tires

[Bobbyg2013]

Anyone have experience with Tow Max or Trailer King tires for a TT? Its difficult to find tires made in the USA that don't cost a fortune.

[Grit_dog]

Flan wrote:
Why does one spend money on ST tires instead of LT tires anyway? I will be due soon and have this argument in my head to go with truck tires...

Becasue one doesn't read the numerous ad nausem threads about the same subject on here.
Or more simply becasue regardless of what some people think, you cannot get LT tires with decent capacity in some sizes that you can get much more stout ST tires.

[rbpru]

This issue will never be resolved until a non-biased agency, typically governmental, issues a comprehensive study. Even then, few will change their minds.

There will always be anomalies like the Firestone/Ford fiasco decades ago to feed people's biases.

The fact remains that the RV industry is going to use the tires they are content with. If the consumer is not happy with them, they will have to upgrade on their own.

Well, that is how I see things but as always, everyone is free to do and believe as they please.

Safe travels

[kellem]

I've ran nothing but Duro and Trailer King and yet to experience a single issue in many years of Rving.
Understand the load ratings and keep them properly inflated....I've always ran max psi.

[JIMNLIN]

We can get a good idea how the different ST or LT or P tire brands are doing by surfing different trailer websites (rv and non rv) and see for ourselves which brands or tire type are handing out the most problems. On some non rv websites many trailer owners actually wear the tire out before the 3-5 years time out. Some non rv trailer owners can wear out 2 sets of LT tires a year at 40k-60k miles per set.

2010 and 2012 era was the time when 16" load G ST Sailun and ST Providers 15"/16" E/D/C load range started showing up on commercial trailers. Some of the many ST tire mfg had to to play catch up and come up with a better tire. Other ST tire mfg still still standing at the gate.

[rbpru]

I would like to see DOT data showing any type, make, or style of tire is superior to any other.

If someone can show DOT failures rates per miles driven, that would end a lot of hear say, bias and anecdotal information that permeates this issue.

As I mentioned, like many things in life, the choice of tires is based on a person's personal comfort level. It is certain the RV industry is going to continue to use the tire they have always used.

The reason I picked 2012, is because that is when I started to notice a lot of tire discussions but precious little government agency facts to back them up.

[ktmrfs]

my current trailer came with towmax. Ran them for 30K miles till they were worn out and replaced them with goodyear endurance. Other trailer has Maxxis, but when they are worn out I'll likely go with endurance.

As for cost, the endurance I got when they came out were less than the equivalent sized and LR Maxxis.

Why endurance ST rather than an Lt?

1) in a 15" tire there are virtually (maybe actually) no LT LRD tires let alone LRE. LRC just doesn't cut it, I need at least a LRD. And I wasn't ready to go up to 16"

2) the endurance while an ST carries a 85mph speed rating and load rating markings same as passenger and LT tires do, which I suspect that to carry the speed rating per NHSTA means the tire passes the same test that a LT tire of the same speed rating and LR does. And the endurance speed rating doesn't require a reduction in load capacity like many of the other ST tires have for speeds above 65mph.

So I suspect that the endurance meets the ST tire requirements related to sidewall strength and LT tire ratings for load and speed.

BTW, between myself and 2 neighbors we have logged well over 400K miles towing trailers. One neighbor has close to 250K of those miles. Two of us have TPMS. Between us we have had nada, zip, zero tire failures. With the TPMS I did catch a slow leak from a nail before catastrophy as did the one that has over 250K miles. And all of us have been using ST tires. Maxxis on another trailer I had, and Maxxis the dominate tire on the other trailers till the endurance came out.

[azdryheat]

Never mind folks, rbpru says the Chinese tires are now quality made since 2012 (can you post a copy of the memo or tell us your source?). We can start buying Chinese tires again with confidence knowing they're not going to bomb our trailers. BTW we're still getting exploded Chinese tires coming into the dealership. Seems they can't make the run from Indiana to Tucson. Hey, but what do I know.

[Buckeyeclan]

Had TowMax or something like that the previous owner put on my trailer. By 5 years old (by tire date code) 3 of the 4 had failed (2 tread separation blowouts and caught the 3rd bulge in the tread). Got Maxxis tires. 5th year and all are still in great shape.

[Flan]

Why does one spend money on ST tires instead of LT tires anyway? I will be due soon and have this argument in my head to go with truck tires...

[Huntindog]

When a tire blows on a TT, the damage is often severe. It can run into the thousands. you really can't feel a blown tire on a TT in the TV. So you keep on going with the steel belts ripping your TT apart like a chainsaw.

So a cheap tire, that blows isn't a bargain at all.

Personally, I no longer use ST tires at all. They are pretty much all on the cheap side.
There just isn't any high end ST tires to be had at any price.

LT tires offer a variety of good, better, best along with corrosponding price points.. But any of them are better and more reliable than STs.

A good part of the reason is the govt. test standards, that LT tires must pass. Since LTs are rated for passenger automobile service, their standards are much more severe than what STs have to pass. In fact, it says right on the side of ST tires "Not for passenger car service". You will not find any such warning on the side of an LT tire.

There are many that will say I am full of it. I wish I had all of the money I wasted on ST tires back. That won't happen of course, but I will not waste anymore money on ST tires.

And I will try to keep others from repeating my mistakes.

[wrgrs50s]

Go to the Heartland owners forum and type in Towmax tires and check out all the pictures of damage from blowouts with Towmax tires. They used to put them on all their trailers because they were so cheap. So many failures and threatened lawsuits and they now only put them on their lightest trailers. My tire dealer quit selling them because he had so many customers that came back angry from the damage from blowouts. Every once in a while I see someone that has had good luck with them but many many more that were very dissapointed. They're cheap for a reason.

[rbpru]

The China bomb era ended in about 2012 or so. Some folks didn't get the memo.

It is true the that performance characteristic of the high dollar tires include improved speed rating, improved compounds and more efficient tread designs. That plus the fact that they are a low volume is why they cost more.

The TT and 5ver OEM market has consumed over 2,000,000 tires annually for the last four years, add the horses, utility and large boat trailers and they have quite a track record. I doubt any of the high dollar tires have sold a million units yet.

To answer your question, I replaced my seven year old OEM tires with Tow Max tires 18,000 miles ago. I did purchase based on my local tire shop's recommendations, rather then Wal-Mart or TSC type stores.

However, in the end, facts are only facts but the choice of tires is based on your personal comfort level.

Good luck

[Lynnmor]

I don't run cheap tires, Goodyear Wrangler HT in the size of LT215/75-15 might be a good idea. You didn't post the size you currently have.

[time2roll]

No one said an RV was cheap did they?