G rated RV tires

[CUMMINZ]

Cw

Have you thought about converting from 15" to 16"??



CUMMINZ

 

[cwsoules]

I had difficulty in locating rims that would handle the higher air pressure. The 15" rims on my rig are old enough that their pressure rating is not stamped on the rim. Nor is the name of the rim manufacturer. This killed 15" LR E tires. I looked at going to 16" without moving my axels the tire clearance would be about 1". I'm not certain that is enough. We also reduced the need for cross country travel by moving to 2 blocks away from the grand kids, so the miles we will be traveling will be reduced. I never had a failure at high speed (62mph), although if a CHP officer had not flagged me down this summer about a tire which was about to loose it's tread I might have had one.

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

I was able to go to 15 from 14 and that gave me the tire size I needed, 215/ 75 R 15. "C" rated. 1765 pounds at 50 PSI. LTX M&S Michelins. The 15's are 3/4 inch in diameter larger and I was afraid they would rub the underside of the fenders when going over bumps. So before I bought them I found 4 hard rubber bumpers that mount between the axle and frame. After I instaled one I could see that would take care of "bottoming out". 3/4 in diameter is only 3/8 in radius but the 14's looked too close to the fenders. I am from the old school, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

 

[Kiohio]

The ONLY tires I have ever had "Blow out" were ST rated trailer tires.

The worst one that did, was brand new with less than 1/2 it's load rating riding on it.

I have had 1 flat while driving when a 1/2" bolt went thru a brand new BFG on th e truck.

Been towing approx 15k a year for the passed 6 yrs.

My GN has Goodyear LT tires on it, which I'm not a fan of.

BUT they have served me very well.

The trailer has torque-flex axles on it.



KO

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

ST stands for Service Trailer, I call them SCAM Tires. I found in writing where ST tires loose 1/3 of their strength in the first 3 years. Almost all are made in China, those that are not probably soon will be. When an ST Tire is shipped from China to a warehouse in the US and then to the Dealers rack it could be close to a year old when it is sold. After blowing out 4 ST tires in 1200 miles, no more for me. Good that you have LT tires on your trailer. All Good Year tires are now made in China.

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

A business, any business, invests capital and labor in order to provide good products and/or service and earn a fair return on their investment. It is called capitalism, the basis for the greatness of America and the stength of our economy. Any business who doesn't won't be around long.



Harvey

Hear Hear! Amen Harvey! Long live capitalism, long live America!

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

Chinamen tires should start making tires with respect to an AK47. They had good luck with them things.



CUMMINZ

Cumminz, you may want to think twice about using that pharse again. (China***). It is considered a racial slur now. Equivelant to the N word.

I didn't make the rules... I only play by them.

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

We are still entitled to our opinions whatever they might be. To bring up an old quote "I may disagree with what you are saying but I will defend to the death your right to say it" My opinion is business is in business to make money. My experience has been with "C" rated Trailer Only Tires. By the industries own addmishon Trailer Only tires are built to loose 1/3 of their strength in 3 years. Then they go on to say that they should be replaced after 3 years regardless of the condition of the tread. We are not talking Dry-Rot here. These tires a purposely built to fail in 3 years so that you will need new ones. NO THANKS, I will use a different tire, such as a Michelin LTX "C" rated to carry the weight and they will be just as good in 3 years as when they were new. What anyone else does is their business. It is not my intention to create a controversy. I just want to help as I have been helped. That is what this site is all about, REGARDS -- email address removed --

 

[J&LRam]

having four flatbed trailers and a cargo on the road making a living [36' tripple GN down to a 14' cargo] putting up truck stop driveway covers several years ago, had us carring two spares for each trailer. A goodyear truck tire dealer showed me there were much better tires for our trailers than a ST tire. This was a long time before Chineese tires. He set me up with radial LT tires on all my trailers that had ST tires and no more shredded tires on every trip. I don't/won't use ST rated tires even on a wheelbarrow and would not give anyone a recommendation of even using a ST rated tire.

A ST tire is what it is and it ain't much. Goodyear Marathon ST web had a couple of differences in ST tire construction. They have only 9/32 tread depth vs some LT tires 17/32 tread depth. They also have a narrow tread design that leaves a basketball shaped sidewall. Anyone that has pulled trailers much for a living knows a basketball shaped sidewall doesn't make a good trailer tire. With that sidewall bulging outside the tread it is much more suspect to sidewall damage/cuts. AND that basketball sidewall allows much more sidewall flexing which generates heat. We know what heat does to a tire. The Marathon web said they are "very ecnomical". They are fed mandated to 65 mph max and not recommeded for passenger vehicle use. That outa' tell us something.

