Any Consensus on Trailer Tire Brands???

[Dougster]

Good luck finding better information.. I have seen a lot of equipment trailers with LT tires on them as OEM.. On smaller campers (popups) the Duro brand tires have a good reputation - but I dont know what they make in larger sizes.. I swear if I could find some sort of solid rubber tire that wouldn't shake my camper to death I would put them on there in heart beat.. For the most part it seems everyone that has a trailer has had tire problems.. keep us posted
Brian

Yeah, never knew the world of trailer tire problems was so huge... and I'm getting advice all over the place from different folks I've called. One trailer guy hates Brand X or Y or Z... Next trailer guy swears by Brands X, Y and Z! And they are ALL Made in CHINA!!! Drives me to drink.

Dougster

 

[4Kings]

Dougster,

I post over at RV.NET and as many of the folks over there will attest to, tires are a major concern, especially since many RV manufacturers are sourcing Chinese tires nowadays.

Most of us over there will recommend a LT tire, especially if you already have 16" wheels. Two of the most popular tires are the Michelin XPS Rib and the BF Goodrich Commercial LT. These have a rib pattern which tows much better than a "normal tread". The tread pattern most duplicates the ST tire patterns.

These are heavy duty truck tires and as such are expensive compared to ST trailer tires. The Michelin's will run you close to $200 ea., while the BFG are about $130.

I replaced all of the tires on my 5th wheel last spring prior to our trip out west. The last thing I wanted to worry about was a tire problem far from home. I actually know people who've had blowouts that have caused major damage to the undercarriage of their coaches, not fun.

 

[lug nut]

I put some used Michelin LT load range D tires on my horse trailer a few months ago. I have only put a few hundred miles on them, but they have held up fine with some pretty heavy loads.

As I'm sure most people already know, the most important preventative measure you can take when pulling a trailer is to make sure that the tires are at the proper pressure. I installed a compressor and tank on my truck mainly for the purpose of keeping my various trailer and other vehicle tires aired up wherever I am.

 

[Dougster]

Good luck finding better information.. I have seen a lot of equipment trailers with LT tires on them as OEM.. On smaller campers (popups) the Duro brand tires have a good reputation - but I dont know what they make in larger sizes..
I swear if I could find some sort of solid rubber tire that wouldn't shake my camper to death I would put them on there in heart beat.. For the most part it seems everyone that has a trailer has had tire problems..
keep us posted
Brian

Finally found my first equipment trailer (not a dump trailer) with LT tires mounted stock from the factory. It was a 20+ ft CAM deck-over. BIG tires... in fact, so big they would not fit (width-wise) on either my equipment or dump trailer. All the other CAM trailers... including all of the dumps... had ST tires.

Anyone know anything about the "Mission" brand? CAM uses them... maybe others?

Anyway... still searching for an honest, safe dump trailer tire in 235-Something-R16... not easy!!!

Dougster

 

[zzvyb6]

I work in the OEM auto industry and can only recommend sticking with a Major brand name: Goodyear, Michelin, etc. These 2 are my personal choices. I get to ruin them as part of my job. Considering what the tire components have to do, even a 25% cheaper tire is just that much more risk to your trip, your load, your confidence and the tow vehicle. When you get the new tires, accept them only if they have small weights on them. Otherwise there is a blem in them somwhere that has a stress riser in there somewhere. Since heat is the enemy of tires, don't even set pressures below recommended-for-the-load requirements. Don't use low cost wheels either. The high tire pressure needed to hold up the load will split a weakly made wheel when encountering a pot-hole chatter bumps. Please never use a pencil guage because they are just not accurate enough for range or absolute readings. Check the axle toe and camber regularly just like you would check you car. Keep a workable spare nearby, too, and the damned jack for Heaven's sake.

