Best suspension to use with E-Rated tires

Hey there everyone, a little history first. I drive a mildly modified 2014 TX Baja. As most folks know the OEM tires were BFG KO2's "D" rated and the suspension was Bilstein upgraded suspension. The Taco's ride quality was pretty good. Since then I installed Falken 32" Wildpeak's "C" rated tires and installed a new Bilstein 6112 front system with SPC UCA's and Bilstein 5160 rear system with OME Dakar rear leafs. The ride quality was still pretty good. I decided to get 33" tires and wanted to stick with 16" rims but "E" rated tires are the only option for 16" rims. I opted to purchase Goodyear Duratrac's. Well, since installing 33" "E" rated tires the ride quality is much worse (on and off-road) and I am experiencing the random ABS system activation while taking sharp corners at a bit of speed. Inflation is 32psi front and rear. I use the truck for a DD and for weekend Overlanding trips.

The question I have is: Would spending the dough on King or Fox or Icon or the like with adjustable damping controls yield better ride quality? Input on pro's and con's of each brand?

Thanks for any input ya'll may have!

 

E rated tires will ride rough regardless of what suspension you have. You can change some items and make it ride a little better but you still got E rated tires at the end of the day.

 

This
Untell you start spending upwards 100k for suspension

 

E rated BFG’s on my truck (before I replaced them) in 265-75/16 rode pretty damn nice at around 28psi.

I believe if you look at the loading you’re still running too much pressure vs the weight they are supporting to get a decent ride at anything over 30psi

 

Don't over think this. I have E rated tires on both of my trucks and the ride is pretty indistinguishable from the P rated tires that came on them. It's all about how much air you put in them. E rated tires are designed to be used on heavy duty trucks with 7000 lb curb weights and 10,000 lb GVWR's. Even on those trucks around 50-60 PSI is nominal unless loaded heavy. Lots of guys try that on a 4000 lb Tacoma with a 5300 lb GVWR and then complain about the ride.

Closer to 30 PSI is plenty of air in a Tacoma with E rated tires and you'll find the ride a little firm, but not uncomfortable. The recommendation for P rated tires is about 30 PSI unloaded and up to 44 PSI when loaded heavy. Since I tend to carry loads in my truck often I found it easier to just keep 38-40 PSI in my P rated tires all the time. I found that easier than airing up every time I need to haul a load, then airing down later. There is virtually no difference between the ride with E rated tires at 30 PSI and my old P rated tires at 38 PSI. And I'm still able to haul loads heavier than the Tacoma is rated for.

 

Some E rated tires have very different construction in regards to material. Most of the time you can mitigate discomfort by airing down.

When I had my 33's with no additional weight, I was running about 32-34psi.

With additional armor and the gear I have I currently run 38psi.

Not sure how alot of people think it is uncomfortable because it is nearly as cushy as stock without all of the bouncing/bouncing of the unloaded stock bed. Maybe just older folks who could care less for stiffer suspension/tires.

Abs activation may be another issue altogether. Did you recalibrate VSC?

I drive relatively spiritedly. About 85 cruising. I take 90* highway ramps going 75. Normal turns on a 40 speed limit I will take a turn goog 35-40. Never had an issue with ABS.

Heres a pic of the setup.

 

28?
Mpg?

 

28 yes, If I was hauling dirt bikes I’d up that to 32 or so. Pretty consistent with 18 mpg give or take.

 

I'm assuming your MPG would come from highway miles? I ask because my 265/75R16, E rated k02's at ~32-34 PSI gets 16.4 MPG on average.. I drive highway and street and cant get over my average.

 

I have STT Pros in 285 E load. Was running about 30 PSI for the past few weeks while the outdoor temperature changed. The ride was about as plush as my truck has been on the road but my MPGs dipped to around 15.5. Just aired back up to 36 and you can definitely feel the difference. MPGs should be back up to 17-18 this next fill up.

 

I have E rated Nitto Trail Grapplers and have been running them for the past 92,000 miles. I just replaced them with the same E rated and it still runs great. They get filled to about 36 in front and 34 rear.

 

OP, you went from KO2s "D" to Wildpeaks "C" then to Duratracs "E" and the ride quality got worse. Pretty much found the root of your issue. You went with an E load tire thats more of a MT tire than AT and the end result is a stiffer noisier ride. Sell the duratracs and find C/ D load AT tires.

 

Regards to reset on the VSC. I have done a reset and it made no difference. I have removed the sway bar and I believe that has something to do with the VSC/ABS activation. I see that you run a sway bar on your rig so maybe that is the difference. The activation does not occur all of the time. There is one particular corner that I drive frequently in both directions in which the activation occurs in both directions. The corner is a 35mph corner with a steeper bank than normal. Even at 30mph the VSC/ABS activates. Which made me think "Man, if there was a way to reduce the VSC sensitivity that may do the trick". I have thought about reinstalling the sway bar to see if that fixes the issue.

 

I agree that the issue is the "E" rated tire vs. "C" or "D". The Duratrac tread is definitely more open than the Wildpeak and K/O but it still classified as an AT tire. I have my eyes on the new Toyo Open Country AT3 tires and frankly I may pull the trigger sooner rather than later because Duratrac's are not good on wet roads. I would love to get "C" rated tires but I want to stick with 33" diameter with my 16" rims, 285/75r16, and there are zero AT tires available with a "C" or "D" rating. All options are "E" rated. Thanks for your input!

 

I have C load Duratracs and no ride complaints

Best suspension for a 10ply tire is one from a 3/4 ton full size

 

That has much to do with it. I’m sure other factors as well of course, how
much junk you haul around, etc. Winter blend fuel must be in the tanks already because I’m dipping into the 15’s for the past few tanks! Under 300 miles on a full tank. I’m typically 17.8 mpg average during the summer months. That’s usually 325 miles or so per 18-ish gallons, up to near 350 miles but that requires 19 gallons. At the end of the day it always averages out right around 17.

 

This is mine on the hwy's
Milage on the streets is shit

 

Darn that's a bummer. Some of my friends run 35's in m/t and a/t. Seems m/t usually has more issues with VSC, possibly tire materials being too rigid and not flexible enough.

I did the whole swaybar dance with many vehicles. At the end of the day, my group of off-roading friends preferred it on. If it makes any difference, run 725# springs on bilstein 5100. I did have to reset alot of VSC and usually it resolves the issue unless it is a very sharp turn on a gravel lined asphalt road.

 

I have the ICON stage 4 + ICON RXT Leaf pack at option 3. I'm also running "E" rated KO2s 285/65r18 on an 18x9 rim with 0 offset. My truck is supercharged with the URD kit for the 3rd gen tacomas, but I can assure you the ride quality was great even before the power gain of the supercharger. I went straight from the stock Goodyear tires to these KO2s, so I only have experience with those 2 tire setups.

The ICON stage 4 UCA allows for max caster adjustment and a few other alignment specs to be implemented, so I'm sure that helps out a lot. I personally love this setup and would recommend it. I don't have experience with KING or FOX, but I know those 2 are valved differently than ICON

 

Airing down increases comfort substantially but increases track width and rolling resistance which is the cause for the mpg drop.

I would say the best way to test is chalk test! But I wouldn't run any less than typical C-load tire pressures on an E load tire.

I actually hit 20 mpg the other day, highway of course. Drove 368 miles and filled up about 18 gallons. I've been averaging 17 city wise. Probably due to the cooler weather