Lifespan of Trailer Tires

   / Lifespan of Trailer Tires #51  
ultrarunner said:
John... that military tire would have me beat.

Still seems to me we didn't have the tire problems in the past unless a person ran re-caps.

Radials kind of killed the re-cap business for car sizes... across the street from where I worked was a tire recapper... they had a very good reputation and then is went south as Radials become popular.
Click to expand...

The EPA killed tires, paint, cleaners, ect.....


Chris
 
   / Lifespan of Trailer Tires #52  
Turbys_1700 said:
Everything said on here based on my experience is spot on...
My fifth wheel camper tires are ST's and in my experience the heat and speed are what kills them in addition to sun degradation...
If I would get a newer camper I would install LT's if possible but that would require a trailer with 16 " rims...
Click to expand...

Around here they will no longer install a LT or P tire on a trailer. Got into to many lawers.

Chris
 
   / Lifespan of Trailer Tires #56  
   / Lifespan of Trailer Tires #57  
texasjohn said:
what do they install, then?
Click to expand...

Just trailer tires. I got around this on a customers tri axle by taking the wheels off and hauling them in myself and saying it was for a project truck. Did 4 at one place and the other 3 at a different location.

Chris
 
   / Lifespan of Trailer Tires #58  
Once upon a time, many years ago, I interned at a major tire manufacturer working as a lab assistant before I graduated college. I would take samples of rubber as they mixed it and after building a tire to perform specification testing. One thing I remember from just listening to the office conversations is they recommended replacing your tires every five years, of course that was based on profits vice real world experience. The chief chemical engineer I worked for would say his tires would last ten years in the worst conditions. Their research showed tire failures were caused by under- or over-inflation of tires, overloading of vehicles, improper maintenance, structural defects (the tire manufactures biggest concern), improper installation and conditions like exposure to sunlight (heat and UV). Age related failures were very uncommon in tires less than ten years old but varied with environment the tires were in.

I have access to free trailer tires (married into a farming family) but seldom replace my before ten years old unless I see major checking/cracking in the sidewall where the tire flexes the most.

Just my two cents which is worth about that much.:)
 
   / Lifespan of Trailer Tires #59  
Diamondpilot said:
Around here they will no longer install a LT or P tire on a trailer. Got into to many lawers.

Chris
Click to expand...

That's something I hadn't heard of before, Chris. One of my brothers lives in a tri axle 38' fifth-wheel and it's heavy, so he's bought LT tires for it both in Texas and in the state of Washington.
 
   / Lifespan of Trailer Tires #60  
I think that the reason ST tires tend to blow out more on fifth wheel campers and the such is that trucks today pull them faster than they can stand...
ST tires are rated @ 65 mph...
I tend to believe that at that kind of speed and high heat in the summer time lead to their demise...
I believe that LT tires outperform ST's in that type of situation being able to handle the heat and speed better...
I would like to know the differences in standards that ST vs LT tires...
I've always heard that ST tires have more UV inhibitors in the sidewalls including stiffer sidewalls...
I know the claims from the manufacturers but I have never seen the empirical data supporting those claims from the manufacturers...
On my camper I run e rated 15" tires and run them at the max psi rating...
The tires are rated at 80 psi but I limit that to the 75 psi rating for the rims...
So far so good...
But, I still prefer LT's...
 
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