How do you size a Kinetic Recovery Rope?

[oldmopars]

I have read that you need to size the rope based on the weight of the vehicle you want to recover. However I understand there is a formula, i.e. 3x the weight of you vehicle.
So, when searching for a rope, I get 7/8in rated from 21K up to 30K lbs. 1in seems to be 33K+.
GVWR of my 2008 2500 Suburban is 8,600lbs. This puts me at 25,800lbs.
My concern is that the 7/8in ropes are all 7/8in, but have ratings from 21K to 30K. Are some sellers being overly generous on the rating? The 1in is too much, but none are rated below 30K.
Am I fine to get a 7/8in and just make sure the rating is at least 26K, or should I just get the 1in. I have also read that going too big is bad as it will not act like a kinetic rope, but more like a stiff strap loosing the kinetic advantage.

 

[Ubiety]

I have wondered the same. Thanks for asking!

 

[OTH Overland]

When I purchased my Yankum Rope, I got a good explaination of the method of sizing from the manufacture. They indicated that the rope should be sized based on the vehicle doing the recovery, not the one being recovered. To get the most out of the rope, it needs to be stretched to a certain level in order to build up the correct amount of kenitic energy. If you use a 6000 pound vehicle to try and stretch a rope designed for a 12,000 pound vehicle you will not be able to get enough elongation of the rope to build up enough energy to extract the stuck vehicle, and there tends to be more of a jolt then a smooth pull. They did say the ropes are tough enough that if you have a rope designed for your Jeep and you get stuck and have a passing full size rig use your rope to pull you out it will still work fine, but you may reach the end of the stretch if he gives it a few more beans then needed to do the job. I purchased Yankum's 7/8" rope for my JKU, and a friend went with the 1" for his super duty. Yankums web site lists the suggested pull weight for each rope and its MTS, Minimum tensile strength ( working load). I assume most other manufactures do the same.

 

[MazeVX]

Oth is exactly right here, the weight of the recovering vehicle determines the energy that can be used and is the decisive factor for the rope "size"

 

[Nickel]

But what about the weight rating? What is the formula? I have read you should size the tow strap or snatch strap to 5x the weight rating of the vehicle?

My Tacoma is 4400 pounds, after mods 5000 according to my latest trip to the dump, and when camping probably 5500. So I would want to buy tow rope, snatch straps, soft shackles rated to 30,000 plus pounds?

Edit: OK I did some more of research and here is what I found (generally speaking):

1. Tow Rope - 5:1 to weight ratio of vehicle
2. Soft Shackles - 5:1
3. Snatch Strap - 3:1 (what I read is if the ratio is higher, the snatch strap won't stretch properly and you won't get the rebound action you want)