I have a E150 I use to tow my 20' enclosed trailer. I'm looking for a E rated tire to go on a 15" wheel. Every thing I have found is 16"s and up except for Maxxis commercial tires. Do any of you guys know of a 15" E rated tire or know anything about the Maxxis brand.
It has Kuhmos on it now and they suck. Of the last set all of them separated. They were replaced under warranty, but I won't be buying them again. I would really like to put a heavier tire on it.
check tires-easy.com , I got R8 19.5's for $119 each. They carry odd sizes and stuff.
they sent me 4 tires instead of 2, but then they sent the UPS guy out to pick up the extras.
*edit, I got F series tires, so nice and thick (12 ply)
Why not price up some 16, or even 17 inch wheels? It improves your tire selection by a long shot, and wheels are cheap these days, it seems.
I upsized my Neon roadrace car to 225/45 15's, which involved 7" wheels. I agonized over spending the wheel money, but didn't really worry about the tires. Rota Slipstreams were $117 each, Goodyear RS, $215 each. The goodyears will be vaporized in a few hours, the wheels will need to be washed to be re-used.
What's GVW on the trailer? I fully applaud your choice to go E-range, and it will help out, but it isn't terribly necessary.
If you want to go E-range, the selection in 15" will be slim if not non-existent. The reason is (aside from 15" being uncommon on HD trucks) is that the size of the brakes associated with a truck which would require E-range tires mandates 16" or larger wheels. One of the requirements for load range in a tire is its internal volume, so you also have to think big. The smallest E-range I ever found was 215/75-16.
Put it this way... The load range of the tire isn't your limiting factor, the springs, axle, and frame are. E-range will help, but D is fine.
Bringing this back from the dead, I'm looking at cheap tow vehicle tires for my e150
Looking at:
Retreads may be your answer
go up to 16's and run a 225-75-16 if you want close to stock height range e tires.
best bet for cheap truck tires around here is the pull a part. but they pretty much always come on 8 lug wheels.
The problem lies in finding cheap 16 inch wheels in 5x139.7, nothing new uses that pattern so there are not heaps of people casting them off for upgrades.
I ended up with a Maxxis Commercial LT tire (Model # UE-168N). Technically a load range D, but has a max load of 2335 pounds. They were the heaviest 15" tire I could find. So far so good but I've only put about 5k on them. They are a stiff tire and the unloaded ride suffered some. Since I almost never use the van without some kind of trailer it doesn't bother me. It calmed down the sway I used to get when passing a tractor trailer rig. They also don't run near as hot at the Kuhmos I replaced.
BTW they were about $125 each. I had to special order them from a local dealer.
I would also stay away from the Kuhmo tires. I separated all but one of the last set I put on the van. They were the Road Ventures. I got maybe 20K out of them and they started falling apart. Probably due to the heat from towing. That's why I was looking for the heavier tire.
One thing i totally forgot when i put D rated tires on my old 96 f150 was the steel factory rim was not rated for that amount of load i had both rears separate at the spider to rim shell weld area. So keep an eye on the rims. Tire rack and other list load capacity on there site when looking for rims.
44Dwarf wrote: One thing i totally forgot when i put D rated tires on my old 96 f150 was the steel factory rim was not rated for that amount of load i had both rears separate at the spider to rim shell weld area. So keep an eye on the rims. Tire rack and other list load capacity on there site when looking for rims.
Makes me glad my van has aluminum wheels.
Tire pressures are important also.
Steering clear of the Kumhos, check.
These are pushing my budget but they're still under $100 each. 2200 lbs load rating and decent reviews for a cheap tire.
upgrade to 16"'s....dodge & ford both run 5*139.....I just sold a set of chrome ones for $50, and picked up a set of alloys for $90. the 225/75/16 is a popular size, so buying used works well.
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