Any Consensus on Trailer Tire Brands???

[Dougster]

Just reading from the side here, but dang, it sure does seem funny how bent you are about American tires, when the failure (if I understand it correctly) came from a screw on the road, which in my opinion did not particularly care where the tire was made. From my view, if you want to prevent a recurrence of this problem, something like Slime or run flat lube would be of more benefit then where the tire was made.

Hi Alan - Yep... best I can tell a small screw puncture in one of my Chinese Loadstar tires started the whole mess. Since I visually check my tires before every load, I can only assume that it was a slow leaker or that I just missed it or that it happened during that trip. It appears from the marks in the road... which I just went back to inspect again just today... that the second tire on that side held for about 750 feet after the first tire blew off... and then it blew too. It was a very nasty experience I am not in a hurry to repeat. Would have taken pix for my court appearance, but another state cop radar trap was sitting in exactly the same place again and I did not wish to screw with that fine public servant.

Hindsight is 20/20, but there is an amazing amount of info on the net about Chinese tire defects/failures in general and Chinese trailer & RV tire failures in particular. And yet everything is Chinese in the size I need except for the Goodyear Marathon (Load Range D) and the Goodyear G614 RST (Load Range G) tires... nothing whatsoever American in Load Range E (2,520 lbs capability) that would give me a fighting chance of surviving one blowout on a fully loaded trailer without incurring a second "same side" blowout.

Three blunt dealer cautions aside, I may still end up with the megabuck G614 RST tires. Just read yet another RV forum thread regarding MORE Chinese tire failures. I think I'm going to be sick.

Dougster

 

[tractorsanmore]

G149 RSA LT US and Canada

 

[Dougster]

G149 RSA LT US and Canada

Same load capability as Goodyear's Marathon ST235/80R16 LRD. Also can't verify it will fit (in LT235/85R16) since no height given here or elsewhere by Goodyear.

There are better options out there if I were willing and able to go to an LT235/85R16 tire.

Dougster

 

[schmism]

I think you need to be relistic in your wants.

Shure i might WANT to run a 11 sec quarter mile in my little pickup... at the end of the day theres just no way to do it with out spending a lot of money to make it into something it isnt. (a 11 sec truck)

There is likely a reason your trailer isnt built to take HUGE 3500lb tires.... Seems like you could either spend way more money than its worth on trailer tires not really ment to go on your trailer, or change trailers that will acomidate serious heavy duty tires if thats your goal.

Perhaps you should just go with some "standard" trailer tires and instead invest in some remote tire pressure monitering equipment if having a leak in a tire is such a "life crtical" issue. Then you can pull over well before you ever risk a blow out as you watch the pressure in a tire leak down over 5-10-30 min....

IF your regularly working your tires at the upper load range, its sound advise to replace them every couple of years regardless if they show were or not. Thats the only way to avoid blow outs from tires that have internal breakdown due to age. (or a combination of age and load)

so it would seem your choices are to 1) buy gaud awafully expensive tires once every 5? years.... or 2) some more reasonable "inexpensive" tires you replace every other year, resell on craigslist and recoupe some of the cost. And avoid all the trouble and time you have spent to track down a unicorn of a product.

Seems like a no brainer to me, but ill be curous to see what you end up with.

PS if I was so hard up for some 3500lb rated tires in a "US name brand" id go to 19.5" tires...tall and skinny are a norm with that tire, which should fit on a trailer easly. might have to raise the fender a bit, change some hubs out, but that would seem to be a lot less work, and you can also run a set on your F350,3500 etc tow vehical and double up on spairs as the tow vehical and trailer use the same wheel/tire combo.

 

[Dougster]

There is likely a reason your trailer isnt built to take HUGE 3500lb tires.... Seems like you could either spend way more money than its worth on trailer tires not really ment to go on your trailer, or change trailers that will acomidate serious heavy duty tires if thats your goal.

Perhaps you should just go with some "standard" trailer tires and instead invest in some remote tire pressure monitering equipment if having a leak in a tire is such a "life crtical" issue. Then you can pull over well before you ever risk a blow out as you watch the pressure in a tire leak down over 5-10-30 min....

