load range verus load index and cheap tires ?

D

dave silva

New member
Oct 2, 2009
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A lot if what i read on GMC pages says we need Load Range E tires which are apparently good for over 3000 lb. or 18,000 lb total, is that right?

Why so much excess capacity ? I'm a big fan of excess capacity (that's why i have an Excursion) but I want to understand.

Meanwhile there are SUV tires on Amazon for under $100 that are 'Load Index 108T' which means they'll take 2200 lb and go 118 MPH.

For a 23 footer a total capacity of 13,200 LB seems just about right.

--
Dave & Ellen Silva

1972 Revcon Olds 455, toro drive train. All Stock
 
Being an Oriental, I go cheap.
However , after Speaking to lot of people and debating this issue, I put it
to rest and became a Christen and use the more expensive Load Range E.
This was back in 1990.

On Thu, Nov 5, 2020 at 4:53 AM dave silva via Gmclist <

> A lot if what i read on GMC pages says we need Load Range E tires which
> are apparently good for over 3000 lb. or 18,000 lb total, is that right?
>
> Why so much excess capacity ? I'm a big fan of excess capacity (that's
> why i have an Excursion) but I want to understand.
>
> Meanwhile there are SUV tires on Amazon for under $100 that are 'Load
> Index 108T' which means they'll take 2200 lb and go 118 MPH.
>
>
> For a 23 footer a total capacity of 13,200 LB seems just about right.
>
>
> --
> Dave & Ellen Silva
>
> 1972 Revcon Olds 455, toro drive train. All Stock
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
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>

--
Jim Kanomata
Applied/GMC, Newark,CA
jimk
http://www.gmcrvparts.com
1-800-752-7502
 
this is what I use from Amazon:

Nokian Rotiiva HT All-Season Radial Tire - 225/75R16 112S

$125 each now

--
1977 Kingsley 455 as stock as it gets except lots of Ragusa parts
 
You're conflating some factors.

Tire pressure determines load capacity. The load capacity of an E range tire is not 3000 pounds at the tire pressure we run at - typically ~65psi.
If you want to run E range tires at the rated max of 80psi you'll get that extra capacity, perhaps lose a few fillings, but...

Load determines tire pressure, which determines contact patch size and prevents uneven tread wear. That higher pressure will kill your tires ahead of
schedule. That's for load range E. I do not know the load range D numbers off hand, but...

I've assisted weighing coaches at a number of rallies. The weight distribution is not uniform front to back. The front tires pretty much always
carry greater weight. Non-intuitively, a 23' coach carries a greater percentage of the total weight on its front tires than a 26' coach does. How
many 23' coaches are at or above 2200 pounds per front tire? Many to most.

Synopsis: there are better places to save money than on tires, and dropping the load range to save a few bucks is begging for a visit from Murphy.

Richard
--
'77 Birchaven TZE...777;
'76 Palm Beach with 18,477 verified miles;
‘76 Edgemonte
 
My mother used to say "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make
him drink. The best that you can hope for, is to make him wish to hell that
he would have." That applies to under rated tires for the loads you carry.
Everyone's GMC all up weight is quite different. Tires should match what
ever that is, plus a healthy safety margin.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Oregon

On Thu, Nov 5, 2020 at 11:35 AM Richard via Gmclist
wrote:

> You're conflating some factors.
>
> Tire pressure determines load capacity. The load capacity of an E range
> tire is not 3000 pounds at the tire pressure we run at - typically ~65psi.
> If you want to run E range tires at the rated max of 80psi you'll get that
> extra capacity, perhaps lose a few fillings, but...
>
> Load determines tire pressure, which determines contact patch size and
> prevents uneven tread wear. That higher pressure will kill your tires
> ahead of
> schedule. That's for load range E. I do not know the load range D
> numbers off hand, but...
>
> I've assisted weighing coaches at a number of rallies. The weight
> distribution is not uniform front to back. The front tires pretty much
> always
> carry greater weight. Non-intuitively, a 23' coach carries a greater
> percentage of the total weight on its front tires than a 26' coach does.
> How
> many 23' coaches are at or above 2200 pounds per front tire? Many to most.
>
> Synopsis: there are better places to save money than on tires, and
> dropping the load range to save a few bucks is begging for a visit from
> Murphy.
>
> Richard
> --
> '77 Birchaven TZE...777;
> '76 Palm Beach with 18,477 verified miles;
> ‘76 Edgemonte
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://list.gmcnet.org/mailman/listinfo/gmclist_list.gmcnet.org
>
 
I am going to come in here with some experience that I hope will be interesting.

