Sidewall Thickness - Question

Okay, Okay.......There is some great information about tires on this site, Great job!

I've got a 2009 double cab TRD Off Road. The crappy tires that were stock are finally worn (47,000 miles). I now know that the largest rubber I can fit without mods is 265/75/16.

Great. Lots of choices. Here's my question - Most of these size tires come in a 10 ply sidewall, otherwise known as E load rating. Does this drastically impact on road ride quality? As I've been calling around to tire shops about size availability, several hace comented on the negative impact or ride quality.

Please let me know what you think.

 

Depends on who you ask about the ride quality. Some hate it, some don't mind at all. I'd try to get a tire in D rating but see if you can find a friend or another user here with E tires to get a feel for yourself.

 

I had put 8 ply tires on my Tacoma when I got it and I thought it road rough. I have now put a 6 ply Goodyear Wrangler Authority on it and run about 45 psi and it rides great. But it's your call wether you like a real stiff ride or something a little smoother and I guess it would depned on if this is an everyday use or just on the weekend truck.

 

E rated 265/75/16 bfg a/t's here. Going from the p rated rugged trails to these made my truck handle alot better. Sure it's a bit rougher ride but not that bad. The truck feels solid going around corners now and tracks the road better (had issues with it following the ruts before.) I'm running 36psi front and 34psi back. Also, with these tires your chances of flats and sidewall damage are minimal and they're snow rated.

 

Thanks Offroad Toy. do alot of highway driving and about 10% off road. How rough is that ride?

 

i have c rated

 

Honestly...for me on-road driving is better with these tires. The truck feels more solid almost like a tank (not as much sway in the corners.) As far as being a rough ride it's not that noticable.
While offroad I just take it a bit slower. I'm not in to the rough stuff...just old jeep trails and logging roads around here. The only time I really notice the tires being stiffer is on washboard gravel roads.
That said I probably would have gone with a D rating if it had been available in the 265/75/16 bfg a/t.

edit... I like my truck to feel like a truck. I know the e rated tires aren't for everyone (some like a softer ride.)

 

I know I'm digging up an old thread but that's what happens when you use the search function. Anyway....

10 ply sidewalls??? When I was doing my homework on tires the letter load range (C,D,E) was tread ply, not sidewall. Take Duratracs for example, I've only read a 2 ply sidewall, even on E's. The most I've seen is 3 ply sidewalls I think. I've read that 10 ply means 8 tread and 2 sidewall, but either way, definitely not 10 ply sidewalls. It's actually hard as hell to find out about sidewall ply, most sites only give you OWL or BSW or somthing to do with the lettering.

And then here's what tire rack says; "Today's load range/ply ratings do not count the actual number of body ply layers used to make up the tire's internal structure, but indicate an equivalent strength compared to early bias ply tires. Most radial passenger tires have one or two body plies, and light truck tires, even those with heavy-duty ratings (10-, 12- or 14-ply rated), actually have only two or three fabric plies, or one steel body ply."

Can anybody clear this up for me?

 

That's it. I'm calling bullshit.

 

I'd like to think of radials as a "2-piece" tire and bias as a "1- piece" tire. I know I will be flamed for the overly simplistic view, but whatever.

Radials usually have 2-3 body plies (2-3 ply side wall). The strength comes the number of steel belts that are laid under the tread which are not directly tied to the sidewalls (2-piece). Addtionally, for higher rated tires, the cords within the plies tend to be thicker to increase strength; but adds additional weight and stiffness.

Bias ply tires the plies are go from sidewall to side wall creating a "1 piece" carcass.

Therefore a Load E tire
Radial : 2 or 3 ply sidewall with 6-8 steel belts
Bias: 10 plys of cord therefore 10 ply sidewall, tread may contain steel breakers.

I found this pdf on the interwebs.....does a good job. http://www.atvobsession.com/files/radialvsbias.pdf

 

Thanks. I never came across bias tires so I did more reading up on it. Here's what I found.

"Tire Construction
One area of significant advances in tire composition for the 4x4 market have been in the strength and protection of the sidewall against puncture from rocks, tree roots and other trail debris. Goodyear recently introduced the Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar. This tire uses DuPont Kevlar in the sidewall to provide at least 35 percent more puncture resistance compared to other Goodyear tires. (See our review on page 66 for more.) BFGoodrich uses its TriGard technology-a combination of aggressive sidewall lugs, cut- and chip-resistant sidewall compounds, and stronger sidewall cords-in the new Mud-Terrain T/AKM2 and Krawler T/AKX tires. Pro Comp and Mickey Thompson both use three-ply sidewalls to provide protection.

Another category of tire construction is rubber compound, or the chemical composition of the actual rubber. Softer-compound rubber makes tires more flexible and gives them better grip on pavement and on rocks. But softer compounds also wear at a greater rate, giving you fewer miles before it's time for a new set. It's a trade off, a lot like horsepower and fuel economy. If you opt for a truck that gets 25 mpg, you're probably going to spend a lot of time waiting to get to 60 mph each time you get on the freeway. Choose the 400hp engine, and you'll have to live with 10mpg fuel economy. But there are plenty of options in between to create a compromise that's right for you.

Every once in a while, you'll hear someone waxing on passionately about how good bias-ply tires are for off-road driving. Usually these guys have a permanent three-day beard, have never actually bought new tires (ever), and they prefer not to be concerned with modern advances like phones. (Hoo-boy, here comes the hate mail.-Ed.) But since people talk about them, here's a basic explanation of the two primary types of tire construction: Bias-ply and radial.

Bias-ply is the older way that tires were manufactured, with layers of cords (usually made of nylon) applied diagonally to the centerline of the tread, in alternating angles. A strong bias-ply tire requires more layers, but this holds more heat, adds weight and creates a stiffer tire. This construction does provide very good sidewall puncture resistance when six or so layers of cords are used in the construction. Another reason that bias-ply is favored with some four-wheelers is that the original 4x4 tires with aggressive tread patterns had this construction. Bias-ply tires used today are usually very specific in application, and are generally reserved for utility trailers and agricultural use. There are some extremely large sizes where bias-ply construction is the only type available, and if you are building a mega-tired monster rig for an event such as Top Truck Challenge, bias-plies may be your only option.

A radial tire is composed of steel cable belts, applied bead-to-bead (i.e., at a 90-degree angle to the tread face) and coated with rubber. To make a stronger radial tire, larger steel cables can be used. The overall composition of a radial tire manages heat much better, creates a more flexible sidewall for better ride characteristics and has a more stable tread patch.

Because of the advantages of construction, radial tires have won out in the mass market. That's not bad for the 4x4 market, as a radial offers very good sidewall flex with stable tread surfacing, better fuel economy, longer tire life and a good ride. Advances in off-road-specific technology such as additional sidewall protection and aggressive tread patterns make radial tires a very good solution for almost all 4x4 applications.



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