Update on trailer tire search

[MABell]

I posted a question earlier about replacing the tires on my H26 trailer.
The tires were the originals from 1998.
I read a lot of reviews about trailer tires – none of them very good.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the negative reviews need to be viewed “with a grain of salt”.
Most (not all) trailer tire failures are neglect.
Low pressure.
Driving to fast (I was told trailer tires are speed rated for 65 mph, tops. I don’t drive with my trailer over 65, but I’ve see a lot of people that do).
Tires to old.
To old? Wait. Mine are, lets see, way more than 5 years old.
5 years seems to be the agreed retirement age for trailer tires. Apparently I’ve been lucky because when we take off on our Summer trip, it’s a long ways.
In my search, Carlisle kept coming up as “We’ve had good luck with them.”
But here is the best part. By going to a 15 inch wheel, I can go from a load range “C” to a load range “D”.
The tire diameter is just one inch more. Only 1/2” on all sides. I don’t think I’ll even have to raise the fenders.
And, when I’m packed for a month excursion and tip the scale right at 7,000 lbs, I’m not traveling at max capacity on the tires.
Signing off.

 

[jackhartjr]

MaBell, I got Maxxis for our travel trailer, 10 ply which was a lot better than the 6 ply that came on it!
The biggest thing with tires is what you said...thire pressure!
Get you a 'Tire Thumper' from a truck stop. It you hit the middle of the tire you will get use to the sound and bounce and be able to tell if they are at pressure!
And I will get flamed for this...I use nitrogen in every tire I have. They run so much cooler...no I have not checked the temperature while running...I know they run cooler!
In three years I have lost 1 PSI...and that was from checking them once in a while.
Jack

 

[Rick Webb]

Check the Tire Diameter

Different tires have different tire heights. The rim diameter does not corelate to tire diameter directly. There are charts that list the tire diameter I'll see if I can find one.

 

[Rick Webb]

Found One

20575D14 Load Range C, tire diameter 26.75" max capacity 1760# and weighs 27#

22575D15 Load Range C, tire diameter 28" max capacity 2150# and weighs 37#

22575D15 Load Range D, tire diameter 29" max capacity 2450# and weighs 41#

Other manufacturers may be different just to give you an idea.

 

[MABell]

Yes, I was using the manufactures data for tire diameters – not wheel diameter.

Where, and how, do you fill a tire with nitrogen?

 

[CaptDon01]

I currently have 14" rims on our trailer with load range-C tires. Load range-C is about max'ed out for my boat and trailer, so I thought it would be good to go up to 15" wheels so I can get load range-D tires. Seems no one locally can get load range-D tires in a 14" size. For the heck of it, I went online to www.tirerack.com and they have load range-D tires for 14" rims. Even with their shipping, not having to purchase new rims will save me a BUNCH!

Don

 

[monkeybars]

i keep my tires filled with 75% nitrogen,same as the air i breathe everyday.nitro will not make tires run cooler,someone is BS'ing you as a sales pitch.nitro has only two big advantages. 1. its a much larger molicule that o2 and c02 so your tires will maintain pressure a little bit better,remember your only adding 20% more nitro then you would have if you used atmosphere air.2. in the landing gear bay at 35,000 ft in your 747 when there is a fire your tires will not explode adding a bunch of oxygen to the fire, its an FAA requirement for saftey only.

 

[jackhartjr]

Ray, not that this will help...most folks that scream whin nitrogen is mentioned will not listen to reason...when you take the oxygen out of the tire you have no moisture...therefore less heat buildup.
As a benefit to taking the oxygen away...if you get a nail or screw in the tire that you don't see...you will not have rust build up on the nail/screw...which then goes to the steel belts and helps to compromise the belt...therefore destroying the tire.
Truck and bus companies that use nitrogen realize a lot less tire failures by using it.
MABell...more and more tire stores sell it. Usually in the $4 to $5 per tire range.
Jack

 

[MABell]

CaptDon

That's great you could find 14" trailer tires in load range "D".
I couldn't, and the tirerack doesn't seem to have them in my size tire either.
Thinking I'll be able to sell my 14" wheels and tires for what the new 15" wheels will cost.

 

[kenn]

Our plain ole Carlisle tires are at their maximum load rating when the boat's loaded for cruising, but in 4 summers they have not failed. Also they seem to not get hot, even at highway speed, so I'm not springing for nitrigen But I do check the pressure before every trip.

