Do I need E rated tires to tow a smaller travel trailer?

Hey all,

I need new tires and looking at Michelin Defender LTX M/S2, which comes in E or XL load ranges. The XL rated tire is 2,756 lbs max load and the E rated tire is 3,415 lbs max load.

The RV that we're looking at is rated for 2850 lbs dry and 5500 lbs gvrw.
For towing this rv weight, is E rated tires recommended or the XL load tire should be fine?

I don't off-road, maybe occasional gravel or dirt roads. I anticipate driving more on these types of roads to get into RV campsites, etc.

TIA.

 

Thanks for the feedback

 

I agree with CoTJ. E's are overkill for your application. Remember that to get those load ratings you have to air them up to like 80 psi. Not a great ride.

I've towed a 5500 pound grand design all over the country on 35" Toyo C rated tires. Does fine and is way comfier than the Cooper E rated I had previously.

 

Yah, E rated tires are 10 lbs heavier than the XL tires.
The only reason I was considering the E tires was that I assume the E tires have stiffer side walls and thought that might help with towing.
This is the 1st time I'm towing anything, so trying to get my truck as ready as possible for it.

 

Thanks, that's good to hear! We're planning to use it to visit all the national parks out west and Canada, so I want to be as ready as possible.

 

Btw, one more question. The XL tires have max psi of 50. So I should air up all 4 tires to 50? or just the rear tires?

 

If you want to be SUPER ready for western towing go get yourself a supercharger! and/or some 5.29 gears

 

Eh, I call this personal preference. I don't usually run max pressure in any tire. I think you'd be more comfortable closer to 40psi cold, which also gives you room for pressure increases as you heat up.

 

lol, yah, I'd love to get a SC, gotta start saving my pennies.
My stock truck will have to do for now.

 

Ok. Thanks for the advice.

 

When towing, go for the max pressure on the tires. Tire pressure is what gives you weight carrying capacity. At 30 or 40 psi, the weight carrying ability is reduced. At lower psi, the sidewall of the tire will flex more (comfy ride unloaded), but with each rotation of the tire, the part of the tire between the truck and the pavement will squish more at low psi. That flexing of the sidewall creates heat. Heat build up is a major cause of tire sidewall failure. When towing, air up. You'll end up with similar axle weights front to rear, I usually air them all up. Also, the tire pressure on the sidewall is the COLD tire pressure. It's normal for the tire to warm up when driving, and the pressure will likely exceed that COLD rating when doing so. DO NOT bleed off the extra pressure, this is normal.

 

Ah, gotcha. Ok, so I can air up all 4 tires to max 50 psi when towing, then just air down once we get to the campground. Thanks for the info.

 

You can get more fancy, but that's not a bad approach. There are charts that estimate the load capacity at different psi. You're only looking at probably 400lbs tongue weight, if you have your tow setup properly. When I haul my 3,000lb camper with about 300lbs tongue weight, I don't air my tires to the max. I haven't towed it much lately but probably no higher than 45psi.

I have a slide-in camper that weighs about 1,000lbs, so that's 1,000lbs directly on my truck, as opposed to something like 3-500lbs tongue weight from a trailer. Probaby I should have E rated tires...but only because I haul that camper down rough dirt roads. For pavement, I'm well within the max capacity of my XL tires. But I do air them to 50psi.

E rated tires are nice for peace of mind, but a lot of people who run them absolutely don't need them.

 

Yup, yours and other's input so far has convinced me that I don't need E rated tires, so I ordered the XL rated Michelins.
Thanks for your advice.

 

My TT is 5700 lbs dry, rated at 7600lbs GVWR. I run E rated Ko2's. They do great, but man the ride is stiff when not towing. Wondering if I could drop down to LT tires. I should probably research this. Would love to get the ride a bit softer when not towing. Also gas MPG would see an increase for sure!

 

What PSI are you runnig? ... 275/70/18 K02's @ 45 psi and airbags @ 5psi towing or not and have no issues. In fact, she's more comfortable than my '15 Camry XSE

 

Not sure what size wheels you have. When I had my Tacoma with 15" wheels, it was easy to find C range tires. Now, with 16" wheels, everything is either SL, at best XL, or E range. No C, no D. Not sure how common D ever was in LT tires, but the lack of C in 16" bugs me. C is perfect for people towing/hauling reasonable weights, frequenting dirt roads. E is overkill, but necessary for a lot of people if the only other choice is SL or XL.

If C had been available in the tires I wanted, that's what I'd have. I think Hankook were the only major brand I found with a 16 C range tire. Might be what I go with next. Falken didn't, BFG didn't, I remember that much.

 

My trailer is the exact same GVWR as what you're talking about @ 5,500 lbs. (and I'm usually about there, traveling with full fresh)

You'll be fine, just air 'em up.

When I finally wore out the Michelins I did go with E-range Toyo AT3's but a lot of that is just for peace of mind.

We mostly boondock and most of that in the desert. Some of my best spots are on questionable conditions... cactus, rocks, branches.

We also like to go exploring after setting up camp, with the possibility of some light off roading, rippin' up a wash, or maybe just turning off the nannies and throwing some dirt in the air.

The last thing I need hundreds of miles from home is to puncture a sidewall on our tow vehicle/ride home.

 

The challenge is finding a C rated AT tire... But yeah, if I can find a set maybe I'll give them a try!

 

Yeah, as much as I wanted to go a little bigger I decided to stay with the OEM size for this set.

In the stock 275/65/18 size they do offer a C-Rated, but anything bigger and "POOF" that's gone.

I was going to get the C, but the E was the exact same weight, so I went for the additional toughness and peace of mind.

*Interesting note* The OWL tires are made in Japan while the Black sidewall version in made here. The Japanese rubber is lighter, same compound, same-same.

I kinda' wish I would have bumped up to 275/70's as that would've only been a 1 lb./tire penalty in rotational weight but oh well. Maybe if these ever wear out.

 

Side note, I was getting ready for new tires. My KO2's are wearing down. Had my 60k service done yesterday. I still have 8/32's on the tires with over 50k miles on them! I'm thinking I'll get over 65k on this set. Rotate them every 6-10k miles. Probably stick with a KO3 next and hopefully they'll last the same.