As many of you know, I recently switched from my factory Moab wheels and 285/75R16 Goodyear Duratrac tires to a set of 17" AEV Pintlers and 35x12.5 BF Goodrich KM2 Mud Terrain tires.
The Duratracs were load E, and these new KM2s are load D.
I ideally wanted a load C, but I found that the majority of tires for 17" rims seem to be load D.
Anyhow, I had never driven my TJ on anything but load E tires. Even my previous TJ had the same tires, so I really had nothing to compare them to. I would constantly hear people such as @Jerry Bransford suggesting that people complaining of a stiff ride switch to a C rated tire.
Well, I'm hear to report that this is no joke. I have my KM2s at 26 psi (same psi I ran the Duratracs at), and the difference is surreal... seriously.
I thought it rode really well on the Duratracs with the Rancho RS5000X shocks (which it did), but this is a whole different experience altogether. I can't feel anything in the road anymore, and it just soaks up everything.
I'm blown away by how much of a difference this made, as I wasn't expecting it to be that noticeable. I can only imagine how a C rated tire would compare to my D rated tires!
The moral of the story here is that load rating makes a huge difference in the ride of the vehicle, probably even more so than shocks I'd venture to say! Just don't forget to run them at the right psi!
I'm a big believer now, that's for sure.
To those of you complaining about how your TJ doesn't ride like a JK... Get some Rancho RS5000X shocks, get some C or D rated tires, and run them at 26 psi. Then you can stop complaining!
The Duratracs were load E, and these new KM2s are load D.
I ideally wanted a load C, but I found that the majority of tires for 17" rims seem to be load D.
Anyhow, I had never driven my TJ on anything but load E tires. Even my previous TJ had the same tires, so I really had nothing to compare them to. I would constantly hear people such as @Jerry Bransford suggesting that people complaining of a stiff ride switch to a C rated tire.
Well, I'm hear to report that this is no joke. I have my KM2s at 26 psi (same psi I ran the Duratracs at), and the difference is surreal... seriously.
I thought it rode really well on the Duratracs with the Rancho RS5000X shocks (which it did), but this is a whole different experience altogether. I can't feel anything in the road anymore, and it just soaks up everything.
I'm blown away by how much of a difference this made, as I wasn't expecting it to be that noticeable. I can only imagine how a C rated tire would compare to my D rated tires!
The moral of the story here is that load rating makes a huge difference in the ride of the vehicle, probably even more so than shocks I'd venture to say! Just don't forget to run them at the right psi!
I'm a big believer now, that's for sure.
To those of you complaining about how your TJ doesn't ride like a JK... Get some Rancho RS5000X shocks, get some C or D rated tires, and run them at 26 psi. Then you can stop complaining!