Goodyear v Freestar G rated tires

[pmartin]

My 5th wheel has Goodyear LT 235/85R16 LR G tires. I've had one blow out and threw the tread off of two other tires, all at about 4 years old. Lots of damage from the blow out. Current tires will be 3 years old this summer and I hate to spend the $1,400 replacing them. In past only goodyear offered G rated 16 inch tires. Now Freestar brand is offering the same size and weight rated G tire for about 1/2 the cost. Probably built in China? Has anyone had experience with the Freestar tires? Appreciate you sharing any experience.

 

[LBARTLETT]

I put Hankook 7. 50x16 on my 4-horse living quarter trailers, they have G rated, I'm very happy with them and they won't cost $1,400, I'm thinking about putting the on my dually too, you might want to check them out

 

[Jim Smith]

check weight rating on the tires

I kept blowing my goodyears, all four through the last few years. Remember even if the tire is G rated there are different weight capacities on the side of the tire. My previous e rated tires were rated at 3025 per tire my new e rated tires are rated at 3425 per tire. I think it makes a difference. My 2 cents.

 

[mrtwister]

I just purhased (today) a PJ Gooseneck Trailer and it has the Freestar Brand Tires. The salesman said that they were having problems with other brands and have not had any issues with these.

 

[SnoKing]

Goodyear should be warranting the failures and fixing the trailer. They are good about that. Have you been to your GY dealer. The next best thing to the G614 is to go to 17. 5 rims and G114. Go to Rv.net and seach on g114 or RV. Net Open Roads Forum: Upgrading your 5th wheel from 16" to 17. 5 " tires & wheels read this thread. SNOKING

 

[pmartin]

Goodyear vs Freestar tires

Goodyear did pay for trailer damage and also pay for replacement tires. I just don't like being stuck out in the middle of nowhere waiting for a service truck. I thought about the larger wheels/tires but my axles are too close together for larger wheels.



Does anyone else have experience with Freestar or any other brand 16 inch G rated tire?



Thanks for input.

 

[LBARTLETT]

check the Hankook's, I'm very happy with them and they make a 12 ply and a 14 ply trailer tire

 

[SnoKing]

Goodyear did pay for trailer damage and also pay for replacement tires. I just don't like being stuck out in the middle of nowhere waiting for a service truck. I thought about the larger wheels/tires but my axles are too close together for larger wheels.



Does anyone else have experience with Freestar or any other brand 16 inch G rated tire?



Thanks for input.

You need to go read about the 17. 5 tires. They are small in diameter due to a lower profile casing of the tire. Nothing made in china will be better than the G614's.



SNOKING

 

[SnoKing]

Goodyear did pay for trailer damage and also pay for replacement tires. I just don't like being stuck out in the middle of nowhere waiting for a service truck. I thought about the larger wheels/tires but my axles are too close together for larger wheels.



Does anyone else have experience with Freestar or any other brand 16 inch G rated tire?



Thanks for input.

Read this link. Trailer Life Magazine Open Roads Forum: Upgrading your 5th wheel from 16" to 17. 5 " tires & wheels SNOKING

 

[pmartin]

Goodyear vs Freestar tires

thanks Snoking. I read the link and will give Jeff a call. Could you tell if the trailer's ride was about the same with the 17. 5 H rated tires?

 

[SnoKing]

I do not know about ride with 17. 5 H tires. I have Michelin XPS RIBs on mine, which replaced chinese maypops. SNOKING

 

[WalterRyan]

SNOKING

I think you are mistaken. I am not aware of any tires from China called maypop.

I do think there are a number of brands produced there all called willpop.

 

[HBarlow]

SNOKING

I think you are mistaken. I am not aware of any tires from China called maypop.

I do think there are a number of brands produced there all called willpop.

No, he's not mistaken. I agree with him. China does not currently manufacture a tire I would put on my fifth wheel. Snoking called them "maypop. " I would call them "willpop" as you did.

What I have heard/read is that because RV tires are not intended for passenger transport they are not regulated like passenger car or light truck tires therefore, Chinese tire manufacturers and their US importers can claim any weight capacity or anything else they wish to claim about their tires.

My opinion is use Communist Chinese tires at your own risk. The cheap purchase price will be offset considerably by the replacement cost and cost of repairs to your trailer when they fail which they certainly will.

 

[STEVEBROOKS]

My 5th wheel toyhauler came with ST235/80R16 Goodyear Marathon radials (load range D/3,000 lbs max each). The odd thing is that the 5er's max GVW is 12,700, so it was under-tired to begin with! This last summer at four years old, one of them got some bulges in the sidewall. They had less than 5,000 towing miles and were always towed at the max pressure (65 psi). To get ready for the riding season, I'll be changing tires. Due to always being at at least max GVW (maybe even a little more) and towing a small enclosed trailer behind the 5er, I want to upgrade to a higher load range tire. A local dealer is recommending Hankook LT7. 50-R16 Maxi-Vantage F19 tires. They are load range G/14-ply/3,330 lbs max each at 105 psi. I'd appreciate some feedback on several questions:



1. Does anybody have any experience with this tire in particular, or Hankooks in general?



2. Will my stock rims be OK to tow at 105 psi? I know I'll have to at least go with screw-in valve stems.



3. What other tire would you recommend for my set-up?



MANY thanks in advance for the help!



Steve

 

[SnoKing]

First off you are not over weight. Subtract the pin weight from the GVW and that is the weight the axles will have to carry.



If you do not want to spend the money for Michelin XPS RIBs, then put BFG Commercial TA's on it. You will have to look at a rim to see what they are rated at, which may require dismounting a tire.



SNOKING

 

[STEVEBROOKS]

SNOKING,

Thanks for that reminder! I'd forgotten to take the pin weight into account. Appreciate the tire recommendation too.



Steve