6 ply or 10 ply. Would I see a difference?

A "E" tire at the proper pressure for the load will be more stable than a "C".

Get er dun!!!

jshupe wrote:
I always ran LRE tires on my 1/2T trucks, and it always made a ton of difference. They do make the ride rougher, but oh well.

The tires will only ride as stiff as the pressure that you have in them. Drop 'em down to the proper pressure for the weight being carried and the ride will improve accordingly.

I've heard the argument that too much pressure on the load bars creates bouncing. I just don't understand why?

My understanding is that pressure on the equilizer bars transfers move weight to the front which helps take the load off the back reducing bouncing. In my crew cab f150 2021, I can't barely compress the front unless I really load up the Equilizer bars.

Truck is new with 12k miles. As soon as it hits 20k, I will probably just add the Load E tires.

MC
MC

SweetLou wrote:
Ply rating means a lot still. If you can get 10 ply, why not have a peace of mind that you did all you could? Blow outs during a trip are dangerous and destructive. Keep that in mind as you sit on side of the road with all the damage you now need to fix with all it's hassles. Try getting parts now. Plus trying to change out the tire as traffic wiz by. Just put the 10 ply and hell with the minimal rough ride. Safety fist for your family.

Find us a 10ply tire and we can discuss it.

It's outdated terminology. 40-50yr ago, tires were made stronger by adding more plys to the carcass. With modern steel belted tires, no one is making 10ply tires for pickups.

The modern spec is the load rating index (someone already explained it up thread). Honestly, I don't even understand why they use that when they can simply list the maximum load in pounds/kilograms as that's really the number that counts.

Not sure how you buy tires by 'ply' anymore.

speediq99 wrote:
Towing a 7000lbs tt with F150 2021 w/ 6 ply factory tires. Experiencing some bouncing.

Would I see a difference with 10ply tires?would the ride w/o a trailer be too stiff?

Thank you

MC

Not really.
A 6 ply rated tire should mean a LTxxx/xx-xx load range C at 50 psi which has plenty of sidewall stiffness for towing duties.
Moving up to a 10 ply will be LTxxx/xx-xx load range E at 80 psi. Your F150 wheels can't take those kinds of pressure unless your truck is the F150HDPP that comes with wheels rated for the higher pressures and loads. A load C is a good choice for a std duty 1/2 ton truck.

The advantage of the E tire comes only at those higher pressures....which most 1/2 ton truck wheels aren't rated for.

Pump those load C tires to 50 psi max sidewall pressures.

Ply rating means a lot still. If you can get 10 ply, why not have a peace of mind that you did all you could? Blow outs during a trip are dangerous and destructive. Keep that in mind as you sit on side of the road with all the damage you now need to fix with all it's hassles. Try getting parts now. Plus trying to change out the tire as traffic wiz by. Just put the 10 ply and hell with the minimal rough ride. Safety first for your family.

"ply" rating has kinda been replaced by load index 3 digit numbers.

118, 121, 124, 128 etc - lets you tell at a glance if the tire you want is in the capacity range. Then go to the mfg spec sheet and look at the single load rating.

All this specing and matching of tires starts with weighing your truck and trailer and tongue weight with and without weight distribution set up etc

Anyways - when I have set weight distribution too tight or used the wrong rating bars for the tongue weight, I've experience "bouncing" in the tow vehicle.

"Soft" tires - by this I mean underinflated or overloaded for their index - contribute to fluffy ride and more instability in the lateral plane vs the vertical plane in my experience.

But when I get a different truck or trailer or camper or whatever I start by a visit to the scale and get some weights recorded.

Ply rating does not really mean anything any more.

What is important is the load rating, in pounds, which is on the tire side wall.

Most tire stiffness comes from inflation pressure. Have you tried a bit more - like +5 psi?