5 ply load range C ST tire?

[myredracer]

We have Freestar offshore tires on our near new TT, 205 series in 15". From what I gather from reading around, load range C tires are by definition 6 ply tires? Our tires are only 5 ply though. What does this mean? Is there really a 5 ply load range C or have we got a lower quality tire? Says load capacity is 1820 lbs. No "Ch*na bomb" remarks please.....

Thanks!

[EldIr]

Even the load range letter is an antiquated rating. Load index is much more useful. Tires within the same letter range can still vary widely in actual capacity.

[myredracer]

Got it. Thanks!

[gmw_photos]

myredracer wrote:
What's on the sidewall is "Tread 5 plies 2 polyester + 2 steel + 1 nylon". The tire also says "6PR LOAD RANGE C".

Maybe the 6PR means 6 ply radial? So does the term "6 ply" typically associated with load range C tires mean the number of plies in the tread, or is there an innermost ply that does not get included in the "6 ply" designation?

The "6PR" means 6 ply rating. Read some of the earlier posts about what what the ply rating actually means.

[myredracer]

What's on the sidewall is "Tread 5 plies 2 polyester + 2 steel + 1 nylon". The tire also says "6PR LOAD RANGE C".

Maybe the 6PR means 6 ply radial? So does the term "6 ply" typically associated with load range C tires mean the number of plies in the tread, or is there an innermost ply that does not get included in the "6 ply" designation?

[FastEagle]

myredracer wrote:
We have Freestar offshore tires on our near new TT, 205 series in 15". From what I gather from reading around, load range C tires are by definition 6 ply tires? Our tires are only 5 ply though. What does this mean? Is there really a 5 ply load range C or have we got a lower quality tire? Says load capacity is 1820 lbs. No "Ch*na bomb" remarks please.....

Thanks!

Is that information found on your tire’s sidewall? DOT regulations require tire manufacturers to put the actual ply & belt information on the tires. That information has been converted to universal standards.

All Special Trailer tires (ST) and Light Truck tires (LT) describe their load capacities via a load range system where a tire’s actual ply count is converted into a ply rating. The standards go like this; LRC = 6 ply rating - LRD = 8 ply rating - LRE = 10 ply rating - and so forth. The maximum tire pressure for those load ranges are also standard.

FastEagle

[Huntindog]

Plys are a old way of measuring the strength of a tire. With todays advanced materials, it takes few plys to achieve the same or greater strength, hence the newer "ply rating" system. Few if any tires actually use the number of plys that the "ply rating" says.

In fact fewer high quality plys may well be better that more low quality plys.... The hard part can be separating the truth from marketing.