Tires: Tire load rating D vs E, ford club wagon, maximum load capacity

Question
Thanks for the info Barry,

As far as overloading, in my mind there is a gap between the passenger Club Wagon and the E350 cargo van. Both the same van to my understanding, but I'm sure the cargo van would carry more weight due to it's purpose? In my case I removed all but one rear seat use it for recreation purposes (even those seats are heavy). Just me and my wife and bit of camping gear and bicycles, so not that much weight. I will use all four snow tires, and they are brand new so I am confident that the weight should be fine. I need to go and purchase snow chains to go with these tires, any recommendations of type? Will 2 be good for the drive axle, or should I have four for all wheels?

Thanks again,
Dave

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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Hi,

I have a 98 Ford Club Wagon. The tires are stock 245/75/R16, load rating E, 10 ply. I just picked up a set of used snow tires 265/75/R16, load rating D, 8 ply. They were mounted on rims and a great deal. I never have the van fully loaded with weight, will the change in load rating, and ply be ok? What pressure do you recommend? Mostly freeway driving. Thanks.
-----Answer-----
Dave,

Tecnically, this new tire is overloaded, but given that you will NEVER load the vehicle to its maximum load capacity, you could use them, provided there is enough room in the fenderwells (and while that is probably true, I can not guarrantee that!)

You need to run 45 psi in the front and 65 psi in the rear - assuming you mean to use all 4 positions with these snow tires.  If you only put them on the rear - which isn't a great idea since traction during braking is actually more important than traction on acceleration - you should make sure the fronts use their normal pressure - 55 psi.

Answer
Dave,

The chassis under both the passenger van and the cargo van is the same.  I would expect the cargo van to have more payload capacity simply because the body (and the stuff inside) weighs less - less sound insulation, less upholstery, and glass is pretty heavy compared to a thin sheet of steel.  But since you are using the passenger van like a cargo van, you have to consider that you start off at a weight disadvantage.

Snow chains?  Sorry, that's an area I just don't have any experience with.