Load Range C and SL Tires for 16" Wheels

[SSTJ]

I know that 15" wheels provide more options for Load Range C. And I realize that load range does not impact ride quality as much as shock choice, tire pressure, etc.

But still: I'm looking for some 30"–31.5" Load Range C tires for a 16" wheel. I've read on here that Duratracs are offered in Load Range C for size 245/75/16, but TireRack.com says differently now. So far, I've only managed to find some Toyo Open Country and General Grabber APTs, both of which have "Load Index" of 111, which looks close to a "Load Range" of C.

Any other ideas?

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Update: Others have reminded me that if I look for SL tires, I'll find a lot. TireSize.com seems to have more options, and better search/filter functionality than TireRack.com, and there are plenty of 245/75/16s out there. I put my findings below.

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Name​	Metric Size​	Standard Size​	Load Range​	Weight​	Notes​
BFG KO2	Reference	30.00 x 09.50 R15	C	38.8	This is my current tire.
Reference	255/70/16	30.06 x 10.04 R16	Reference	Reference	Would be a 30 x 10.
Open Country A/T II	245/75/16	30.47 x 09.65 R16	C	45
Grabber APT	245/75/16	30.47 x 09.65 R16	SL	33.5	Lightest choice found so far.
Discoverer AT3 4S	245/75/16	30.47 x 09.65 R16	SL	37
Wrangler Workhorse	245/75/16	30.47 x 09.65 R16	SL	41
Wildpeak A/T3W	245/75/16	30.47 x 09.65 R16	EL	38.6
Trail-Terrain T/A	245/75/16	30.47 x 09.65 R16	SL	38
Open Country A/T III	245/75/16	30.47 x 09.65 R16	SL	36
Wrangler A/T Kevlar	245/75/16	30.47 x 09.65 R16	SL	37
BFG Rugged	265/70/16	30.61 x 10.43 R16	SL	38.5
BFG Trail	265/70/16	30.61 x 10.43 R16	SL	40
Reference	255/75/16	31.06 x 10.04 R16	Reference	Reference	Would be a 31 x 10.
Grabber HTS	275/70/16	31.16 x 10.83 R16	SL	37.3
BFG KO2	275/70/16	31.16 x 10.83 R16	D	50.7
Defender LTX	275/70/16	31.16 x 10.83 R16	SL	38
Geolandar A/T	275/70/16	31.16 x 10.83 R16	SL	42.1
Geolandar H/T	275/70/16	31.16 x 10.83 R16	SL	40.8
AT3 LT	265/75/16	31.65 x 10.43 R16	C
Reference	235/85/16	31.73 x 09.25 R16	Reference	Reference	Examples here.
Falken A/T4W	255/85/16	33.07 x 10.04 R16	C	58	Run by @Harold&Cat.

 

[machoheadgames]

Look for something in the 265/70R16 or 265/75R16 sizes and choose an SL rating. It doesn’t have quite as tough of a sidewall as a C but will ride the same. SL can actually carry more load than a C in most cases. If you’re doing a bunch of rock crawling then yeah you’re probably screwed on 16’s unless you choose E’s and give up the ride quality.

 

[SSTJ]

Look for something in the 265/70R16 or 265/75R16 sizes and choose an SL rating. It doesn’t have quite as tough of a sidewall as a C but will ride the same. SL can actually carry more load than a C in most cases. If you’re doing a bunch of rock crawling then yeah you’re probably screwed on 16’s unless you choose E’s and give up the ride quality.

Thanks. I can look for some of those.

 

[Mr. Bills]

. . . I'm looking for some 30"–31.5" Load Range C tires for a 16" wheel. . . . So far, I've only managed to find some Toyo Open Country and General Grabber APTs, both of which have "Load Index" of 111, which looks close to a "Load Range" of C.

Any other ideas?

A LT265/75R16 tire has a typical diameter of 31.6".

Cooper Discoverer AT3 all terrain tires are available in LT265/75R16 in either C or E load ratings. They are a good all purpose AT tire. I installed a set of Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT265/75R16-C tires on my Xterra for a month-long overlanding trip in Baja California just before the pandemic.

