C vs. E loads and the BS (not back spacing!).

"Interesting discussion that once again points out just how much I don't know. I had no idea that there was a preferred load rating for Wranglers. After reading this I went out to the garage to see what I've got, and sure enough the 305/70/16 Cooper Discoverer STTs are an E. Oh well, I guess I'll switch to Cs when these where out in like ten years."

~ @Serbonze​

My new STT Pros are C rated and I run 27 lbs. Just did a 400+ mile loop through my territory with the jeep because of slick snowy roads and they ride very nice. 33x 12.50x15
 
I read about the chalk test, and did all four tires and drove 100'. If I did it right, I could barely see any chalk across the whole width. Had to look hard.

One thing I'm confused on, for the stock TJR which came with MTR E's, jeep recommended 33 psi. I moved to a bigger tire, some jeep guys have told me that a bigger should require less pressure. But BFG suggests 35 for this size, which is higher than factory. The jeep is riding plenty nice, and if it ain't broke, I don't like to fix....but if it's better for the tire wear, I could go up a little. Probably even better mpg...I almost feel guilty, lol.
 
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Jeff Allan said:
I read about the chalk test, and did all four tires and drove 100'. If I did it right, I could barely see any chalk across the whole width. Had to look hard.

One thing I'm confused on, for the stock TJR which came with MTR E's, jeep recommended 33 psi. I moved to a bigger tire, some jeep guys have told me that should be less now. But BFG says 35 which is higher than factory. The jeep is riding plenty nice, and if it ain't broke, I don't like to fix....but if it's better for the tire wear, I could go up a little.
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I found some of your commentary elsewhere and to say you are a bit more respectful and subdued in your responses would be an understatement. To put things in perspective for you a bit, when I helped drive folks for the media up and down the Rubicon for 2 weeks when they released the JK in 07, the engineers from Chrysler let us air down the stock tires to 28psi for better traction. Us Jeep guys could not tell the difference and neither could anyone else.

I've talked to many folks who highly disliked the ride quality of the factory Rubi tires on the TJ. In fact you are one of the few I've ever heard of that actually liked it. If someone ever asks me about tires, the evaluations of 99% of us will go in one category and yours will go into another and be soundly disregarded simply due to it being what it is, an anomaly that doesn't match what we know in general. Doesn't mean you're wrong, just anomalous.
 
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mrblaine said:
I found some of your commentary elsewhere and to say you are a bit more respectful and subdued in your responses would be an understatement. To put things in perspective for you a bit, when I helped drive folks for the media up and down the Rubicon for 2 weeks when they released the JK in 07, the engineers from Chrysler let us air down the stock tires to 28psi for better traction. Us Jeep guys could not tell the difference and neither could anyone else.

I've talked to many folks who highly disliked the ride quality of the factory Rubi tires on the TJ. In fact you are one of the few I've ever heard of that actually liked it. If someone ever asks me about tires, the evaluations of 99% of us will go in one category and yours will go into another and be soundly disregarded simply due to it being what it is, an anomaly that doesn't match what we know in general. Doesn't mean you're wrong, just anomalous.
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I've read quite a few on the forums that liked their E's just fine on Wranglers... it ain't no 99%, like you think…. lots of guys have said don't sweat the E load, they couldn't even tell the difference when they compared.

All I am talking about here are these particular KO2 tires, Maybe I wouldn't like another tire in E. The E's made the jeep roll smoother. The C's were letting me know every little bump or road imperfections, and I didn't like all that extra movement. I didn't notice much of that on the very same roads, with the E's. And they getter better MPG probably from the easier roll, why the hell would I go with C's?
 
mrblaine said:
I found some of your commentary elsewhere and to say you are a bit more respectful and subdued in your responses would be an understatement. To put things in perspective for you a bit, when I helped drive folks for the media up and down the Rubicon for 2 weeks when they released the JK in 07, the engineers from Chrysler let us air down the stock tires to 28psi for better traction. Us Jeep guys could not tell the difference and neither could anyone else.

I've talked to many folks who highly disliked the ride quality of the factory Rubi tires on the TJ. In fact you are one of the few I've ever heard of that actually liked it. If someone ever asks me about tires, the evaluations of 99% of us will go in one category and yours will go into another and be soundly disregarded simply due to it being what it is, an anomaly that doesn't match what we know in general. Doesn't mean you're wrong, just anomalous.
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While an E might not suit everyone, there are others who have noticed similar as what I said. these were some of the comments that I read when trying to decide. Just to put things in perspective for you, all I'm saying is I ain't the only one who's said this. I've read plenty on all the forums. These were a few that helped me with the decision.

"We have E rated 285/17/70 Nitto Trails on our jeep.. At 26lbs, I swear the ride is not as harsh as it was with the factory (C load) Goodyear Wranglers that we took off, which were in fact run at higher air pressure... My wife even noticed difference due to effects on her bad back."

"I run Duratracs in 305/70/16 (33.1") and they are an E load range. The max cold psi is 65 and I run them between 35-37. I heard all the same things too about them being harsh and uncomfortable. I can tell you that these are very comfortable and almost indistinguishable between all the sets....I've got a JK two door 2010"

I went with E rated too and mine ride every bit as smooth as C rated tires."

http://www.wranglerforum.com/f27/duratrac-c-vs-e-rating-168300.html

"These cooper st maxx are quiet! They look like they would be loud due to aggressive tread, but they are not, yet anyway.... As far as ride quality, compared to stock goodyear mt/r E loads, the coopers are much smoother. I have coopers inflated to 32psi rear, 34psi front presently....As far as reading about E load tires and harsh ride on light jeeps, i don't feel a harsh ride with the cooper st maxx on my LJ. Could be that I have RE mono-tube shocks, but had those shocks with mt/r and ride was more harsh".

