Fitting New Wheels and Tyres - How Crucial Is The Load Rating?

[E55BOF]

Good evening all. I'm fitting new wheels and tyres to the S211 E500 Elegance, but the size I'll be fitting (245/40/18) only comes in two load ratings, 93 or 97. The standard wheel/tyre combination is 245/45/17, load rating 95. Should I go up to 97, or down to 93?

 

[markjay]

You shouldn't go for a load rating below what the manufacturer recommended for your car.

You can opt for higher load rating, though it will make for a stiffer sidewall and a harsher ride.

 

[markjay]

But check the owners manual for the lowest load rating permitted for your car. For example it may had 95 tyres fitted, but the owners manual only stipulates 91 or 93 etc.

 

[markjay]

Good explanation here:

Tyre Load Rating » Oponeo.co.uk

Would you like to know more about the load capacity index? Don't know what it means to fit tyres with the wrong load capacity? Check out our article.

www.oponeo.co.uk

(Scroll down to 'Using higher load and speed indices')

 

[Gowm]

go to 97 you will be fine with a higher rating

 

[Gowm]

The load rating is the weight that each tyre can hold think it converts to kg's

So a 93 would hold 930kg higher rater load ratings will have more solid sidewalls so may be slightly harsher ride, but you won't notice any difference between 95 to 97

 

[E55BOF]

Thank you for that. I'll go for the 97s, then, and see how it feels; I don't suppose the small increase in rating will make a huge difference.

Strangely, for the factory option staggered AMG wheels on the E500 no load ratings are specified, just ZR for 245/40/18 fronts and ZR Extra Load MOs for 265/35/18 rears.

 

[poormansporsche]

"Extra Load" MOs for 265/35/18 rears.

This means 97 plus (or even 102 !)

 

[Gowm]

Thought really only vans needed over 100 lol

 

[190]

I read a comment from a tyre professional on another forum, which implied that higher load rating doesn't stiffen the tyre and ruin the ride. The higher load rated tyre only achieves it's rating at a higher inflation pressure. I must admit I was skeptical but after a life time in the industry he should know better than me. See post #3 in this thread;

Extra Load tires - Firmer ride?


Still not convinced I checked his web site that while not referring to the impact on ride he does say higher load rated tyres have stronger construction and that must surely impact on ride quality:


Barry's Tire Tech

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I read a comment from a tyre professional on another forum, which implied that higher load rating doesn't stiffen the tyre and ruin the ride. The higher load rated tyre only achieves it's rating at a higher inflation pressure. I must admit I was skeptical but after a life time in the industry he should know better than me. See post #3 in this thread;

Extra Load tires - Firmer ride?


Still not convinced I checked his web site that while not referring to the impact on ride he does say higher load rated tyres have stronger construction and that must surely impact on ride quality:


Barry's Tire Tech

The one guy said that he only got 40-45k miles out of his tyres. I’ve never heard anyone get even close to that. I’ve managed more than 20,000 miles a few times but doubling that is incredible!

 

[whitenemesis]

The one guy said that he only got 40-45k miles out of his tyres. I’ve never heard anyone get even close to that. I’ve managed more than 20,000 miles a few times but doubling that is incredible!

If one does mainly motorway miles then it's not so difficult to get high mileage out of tyres.
Just urban/town driving has nearly halved my tyre life

 

[bolidemichael]

It's also if the tyres are rotated after 5k, it can extend the life dramatically.

Iirc, the fronts are moved to the rear and the rears are swapped across the rear axle.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

If one does mainly motorway miles then it's not so difficult to get high mileage out of tyres.
Just urban/town driving has nearly halved my tyre life

I know but that’s incredible, 40k+ is a long way even if it’s mostly motorway miles. Unless by truck he means lorry rather than pick-up or SUV.

 

[flowrider]

I know but that’s incredible, 40k+ is a long way even if it’s mostly motorway miles. Unless by truck he means lorry rather than pick-up or SUV.

I once bought a 2001 BMW525i in 2004 which had its original Dunlop tyres on, I replaced the fronts 3 years later at 52k miles.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I once bought a 2001 BMW525i in 2004 which had its original Dunlop tyres on, I replaced the fronts 3 years later at 52k miles.

That”s incredible for a reasonably powerful RWD car. Did you never need to replace the rears? I would have expected the rears to wear out first unless there was an alignment issue.

Peculiarities do happen though, my C32 AMG managed a huge difference on it’s winter tyres. I’d have to check my records to be specific but it was well over 20k miles including summer use.

 

[markjay]

It's also if the tyres are rotated after 5k, it can extend the life dramatically.

Iirc, the fronts are moved to the rear and the rears are swapped across the rear axle.

I rotate the tyres front-to-back. Luckily none of my cars had staggered wheels.

I don't rotate then side-to-side, I have heard mixed views with regards changing the rotation of a set tyre. Though on balance it would probably be OK.

 

[flowrider]

That”s incredible for a reasonably powerful RWD car. Did you never need to replace the rears? I would have expected the rears to wear out first unless there was an alignment issue.

Peculiarities do happen though, my C32 AMG managed a huge difference on it’s winter tyres. I’d have to check my records to be specific but it was well over 20k miles including summer use.

Yes the rears were replaced well before the fronts.

 

[unimog]

105Y on the MOE Spec PS4s GT Rears.... On account of the high speed downforce apparently. Definitely 97's for the rear of the E500, so you can do Autobahn speeds with a full load! I would think 93 for the fronts would be fine.

 

[BTB 500]

The load rating is the weight that each tyre can hold think it converts to kg's

So a 93 would hold 930kg

No, it's nothing like that. 93 is 650 kg:

Tyre Load Ratings explained, Tyre Load Index Chart | Tyre Shopper

The tyre load rating identifies how much weight your car can carry. In this article, we discuss what load rating your car needs with a helpful tyre load index.

www.tyre-shopper.co.uk