terrain. Only place I can see possible problems is sand, due to the stiffer sidewall preventing the tire from flexing as much when aired down. This will reduce the treads contact patch. However, I see this as a small price to pay for more durable tires. Fuel economy while towing was similar, maybe 0.5-1 mpg less. Hard to tell due to the vastly different terrain/elevation in western Colorado from southern California.

Would I do it again, yes. I would run anything other then SL rated tires. I have a set of 17" Evo Course DakarZeros on order that should be delivered in September. The Yokohama Geolandars I'm running now we're a temp solution since my OEM GY Wranglers were shot and I didn't trust them on a 2 week road trip. I may look at a C rated tire for the next set to see what the fuss is about. More C rated options in 17" then in 16". I'd like to see if the weight savings will make as big a difference as most say.