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It was definitely not my intention to tell you that you shouldn't have bought E-rated tires.
A few knowledgeable people here recommend against lifting to 4", but I, and many others, prefer 4" lifts and 35" wheels on a JKU... and my Jeep handles very nicely with this combination.

I had C-rated tires, then D-rated. The D are clearly harder.
A friend of mine has E, and I don't like the hardness of his tires. It doesn't mean that he doesn't like them... That’s a matter of personal preferences.

I answered the OP with information, and added some more information -- remember that many read the forum and learn from it.

An example for the E vs D difference -- On a 245/75/17, for instance, the E is made for about 1,680 lbs (3/4 Ton) more load – That’s for a Jeep which is loaded with some 7 or 8 more people… A big difference.

With 18~20 psi, my D-rated 35” (315/70/17) Mickey Thompson MTZ, sag enough for most of my offroading, including most of the tough sections.
What notnalc68 said, shows the difference:
“I'm running 20 in mine, because of the storm we had, & they barely started sagging.
I don't have beadlocks, but I'll bet I could run 10 lbs or a little less, aired down for off-road.”

The main benefit that I see in E-rated, is the increased ‘insurance’ against tears or punctures, when in the middle of nowhere.

 

Reading through my post, I apologize if I came off the wrong way.
Certainly not my style.
And with regards to providing others (not just the thread participants) with information being the purpose of any forum, well, you're absolutely right.

 

Thanks for your input everyone! There is always things to learn, and this is a great place for it! I have found with chalk test and ride preference, 30 is my magic number, daily driven. Thanks again everyone!

 

It's OK, no bad feeling.
The Internet is a good place to look for misunderstandings... happened to me too...

 

Note that if the ambient temperature drops or rises by much, or if changing elevation, up or down, by, say, 6000 ft. or more, there will be a change of quite a few psi.

BTW, for lengthening the usable mileage of the tires, it's a good idea to rotate them (including the spare wheel) each time the Jeep is serviced.
There are a few way to do it, this is one example:



Provided that the spare is similar in size to the other 4 tires, including it in the wheel rotation, reduces the tire wear by 25%.
Tires have limited shelf life even if not used, so a spare that hadn't been used for 3 or 4 years (especially in hot weather) isn't reliable anyway.

 

I realize about tire rotation, I've rotated the tires frequently with all my vehicles for as long as I've been driving, and will continue too with my jeep, as well as my matched spare. But thanks.

 

It actually depends more on the weight of the vehicle than the load range or anything else. It's always the weight of the vehicle NOT the size of the tire ask any tire expert. I would not under 30psi or ur asking the wear the outside part of your tires out, EVEN if your chalk test shows the middle part of the tire is touching the pavement

 

I didn't assume that you didn't know about tire rotation... and couldn't know that you do it anyway.
There are many who read this forum, that's why I often elaborate a bit more. If just one Jeeper adopted tire rotation, because of this thread, the forum has justified itself.

 

I'd say it somewhat differently:
Tire load rating specifies the vehicle (+ max. load) that the tire is made for.

My Jeep is a 4-dr with lots of extra weight -- bumpers, winch, rock rails, skid plates, compressor, tools, recovery and camping gear, extra water and fuel, etc' -- all of which is permanently on the jeep.
I run on 35"s, D-rated. With 28~30 psi, the tread sits flat.
I've had enough vehicles, tires and miles, to know that a tread which sits flat results in the slowest tire wear. Over and over again, the chalk test had proven itself to show the optimal pressure for minimal tire wear and optimal grab on roads.

C-rated would have given me softer ride on roads, but I preferred sacrificing some ride comfort in favor of the stronger D sidewalls for offroading.
E-rated tires are made for loads that are way over the weight of a heavy 4-dr Jeep, not to mention the lighter 2-dr.

The tires are part of the suspension system. Using E-rated tires hardens the ride just like using stiffer shocks/coils would.
They introduce more jolts and vibration, without which the whole Jeep would be better off.
With each turn - change of direction - the rubber twists between the road and the rim.
Because of the harder sidewalls of E tires, there's less twisting, which results in "sharper" steering.
This sounds like a good thing, but it's not, as C or D already give pretty good steering, and they also give more warning (and driver reaction time) when the Jeep is about to slide.

Some Jeep owners try to apply their experience with muscle cars or super cars to their Jeep.
Jeep handling is quite different from such cars, and requires a different approach, tire pressure included.

Sorry, no way that rubber which doesn't touch the road would wear like you say.
You could be right though, if the tire is driven daily with very low pressure, say 20psi.
In that case, the rubber would continuously twist too much with each turn of the steering wheel, which will wear the tire (but not by grinding the rubber off).
This, however, is strictly theoretical, as no one would tolerate the poor road handling that such a low pressure would cause.