In 4 years I have replaced one, bought a new tire & rim, and rotated the old one to "spare' duty. It seems they dry out and crack before I have a chance to wear them out.

 

[MABell]

Kenn,
Doing a search here or elsewhere on the internet, the consensus seems to be 5 years.
Some are lucky. Mine are 13 years old and show no signs of aging. I just don't want to have to replace them "on the road". And running them at max capacity (as I did) must be pushing the limits. Glad to heard you've had good luck with the Carlisle's though.

 

[Big Windy]

One suggestion, do not get Chinese tires. They come as original equipment on lots of RVs and have been very poor...many blow outs, flats, and, in my case, tread separation. I did not notice it mentioned above, but pure trailer tires (that cannot be used on any vehicle) are STs...such as ST 235/80R16.

 

[MABell]

The problem is finding tires that are not made in China. Even Goodyear Marathon (the long time choice for trailer tires) are now made in China. I looked at Michelin's, but they didn't made the size I needed.

 

[petersea]

Ray, not that this will help...most folks that scream whin nitrogen is mentioned will not listen to reason...when you take the oxygen out of the tire you have no moisture...therefore less heat buildup.
As a benefit to taking the oxygen away...if you get a nail or screw in the tire that you don't see...you will not have rust build up on the nail/screw...which then goes to the steel belts and helps to compromise the belt...therefore destroying the tire.
Truck and bus companies that use nitrogen realize a lot less tire failures by using it.
MABell...more and more tire stores sell it. Usually in the $4 to $5 per tire range.
Jack

Got 4 new tires on the car at costco. they put green tire valve caps on them it indicate they are filled with nitrogen. when I asked they told me they would refill for free if one every went flat and add for free when checking pressure. Almost forgot there was no charge at purchase/instalation.

 

[Big Windy]

The problem is finding tires that are not made in China. Even Goodyear Marathon (the long time choice for trailer tires) are now made in China. I looked at Michelin's, but they didn't made the size I needed.

I opted for LT tires for my 5th wheel. They did not have the total load carrying capacity of the STs, but enough for my rig. The STs were ST235/80R16 and the LTs were LT235/85R16. As noted, it's very difficult (if not impossible) to find large STs made anywhere but China.

 

[Timo42]

LT tires are the wrong choice for a trailer, especially a heavy 5th wheel, China, in and of itself shouldn't be the determining factor to judge tire quality, I have run Marathons for years on a 14kgvw gooseneck horse trailer w/o problems, at least 2 were made in China. Goodyear sets the specs, and the tires are made to those specs wherever the plant is located. LT tires aren't built for trailer service, the sidewalls aren't stiff enough, and if you are in an accident, caused by a trailer tire blowout, that is one of the things they will check.

 

[monkeybars]

i ran LT's for twenty years(when they came off the truck they went on the trailer)and never experienced any negatives what so ever,failures or handleing problems.as long as you don't excede the load range the tire can handle the load.in my experience the most common problem blamed on supposed weaker sidewalls allways turned out to be fixed with a tongue weight adjustment and the tire had nothing to do with it.

 

[Timo42]

The tires are designed differently, for a different purpose, the people who build trailers say to use trailer tires, the people who build the tires say use trailer tires, I'm sure that if you asked your insurance carrier, they would say to use trailer tires. People who haul for a living will tell you the same thing. You may get away with it for years, but that doesn't make it safe. I have the same issue with the guys who haul heavy trailers with vehicles not rated for the load, it isn't just your safety you are compromising, it's everyone on the road with you.

 

[Big Windy]

The tires are designed differently, for a different purpose, the people who build trailers say to use trailer tires, the people who build the tires say use trailer tires, I'm sure that if you asked your insurance carrier, they would say to use trailer tires. People who haul for a living will tell you the same thing. You may get away with it for years, but that doesn't make it safe. I have the same issue with the guys who haul heavy trailers with vehicles not rated for the load, it isn't just your safety you are compromising, it's everyone on the road with you.

Don't know where you are getting your information, but it is incorrect. Many big 5th wheels come from the factory with LTs and my owner's manual says LTs or STs are okay.

 

[Timo42]

Don't know where you are getting your information, but it is incorrect. Many big 5th wheels come from the factory with LTs and my owner's manual says LTs or STs are okay.

Should have clarified, the previous poster was talking about LT truck tires, not LT trailer tires, completely different animal. But the ST trailer tires are rated higher, that's what I use on my horse trailer, with live cargo, you don't mess around.