Mmac

Almost every AT tire that I've looked at in 33"+ size for 18" rims is E rated. Anyone know which ones ride best on the road?

stormsearch

Smokey is on the right path. You first need to determine the min air pressure to meet your load/inflation requirements. If the door sticker says 35psi, then that is the min pressure you need for that truck at the weights provided, irregardless of tire type if you want to stay within dot rules. Air pressure determines weight capabilities then you need a tire that can handle that air pressure range.

Then increase that air pressure to obtain balance between ride comfort & tire wear. On load E's, you'll find to be above 40 psi to get decent wear, go much above 45 and will begin to notice worse ride comfort on a light duty pick-up. I didn't specify E's for my duratrac's, that was the only load range for the tire size I wanted. Would have preferred D's, but I have been very happy the E's on my setup.

I have '09 Screw & Duratrac's. I have 44 - 46 psi in the front, 42 - 44 in the rear's. Have > 43K miles on them and tread life is expected to be above 80K+.

I don't like stiff rides on a truck, but I don't like the squeshy feel either. With the setup above, it feels like a well tuned rig - comfortable on very long drives and have good response on washboard. But I believe the stiffer ride is also due to the tire weight. I don't know if the OEM shocks are tuned high enough to absorb a tire that weighs 45 more lbs. each.

smokeywren

That word "almost" lets you off the hook.

There are only a handful of tires with AllTerrain tread, ~33" diameter, and that fit 18" rims. Those are size 285/65R18 or 33x12.50x18. Most are load range E. But at least two are load range D:

Yokohama Geolander A/T-S
Kumho Road Venture AT KL78

mello_collins

My pressures for my duratracs are about the same as yours. I run 52 front and between 42-45 in the rear. I use the old caulk method to get the right contact patch and then increase it a few psi to account for cornering. 2011 scew fx4 5.0.

turkster

Toyo Open Country's

40lbs empty
46lbs with sled or quad in the back

10 plys a little rough, lot of gravel over here though.

52 lbs with quad and moose in the back. Oh yeah did i mention hunting

Mmac

How do those E rated Duratracs ride?

Rod Steele

hi mello, sorry i realize that i'm responding to a 2.5 yr old thread, but why did you run your front Duratracs so much higher psi(52) then the rears(42-45) ? I just bot a '11 XLT scab 5.0 18" and today replaced the stock tires with Duratrac LT 275/65r18. Truck currently is stock but i plan on doing a 2" leveling kit (4 Bilstein shox) real soon. I don't haul/tow or offroad, just normal city/highway driving in the upper midwest area. My main concerns are snow/rain performance and treadwear.

Wiggum

This thread is hilarious ... Until about a week ago, I was running 10-ply 275/65r20 Nitto Terra Grapplers on my 2014 FX4 ... I had the fronts at 42-43 psi, and the rears at about 39-40 psi ...

The truck rode more harsh than w/ the stock pirelli tires, but that's to be expected when going from a 3/4 ply to a 10 ply ... but the ride was NOT bad ... just a little more "sporty".

I never had any issues w/ the tires feeling like they were slipping on the wheels. In fact, they were solid as a rock on the stock 20" FX4 wheels ...

The tires were also barely showing any signs of wear after nearly 15K miles ...

The only reason I changed tires is because I really wanted the new Cooper STT Pro's, which I got in 295/60r20 ... I have those at 42 psi front and back right now ... they are 10 ply as well, and they ride great.

As for what's on the door sticker for tire pressure. That is NOT an "end all be all" number. That number is SPECIFIC TO THE TIRES THAT CAME ON THE TRUCK FROM THE FACTORY. As soon as you change to ANY different tire, all bets are off.

As for always running 10-ply tires at 80 psi (or max psi for whatever the tire says) ... that's ridiculous. Just like most P rated tires say "max pressure 44 psi" ... that doesn't mean run them at 44 all the time ... that just means do not go over 44 psi. Unloaded, those tires typically run best in the 35-38 psi range ... if you really load down the vehicle, you air the tires up to compensate for the extra weight ... that's all ... it's not rocket science.

Same goes for 60-80 psi rated 10 ply tires... those tires are made to be able to be aired to high pressures to counter the added weight when towing or hauling. But, on a lighter truck (like our F150's) ... airing down to about 40 psi is more than ok. They are not gonna slip, or be under-inflated and wear the edges too fast ...

The whole point of tire pressure is to find where the tire needs to be for whatever vehicle the tire is on. The exact same tire on two different vehicles might need to be at two different inflation factors, based soley on the weight of the vehicle and how it's being used.

Will more air in any given tire make it ride more firmly or more harsh? Probably ... but does that mean its improper to air to that higher pressure? or to a lower pressure? nope ...

Soooo much mis-information in this thread ...

Wiggum

the front of a pickup is heavier than the rear. In order to counter the load on the tires in the front, you may want a higher psi ... since the rears are not holding up nearly as much weight with an unloaded bed, you don't want/need the same higher pressure ... thus, you run them at a lower psi ... it makes for better wear on the tires, and a smoother ride since the tires will not be as bouncy ...

Feathermerchant

Smokey - My HD Payload truck came with E range tires. Rear axle is rated for 4,800 lb so D's would work but I guess not too common. Sticker says 55 psi front 60 rear. It rides OK but it is heavier than most. About 6,000 lb empty.