For a fact per email and a phone call to Michelin customer service to "Bobbie" for confirmation that Michelin still recommends the XPS Rib LT tires for commercial trailer tire use [as per their old web add]. Other LTs that are recommended by their manufactors for heavy trailers are the 16" B F Goodrich Commercial LT E and 16" Uniroyal Lerado HD-H LT E tires. For 15" tires I use a LT that will fit.

Both of my "single axle" trailers [13"/15" tires] have P rated tires with plenty of capacity and speed rated for running 75 mph legal speeds here in OK.

I'm sure glad a Goodyear truck tire dealer recommend me LT tires years ago. I just don't have ST tire problems anymore.

JIM

 

[HBarlow]

having four flatbed trailers and a cargo on the road making a living [36' tripple GN down to a 14' cargo] putting up truck stop driveway covers several years ago, had us carring two spares for each trailer. A goodyear truck tire dealer showed me there were much better tires for our trailers than a ST tire. This was a long time before Chineese tires. He set me up with radial LT tires on all my trailers that had ST tires and no more shredded tires on every trip. I don't/won't use ST rated tires even on a wheelbarrow and would not give anyone a recommendation of even using a ST rated tire.

A ST tire is what it is and it ain't much. Goodyear Marathon ST web had a couple of differences in ST tire construction. They have only 9/32 tread depth vs some LT tires 17/32 tread depth. They also have a narrow tread design that leaves a basketball shaped sidewall. Anyone that has pulled trailers much for a living knows a basketball shaped sidewall doesn't make a good trailer tire. With that sidewall bulging outside the tread it is much more suspect to sidewall damage/cuts. AND that basketball sidewall allows much more sidewall flexing which generates heat. We know what heat does to a tire. The Marathon web said they are "very ecnomical". They are fed mandated to 65 mph max and not recommeded for passenger vehicle use. That outa' tell us something.

For a fact per email and a phone call to Michelin customer service to "Bobbie" for confirmation that Michelin still recommends the XPS Rib LT tires for commercial trailer tire use [as per their old web add]. Other LTs that are recommended by their manufactors for heavy trailers are the 16" B F Goodrich Commercial LT E and 16" Uniroyal Lerado HD-H LT E tires. For 15" tires I use a LT that will fit.

Both of my "single axle" trailers [13"/15" tires] have P rated tires with plenty of capacity and speed rated for running 75 mph legal speeds here in OK.

I'm sure glad a Goodyear truck tire dealer recommend me LT tires years ago. I just don't have ST tire problems anymore.

JIM

Good points about the greater tread depth in LT tires and also about the bulging sidewalls on GY STs. I agree with everything you said.



I had a 32' Avion travel trailer several years ago with four 15" tires. It was equipped with Goodyear Marathons when I bought it, used. I replaced the GY Marathon ST tires with Michelin P rated SUV tires. I pulled the Avion over 60,000 miles including a trip to Alaska and back on that set of Michelins with never a problem. The tires still looked like they had half of their service life left when I sold the trailer to buy a fifth wheel.



Harvey

 

[Grizzly]

having four flatbed trailers and a cargo on the road making a living [36' tripple GN down to a 14' cargo] putting up truck stop driveway covers several years ago, had us carring two spares for each trailer. A goodyear truck tire dealer showed me there were much better tires for our trailers than a ST tire. This was a long time before Chineese tires. He set me up with radial LT tires on all my trailers that had ST tires and no more shredded tires on every trip. I don't/won't use ST rated tires even on a wheelbarrow and would not give anyone a recommendation of even using a ST rated tire.

A ST tire is what it is and it ain't much. Goodyear Marathon ST web had a couple of differences in ST tire construction. They have only 9/32 tread depth vs some LT tires 17/32 tread depth. They also have a narrow tread design that leaves a basketball shaped sidewall. Anyone that has pulled trailers much for a living knows a basketball shaped sidewall doesn't make a good trailer tire. With that sidewall bulging outside the tread it is much more suspect to sidewall damage/cuts. AND that basketball sidewall allows much more sidewall flexing which generates heat. We know what heat does to a tire. The Marathon web said they are "very ecnomical". They are fed mandated to 65 mph max and not recommeded for passenger vehicle use. That outa' tell us something.

For a fact per email and a phone call to Michelin customer service to "Bobbie" for confirmation that Michelin still recommends the XPS Rib LT tires for commercial trailer tire use [as per their old web add]. Other LTs that are recommended by their manufactors for heavy trailers are the 16" B F Goodrich Commercial LT E and 16" Uniroyal Lerado HD-H LT E tires. For 15" tires I use a LT that will fit.

Both of my "single axle" trailers [13"/15" tires] have P rated tires with plenty of capacity and speed rated for running 75 mph legal speeds here in OK.