To date, I have owned three vehicle with non-consitent tires. One was actually a 1979 Cayo Motorvator that had 5 bolt rims on the front and 8 on the
rear. The only spare it could carry was a front. I lived in fear of getting a flat. The other two at lease had the same bolt pattern. One of them
did take a hit to a rear tire, so I limped it home with front size tire on the right rear. It was like driving a table with one short leg.....

Chaumière has 7 matching rims and tires....

Matt

--
Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
My personal experience was running a fleet of delivery cube vans back in late 90’s. They were all leased vans and did not pay attention much to
what tires they put on.

But we tended to have rear tire blow outs
Occasionally. Lease company would have tire shop come out and install a new tire on side of road.

I then noticed they were installing D rated tires. They were
Rated for the truck, but maybe we were over loading occasionally. Maybe not? I just know when we had them change to E rated tires our blow out
issue disappeared.

Maybe there is a ride difference going to a heavier tire. I dont care.

It is also not about weight that is spread over all 6 tires. When you are braking, hitting bumps, ect, individual tires can see different loads.

Jump up and down on a scale.

I would
Rather buy a less expensive brand load range E tire then a more expensive brand 108T.

There are some less expensive tires people
Do run. Your luck may vary.

Also you need to make sure they use properly rated valve stems. Some shops will pop in a valve stem that is not rated to 65psi.
--
Jon Roche
75 palm beach
EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now.
St. Cloud, MN
http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/
 
Myself I'd rather run E-rated name brand tires than save a few dollars with an off-brand of unknown quality.

I don't need the thrill of a blow-out if I can help it. Also the dollars saved is minimal compared to the cost of repairing SMC body panels damaged
by a blow-out.

I also like to run matching tires all-around. In the event of a tire failure, I have a much better chance of getting a matching name-brand
replacement at a nearby tire store than some off-brand I bought on-line.

I don't need a tire rated for high speeds. I'm in leisure mode when driving the coach... I drive the speed limit +5mph up to a maximum of 65mph. I
like saving money on gas by not driving fast and enjoying the scenery.

Just my 2 cents

--
Bruce Hislop
ON Canada
77PB, 455 Dick P. rebuilt, DynamicEFI EBL EFI & ESC.1 ton front end
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=29001
My Staff says I never listen to them, or something like that
 
In general, an E Load rated tire also has stiffer sidewalls... A nice thing to have on a tall vehicle. But I would say you are correct. On a
lightly loaded 23 footer, D would probably be sufficient. If it were me, though... I would still run an "E" rated tire. No harm in having excess
capacity.

As a fellow Excursion owner, it's interesting to note that I believe 00-03 trucks recommend load range "D" tires... 04-05 they switched to "E",
though I am not aware of any difference between the 03 and 04 model years.... We always ran "E" tires on my old 2000 truck which we no longer have,
and do currently on our '05...

I actually also run "E" rated tires on my 3200 pound jeep for puncture resistance. I just run them aired down. I'd read that recommendation in a
guide published by the state of Texas for driving unmaintained roads in Big Bend park... Interesting read if you are into off highway driving.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_bk_p4501_0152k.pdf

Relevant part reads:

"LOAD RANGE E TIRES are
strongly recommended. If you
have standard 4-ply tread/2-ply
polyester sidewalls, stay home.
Six-ply tires are recommended
as an absolute minimum."

FWIW, over several off road trips down there, no punctures to date. Though I have never run a lighter range tire for comparison. Rocks are damn
sharp down there, though.

Technically, at the full 80psi, I think the entire weight of the jeep could be safely supported by the capacity of one tire ;-P

--
Mark S. '73 Painted Desert,
Manny 1 Ton Front End,
Howell Injection,
Leigh Harrison 4bag and Rear Brakes,
Fort Worth, TX
 
E-range tires are only a few bucks more so why bother with the D
--
1977 Kingsley 455 as stock as it gets except lots of Ragusa parts
 
> E-range tires are only a few bucks more so why bother with the D
>
> Don't buy cheep tires.
> Inexpensive tires of course.

On more than a few occasions now, my suppliers have refused to supply LRD tires. They say the price difference isn't worth the inventory cost.

Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit
 
I use E load range Coopers. They cost about the same is the Pacific Rim tires.
And I remember when Ford went to the 4 different SUVs - the Escape, Expensive, Exclusive, and Exorbitant.

--johnny
--
Foolish Carriage, 76 26' Eleganza(?) with beaucoup mods and add - ons.
Braselton, Ga.
I forgive them all, save those who hurt the dogs. They must answer to me in hell
 
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