Another tire thread

[TravelinDog]

Some background first.
Trailer only used about 3-4 weeks out of the year and maybe 2500 miles tops.
When I bought it it had stock C load rated tires that looked like new. I had 2 blow-outs on the first trip. I started replacing them with D load rating tires but I find they don't hold up any better. The trailer only weighs in at about 7500lbs fully loaded. I had the spare rupture while it was not even mounted and this is the second one that has done that.
I've had Carlisle, Towmaster, Vanguard and Commadore brand tires. None seem to last very long but they always seem to last just beyond the 3 year warranty. I always keep tires inflated to max which is 65psi.
I bought a new tire last week, this time it is a Goodyear Marathon tire. I looked at a new Carlisle but they seem to have been cheapened up considerably.
I'll have to wait and see how the Goodyear holds up.
You guys have the same type of tire life from your ST tires?

[Grit_dog]

^Except there's more trailer tires to choose from than ever now and plenty of great options.
FWIW, I've been running "cheap" Kenda Karriers now on 2 trailers for several years without issue. And I'm hard on trailer tires in that they sit a lot, 1 trailer outside 1 indoors, but they sit for 6-9 months at a time and then they get used on long road trips predominately.

[Grodyman]

Grit dog wrote:
"For 14" the best tire is the Kumho Radial 857."

I'd agree with that 10-15 years ago, but I'm pretty certain those tires haven't been available for a while.

Dang, too bad.

[Grit_dog]

"For 14" the best tire is the Kumho Radial 857."

I'd agree with that 10-15 years ago, but I'm pretty certain those tires haven't been available for a while.

[Grodyman]

For 14" the best tire is the Kumho Radial 857.

For 15" I will probably use a load E st tire, and change every 3 years.

For 16" definitely a LT tire load E.

I am going through this right now, I have a single axle trailer with 15" wheels, but it is a 5000 lb. axle with 6 lugs. I have the option of purchasing cheap 16" rims and going with LT E tires, or I can step up from a load D to a load E ST trailer tire, and still have plenty of reserve. I have Trailer King bombs on there now, that have sat on a lot in Phoenix for nearly a year before I bought it.

Cost is not much more, unless I buy Michelins.

Gman

[gmw_photos]

Grit dog wrote:

gmw photos wrote:
in LT's:

14", Hankook RA18 ( discount tire )
15", GoodYear Wrangler HT ( any good year store )

And both have lower load ratings than you can get in comparable size ST tires, but to each their own.

Ok, but most of the trailer axles that have 15" tires have 3500 pound axles. The Good Year Wrangler ( I run these on my small horse trailer, tandem axle ) have 2100 pounds of capacity. So 4200 pounds of tire capacity under a 3500 pound axle means the tires have 17% more capacity than the axle itself. I like that margin just fine. As I run my trailer with the quarter horse in it and everything for a show, I am at about 4800 on the axles. So let's assume it's all equal ( probably not, but for the sake of simplicity ) that's 2400 pounds on each axle with 4200 pounds of tire cap. That's a 43% reserve cap of tires.

My travel trailer has 14". The LT tires have 7400 total pounds of capacity. The trailer as I tow it, has 3400 pounds on the axles. As you can imagine, I'm good with those numbers.

Each persons numbers will vary depending on actual loaded weight of trailer. The CAT scale is your awesome friend.

....and yes, I'm one of those that would run a LT tire at capacity, before I'd run any ST tire with "greater load reserve". Your usage may vary, run whatever y'all like, folks. Not trying to start the usual tire argument, just trying to say there are some options in 14 and 15 inch if a person so desires. Again, I'm NOT saying to you all "to run LT tires"..... I'm simply saying there is the option, and it's what I choose.

[Grit_dog]

gmw photos wrote:
in LT's:

14", Hankook RA18 ( discount tire )
15", GoodYear Wrangler HT ( any good year store )

And both have lower load ratings than you can get in comparable size ST tires, but to each their own.

[TravelinDog]

fj12ryder wrote:

twodownzero wrote:
I highly doubt you'll have any better luck from a Chinese tire with a fancy brand name than you had from the other one. They are all **** and suffer from the same problem--quality control.

Or not.

The tire is a Goodyear "Endurance" 107 load rating and it also says made in USA so I'll see if it holds up any better.
Tread has 2 plys steel, 2 plys nylon and 2 plys polyester. All the other tires are only 2 steel and 2 polyester. I've never had any of my trailer tires fail from the sidewall, always from the tread.
Size is ST205/75/15 and there is not much room for a bigger LT tire.

[gmw_photos]

in LT's:

14", Hankook RA18 ( discount tire )
15", GoodYear Wrangler HT ( any good year store )

[Grit_dog]

If 15” you can get higher load rated trailer tires than truck tires.
If 14” good luck finding heavy duty truck tires.
If 16” you have 100s of options in both categories.

[JIMNLIN]

This is typically where most tire threads end up when the OP dosn't tell us what size tire he need or was OEM on his trailer. The OP tires may have been a 14" D tire at 2040 lbs capacity or a smaller size 15" C tire.

JMO but this is a typical case of using the wrong brand ST class tires.

I recommend some ST tire brands like the Providers.....or the new Endurance.....or the new Carlisle HD in that order for trailers that see little long run road service miles. These are the new gen higher speed rated ST class tires.

Older Marathons....older Carlisle radial trails and other brands the OP mentioned work better on lawn service trailers that see little to non long run highways miles (600-1000 miles a day after day).

[Lynnmor]

eHoefler wrote:


They make all kind of 15", 16", 17" Light duty Truck tires

15" LT tires are next to impossible to find in the popular 15" ST sizes. If you have 15", then do some measuring to come up with a size that might work.

[fj12ryder]

eHoefler wrote:
MT - Medium duty Truck

They make all kind of 15", 16", 17" Light duty Truck tires

They also make 17" and 17.5" Medium duty Truck tires

all the same sizes as St tire.

They are the same size, but not necessarily the same carrying capacity. That's the issue with 15" LT tires vs 15" ST tires.

[eHoefler]

MT - Medium duty Truck

They make all kind of 15", 16", 17" Light duty Truck tires

They also make 17" and 17.5" Medium duty Truck tires

all the same sizes as St tire.

[fj12ryder]

goducks10 wrote:

eHoefler wrote:
I don't run ST tires anymore on any of my trailers. I run LTs on all of my trailers except the fifth wheel, it has MTs.

How does that help someone that can't fit LT tires under their trailer?

Yeah, I kind of wondered that myself.