Interestingly, one guy in another the thread also noted an improvement in mpg, like me. Just because you didn't experience same, doesn't mean others won't.
 
As Blaine said, I believe any comment that says an E load range tire is as smooth riding as a C to be an 'anomaly'. You're actually the very first I can remember who has made that claim which is why I believe 'anomaly' to be entirely appropropriate. Like someone claiming lemons are sweet and oranges are sour. It may actually seem that way to the person making that claim after he has defended the claim long enough but it would still be an anomaly nevertheless. I'm done here, this whole ride quality thing with Load Range E tires has gotten beyond ridiculous.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
As Blaine said, I believe any comment that says an E load range tire is as smooth riding as a C to be an 'anomaly'. You're actually the very first I can remember who has made that claim which is why I believe the word 'anomaly' to be entirely appropropriate. Kind of like someone claiming lemons are sweet and oranges are sour. It may seem that way to the person claiming it but it would be an anomaly nevertheless. I'm done here, this whole ride quality thing with Load Range E tires has gotten beyond ridiculous.
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Read above quotes, came across plenty more. I'm coming from the MT to an AT is a noticeable improvements. Many variables other than simply C vs. E. Plus I've found a few of your responses to similar statements when someone said they liked the E's. Guess you forgot. No biggie..

I was done on this too, but Blaine wanted to keep it rolling. how about lets hear from guys who have actually compared these tires, instead of basing it off others with different designs and compounds.
 
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Jeff Allan said:
Read above quotes, came across plenty more. I'm coming from the MT to an AT is a noticeable improvements. Many variables other than simply C vs. E. Plus I've found a few of your responses to similar statements when someone said they liked the E's. Guess you forgot. No biggie..

I was done on this too, but Blaine wanted to keep it rolling. how about lets hear from guys who have actually compared these tires, instead of basing it off others with different designs and compounds.
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I'll buy into all of that when I find someone to trade me out of this set of new E's that still suck donkey balls. I did notice however that you didn't jump right up and take the offer.
 
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Maybe you guys need some rocking chairs for Xmas. These E's on my jeep ride nicer than the Willy's I test drove last month. That had C's and did not ride near as good. If you think these rode bad, It's time to trade in for a Chrysler Sebring or something.

Here's some more fun, from new quotes that pop up on a random search...

"I have 265/75-16 KO2s on my 2015 Sport, load range E, they ride absolutely fine. I honestly believe that they are smoother than the stock 22/75-16 Goodyears. I run 32psi in the front, and 30 in the rear". Imagine that, he actually tried same tires as me, so his opinion would naturally be more valid. Maybe just maybe, BFG was right in what they told me, and after all they'd know much more about their tires than anyone here.

another from same thread..guess I'm not the only one..

"About 23k on my E rated Toyo MT 37x13.5x17, run them at 28.
No complaints about the ride and it's my wife's DD. Trust me, she would complain if it were as bad as some suggest"

http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/running-load-e-tires-901585.html
 
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I guess I don't understand what the big ordeal is. Tires aren't permanently installed to our vehicles. If you don't like them, take them off and get something new? [emoji53]

I like shopping for tires and reading feedback, etc. Nothing more exciting than a new set of kicks...

And if one set isn't good enough for every situation, get two!

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk
 
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I change from E to C twice a year... Is there a difference?
Yeah! The ride is way smoother with the Cs than with the stock E MTRs.

Next tires I buy will be Cs... Probably 33x10.50x15 KO2S.
 
billiebob said:
This is what Es are made for. Think yer Wrangler has the weight to control them?

Nice truck !!!!
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Precisely. Es are made for big rigs like this that are towing crap tons of weight. Why anyone would want to put them on a Wrangler is beyond me.
 
Chris said:
Precisely. Es are made for big rigs like this that are towing crap tons of weight. Why anyone would want to put them on a Wrangler is beyond me.
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Yesterday, I just read a guy put on some Nittos E load on his JK and commented how much smoother the jeep rode over the stock C's.

BFG recommended E if offroad for jeeps. Said designed to be a tougher tire, 3 ply sidewall. The C's that bounced like I was in a boat, had "2 ply side" -.. My jeep rides better than it ever did...lets just agree to disagree.
 
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billiebob said:
Think yer Wrangler has the weight to control them?

Nice truck !!!!
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I guess Jeep engineers did for four years of original Rubis. Dont'chya think they could've switched to C's easily for any of those years, if they thought was better. And if you think about it from a business perspective, they would've really increased their profits for those years,as C's are cheaper.

Then Jeep went back to E's on the 10A, so they still think it can work. If I was running a MT, I might not like an E, as I wasn't crazy about the MTR, but for KO2, it's great. I guess, my mileage varies.
001-2013-jeep-wrangler-rubicon-1353513760-opt.jpg
 
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Let's just agree to disagree and like what we like. My jeep rides betta' than ever, I get excited every time I go to drive and get compliments on the ride, look, better mpg, a tough tire to boot. I'm happy as a pig in mud.

Have a great Christmas everyone.
 
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Jeff Allan said:
I guess Jeep engineers did for four years of original Rubis. Dont'chya think they could've switched to C's easily for any of those years, if they thought was better.
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They went to 16" wheels for styling reasons, bigger diameter wheels are currently 'in'... you can't really find appropriate C load range tires for that odd size wheel.
 
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