Do I need D load rated tires? Or will C do the trick?

[Maximus3311]

Hey everyone - so first of all I understand everyone's needs are different so I'll try to give as much info as possible. This is my first "real" offroader...and tires are expensive so want to make the best decision I can.

For starters - I live in Colorado and I'm going to be building out my Badlands as an offroad/overlander. I'm not planning on doing any crazy rock crawling...but I do want pretty decent offroad capability (I expect as I get better I'll take on harder trails to reach more remote dispersed campsites).

I have a 4dr and a pretty good overlanding kit (all told probably looking at @250-300lbs for tent and all my gear). I'm going to be adding a trailrax with pax racks roofrack and throwing some of my gear (lower profile and on the lighter side) up on the roof.

I'm also going to be using this Bronco as my daily driver...although I don't drive all that much (probably @8000-10000 miles/year). However since this is going to be my only vehicle I'd like at least a somewhat comfortable ride - so E rated tires are out.

As soon as I get my Bronco I'm pulling the stock Badlands tires/wheels and putting on a 1" leveling kit, Black Rhino Warthog wheels, and either the 35" C rated KO2s or D rated MT Baja A/T. My dealer works with 4wheelparts and they're going to install/warranty the work and those seem to be the best two tires 4WP has for my needs (although wtf do I know?)

I also need AT tires that are good in the snow. I spend a lot of time in the mountains year-round and for the first time I'll be able to get into my cabin even with snow and some drifts on the ground.

I'm leaning towards the KO2s...but given my lack of knowledge and experience I figured I'd ask here. Bronco is scheduled to be built week of 4/24 (we'll see if that actually happens) - so if all goes well I'm guessing probably have it sometime in June. I have some time to do research now so I figure I should try to get as much figured out as possible asap.

Thanks for any/all help and info!

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[Lak34ers]

Hey everyone - so first of all I understand everyone's needs are different so I'll try to give as much info as possible. This is my first "real" offroader...and tires are expensive so want to make the best decision I can.

For starters - I live in Colorado and I'm going to be building out my Badlands as an offroad/overlander. I'm not planning on doing any crazy rock crawling...but I do want pretty decent offroad capability (I expect as I get better I'll take on harder trails to reach more remote dispersed campsites).

I have a 4dr and a pretty good overlanding kit (all told probably looking at @250-300lbs for tent and all my gear). I'm going to be adding a trailrax with pax racks roofrack and throwing some of my gear (lower profile and on the lighter side) up on the roof.

I'm also going to be using this Bronco as my daily driver...although I don't drive all that much (probably @8000-10000 miles/year). However since this is going to be my only vehicle I'd like at least a somewhat comfortable ride - so E rated tires are out.

As soon as I get my Bronco I'm pulling the stock Badlands tires/wheels and putting on a 1" leveling kit, Black Rhino Warthog wheels, and either the 35" C rated KO2s or D rated MT Baja A/T. My dealer works with 4wheelparts and they're going to install/warranty the work and those seem to be the best two tires 4WP has (although wtf do I know?)

I'm leaning towards the KO2s...but given my lack of knowledge and experience I figured I ask here. Bronco is scheduled to be built week of 4/24 (we'll see if that actually happens) - so if all goes well I'm guessing probably have it sometime in June. I have some time to do research now so I figure I should try to get as much figured out as possible asap.

Thanks for any/all help and info!

Following This...Also considering Falken ATIII with their high rating

 

[jzweedyk]

I would put on the C KO2s. Very flexible for trail, great on the road mileage. That is what the F150 Raptor uses. I plan on the 37" version on my 2 door Badlands, when I get it. The only place they don't excel, although they do OK is deep mud.

 

[Maximus3311]

I would put on the C KO2s. Very flexible for trail, great on the road mileage. That is what the F150 Raptor uses. I plan on the 37" version on my 2 door Badlands, when I get it. The only place they don't excel, although they do OK is deep mud.

Ok that's great to know! One thing we rarely have to deal with here in Colorado is deep mud

 

[B Miller]

I use the new Toyo Open Country R/T (Trails) They're a "D" rated tire and ride better than the factory Sasquatch tires. They have a reinforced sidewall and aren't that heavy. I've LOVED every minute of them. Hope this helps you out!

Toyo Open Country R/T Trails

Here's a video:

 

[emulous74]

Teach yourself something, all tires are required to list their weight amounts on them, mind you that’s at the max psi. Those C rated KO2’s will give you everything you are looking for based on my experience with them on multiple different vehicles in last ten years. Going up to E on the KO2 was a mistake I made because of harshness on road.

 

[zuke]

Also consider a D Rated Maxxis Razr A/T, That 4wp also carries. Stronger sidewall than the KO2, And still 3peak rated. One thing you're going to encounter on CO trails is downed branches, I've put plenty of holes in the sides of C Rated BFG A/Ts (Not KO2's however, I stopped running them before that tire was introduced)

A D rated tire at the appropriate pressure is just as comfortable as a C rated tire at it's higher pressue.

 

[jzweedyk]

There is no perfect tire. In my opinion the C range is better if it has the weight rating you need. It is more flexible which helps with rock crawling and footprint at lower pressure. As far as puncture resistance, think of a balloon. At a low pressure, pushing a stick at it will just deflect the surface, which is why you lower pressure when going off road, as well as being more comfortable. I do most of my off roading in Moab, which has some sharp rocks, and I only have damaged the sidewall on one tire, a KM2.

