That "300 lbs of camping gear and a dirt bike twice a season" is the whole story right there. Load range E tires are built for trucks hauling way more weight than that, so you're basically running tires that never warm up to the job they were made for. I ran E's on my old Ranger for two years thinking I needed them, then switched to C's and the ride on gravel and washboard got way less harsh. The tire guy is steering you right, save the E's for the guys towing trailers every weekend.

You drove 40 minutes and left with the setup that makes every console look worse just so you can plug in more stuff? Component and S-video only matter if the tubes are close, but you already said the newer one had the better picture. Two weeks of second guessing is your gut telling you that you blew it. A sharper tube beats extra ports every time, you can always grab a switch box for 20 bucks.