There are many other choices. Be sure to enter LT in front of the tire size when you search.

https://coopertire.com/en-us/find-tires/all-tires/discoverer-at3-lt

 

[taylormade73]

These are the ones I have my eye on for my stock Rubicon. They are the SL (standard load) not the LT (light truck) version. https://www.bbwheelsonline.com/toyo-open-country-atiii-tire-245-75r16-sl-111t-bsw-356130/

 

[Jamison C]

I have the Cooper Discoverer AT3 LTs on my Rubicon in 265/75/16, load range C. They ride fine, have good grip, and snow rated. The best part though? They are silent as death. I don’t hear any noise coming from these tires, even at freeway speess. FYI.

 

[SSTJ]

A LT265/75R16 tire has a typical diameter of 31.6".

Cooper Discoverer AT3 all terrain tires are available in LT265/75R16 in either C or E load ratings. They are a good all purpose AT tire. I installed a set of Cooper Discoverer AT3 LT265/75R16-C tires on my Xterra for a month-long overlanding trip in Baja California just before the pandemic.

There are many other choices. Be sure to enter LT in front of the tire size when you search.

https://coopertire.com/en-us/find-tires/all-tires/discoverer-at3-lt

Thanks. I hadn't included that size in my search yet. Strange that you have to go up to a 265/75 before the C option becomes available, whereas it isn't an option on the 265/70 that tire.

Edit: I'm not sure I can go that high in size. @Jamison C is running that size, but has a lift.

 

[Mr. Bills]

Strange that you have to go up to a 265/75 before the C option becomes available, whereas it isn't an option on the 265/70 that tire.

LT265/75R16 is a common size on pickups and small SUVs. It was the size installed at the factory on many Nissan Xterras and Frontiers.

Not offering LT tires in the 265/70 size isn't so strange if you think about it because it has a lower, wider profile not as suitable for work trucks.

You might try a tire fitment calculator to estimate any clearance issues you may have with the LT265/75R16 tire size compared to your current tires. I think you will find few if any issues with that size, which is sometimes called a "metric 32."

Here is one such calculator: https://www.fitmentindustries.com/tire-wheel-backspacing-offset-calculators There are others.

 

[Irun]

As was mentioned, look at Standard Load (SL) tires. They are a 4 ply (SL) vs 6 ply (C), but work very well as an all around tire. In your case you'll need to stick with a 265/70R16, which is a 30.6" tire. Going to a 265/75R16 increases the height to 31.6" and you'd need a little suspension lift to make that work correctly. As a reference, I'm running a 265/75R16 SL tire on my LJ, with a 2" spring lift.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...d Black Letters&partnum=67TR6WPAT3W&tab=Specs

 

[SSTJ]

Thanks for all of the replies. I will keep looking and make a table of what I find.

 

[SSTJ]

I'm working on the table. I came across some 275/70/16s. That's a 31.16 x 10.83. Could those fit on a Moab wheel, or are they too wide?

I realize that rubbing at full turn could be an issue, but I'm mainly wondering what the width limit is for a Moab wheel.

Edit: Seems ok, since the Moab is an 8" wheel, and the tires in this size say they are for a 7–9" wheel.

 

[Vtx531]

How about a P245-75-16 instead of LT? Should be lots of those available

 

[SSTJ]

How about a P245-75-16 instead of LT? Should be lots of those available

Yep, there sure are. But I was excited to find this option in post #11, which is closer to 31".

 

[SSTJ]

Ok, I put my findings here. The rest of that post is still a work in progress.

 

[SSTJ]

Reviving an old thread because I updated the original post. I think @TheBoogieman is on the hunt for some 16" tires, so I wonder what he thinks of these.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Is it my imagination that there are more Load Range C tires available when you search for inch-size tires like 31x10.50 than there are in metric sizes?

 

[SSTJ]

Is it my imagination that there are more Load Range C tires available when you search for inch-size tires like 31x10.50 than there are in metric sizes?

I'm not sure. But if you're right, it might still be the case that there are fewer inch-size tires for a 16" rim, which is what I'm looking for.

Edit: Or, maybe it was just that TireRack only let me search by metric.

 

[Harold&Cat]

We recently bought the Falken At4w in the 255/85r16 which is 33 x 10.3 . It is a C load tire .

 

[SSTJ]

We recently bought the Falken At4w in the 255/85r16 which is 33 x 10.3 . It is a C load tire .

Thanks. That's larger than I was looking for, but I've added it to the list.