Any Consensus on Trailer Tire Brands???

[dullpain]

Dougster - And I took you serious????

Quotes of what you wanted. You said it not me!

Several reasons... the most important of which is that I almost died 10 days ago when my fully-loaded dump trailer picked up a screw somewhere and one tire went soft on the highway... blowing out and taking the other tire on that side with it...

I want the highest load rated tires I can fit on those two trailers... bar none!

Whatever safety margin I can add, I will. I wish the new tires could be American-made, but it is equally important that they be the right type, right fit and highest possible load carrying capability to guard against future puncture-related disasters when running fully loaded.

 

[Dougster]

Please don't keep us in suspense how much were they?
one mans bankrupt may be another mans pocket change.

Actually, I found a much better price after I posted that: $249.95 each plus tax. Might be an extra charge for the high pressure valves. Biggest issue: Can't put these on standard trailer wheels. They require special 6.5" wide high pressure wheels... cost and availability yet undetermined. Also, I have yet to determine if they are truly "Made in USA"... no one actually has the tire in stock to look at one.

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

Dougster - And I took you serious???? Quotes of what you wanted. You said it not me!

Seems I have offended you. Very sorry if I did. I really appreciated your input.

I don't believe I've been inconsistent. I want the most reliable, highest load-rated, ideally American-Made tires THAT WILL FIT on my two 10K trailers. Key words here: "THAT WILL FIT." Does me no good to find a tire that won't fit without rubbing or requires a special wheel or wheel spacer to fit.

Both trailer manufacturers have told me that they do not recommend putting ST235/85R16 tires on these particular 10K trailers... only 75 or 80 profile tires for their slightly smaller diameter and much higher load carrying capability in LRE. It doesn't mean I've ruled out those Goodyear 85-profile tires... but I am approaching that size with extreme caution.

Turns out that the Titan Radial ST is also "Made in China"... so that now means there are NO tires available in ST235/75R16 LRE or ST235/80R16 LRE that are "Made in USA"... hence my need to go back and look at Chinese-made tires again... like it or not (and I don't).

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

I asked my friends at Goodyear about the question of Made in USA trailer tires and here is their answer: "Goodyear does make an ST235/80R16 Marathon trailer tire, but it is a load range D, not E. It is product code 762-400-406, GBS code 197621. I believe these are made in Fayetteville. The tire will carry 3000 pounds at 65 psi. ST tires generally have the same dimensions as their LT counterparts, but the loads for ST tires are calculated with a different formula that allows more capacity. An LT235/80R16 LR D tire will only carry 2623 pounds at 65 psi." I believe that would be a Kelly Springfield plant in N. Carolina.

Thanks for the research, but I've been told by numerous Goodyear dealers that those Marathon tires are now "Made in China." They are also Load Range D while I really need Load Range E to have any hope of surviving another single tire failure without taking out both tires on the same side again. Still, I will check out your friend's claims. Maybe there are some "Made in USA" leftovers still around. A Load Range D tire that is "Made in USA" might still be better than a Load Range E tire that is "Made in China".

Dougster

 

[MJB]

I have the Goodyear G614 tires in the 235/85/r16 Load Range G size on my Pace American gooseneck. It came from the factory that way with the 7200 lb axles. The height of the tires is quite short for their rated size. The link posted earlier shows them at only 30.7 inches in diameter. Nominal diameter for that size tire is 31.7 inches, so they may fit your trailer if the height is the limiting factor. The special rims are needed for the high inflation pressure. If you only inflate them to the pressure that your stock rims will handle, they should be fine. Of course the load capacity will not be as high at the lower inflation pressure. Mine say "Made in USA" on the sidewall. They are a very heavy tire, and seem to wear like iron. They are regroovable as well if you wear them down. Hope this helps.