I'm sure glad a Goodyear truck tire dealer recommend me LT tires years ago. I just don't have ST tire problems anymore.

JIM

Very good post. I'm picking up our new 5er next week and then I'm having the ST tires changed out to Michelin XPS Rib LT, 16" load range E.

 

[SnoKing]

With reports of the Goodyear G614's G rated now starting to have issues on the Escapee's forum, what are the people with LARGE trailers going to do? Maybe Michelin should step up to a G rated tire. If I was going to a LARGE trailer, I think I would go for a triple axle or the tandem dual axle setup, so that E rated tires could handle it. SNOKING

 

[FordCummins]

I must be the exception to the rule on ST tire. My 2000 Maclander 12k trailer was delivered to me brand new with ST 225/75R15 tires, and I just replaced them for the first time in its life, last week. The tires probably had 50,000 miles on them. Tons of 75-85mph highway runs for 10-15hrs nonstop with 8-10k of load on them. Never had a blowout, flat, leak or anything else to speak of. The tread was starting to get low, and they were beginning to get some cracks in them so I decided to replace them. I must have gotten the only set of Goodyear Marathons that were any good. I mounted the new set myself, and can tell you that the Marathon ST has alot more weight to it then a comparable 225 75R15 truck tire. Thats just my . 02

 

[J&LRam]

[snip]

I mounted the new set myself, and can tell you that the Marathon ST has alot more weight to it then a comparable 225 75R15 truck tire. Thats just my . 02

actually go to anyones tire web and a LT same size/load range weighs 4-6 lbs heavier than the same size/load range ST tire. Hope you continue to have good luck with ST rated tires.

JIM

 

[SnoKing]

I must be the exception to the rule on ST tire. My 2000 Maclander 12k trailer was delivered to me brand new with ST 225/75R15 tires, and I just replaced them for the first time in its life, last week. The tires probably had 50,000 miles on them. Tons of 75-85mph highway runs for 10-15hrs nonstop with 8-10k of load on them. Never had a blowout, flat, leak or anything else to speak of. The tread was starting to get low, and they were beginning to get some cracks in them so I decided to replace them. I must have gotten the only set of Goodyear Marathons that were any good. I mounted the new set myself, and can tell you that the Marathon ST has alot more weight to it then a comparable 225 75R15 truck tire. Thats just my . 02

Were these new Marathon made in China? If so, good luck with them. Sooner or later GY will teach the Chinese how to build a tire correctly. This is good and bad, as right now most Chinese made tires are questionable at best, but as the big guys like Goodyear start teaching them how to put the guts of a tire together correctly, then more good jobs are gone from our shores forever.



Then the cycle will repeat as labor cost in China go up, and manufacturing moves on to another cheap labor site.



SNOKING

 

[TAbbott]

I have Goodyear Marathon ST tires on my trailer. Mine were all made in Canada, and knock on wood, so far I have had no problems with them. I pull a 3 axle toy hauler that is pretty heavy -- 17,000 lb gvw. -- and the 225-70/R-15 Marathons are standing up well so far.



I'd be suspicious that those having repeated failures might look at their trailer alignment. That, or weigh each tire on your trailer separately if possible and see if maybe you don't have an overload condition going on somewhere. Does your trailer sit level when you are hooked up ready to travel? If not, one axle or the the other is running with most of the weight on it. Also, curbing tires is particularly hard on them and many people who don't tow regularly can have that problem... .



I'm not saying that ST tires are the way to go, just that I have them and so far so good. Tire dealer swears that the ST's are the way to go, even though they are cheaper to buy from him than similarly sized LT's. The 65 mph rating is kinda scary, though.

 

[J.BURCHFIELD]

I went longer than 3 years on my trailer tires (ST) but I watch tire pressure closely. At every stop I feel them to see if they are heating up. If they were to be one running hot I would allow it to cool and check with a gage and/or put the spare on. I carry a good 12 volt air compressor and plugs if I find a leak. If the tire has picked up a nail or screw then I use my 12 volt scissor jack and my 12 volt impact wrench to remove and replace it. I also carry a torque wrench. Yes I am a gadget freak but the gadgets make it easier. With a tandem set up the rear tires are most likely to pick up a nail. The front tandem tire rolls over a nail laying flat and stands it up and the rear tire catches it before it falls back down. I found this to be true on my motorcycle. When I drove 18 wheelers years ago (1966 to 1982) it was true then as well. I got some LTX Michelins and they are "C" rated same as the ST tires were. I am through with trailer only tires. They are and should not be made to loose 1/3 their strength in 3 years to guarantee more sales. The tire industry can take their SCAM Tires and "shove it"