Trailer tires vs. LT Tires on Travel Trailer

[tom sweeney]

i changed my 15" D rated ST tires for BF Goodrich Commercial 235/85/16 E range... ... while they do rub slightly,and i mean very slightly at the top... i assume when hitting a large obstacle... . speed bump,or such... . i've made several trips with them,and plan on attending May Madness '08 with them as well... the extra capacity and easy availability only adds to my mental comfort.

i did however,have to change to 16" wheels naturally... . any competant RV dealer can order them for you... . or you can find them online... . priced about $68 per wheel for white spoke... . i just got tired of constant blow-outs resulting in trailer damage as well as having to buy new tires every year or two... . good luck,... ... ..... tom

 

[JCasper]

I just got done crawling around underneath my trailer. I am not sure I have room on the height for the 225's even.



The tires have made contact with the trailer already. I have pics to post later tonight of it.

 

[Bob Cochran]

JCasper-if my only choice is the tires you listed above I would go with the Goodyear tires I believe that was option #4

 

[JCasper]

I just got done crawling around underneath my trailer. I am not sure I have room on the height for the 225's even.





Contact:



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Parked like this:

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There isn't much clearance.

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[Buffalo]

The (Greenball) Towmasters are actually relabeled Goodyear Marathon's, which, are made in Canada. They go down the same assembly line as the Marathon's. I got this information 'directly' from Goodyear & Greenball.



All my friends, & myself, are using them & none of us have had a problem. We all have Nash trailers which came with Goodyear Marathon 205/75/15-C's. We have all gone up 2 sizes to 225/75/15-D's. They fit beautifully in the Nash products. Plenty of room.



Costco sells them for around $89. 00/ea. Discount sells the Towmaster in a 225/75/15-E for about $10. 00 more.



Goodyears main service rep. told me that the trailer tires are rated @ 65 mph. I told him that many freeways allow speeds of more than 65 mph & why would they build a tire for such low mph ratings. He told me that, that is all they tested the tires for & couldn't vouch for speeds higher than 65 mph.

Not to knock Carlisle tires but, I've heard the same thing about them. I would avoid them.



Joe F. (Buffalo)

 

[LRutigliano]

My 215/75R-14 "D" rated Goodyear Marathons on the boat trailer say "made in China"



I really hope I don't have any issues with the Carlisles. I keep them inflated to 80psi all the time.

 

[Grizzly]

My 215/75R-14 "D" rated Goodyear Marathons on the boat trailer say "made in China"



I really hope I don't have any issues with the Carlisles. I keep them inflated to 80psi all the time.

Goodyear Marathon and Greenball were made in Canada at one time, however they are now made in China. I don't know if they are any better then the rest of the Chinese tires or not. I suspect that they are better, but remember, they are still an ST tire and still limited to 65 mph.



Many years ago I had a right front blowout at 70 mph on Interstate 25 and came extremely close to hitting a bridge abutment head on, which would have wiped out my young family. My old Chevy had brand new cheap tires. Since then I have sworn that I would always have the very best tires that I could afford on all my vehicles which includes the 5er and so far I have done that.

 

[JimBob24]

Have you considered flipping your axles for more clearance? It looks like you have plenty of room between the tires.

 

[JCasper]

Have you considered flipping your axles for more clearance? It looks like you have plenty of room between the tires.

The axles are under the springs

 

[AClayton]

!st of all,I agree with most of the replies as to tire choice and upgrading to E-rated tires... . you can never have too good a tire. If you plan to tow over 65mph,than LT's should be the obvious choice,however,you need to be certain as to why your tires failed... overloading or cheap tires to start with. I also agree with Grizzly that Carlisle Tires fall short on reliability... . have had them and not been satisfied!!Another thing to consider,speaking of overloading tires,is what axles you have on your trailer. A traditional leaf-spring set-up with an equalizer for tandemn operation will generally keep the same weight on both tires on the same side. But many trailer manufacturer's are installing axles that boast a better ride... air suspension is great but expensive... . The new Dexter Tor-flex axle is a cheaper alternative and offers independent trailer suspension. Meaning no equalizer to equalize load on the same side. A trailer equipped with these axles will offer a smoother ride but many owners need to know the trailer must be totally level front to rear after hooking WD hitches and the like. You didn't mention if you had these axles on your trailer but I see many going down the road nose down or tail down and not level. It is imperative these axles stay level as much as possible due to their design. If your trailer tows behind low on the hitch with these style axles,the closest axle to the tow vehicle will assume most of the weight. Obviously, the shorter the trailer or distance between hitch and centerline of axles makes it far worse. Just my two cents!!