 

[Dougster]

I have the Goodyear G614 tires in the 235/85/r16 Load Range G size on my Pace American gooseneck. It came from the factory that way with the 7200 lb axles. The height of the tires is quite short for their rated size. The link posted earlier shows them at only 30.7 inches in diameter. Nominal diameter for that size tire is 31.7 inches, so they may fit your trailer if the height is the limiting factor. The special rims are needed for the high inflation pressure. If you only inflate them to the pressure that your stock rims will handle, they should be fine. Mine say "Made in USA" on the sidewall. They are a very heavy tire, and seem to wear like iron. They are regroovable as well if you wear them down. Hope this helps.

Thanks Mike - Good info. If they are, in reality, a smaller diameter tire than spec, that's very important to me. Same if they are truly still "Made in USA" as yours were. I am still trying to locate a dealer that actually has some new ones in stock so I can verify the source country and other info for myself.

I note that the Goodyear spec calls for 6.5 inch rims only... no latitude like all their other tires... specifically eliminating the standard 6" trailer width in 16" from consideration. Yes, I could run lower rated wheels and go down in pressure and load capacity... but what about the 6.5 inch width requirement? That's a tough one. Or do you think I can ignore that requirement without ill effects?

For the record, my two 10K trailers are limited in both tire diameter and width by axle and trailer dimensions. No matter what I get, I've been told by the manufacturers to verify actual clearances first with two wheels & tires... even for 75 and 80 profile tires... before buying all 8 wheels and tires. There are no guarantees on fit here at all... especially on the equipment trailer which appears much tighter.

Dougster

 

[MJB]

Personally, I wouldn't worry about running them on a 6 inch rim. Most manufacturers give an approved rim width range of 6"-7" for a 235 width tire. If you run them on a lighter rim at lower inflation pressure, the tire is way overkill anyway. The 6.5" width requirement is likely just the optimum width to get the maximum load rating out of the tire. These, of course, are only my opinions, your mileage may vary.

 

[jsborn]

I have not seen your trailers and as far as I remember you haven't said weather you have given any consideration to replacing the fenders to allow for bigger tires and wheels? Like I said I don't know this may not be an option but I would sure look into it. You may be able to just have the fenders raised up some and make bigger tires work for you ?

By the way those prices would bankrupt me too but thanks for letting us know what we were talking about.

 

[dullpain]

Dougster - You did not offend me . I just took you at your word. Near death experience, fix at whatever the cost, etc...

I understand now you don't have the wheels rated for these tires. Yes that would be added expense.

Just want you to know the Goodyears have performed flawlessly for me , but I had the special valve stems , and heavy duty wheels already. They were the heaviest load rated tires I could find , and thats what I wanted.

Hope you find what you need , want and can avoid life threatening situations in the future.

 

[Dougster]

Personally, I wouldn't worry about running them on a 6 inch rim. Most manufacturers give an approved rim width range of 6"-7" for a 235 width tire. If you run them on a lighter rim at lower inflation pressure, the tire is way overkill anyway. The 6.5" width requirement is likely just the optimum width to get the maximum load rating out of the tire. These, of course, are only my opinions, your mileage may vary.

Just got back from visiting a number of trailer and tire dealers. First off, zzvyb6 is absolutely right that Goodyear Marathons are still available in size ST235/80R16 Load Range D Made in USA!!! I could not believe it, but I saw them with my own eyes. No Load Range E available... but at least now I have a fallback to USA-made Load Range D tires if I decide to go that route.

Secondly, nobody had one of those Goodyear G614 RST tires in stock to look at, but one place had something very similar in an LT Load Range G tire. He did not recommend I put them on a standard 16" (6" wide) trailer wheel nor use them on either of my 10K trailers. He called them serious overkill and a gross mismatch for the proposed wheel and trailers. His words, not mine... so please no dissing me here... but I understood his point quite well after he walked be through the extreme heavy-weight/heavy-duty construction. It's apparently an incredible tire, but he felt it was just way too much tire for my purposes. That being said, I haven't completely given up on it yet!!!

Found a bunch of other tire candidates in ST235/80R16 LRE... some better than others... some downright scary... but all made in China. This is becoming one very frustrating search.

Dougster