I ordered LT265/70R17 E rated tires. Is E rated too much? Keep or cancel the order?

I ordered LT265/70R17 E rated 10PLY Falken Wildpeak AT3w and I’m unsure if I should cancel the order or not? Should I cancel the order and get 265/70R17 SL instead? Looks like the weight difference is 6.4 lbs per tire and the max psi difference is 54 vs 80.

Or does it not matter? I noticed some people say E is better to have because it’s stronger while others say it’s too much for a Tacoma. I have a Gen3 TRD Sport 4x4 that I’ll be lifting the front 1.1” (3rd notch) using the Bilstein 5100 adjustable shock kit on 17x8.5 0mm wheels. The rear will remain stock height.

blob:https://www.falkentire.com/61aca0d1-3e37-4366-82f8-af5b3cd24c63

 

E is rated for full size trucks, but like you mentioned, some folks are content with them.

I'm very, very happy with my C load Duratracs.

Unfortunately, getting anything bigger than the the tire you ordered come in an E size only.

 

Opinions will vary depending on use. I just got that tire in a 265/75-16 P metric a couple of weeks ago. I was out in the snow today and they did great, by the way.
I had E rated Michelins on my old T-100 and didn't like how harsh they made the ride. I really like the tires I just got, they ride great.
My son JUST put 10 ply Falkens on his Jeep last week and he likes them.
Personal preference. The 10 plys will be sturdier but at the cost of added weight and more loss of mpg.
Personally, I'd go with the lighter ply tire but that's just my opinion. IF you do a lot of rough off road stuff, stick with the 10 plys. IF you just do some occasional, light off roading, I'd opt for the lighter tire.
I'm running about 32 psi in front and 30 in the rears. The PSI rating on the tire is the max you should run, not the recommended pressure.

 

E load if you’re running over rocks. I run the truck over rocks. Not my truck but same rocks.

P.S. I run the tires at 30 psi on the road ~16 offroad.

 

If you are running heavy and air down off-road, E is the only way to go. Otherwise P/SL rated will be just fine, it will ride smoother too. Also, SL rated wildpeaks got more silica in the rubber for better traction in rain and snow.

 

P/SL

 

LT (light truck) tires are more than likely overkill for you Tacoma. The GVWR for a Tacoma is 5600 lbs (similar to your typical crossover SUV). A P265/70r17 (115 SL) has a max load of 2679 lbs at 36 psi (4 * 2679 lbs = 10716 lbs). That's plenty.

A LT265/70r17 (E) has a max load of 3195 lb at 80 psi. That's way more than you'll ever need. At 80 psi an even full loaded Tacoma will ride like a dump truck.

Interestingly, a LT265/70r17 (C) at 50 psi has a weight capacity of only 2470 lbs, less than the 115 SL. See the third article below for an explanation.

The down sides of a LT tire is that is will have a lower ride quality, lower efficiency, weigh more, and likely cost more.

Only you can decide if the trade offs are good for your personal use case.

https://tirepressure.com/265-70r17-tire-pressure
https://tirepressure.com/lt265-70r17-tire-pressure
https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/1407-understanding-tire-load-ratings

Personally, I have two sets of tires, one LT and one SL, so that I don't have to drive around on LT mud terrains all the time.

 

My trucks have mostly seen pavement miles and so I strike a balance with C rated if I can. Sometimes the size dictates load options and my next set will be D load 37s.

When I had my previous 2nd gen on 265/75/16s LTs it rode a little rough and the tires wore like iron which has pros/cons. Later on went to same size, different All terrain in C load and it was night and day difference, much better for my purposes.

Point is like said above already, if you are hitting the rocks or rough trails/rutts a lot then Es may suit you. If not then that would be a hard pass for me.

 

Thanks everyone. I’m canceling the order. It seems in 265/70R17 that C load tires are much better for a Tacoma that is mainly driven on pavement. I’ve been reading that KO2s and Duratracs offer C load in 265/70R17. I’m not sure yet which other quality tires offer C load.

The Wildpeak AT3Ws seem like great tires but they’re heavier and offer SL rather than C load. Does SL truly qualify as all-terrain…

 

SL (load rating) and all-terrain (vaguely tread style) are two separate and (mostly) unrelated concepts. There’s no need to run LT tires on a Tacoma unless you are taking it outside it’s comfort zone. Have trust in the Toyota engineers. They did not put LT tires on your truck.

 

Most people will be fine with the lighter tires. Some of us run our trucks through some rough stuff and lighter tires would get eaten up.

I hunt and guide most of the season in Arizona, majority of that time spent in the desert. My tires take a beating and if they weren't 10 ply I would get lots of punctures without a doubt.

 

Until you’ve actually performed that experiment, how could you know for sure?

 

Maybe destroying the factory tires that came on the truck, seeing lots of people tear their tires in the places I go?

 

I ran E rated BFG AT for many years, it's not an issue.

E rated tires normally built with more plies on the side wall, 10-ply for the BFG, I think.

Just bit heavier, stiffer.

Enjoy your new tires.

 

OP, I went thru this same debate for months! It all comes down to how you plan to drive it and where. I offroad but I do light to light moderate on mainly dirt roads, some rocks, some very minor rock gardens. I don't rock crawl. I do also go in the snow and wanted a snow rated tire.

I ended up getting the 265/75/16 Wildpeaks in SL rating. The weight difference on those is nearly 10 pounds per tire moving up to the E rated. Did not feel it was worth it for the 5 times per year I go offroading mainly to camp.

With the SLs and 1" larger diameter I took about a 0.5 MPG hit in my daily local driving. Took a long trip at Thanksgiving on freeway and got 22 MPG.

They ride great as a daily driver and I do not notice any extra road noise.

I think you concluded the Es were probably overkill for you as well. I think you are good with SL.

Quick Edit: Also, if you do go on any trails that have some rocks, be sure to check your speed and air down. Failure to air down and higher speeds, that right there is a big cause of flats.

 

I have my E tires for the puncture resistance seeing how I work on construction sites with nails and screws galore

 

Will Rogers, who was one of the world’s greatest minds, left out the man that read something on the internet from another guy that read something on the internet from the first guy who forgot he said it because he was drunk at the time.

 

Would you notice a big difference in mpg, tread life, engine power and acceleration/stopping, etc when running a 52.9 lb tire compared to a 45 lb, 46 lb, or 48 lb tire?

 

I’m very happy with my 265/75r16 AT3w in 10ply E, better off-road, more reliable, can air them down more when needed and more tread depth (20/32nds). They still ride great, a bit louder than my old Cooper Discoverer 4s SL. Overall very happy with them after a couple thousand miles. Didn’t even consider the SL’s as my opinions on the cooper’s soured over time, they ended up with a huge bulge (sidewall failure) after 38k miles.

Edit: yes acceleration took a small hit so I just got my truck tuned with OTT 9.0, drives so good now, feels like a brand new truck with stock tires, and wayyyyy smoother power/acceleration/shifting. I still get about 19.5 mpg on the highway keeping it under 73ish mph (on winter gas)