On another note, almost all 40" and above tires are C range, which is what professional rock crawlers use.

The 35" KO2 C range was originally developed for the F150 Raptor which is heavier than the Bronco, and it has worked great on that.

My 2 cents.

 

[Bronco#2]

KO2’s.
I just the c load range 315/70/17. Same thing they put on the raptor.
no idea why Ford didn’t start with these. The factory Goodyear tires are garbage

 

[Ryslegit]

I'm currently on 315/70/17 D load Wildpeak RTs and they are miles better in comfort than the Toyo RT C loads I had on prior. These RTs are heavy though at 76 pounds...

 

[HotLap]

Older post, but I recently traded my 2018 Raptor for a 2023 Bronco…the BFG K02 C rated tires on my Raptor were awful. I only got 20Kmi. per set and rotated them every5K mi. per the OM. They got really loud at 15k miles both sets. Thinking a “C” rated tire might have been a bit light for Raptor torque…but at the expense of A/T, Hybrid, M/T tires these days, looking at other options…

 

[SHANUT]

Get the lightest rated tires you possibly can. These broncos are small and don’t weigh much so there’s no need for a heavy duty tire. Unfortunately, I wanted the raised white letter BFG‘s and, in my size, they only came in load range E. They still ride better than the factory Goodyear tires but I keep them aired down to about 35 psi instead of the maximum 65 psi for which they’re rated on heavy duty trucks. They are also much quieter than the factory Sasquatch tires and don’t throw rocks as badly either.

 

[Strizzo]

Get the lightest rated tires you possibly can. These broncos are small and don’t weigh much so there’s no need for a heavy duty tire. Unfortunately, I wanted the raised white letter BFG‘s and, in my size, they only came in load range E. They still ride better than the factory Goodyear tires but I keep them aired down to about 35 psi instead of the maximum 65 psi for which they’re rated on heavy duty trucks. They are also much quieter than the factory Sasquatch tires and don’t throw rocks as badly either.

I agree that you don’t need more than C load range, but broncos are not exactly light, a fully loaded badlands weighs over 5k lbs before you put all the overlanding kit on it.
Bottom line, if ford specs the raptor with its 7,800 lb tow rating with c load range, you’re not likely to need more than C load tires to do what you want to do.

people used to only run E load range on tacomas and 4Runners for the sidewall protection but they rode like crap and didn’t flex when aired down. Not a great combo.

 

[SHANUT]

I agree that you don’t need more than C load range, but broncos are not exactly light, a fully loaded badlands weighs over 5k lbs before you put all the overlanding kit on it.
Bottom line, if ford specs the raptor with its 7,800 lb tow rating with c load range, you’re not likely to need more than C load tires to do what you want to do.

people used to only run E load range on tacomas and 4Runners for the sidewall protection but they rode like crap and didn’t flex when aired down. Not a great combo.

I guess I should have clarified that they are relatively light compared to the 4 ton trucks that load range E tires are usually found on.

 

[mpeugeot]

Hey everyone - so first of all I understand everyone's needs are different so I'll try to give as much info as possible. This is my first "real" offroader...and tires are expensive so want to make the best decision I can.

For starters - I live in Colorado and I'm going to be building out my Badlands as an offroad/overlander. I'm not planning on doing any crazy rock crawling...but I do want pretty decent offroad capability (I expect as I get better I'll take on harder trails to reach more remote dispersed campsites).

I have a 4dr and a pretty good overlanding kit (all told probably looking at @250-300lbs for tent and all my gear). I'm going to be adding a trailrax with pax racks roofrack and throwing some of my gear (lower profile and on the lighter side) up on the roof.

I'm also going to be using this Bronco as my daily driver...although I don't drive all that much (probably @8000-10000 miles/year). However since this is going to be my only vehicle I'd like at least a somewhat comfortable ride - so E rated tires are out.

As soon as I get my Bronco I'm pulling the stock Badlands tires/wheels and putting on a 1" leveling kit, Black Rhino Warthog wheels, and either the 35" C rated KO2s or D rated MT Baja A/T. My dealer works with 4wheelparts and they're going to install/warranty the work and those seem to be the best two tires 4WP has for my needs (although wtf do I know?)

I also need AT tires that are good in the snow. I spend a lot of time in the mountains year-round and for the first time I'll be able to get into my cabin even with snow and some drifts on the ground.

I'm leaning towards the KO2s...but given my lack of knowledge and experience I figured I'd ask here. Bronco is scheduled to be built week of 4/24 (we'll see if that actually happens) - so if all goes well I'm guessing probably have it sometime in June. I have some time to do research now so I figure I should try to get as much figured out as possible asap.

Thanks for any/all help and info!

Every time I hear this E rated tires make for an uncomfortable ride, I wonder how people come to the conclusion that E rated tires are automatically going to ride harshly, it's definitely not true for many E-rated tires.

FWIW, I am currently running Milestar Patagonia M/T's (E load) which were quiet for about the first 15k miles, but are a little noisy now. I have probably between 20-25k on them now, they have never felt harsh or uncomfortable.

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