Silly question about tire load ratings

[BogeyPro]

Hello everyone,

Still a newbie here and I had a question about tire weight ratings.

I have Goodyear Wrangler tires that are 275/60R20 with a load rating of 115, which is 2679 lbs.

So does that mean that each axle has tire load capacity 5358 lbs?

Thank you for not laughing.

[dznf0g]

Yes, but you are limited by the axle rating. Btw, I had those tires OEM on my truck. Hated them!
Edit: wait mine were eagles in that size.

[BogeyPro]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Yes, but you are limited by the axle rating. Btw, I had those tires OEM on my truck. Hated them!
Edit: wait mine were eagles in that size.

These are also "OEM" on my F-150...thanks for the answer, but now curios as to why did you hate them?

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by BogeyPro

These are also "OEM" on my F-150...thanks for the answer, but now curios as to why did you hate them?

They rode a bit rough. Low traction on wet pavement. Horrible in snow.

[JJTX]

Originally Posted by BogeyPro

Hello everyone,

Still a newbie here and I had a question about tire weight ratings.

I have Goodyear Wrangler tires that are 275/60R20 with a load rating of 115, which is 2679 lbs.

So does that mean that each axle has tire load capacity 5358 lbs?

Thank you for not laughing.

Look at the load sticker on the truck, as well as the VIN plate, It will tell you what your actual weight max GROSS is front,back and total. I still encourage buying the most durable tire you can

[Hans627]

Your truck will have a specific axle load rating independent (sort of) of the tire rating. You can usually find it on the door tag with GVWR information.

[richard5933]

Originally Posted by BogeyPro

Hello everyone,

Still a newbie here and I had a question about tire weight ratings.

I have Goodyear Wrangler tires that are 275/60R20 with a load rating of 115, which is 2679 lbs.

So does that mean that each axle has tire load capacity 5358 lbs?

Thank you for not laughing.

You have to check the chart that you're using. Most list the capacity per tire, so you add up all the tires on the axle to calculate the tire load capacity just as you described.

Other charts list the capacity per axle, like some Michelin tires. On these charts the chart number is the axle tire load capacity.

And yet on a few charts the number listed is per axle end - on a single tire installation it's means for a single tire, and for a dual tire installation it means for the pair on the end of the axle.

This is where the small print in the footnotes is VERY important,

Of course this will only tell you the tire's load capacity. You still need to know your axle's load capacity, and you need to know your wheel/rim's load capacity. It is possible to have the wheel/rim be the weak link in all this.

[Scott S]

Originally Posted by BogeyPro

Hello everyone,

I have Goodyear Wrangler tires that are 275/60R20 with a load rating of 115, which is 2679 lbs.

So does that mean that each axle has tire load capacity 5358 lbs?

One caveat...you have that load capacity at the maximum pressure stated on your tires. Reduced pressure means reduced capacity.

[Fungus]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

They rode a bit rough. Low traction on wet pavement.

^1.

And noisy.

[gypsydad]

Yep; had them on my F150; changed to Michelins Defender LTX LT rated; much quieter and great for highway or dirt/gravel roads. Have always chose to run Michelins on all my vehicles for the wear, performance, and quietness. Only run GY Endurance on the Airstream because they are preforming well, and I want to stay with 15" wheels...

[Dennis C]

There’s no laughing at someone who wants to learn more about their setup. If that was the case, we’d all be laughed out of here on our first few posts!

I run tires that have a similar load rating. I run Goodyear Eagles in the warmer months and Bridgestone Blizzaks in the colder months. My truck has an axle rating of 3,950 lbs, independent of tire choice.

It’s an interesting puzzle trying to consider all the numbers, data points, and limits and decipher what it all means in the real world.

[BogeyPro]

I appreciate all this valuable feedback from the experienced users out there!

It just seems crazy to me, to replace brand new OEM tires, as crappy as they seem to be, with ANOTHER set of brand new tires....especially when you consider the predicted worldwide rubber shortage.

So how long did you wait until replacing them with better ones? Immediately?

And what happens to the first set of tires that are removed? Do they get heaved into a huge dump where they rot for 10,000 years? Or do they get recycled?

[jcl]

Originally Posted by BogeyPro

I appreciate all this valuable feedback from the experienced users out there!

It just seems crazy to me, to replace brand new OEM tires, as crappy as they seem to be, with ANOTHER set of brand new tires....especially when you consider the predicted worldwide rubber shortage.

So how long did you wait until replacing them with better ones? Immediately?

And what happens to the first set of tires that are removed? Do they get heaved into a huge dump where they rot for 10,000 years? Or do they get recycled?

Just sell them.

Son in law bought a 1500 GMC two months ago. Off the lot. Tires were unsuitable for his use (hunting). He bought new tires on day 2, and sold the removed tires on an online marketplace, Craigslist or Kijiji. Took a few hours. Done.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by BogeyPro

I appreciate all this valuable feedback from the experienced users out there!



It just seems crazy to me, to replace brand new OEM tires, as crappy as they seem to be, with ANOTHER set of brand new tires....especially when you consider the predicted worldwide rubber shortage.



So how long did you wait until replacing them with better ones? Immediately?