IF your regularly working your tires at the upper load range, its sound advise to replace them every couple of years regardless if they show were or not. Thats the only way to avoid blow outs from tires that have internal breakdown due to age. (or a combination of age and load)

so it would seem your choices are to 1) buy gaud awafully expensive tires once every 5? years.... or 2) some more reasonable "inexpensive" tires you replace every other year, resell on craigslist and recoupe some of the cost. And avoid all the trouble and time you have spent to track down a unicorn of a product.

Seems like a no brainer to me, but ill be curous to see what you end up with.

Some very good observations and suggestions Steve... you must be reading my brain waves! In fact, we have been thinking very hard about upgrading not just the tires, but the trailers too... by selling the marginal trailers we've got and getting new trailers with axles, wheels and tires that are bigger and more heavy-duty relative to the loads we are carrying.

I've also been thinking about, and investigating, tire pressure monitoring systems... from the most simple right up to the full deluxe electronic alert systems. I simply cannot allow a small random screw and old fashioned, non-steel belted, marginally-rated, Chinese-made bias ply tires to take me out again. Not going to happen!!!

But you are also right: The Load Range G tires do not belong on a 2,500 lb trailer that runs unloaded or light loaded far MORE than it runs fully loaded. The overly-stiff, bouncing megabuck tires would tear themselves and the trailer apart... leaving me where???

Going down to RI to look at some more trailer tires this afternoon... and still investigating some Load Range E tires available via the net... but I'm this close to buying the Goodyear Marathons at this point even if somewhat lower rated. At least they're American and I can afford them.

Dougster

 

[podagrower]

My two cents. Any brand other than Maypop or Dunpoped.

 

[wushaw]

If you do up-size trailers then the 17.5 G114 by Goodyear are good tires, I have the 215/75R17.5 on my fifthwheel, they are mounted on aluminum rims on 7k axles. They are overkill for the 16k they carry but overkill is good.
These are commercial tires used on commercial trailers normally.

http://www.goodyear.com/truck/pdf/sell_sheets/7502G114.pdf

 

[Dougster]

My two cents. Any brand other than Maypop or Dunpoped.

Both "private label" Chinese-made tires under investigation by the DOT I assume... yes?

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

If you do up-size trailers then the 17.5 G114 by Goodyear are good tires, I have the 215/75R17.5 on my fifthwheel, they are mounted on aluminum rims on 7k axles. They are overkill for the 16k they carry but overkill is good. These are commercial tires used on commercial trailers normally.
http://www.goodyear.com/truck/pdf/sell_sheets/7502G114.pdf

Haven't seen any tires that big on any of the possible "upgrade" trailers I've been scoping out since the tire blowout incident... and that has included some awfully big, expensive, premium-brand equipment and dump trailers.

Remember... at the end of the day, I am limited to a 10K gross load by the 2500HD w/6.0L gas engine.

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

PS if I was so hard up for some 3500lb rated tires in a "US name brand" id go to 19.5" tires...tall and skinny are a norm with that tire, which should fit on a trailer easly. might have to raise the fender a bit, change some hubs out, but that would seem to be a lot less work, and you can also run a set on your F350,3500 etc tow vehical and double up on spairs as the tow vehical and trailer use the same wheel/tire combo.

Sorry... but there is just no practical, timely, cost-effective way for me to take two basic (read: cheap) 10K trailers that came with 15" wheels/tires and convert them both to accommodate 19.5 inch wheels & tires... and no need if I go to ST235/80R15 LRE tires that BOTH fit perfectly "as-is" and carry a 3,520 lb rating (and I can actually almost afford them!!!). We would be talking huge money here and mods that would keep me from my paying work for weeks or longer. As the trailer guy said about my idea of going to a compound lift mechanism on the dump: "Sell the dang trailers you've got and buy what you think you need... you'll save money."

And just to clarify another point: I am not looking for a US name brand tire. I am looking for a tire actually made in the USA. Big difference... and actually kind of a disappointment as I did my research. Far too much US name brand everything is made in China these days.

Dougster