I wish someone with CapriRacer’s experience would explain the mechanics of tire weight to Me Again.
It seems he cannot understand why tires from completely different designs have completely different weight ratios.
For instance: A steel cased high mileage tire, size LT235/85R16E, with 15/32” tread depth, on top of a retreadable casing having an extra (3rd) steel belt with sidewall inserts for scrubbing protection has a weight of 58#. Yet its maximum load capacity is just 3042#
Then he compares it to a ST235/80R16E (a smaller tire) with 10/32” tread depth polyester cased (age out) tire without the added durability protection, and it weighs, on average, 35-38#. Its maximum load capacity is 3520#.
FastEagle
p.s. I think you will find that the 3042# tire has that load capacity by design, so it can meet the standard specifications model for that size tire set by the T&RA, and others.