What happened to 6 Ply/Load range C Tires??

It's been a gradual trend over the last 10 years, they seem to be phasing out 6 ply tires. Costco only sells 4 ply and 10 ply tires, been that way for a decade. So I never buy tires from Costco.

My local Missoula Tirerama tire shop still sells 6 ply tires, but only in Cooper and the last two sets have been really awful (lateral runout).

I have 2 RCLB first gen 4x4 Tundras and living in the Rockies, the dirt roads here are all hard pack. I have no need for wide tires and I don't care about fashion or looking cool. Wide tires are not for snow and hard pack. I just want smooth riding tires that don't go flat the first time you go down a dirt road.

I don't know why anyone would put 10 ply tires on a jeep or half ton unless they drive over Mesquite thorns. There is no reason I know of to have them on half-ton trucks. Am I missing something here? I drive the backcounty logging roads all the time and never had a 6 ply go flat.

I've been running LT245/75R16 tires mostly. The last Tundra I bought used has LT265/70R17 10 ply tires on 7 1/2" wide 4runner wheels. I like the extra diameter but I dislike the width and the stiff 10 ply ride. I would like to get some LT245/75R17 tires in 6 ply, but apparently no one makes them, they are all 4 ply or 10 ply.
I could also get a set of 235/85R16 tires and put them on my 16 x 7 rims, but they only make them in 10 ply.
So that leaves only one choice I can come up with. LT245/75R16 6 ply tires which are very scarce and either poor quality or $1000 a set at Les Schwab for a "in house brand" tire I know nothing about.
Do most of you just buy 10 ply tires, grit your teeth and hold your kidneys and live with it? I'm 66 and just can't take it anymore.

 

C load tires are readily available. The issue is that the sizes they are available in are being used less and less. Tons of C load tire options for 15, 16,17 inch wheels. But manufactures keep making wheels larger and larger (customers want it) and for truck tires in 18, 20 inch wheels you have standard load (in stock size tires) or if you want to install larger tires it generally means going to E load.

I feel your pain. C load is perfect on a half ton truck. Every 4wd Jeep, SUV, truck I ever had I installed larger tires, C load and they were great. Now running E load on my Tundra because that is the only option in the size I wanted to run.

If one of the tire manufacturers would offer C load in 18 and 20 inch versions, in the popular 33-35 inch tires, they would sell a ton of them!

But it is not all bad. The E load I run do handle much better in turns. They also wear much better than the standard load- SL tires on a Tundra always seem to wear a lot on the front corners from turning. They are stiffer, so you can feel slight bumps more but you can minimize that by dialing in your tire pressure.

 

Easier for the tire companies to make just 1 style of tire for all half+1 ton trucks. You’re right, tundras don’t need an e rate tires, but they corner well at least

 

Thanks for your reply. So it's even worse for 18 and 20" wheels. I really can't find much in 16 or 17" other than what I mentioned. I checked all 3 Missoula tire shops and scoured the internet.
I fully intend to run tire pressures listed on the door and not a pound more, unless I happen to have a real heavy load, which isn't often.

I didn't know customers wanted the larger diameter wheels with low profile tires, I thought that was just what the fashion police was imposing on us. The only modification I do is get taller tires than stock. The speed limit here is 80 and a taller tire is better geared with the 3.90 differentials.
I asked a tire dealer about those "SL" tires and they said they were just 4 ply like all the P metric car tires. I would have to carry 2 spares in the backcountry if I used them.
Something is wrong with industry when supply doesn't meet demand.

 

For tires I usually use Discounttire or tirerack. If you dont have one of those locally you can purchase online. Both are great vendors with great selection, good price and availability.

Pressure on door sticker can be used for stock tires load (SL) and size only. If you change load or tire size the pressure on the door sticker is no longer valid.

 

Since you asked… Yes you are missing something. More plys is a great solution to sharp shards of rock for me and others, for me usually in SE OR. I used 10 plys happily on small trucks, Rangers/Tacoma’s, where 4 plys died daily and 6 plys died often at 1/2 tread and less, occasionally when new. It’s a tire eating nightmare in places there, long sharp shards. Hard learned lessons. I’ve been all over SW, S mid and SE MT, never seen the need for 10 ply’s there accept for some nasty rocky areas just north of Dillon. I’d put 14+ plys on my Tundra if I found them in my preferred size.

 

Some tire manufacturers say you must increase pressure when you go to a higher load rating even if you just drive around with no load because the sidewalls will flex too much, but most tire shops say hell no you can just run door sticker pressures.
I just checked Tire Rack and Discount Tire Again, they only have 245/75R17 in 4 ply and 10 ply.

In 245/75R16, Tire rack has only Goodyear Wranglers and Discount tire has nothing in 6 ply.
Tire manufacturers are not competing at all.