And what happens to the first set of tires that are removed? Do they get heaved into a huge dump where they rot for 10,000 years? Or do they get recycled?

No, I ran them for 50k, until not enough tread for an upcoming winter

[GCinSC2]

Originally Posted by BogeyPro

So does that mean that each axle has tire load capacity 5358 lbs?

And if you slide under the rig might see a Dexter axle ID tag that gives specs on your axle. This one has a 3800 lb capacity rating.

[Fungus]

Originally Posted by GCinSC2

And if you slide under the rig might see a Dexter axle ID tag that gives specs on your axle. This one has a 3800 lb capacity rating.

While you're getting dirty under the trailer, take a photo of that label like GCinSC2 did, and file it away. It might come in handy.

[JJTX]

Originally Posted by BogeyPro

I appreciate all this valuable feedback from the experienced users out there!

It just seems crazy to me, to replace brand new OEM tires, as crappy as they seem to be, with ANOTHER set of brand new tires....especially when you consider the predicted worldwide rubber shortage.

So how long did you wait until replacing them with better ones? Immediately?

And what happens to the first set of tires that are removed? Do they get heaved into a huge dump where they rot for 10,000 years? Or do they get recycled?

Tires are usually recycled for something. I would not replace any new tires . Run them until they are a few years old. At least. On my AS, I replace them after 3 to 3.5 years old due to the extreme heat we have here.

[CapriRacer]

This thread seems to be about OE (Original Equipment) tires - the tires that come on new vehicles from the assembly plant. Allow me to fill you in:

Vehicle manufacturers specify the performance on the tires they purchase. I go into detail here: Barry's Tire Tech:
Original Equipment (OE) Tires

Short version: For cars and trucks (not box truck, 18 wheelers, or the like!), fuel economy is very important to the OEM, so they specify low rolling resistance and to get that treadwear and/or traction (especially wet traction) is sacrificed. The OEM doesn't care about treadwear because they don't provide a warranty. That's why OE tires have such a bad reputation.

The tire manufacturers who supply tires to an OEM are obligated to supply tires that meet those specs - even if it means creating a tire that doesn't wear very well or has poor traction. They try to avoid that situation, but when the customer (OEM) is spending millions of dollars, it's hard to argue otherwise.

In the replacement market, the situation is different. The tire manufacturers set their own specs and for most customers, wear is very important (sometimes it is grip, but that is fairly rare).

Real trucks (18 wheelers and the like) are different in that the buyer (end user) specifies the exact make and model tire they want - and that gets applied at the assembly plant. If nothing is specified, like when an RV converter orders bare chassis's, the OEM supplies their own preference, but it is not specially made. It is just something "off the shelf".

For RV's, it depends on the original of the chassis. If the chassis comes from a light truck manufacturer (GVW less than 10,000#), then the tires will be low RR.

For RV's based on a medium truck chassis (think box trucks! similar to 18 wheeler type), then the tires can be specified by the RV converter OR the converter buys an already made chassis. If the chassis was already made, it may have the wrong type of tires on it because these types of chassis's are usually used for local delivery and have tires designed for that purpose and those will not work for an RV where the RV travels hundreds of miles at high speeds!

If the RV is based on a bus chassis, the tires were specified by the bus chassis manufacturers and they usually use something off the shelf in the long distance hauling variety.

Travel trailer manufacturers usually buy off the shelf ST tires. ST tires are very price sensitive, so in the past, some of the ST tires were not of very good quality. This has recently changed, but it is still too early to tell if there is still a problem with some ST tire manufacturers.

So applying the above to this thread, the OP seems to be talking about tires supplied on his pickup truck based tow vehicle - and that vehicle will have OE tires with low rolling resistance, which may not wear very well. On the other hand, most vehicles towing travel trailers spend a lot of time on the freeway and driving straight ahead is really good for tire wear.

[ROBERT CROSS]

^
Our 2500 Burb was a dealer program vehicle, when the first registered owner took delivery it had 3.5k on it.
The first thing he did was replace the OEM tires.
He just wasn't comfortable towing his antique wooden boats.
Thanks Ron...they lasted 55k, and were replaced with a newer version of the Michelin LT tire.

Bob
🇺🇸

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by BogeyPro

I appreciate all this valuable feedback from the experienced users out there!

It just seems crazy to me, to replace brand new OEM tires, as crappy as they seem to be, with ANOTHER set of brand new tires....especially when you consider the predicted worldwide rubber shortage.

So how long did you wait until replacing them with better ones? Immediately?

And what happens to the first set of tires that are removed? Do they get heaved into a huge dump where they rot for 10,000 years? Or do they get recycled?

I am not sure anyone here is advocating "throwing away" perfictly good new tires; least I am not. I would wait till they have some wear and need replacement, if your happy with the performance and can live with any additional road noise...that road noise is a big deal in some vehicles; thus the shift to Michelins for me, several vehicles back. Many times with a new vehicle, you can specify with the dealer which tires you want out the shoot.

Now, with the AS, thats a different story...I did replace the GY Marathons, brand new, with the GY Endurance on my last Airstream...for safety and performance reasons.