Camper tire question

[GIT-R-DONE]

Just bought a 94 prowler TT. The tires are original, have great tread on them but there is cracking between the treads. I plan on replacing them, but am unsure what tire to use. I want a good , hard, rain tire. What are your opinions/ideas? Tire size is 13". Was planning on going with a car tire, radial, but unsure of the best kind to buy, or doesn't it matter? Thanks

 

[B.G. Smith]

You are gonna be limited on what you can find in a 13" trailer tire. Car tires will dry rot on a trailer in about two years. You might consider going to a 15" wheel. Get the highest load rating you can find. bg

 

[PaulG]

try calling somewhere like camper world and talk to them they should know whats best for you www.campingworld.com

 

[DPelletier]

Trailer tires are specially formulated to resist UV and have stiffer sidewalls and higher load ratings. I would avoid using a "P" (passenger car) type tire. In the larger sizes, some of the truck tires are acceptable (16" XPS Ribs by Michelin for example) but they are obviously too big for your trailer. My 24' trailer had 205/75/14 load range C tires which I replaced with 215/75/14 D rated trailer tires. helped a bunch.



Dave

 

[sfritts]

Around here the garages won't put " p " rated or " LT " tires on trailers, and the trailers will not pass inspection if they see nontrailer tires on it. Also was told by a trooper that if you get caught in a road check they will proably write you a ticket for improper tires. ( another money maker for the state)

 

[rblomquist]

Do not go with a P or LT truck tire on a camper, when they grenade the bill for the damage will really hurt. There are plenty of ST (special trailer) tires out on the market for that specific application i. e. General, Goodyear, Carlise, Maxxis etc etc etc.



Also, like stated above get the maximum load rating you can. I just recently discovered that Carlise is making an E rated 14in trailer tire wheras before all we could find was a couple of D rated in that size (which is barely adequate for my fully loaded trailer).



Don't skimp!

 

[RustyJC]

Originally posted by rblomquist

Do not go with a P or LT truck tire on a camper, when they grenade the bill for the damage will really hurt.

Just to set the record straight, the great majority of 16" tires used on 5th wheels are LT tires. The tire that many 5th wheel owners (including me) have gone to is an LT-rated all steel radial construction tire - the Michelin XPS Rib - LT235/85R-16E, in my case. FYI, Michelin recommends this tire on its website for commercial trailer applications.



I've had far more problems with ST tires on 5th wheels than LT, and, as a moderator on iRV2.com, I've never heard of a failure of the LT-rated Michelin XPS Rib, even from those who had failed numerous tires from other manufacturers before changing over.



Rusty

 

[rblomquist]

Not sure if you noticed but he has 13" tires on his 5ver not sure if the LT rated Michelins you're talking about are available in 13" ?



I'm big into the sand sports scene so I have and most of my friends have toyhaulers. Most of the toyhaulers do not come with 16" tires and so that's where I'm coming from (experience with smaller sizes). Also, toybox designs are cutting it pretty close when it comes to axle weights with the tires/wheels they're using however some traditional 5vers/TTs can get overloaded easily as well.



Anyway, that particular market segment we've had very negative experiences with P and LT tires and even some brands of ST tires. Also, there's the issue of fade/cracking that may be put off some by a trailer tire selection not to mention some none trailer tires like to flex/wander more than an ST.



Our rule of thumb is go with a design for the specific application and then select the most heavy-duty rated one from there.



Just my thoughts... .....

 

[rblomquist]

One important thing we forgot to mention to him was that you really need to put your rig on a scale to see what your axle weights are. For around 5-6 bucks you can hit a truck stop or moving company scale and see how much tire rating you'll need to hold your load. That may exclude many non-ST tires right there.



Don't trust the data plate because it'll be way off from your real-world configuration anyway and it won't tell ya how much load is on those camper axles.

 

[Oliver88]

My dad bought a 92 prowler last fall. Same cracking problem on the original tires. A friend of mine is a tire dealer. We got Towmax trailer tires. They are load range D (8 ply). They are a good looking tire. These are 15 inch and are on a 33 foot camper.

 

[clem]

I don't think you have 13in tires on your trailer they should be 15in. I don't think Fleetwood has used 13in tires in years unless you have a special small trailer. Like said before DO NOT USE CAR OR LT tires they are not made for towing

 

[SCCampers]

My Flagstaff 25' is killing me on tires, but here are some lessons learned: Tires only a few years old should be replaced if there is a possibility that they have deteriorated. My tires, 13", were original, 3 years old, with little wear, and little cracking when I bought the camper. On my second trip, in a small town at 6 PM on Friday 300 miles from the house, one tire came apart and a second was lumpy enough to let me know it was next. I managed to get home on 2 ill fitting replacements. My speed was conservative, about 60 mph or so behind a GMC Sierra 5. 3l.

Since replacing all tires, I had a new one come apart, all the way apart, at 70 mph on a hot day behind the Dodge. It had only 2000 miles on it. It may be that 4 tires at the 1360# load rating for the ST175/80 R13 is too close to my tow weight, 4000# empty/4500# loaded.

Lesson #1: I would put 14" or 15" tires on my camper if they would fit. A larger tire would run cooler.

Lesson #2: This one could be stupid, but I'm suspicious that excessive trailer braking could be weaking the side walls/belts/plys on the new tires. I had the feeling that the camper was actually braking the truck and trailer. That can't be good. I plan to limit trailer braking.



Get new tires and good luck!

 

[SCCampers]

I like the suggestion of putting the rig on scale. No use guessing!

 

[KBalzuweit]

Less use and more sitting still makes for a bad tire, I have hadthe same tires on a open car trailer last a long time yet the same tires dry rott on a camper that is not used. Make sure they are st rate and if its going to sit get a set of tire covers to protect from the sun.

 

[bombero]

You Fleetwood lovers should like this one. In 1994 their using 13in tires????