Well I would say 3000lbs for that size in E load is a bit short should be more like 3680. And in fact the Michelin Defender m/s tire in that size is 3680lbs @ 80psi with a speed rating of R (106 mph). I would suspect that if you looked up your oem tires you would find the same perhaps different speed rating
You are not confused he is and if you hadn't used them in the past I would be moving along to the next salesperson or tire store. I personally am not sure I could hold a straight face or not make some sort of snarky comment while walking out the door based on his comments about rubber quality vs load rating. Both are important but doesn't matter how high of quality the rubber is if it cant handle the load.
I am looking at new tires as well and was also surprised at the cost, they have certainly gone up since my last set about 2 years ago. My tire needs are probably different than yours but looking at some Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs same size and load range are in that range. However at Tire rack those duratracs are 338ea those michelins I looked up are 281ea. so I would say it may be worth your while to shop around and or at the least find a more competent salesperson.
