Which tire for my 5th wheeler?

[DCashier]

After 10 years service on '98 Challenger 5th wheel (12,500 empty) I am going to change it's tires. Though I recently read thay some of you change them every 5,000 miles, I had always waited till I see crackes in the side walls of the tires. I saw some cracks last season and determined that this year is the year to buy them. When I bent down to see the tire size, I found out that I had been using Firestones LT 215/85R16 MS Load E tires! Should I replace these tires with Trailering tires or should I stick with a proven tire?

David Cashier

 

[wjpatton]

My 2 cents says stay with the LT tire you've been running. Most, if not all of the ST tires now are made in China and have had varying degrees of problems. I recently had 3 tread separations in 5 days on ST tires only 15 months old and 5000 miles. 5er was within weight limits, tires checked religiously and always protected from the sun. Tires were original equipment on the 5er and manufactured in China. Again, just my 2 cents, but I'm changing over to LT tires as soon as I get a few months service out of the 4 new tires I installed last month.

 

[Grizzly]

Your lucky you got 10 years out of your LT tires. LT tires should be changed every 6 years. ST tires should be changed every 3 years, if they last that long.



Best tire, bar none, for your 5er is an LT 235/85R/16 Michelin XPS Rib. The worst tire are any ST tire, which are all made in China.

 

[GAmes]

If you only need load range E tires the Mich rib is a good choice. I moved up to load range G and use Goodyear 614s, also made in the USA. My 5er weighs about 13k loaded.

 

[Slow Six]

Michelin XPS Rib is a good choice.