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Load Range vs. Load Index

 

When your OEM tire has reached its limit, you cannot just pick the first tire you encounter and mount it on your wheels. You have to consider different factors such as Load Range and Load Index. If you are not familiar with these two yet, let us help you to understand more about these tire load range and load index before you buy tires online.

LOAD RANGE AND PLY RATING

Load Range is the classification of tire’s maximum weight and air pressure capabilities. It allows you to know the sturdiness and capability of a tire. Load Ranges is identified by a letter indicated on the tire sidewall and located at the end part of tire size.

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P235/75R-15 XL

In the given example above, the load range is XL which stands for Extra Load. The range may differ based on the ply rating of the tire. Ply Rating is an old way to measure the load carrying capacity. The thicker the layer is, the higher the ply rating. It is the same with the load range – the higher load range, the heavier load capacity. Nowadays, manufacturers use few but sturdier plies so the load range is being used to know the toughness and maximum air pressure of the tire. Here are the Load Range and Ply Rating which you can use as a reference to know the load capacity of the tire.

If you are a passenger vehicle owner, you can see the reference below to see the appropriate range for your vehicle. There are three passenger tire load ranges: Light Road, Standard Load, and Extra Load that are commonly 2 to 4-ply tires.

P-Metric Passenger Vehicle Tires

LOAD RANGE ABBREVIATED MAX. LOAD PRESSURE
Light Load LL 35 psi
Standard Load SL 35 psi
Extra Load XL 41 psi

While if you are a light truck vehicle owner, you can probably notice wider tire ranges: B, C, D, E, and F.

LT- Metric Light Truck Tires

LOAD RANGE PLY RATING ABBREVIATED MAX. LOAD PRESSURE
B 4 B 35 psi
C 6 C 50 psi
D 8 D 65 psi
E 10 E 80 psi
F 12 F 95 psi
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LOAD INDEX AND LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY


Load Index is the indication of the carrying capacity of an inflated tire while Load Carrying Capacity is the indication how much weight a tire can carry. These are both located on the tire sidewall

You can use the provided table below to know the load capacity of your tires.

Load Index & Carrying Capacity

LOAD INDEX CARRYING CAPACITY (lbs) LOAD INDEX CARRYING CAPACITY (lbs) LOAD INDEX CARRYING CAPACITY (lbs)
0 99 50 419 100 1764
1 102 51 430 101 1819
2 105 52 441 102 1874
3 107 53 454 103 1929
4 110 54 467 104 1984
5 114 55 481 105 2039
6 117 56 494 106 2094
7 120 57 507 107 2149
8 123 58 520 108 2205
9 128 59 536 109 2271
10 132 60 551 110 2337
11 136 61 567 111 2403
12 139 62 584 112 2469
13 143 63 600 113 2535
14 148 64 617 114 2601
15 152 65 639 115 2679
16 157 66 639 116 2756
17 161 67 677 117 2833
18 165 68 694 118 2910
19 171 69 716 119 2998
20 176 70 739 120 3086
21 182 71 761 121 3197
22 187 72 783 122 3307
23 193 73 805 123 3417
24 198 74 827 124 3527
25 204 75 852 125 3638
26 209 76 882 126 3748
27 215 77 908 127 3858
28 220 78 937 128 3968
29 227 79 963 129 4079
30 234 80 992 130 4189
31 240 81 1019 131 4289
32 247 82 1047 132 4409
33 254 83 1074 133 4541
34 260 84 1102 134 4674
35 267 85 1135 135 4806
36 276 86 1168 136 4938
37 282 87 1201 137 5071
38 291 88 1235 138 5203
39 300 89 1279 139 5357
40 309 90 1323 140 5512
41 320 91 1356 141 5677
42 331 92 1389 142 5842
43 342 93 1433 143 6008
44 353 94 1477 144 6173
45 364 95 1521 145 6393
46 375 96 1565 146 6614
47 386 97 1609 147 6779
48 397 98 1653 148 6844
49 408 99 1709 149 7165

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