After the BL goes on, I want to put on some 285/75/16's on the Ranger. These Cooper's have caught my eye pretty well. But in that size they are only offered in a load rating E. I emailed the tech guys at Cooper and asked them if that load rating of tire would make the Ranger ride like crap. Here is his response....

The LT285/75R16 Discoverer A/T3 tires is 10 ply rated or a load range E tire. Radial tires do not have the number plies like a bias ply tire does. They are rated 6, 8, or 10 ply. You just need to reduce your inflation pressure for your lighter weight Ranger. I would probably start the tires at 35psi. The tire has a maximum pressure of 80psi, but you can run the appropriate pressure to match your vehicle. The lower pressure should make the ride what you want. Too much inflation stiffens the sidewall and creates a bad ride......

With that being said, what is the dang difference between an E load rating and C load rating? Sorry I don't know anything about tires. I have heard that load range C is the best for Ranger however.

 

load range c...

 

Sounds like I better stay away from that size then since I need to stick with load c range. Or find some cheap 15" wheels and tires together.

 

holy crap 10 ply on a ranger? do you expect you go past 45mph with that weight? you realize most normal semi's ride on 10-12-14 ply? holy *****. but that size tire would be awesome but lets stay away from huge load rated and massive ply counts

 

I have 285 75 16 Toyo MT,s on my Ranger that are load range E. I keep them at 35 psi and have them rotated every 3,000 miles. They have about 25,000 miles on them and have never had a problem. The ride is not bumpy or rough and I have no problem with speed or driving. Just my input, hope it helps.

 

They will be harsher riding than a lower load rated tire, but won't be horrible. I had 10-ply E load range tires and liked them.

 

I had 10plys on my old Ranger... worked fine for me and lasted the whole time I had the truck!

 

Alright thanks fellas! That makes me feel a little bit better about getting the 285's. So basically an E load range tire is going to have a stiffer sidewall than the C load range will? And that is the reason why the ride may be a tad rougher b/c the heavy sidewall is used to push the truck back up if under extreme weight.

 

Being the tire size that I want, did you notice any MPG drop or less power coming out of the hole due to added tire weight? B/c I use my truck for a landscaping and mowing business and I don't want to lose any more power than I have too.

 

Last question. With a E rated tire, they will weigh more. Can I see a loss in power and gas mileage? Or will it be very noticeable?

 

Mine are E load but 265's. I run them at 37psi and noticed a small drop in mpg. Like 1-2 miles. As far as loss of power I didn't notice it and I would have More then you since I have 3.73s. You should be fine with those. Just don't run em' at a higher psi.

 

Cool man. Thanks for the input.

Haha but now I have got a crazy hair about selling the wheels I got now, and buying some 15" Ultra Baja Champs or Nomads. Is a 32X11.50X15 and a 285/75/16 about the same thing?

 

285/75/16 is like a 33x11.5

i saw the AT3 in an offroad magazine, they look pretty well rounded!