Need new trailer tires, help

[AMink]

I just blew a Carlisle and the one on the same side that didn't blow is showing signs of coming apart; it has a bulge on the tread. Tire size is ST225/75-15. The Carlisles are D rated, 2 ply poly, 2 ply steel on the tread. I haven't read a lot of good things about Carlisle, but it seems that GY Marathons have rather mixed reviews too. I can't locate a tire in this size that would be E rated. Any suggestions?



Next question, as I've seen mixed reviews on this too. Is it really OK to use LT rated tires on a trailer? I know some of the big units come with them. Supposedly, the ST's allow for sidewall flex when turning with a tandem axle. The LT's would scuff more, putting more strain on the tire. Right?



The local Big O that I do business with has a tire called "Triangle". Never heard of it, can't find much on the net, made in China. Not going there.



Any help/suggestions/real life experiences would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[jelag]

I found some E rated tires for my travel trailer... I had the same issue... . Big O tires I think had a E rated tire for one of the foreign PU's that did the trick... Those tires are now 4 years old... . and about 50% worn, we'll change them at 6 years if they aren't worn out by than... .

What I've also found is that if I take an infrared heat gun with me when I travel and at least 2 times a day shoot the tire tread at the rest stop, and the brake drums we've stopped the problem... Found the first one at NAPA but later bought them at Costco for 59. 00 as I remember... . we have one in each truck...

I've personally found that one tire that is 20*F more than the others has a problem, ie: separation, low pressure. I also shoot the hubs, and brake drums... here I've found that the hubs should be within about 30*F. and the brakes should be about the same... . Have had 2 times that what I assume is road debris has torn the wiring to the electric brakes on one corner of the trailer and the brake is 150*F lower than the rest... ...

Hope this helps...

 

[AMink]

I was those infrared thermometers at Costco. Didn't get one, now they don't have them anymore. That is a good idea, though. I "hand check" my tires and wheels when we stop. At least I can tell if one is significantly hotter than the others. The rim on the tire that blew was not hot at all, so I still don't know what caused the failure.

 

[Grizzly]

I just blew a Carlisle and the one on the same side that didn't blow is showing signs of coming apart; it has a bulge on the tread. Tire size is ST225/75-15. The Carlisles are D rated, 2 ply poly, 2 ply steel on the tread. I haven't read a lot of good things about Carlisle, but it seems that GY Marathons have rather mixed reviews too. I can't locate a tire in this size that would be E rated. Any suggestions?

Next question, as I've seen mixed reviews on this too. Is it really OK to use LT rated tires on a trailer? I know some of the big units come with them. Supposedly, the ST's allow for sidewall flex when turning with a tandem axle. The LT's would scuff more, putting more strain on the tire. Right?

The local Big O that I do business with has a tire called "Triangle". Never heard of it, can't find much on the net, made in China. Not going there.

Any help/suggestions/real life experiences would be helpful. Thanks!

If you are going to get new trailer tires I suggest you get Michelin XPS Rib Light Truck, Load Range "E". Max speed on a ST tire is 65 mph, not that one needs to be going faster then that while towing a trailer.

 

[AMink]

I looked for those Michelins, but don't think they come in a 15" rim size. That, or I just didn't see it. I'm going to swing past Costco today and see what they have. I do like the idea of an LT because of the extra belts. We are not always on the paved roads. :-laf

 

[ScottLewis]

I had 4 out of 5 Carlysle ST tires go bad before I smartened up, 2 had bulges and the other 2 blew out completely, taking my fender skirts and some sheet metal with them. They were not overloaded either, according to the specs on the side of the tire and my weights accross the scales. I'm looking for tires now and think I'm going to increase to 16" with new wheels and tires. I do have nearly 60 K on my fifth wheel now, several sets of tires.



Dan

 

[LtHughes]

friend of mine had some carlisle tires blow on him going down the road. messed up his trailer floor and skirt. he called carlisle direct and his insurance,carlisle covered repair deductable and replaced his other three tires with ones that he choose. i believe he bought them and sent in reciept,got check in the mail.