 

[JCasper]

My trailer sits level and is on leaf springs

 

[hutch]

J Casper, I had the same problem on my 5th wheel rubbing. I put 1" spacers between the springs and the axle. I haven't had any more trouble with rubbing. My Tow Masters say made in Canada but they are three years old.

 

[Grizzly]

I just got done crawling around underneath my trailer. I am not sure I have room on the height for the 225's even.

Contact:







That is way too close for comfort. What would happen if you should run over a piece of 2x4 or a rock with the front axle tire and it got wedge on the rear axle tire between the top of the tire and trailer bottom where the clearance is small. This very thing happened to my brother on his TT and cost him a lot of damage. I'd consider doing something to gain more clearance. Perhaps 1" spacers, as hutch mentioned, or additional springs. You could also go with longer spring shackles, but I don't recommend that option.

 

[JCasper]

I just got done crawling around underneath my trailer. I am not sure I have room on the height for the 225's even.

Contact:







That is way too close for comfort. What would happen if you should run over a piece of 2x4 or a rock with the front axle tire and it got wedge on the rear axle tire between the top of the tire and trailer bottom where the clearance is small. This very thing happened to my brother on his TT and cost him a lot of damage. I'd consider doing something to gain more clearance. Perhaps 1" spacers, as hutch mentioned, or additional springs. You could also go with longer spring shackles, but I don't recommend that option.

I am waiting to hear from Keystone. I feel that they should pay at the minimum for the axles to be spaced/trailer raised. Then I will buy new tires.

 

[JCasper]

I sent all my pics to Keystone yesterday afternoon.



They called me this morning and they are going to have Curtis trailers get them all the axle tag info, spring info, etc. They sounded very eager to help and solve this. We will see what comes of it. I would love to just have them put new springs or 2" blocks to clear the larger tire. I think I would be happy with that.



The only thing that I am a bit concerned about is the timeframe. I told her I needed it on March 21st and that sounded like it might be hard to do.

 

[JCasper]

Keystone sucks.



They claim that my trailer has been overloaded and that's why the tires have rubbed. BS. Loaded Heavy I have only seen 6,800-7,000 lbs on the axles.



I told the Customer relations lady thanks for helping to make my decision on Keystone trailers and then I hung up on her. Looks like my next fifth wheel won't be a Cougar like I had planned.



So it looks like I will be buying new springs and tires on my own dime.

 

[Grizzly]

I'd really look at Nash and Arctic Fox. They're made in your home state, La Grande, OR. You can schedule a tour, which I understand is fantastic. I'm not trying push Northwood because I have one, but because I believe they offer the best trailer for the money. They are 4 star rated, which few are.

 

[JCasper]

I'd really look at Nash and Arctic Fox. They're made in your home state, La Grande, OR. You can schedule a tour, which I understand is fantastic. I'm not trying push Northwood because I have one, but because I believe the offer the best trailer for the money. They are 4 star rated, which few are.

I will go and look at their site. I want a trailer with 4 bunks and Cougar was one of the few with a floorplan we liked. I just won't buy one now since they won't spring for $4-500 to space the axles up.



I am kinda ticked now, maybe later I will calm down.

 

[Grizzly]

Arctic Fox makes a 5th wheel with Bunk beds, don't know how many beds. It's model # is 27-5B, it's a bit long 29' 6" and it's the wide body, which is 8' 6". My 27-5L is 27' long and 8' wide we opted for the hide-a-bed, it will sleep 3 or 4 grandkids or 2 adults. If you get the booth dinette, you can sleep 2, maybe 3 kids. We got the free standing dinette because my wife liked it better. I'm sure Nash makes one with bunk beds. Nash is just as good as an AF. Only difference is that Nash is wood frame, nothing wrong with that, and AF is aluminum frame plus the AF had Fiber Glass sides and caps and more money. The 12" frame and axle running gear are the same. AF is a bit nicer inside. The only thing I don't like about Nash and AF is the China ST tires.

 

[JCasper]

I just looked and the 27-5B looks to have two bunks.



We really like the quad bunks in the Keystone Cougar, but we may have to do some rethinking.