 

The way I understand it, you need to look at your vehicle weight and then the new tires weight carrying ratings in terms of air pressure for a given load rating. In my case, factory 4 plys had a 30-32lb rating for my truck’s weight, the new 10 plys took 40-42 to carry the same load despite being rated to take much more pressure. I do not understand why, but that’s what I understand to be the case for my tires. If I’m out to lunch, someone correct my understanding.

 

The factory P metric tires are 4 ply rating. Going from 4 ply to 10 ply is quite a leap. I've been running 6 ply on mine with door sticker pressures for over 80K miles with no problem other than Cooper tires not being round and shaking my eyeballs out of their sockets. Tire life has been very long.

 

I agree 6 ply is usually enough for freshly hard-rocked logging roads, but given the choice of 4 vs 10 ply, it is no contest. The trick is finding the sweet spot for inflating 10 ply for mixed on-off road driving. I like 42-45 psi

 

Northwest Montana is all shale and silt. Here, 6 ply is always enough. For a young man, 10 ply and 45 PSI is tolerable, but for a man my age it's enough to turn an enjoyable trip into misery. Besides, what a stiff ride does to a man, it does to a vehicle, too. 6 ply and 30 PSI is not only less wear and tear on a man, it's less wear and tear on a vehicle.
There are plenty of tire buyers that want 6 ply and plenty of different tire manufacturers. Why doesn't one step forward and meet the demand?

 

regarding air pressure this is a good read https://www.tundras.com/threads/how-to-determine-your-new-air-pressure-with-lt-tires.56860/

also there is an air pressure calculator that is a great tool to get you in the correct ballpark when moving to different load or larger tires-

 

OK, I will approach this from another angle...... is there a specific brand of LT245/75R17 in 10 ply that delivers a much smoother ride than is typical for 10 ply?

 

Toyo AT3 has a number of c rated tires that are also very light. I am considering them for my next tire in 285/75r17 or 35 x 11.5r17 both of which are c-rated.

 

I just switched from cooper atw E load to Bridgestone revo 3 E load and the revo’s are significantly softer. I am running 38/36 psi and they are way softer than my coopers at 34/32. I took a risk getting another set of E tires, happy I did.

 

I run with E rated here in the CO Rockies. The reason behind that is not all roads here are hard packed dirt. Many of the old mining roads here are basically built on bedrock. Lots of sharp rocks. I prefer 3 ply armor sidewalls when aired down to minimize sidewall rock punctures. Most tires with 3 ply armor sidewalls are E rated it seems. Depends on your personal use.

 

I’ve been very happy with Revos for 20+ yrs. They don’t get a lot of love here, but were popular back in the Gen1 Tundra era (where I started). yes, they are a bit soft and unfortunately not the best longevity, but quiet with great wet traction. I run my Load E Revo3 at 45 psi on stock SR5 suspension.

 

I couldn't find any 6 ply tires to suit me in 17", so I'm going back to stock 16" tundra alloy wheels and I think I'm going to buy Les Schwab Open Range AT tires in LT265/75R16, load range C. They have them in LT245/75R16 also, but after driving with the current 265/70R17 10 ply tires on the truck, I find I really want the extra diameter, even though I don't want the extra width. They told me it's OK to run door sticker pressures on these tires. The LS Open Range AT tires are very expensive, but I'm happy to pay $50 a tire more to get 6 ply tires.

 

I miss the ride and mpgs from c rated tires. Next time around I might have to compromise on what tire I buy.

 

I bought the LT265/75R16, load range C 6 ply Les Schwab Mazama Open Range tires last year and I love them. Ride quality is much better than the Coopers I have been running for years. I have about 6000 miles on them so far. So today I called Les Schwab about buying another set of them for my other Gen 1 Tundra and they told me 6 ply is being discontinued, only available in 4 ply and 10 ply. Fortunately they some some in another store so I ordered them.

 

I wish there were more options

 

I looked around and couldn't find an answer..
What are my SL tires, 4 ply?

Goodyear Wrangler UltraTerrain AT | Discount Tire

I know they sure do ride smoother than my D rated KO2s..
Much quieter as well.

 

Update on my LT265/75R16, load range C 6 ply Les Schwab Mazama Open Range tires now that I have them on both RCLB Tundras with a combined total of 55K miles driven on them. I really like these tires and find them worth the price. I did get one flat on a sharp piece of shale, plugged it with no further problems.
265-75 is a very high profile tire so some may not like the amount of lean at door sticker pressures. I don't mind, it's a trade-off for ride quality.
An interesting side note about door sticker pressures....my 2004 says 26 PSI front and the 2006 says 29 PSI front.
I think 26 is just too low so I run 30 PSI front in both RCLB trucks. I run 32 in the rear unless I'm pulling a heavy trailer or have a heavy load.