 

[Grizzly]

Who make the Carlisle? I have never heard anything good about them.

 

[JFaughn]

The Michelin XPS , are not like any other tire LT tire , trailer tires appear to be a totally differently , I had four on my Airstream , hit a pot hole in Missouri , in Iowa the one that hit the pot hole blew a 4" x 6" chunk out of the side wall , took a close look and the side wall was about 1/2" + thick , with steel cords going though the side wall , even an E rated truck tire is only about 1/4" & no steel belts .
I'm in the middle of looking for a spare rim and more tires , road trip coming up soon , I have not found enough info for a good deal yet , otherwize I'd pass it on .

 

[WaltHess]

I was told the ST tires had more UV protection than standard tires.



Are you sure of how much the trailer actually weighs, or are you just guessing? It may weigh more than you think. When a trailer is rated at 10K that doesn't mean 10K payload it means payload and trailer combined.



Speed is a big factor in tire temp. I cruise at 60 or less when my 40' flatbed is loaded. I also have a 12' flatbed that has had the same nasty looking 14. 5 mobile home tires on it for the past 20+ years. It has been all over the place with no problems. My boss has a 17' box trailer of about the same weight rating that goes from NV to KY 2x a year. He averaes at least 1 blow out per trip-4 on one. Those are new Big O brand of the month ST trailer tires. He drives a lot faster than I do and the trailer is usually overloaded in my opinion. The sidewalls are usually squashed creating heat and breaking down the sidewalls faster.



In regards to Chinese tires, the companies that moved there built new plants with new machinery. When was the last time a U. S. plant was upgraded with all new machinery?-I don't know. It may be like when we rebuilt Japan after WWII and they got the new machinery while we were still using outdated machinery. Their quality went up while ours floundered. The tires still need to meet DOT specs. I had 2 General tires separate on the front of my truck, so I wouldn't recomend them. I have also had Michelins blow out on another truck, and along with what a friend told me about what they did to the U. S. gov't during Viet Nam I don't buy their tires anymore.



As for trailer tires I would say get tires that combined will exceed the capacity of the trailer by a good margin, so if one tire goes down the other ones won't be on the edge of their capacity, or be way overloaded. I have had to get home on 3 tires before when I borrowed a ranchers trailer, and failed to check the spares. Keep your speed down-your brakes will last longer too, and get the trailer weighed once to see how much it really weighs loaded. I have also noted that during the summer I can keep tire temps a lot cooler traveling at night. When it is 115 during the day the roads are cooking.

 

[Cal Brewin]

I have had good luck with my Maxxis. I have not heard anything bad about them. Your tire size is 10 ply rated. I do not know of anyone who carries them in stock, but easy to order from most tire stores like Americas Tire Store(Discount Tire to some). I will post a link to Maxxis site in case you are interested. I too use an infrared temp gauge to keep track of all tire temps including the trucks tires. Can be found on eBay, thats where I got mine, small eggshape pocket size, works great!





Maxxis.com



Tom.

 

[J&LRam]

amink

you have two problems . The first is your ST rated tires are not the best tire for HEAVY trailer use at interstate speeds and second a 15" 80 psi rated wheel is as scarce as hens teeth. Most RV and commercial trailer makers offer a upgrade to 16" and LT rated tires. If your not going the 16" wheel route I would go with a LT225/75-15 D rated truck tire.

According to Goodyear Marathon ST web the STs are 65 mph rated/have a thinner tread [9/32 vs 17/32 for a LT tire]/ have a narrow tread design [which leaves the tires sidewall basketball shapeed which has more sidewall flex which leaves the tires sidewall more suspect to cuts]/ and is ecnomical [draw your own conclusion on that one]. A same brand size LT tire is as much as ten pounds heavier than a same brand size ST tire.