BTW: the multi-piece wheels of so-called "mobile home" use are not recommended because they don't carry sideforce well during heavy cornering loads. Yes, there will be a string of "I never had a problem with them wheels" replies but that's just because they never had had to rely on 1 or a a series of sharp turns. Maybe that's them driving like Grandma ahead, anyways.

My rules are: always buy the best battery, the best oil and the best tires. Everything else is negotiable. A trailer gets you to the jobsite. If it fails, it costs you 3 times: 1ce for the job $, 2nd for the reputation (if the dinner trays on a jetliner are dirty, what do the engines look like??), and 3rd for the cost of fixing it.

 

[Dougster]

My rules are: always buy the best battery, the best oil and the best tires. Everything else is negotiable. A trailer gets you to the jobsite. If it fails, it costs you 3 times: 1ce for the job $, 2nd for the reputation (if the dinner trays on a jetliner are dirty, what do the engines look like??), and 3rd for the cost of fixing it.

All good, basic advice Bill... but what do you do when no one makes in America the tire size, type and load range you need? Even the Goodyear Marathon trailer tire is made in China now and is not available in the size and load range I need to assure no more double blowouts (ST235/75R16 LRE or ST235/80R16 LRE with ~3,500 lb load capability). If Michelin makes or markets in the USA a trailer tire of this size and load capability, their dealers are certainly unaware of it.

Yes, folks are telling me to abandon the search for an "ST" trailer tire and to go buy very costly "LT" truck tires instead, but I have yet to find a dual-axle, four-tire dump trailer anywhere bearing "LT" tires right out of the factory and I am not so sure that "LT" tires even exist in the necessary size and load capability (stated above). The narrowest 16" steel-belted radial "LT" tires I've seen so far will not fit under the fenders of my two trailers with adequate clearance on standard (zero offset) trailer wheels.

Now you can start to appreciate the complexity of my situation.

Dougster

 

[thatguy]

<deleted text> (ST235/75R16 LRE or ST235/80R16 LRE <deleted text>
Yes, folks are telling me to abandon the search for an "ST" trailer tire and to go buy very costly "LT" truck tires instead, but I have yet to find a dual-axle, four-tire dump trailer anywhere bearing "LT" tires right out of the factory and I am not so sure that "LT" tires even exist in the necessary size and load capability (stated above). The narrowest 16" steel-belted radial "LT" tires I've seen so far will not fit under the fenders of my two trailers with adequate clearance on standard (zero offset) trailer wheels.

Now you can start to appreciate the complexity of my situation.

Dougster

the tire size you needed looked like what comes on dually pickups - but from tirerack.com it say they actually call for a LT235/85 16 tire - E rated... Im guessing those wont fit...

I have heard you can do this with cars, but I have not tried it. Going up (or down) one size (to a 225 or 245) then changing the other (75/80) ratio to keep the same overall tire size? can you make sense of what Im saying??

good luck

Brian

 

[Dougster]

the tire size you needed looked like what comes on dually pickups - but from tirerack.com it say they actually call for a LT235/85 16 tire - E rated... Im guessing those wont fit... I have heard you can do this with cars, but I have not tried it. Going up (or down) one size (to a 225 or 245) then changing the other (75/80) ratio to keep the same overall tire size? can you make sense of what Im saying??
good luck
Brian

Gotta be *very* careful here... Those "LT235/85 16 tire - E rated" tires are only rated for 3,000 lbs... not 3,500 lbs like the 75 or 80 profile in same diameter/width. All E-rated tires are not created equal!

245 tires will not fit either of my trailers. Already checked. It would be great if they did fit... those are the tires already sitting outside on my Chevy 2500HD!!!

Dougster

 

[tractorsanmore]

G614 RST US and Canada

Maybe a tire like this would work

 

[Dougster]

G614 RST US and Canada
Maybe a tire like this would work

Wow!!! That is one interesting tire!!! An "LT" tire specifically made for trailers that runs at 110 psi... Hmmmm.

All I can say is that I'll ask about it first thing tomorrow! Thanks!

Dougster