The Michelin XPS Rib LT tire is a all steel carcass plus two steel belts in the tread area. For that reason Michelin recommends it as a commercial trailer tire. Goodyear and Cooper make a all steel carcass LT 16" E tire that are used by hotshot/longhaulers. I used B F Goodrich Commercial LT 16" E on all my construction trailers and my RVs and eliminated my shredded tire problems with cheap ST tires. Someone makes a kevlar belted LT tire also.

ST tires are popular with 13/14" and a couple of 15" sizes for smaller trailers which when used with our heavier trailers is almost a guarantee for problems down the road.

 

[AMink]

ST rated tires are not the best tire for HEAVY trailer use at interstate speeds

I always wonder where the manufacturers think we're going to be going and how we're going to get there?:-laf I would think a 29' trailer would come with tires with a BIG comfort cushion. The tires I have look small on a big trailer. I was also wondering if my rims are rated to 80psi. I haven't looked, but I doubt it. 16's may be the way to go. I'll have to see what size I can fit in there without rubbing. Maybe a 215/85-16 E rated?

 

[CROW]

Based on what I have read, I would stay away from Carlisle. Newmar makes some heavy fifth wheels and uses LT tires, no ST tires. I have had good luck with Goodyear Marathon ST tires on boat trailers, but have had very poor luck with Goodyear Wrangler LT tires on a fifth wheel (two blow outs and a huge sidewall knot on tires less than five years old). My choice for trailer tires is the Michelin XPS Rib LT as several have mentioned above, it seems to be a real quality product.

 

[Grizzly]

Has anyone heard of Super Trail or Trail Master, 16", Load Range "E", SP Tires. These tires are made in China and they are what Northwood Manufacture puts on Arctic Fox. I have talked to the factory and a few dealers about changing them out for Michelin XPS Rib LT, 16" "E". No one is interested in changing them out.



Speaking of dealers, I do NOT recommend Apache Camping in Portland, Oregon. They gave me the highest quote of any dealer I spoke with. Kevin, the owner, was very abrasive to me when I asked for a better quote.

 

[SRehberg]

Titan Tires makes an E rated tire in ST and 15" wheel size.

 

[AMink]

Well, I ended up getting 4 new Tow Max tires at Les Schwab, 8 ply rating in 225/75-15. I bought another rim and had one of the "good" original tires put on it so now I have 2 spares. Just didn't have the cash for a full upgrade to 16" LT's. There are lots of Les Schwab where we travel, so that is at least a little comfort.



I guess I still find it hard to believe that they can make tires that are speed rated for less than the maximum limit in some states. Kinda goofy. Not that I want to go 75 pulling a trailer, but there should be some cushion.

 

[Grizzly]

Maybe there not called Super Trail. They may be called Trail Master, made in China.

 

[AMink]

So I've had the two Carlisles as spares from my last post. We went camping over Fathers' Day weekend. I took the tire that is attached to the trailer and left the other at home because we weren't going far. This is what I came home to. I had left this tire in the yard, inflated to 60psi. It held pressure for about one more day. Great tires.

 

[HJJOHNSON]

My 2 cents: Most all the ST tires are made in China, they are speed rated for about 60 MPH. I had Mission 225-75-15 on my trailer. Less than 3 years, 4000 miles they started coming apart, it looked like the inner cords broke and the outside tread was all rounded instead of flat across. Also out of round. After reading on the forums, talking to some tire dealers, and some other rv'ers, I bought new 16 in. rims, load rated to 3600 lbs. , HP valve stems, and 225-75-16 BFGoodrich Commercial TA's. My trailer axle weight is 11,800 total, I went with load range E which gives a pretty good margin of safety. They ride and handle much better, run cooler, (ie. Florida 95 degrees) . I wanted the Michelin Ribs, but $$$ verses use wasn't justified for me. I did a lot of measuring, by making templates to make sure it would fit. I wouldn't use the ST for a lot of safety reasons, after seeing them come apart.

I checked pressure, lug torque, kept them covered when not in use, and all the correct measures. You just can't take a turd to a ball game.