good tires

[cav123]

hey guys had not been on in a while so trying to catch up abit,but here is a question I have a 2013 29ft Springdale travel trailer that needs replacement tires before we go camping again the tires had never been replaced and are in bad shape any ideal on a good set of tires that will hold up pretty good price is no issue,I have been looking at maxxis and a couple of other brands tires now are ST 225/75R 15,someone that I know said that the 15"tires are getting hard to find

[gmw_photos]

I'm using 15" LT, Good Year Wrangler HT tires on one of my horse trailers with good results.
The total of the load capacity of the tires exceeds the load capacity of the trailer axles.

[CALandLIN]

The following is an out of context quote from a major tire manufacturer; “Tires should always be replaced with the same size designation — or approved options — as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.” I have highlighted size designation. Most don’t know that it is the proper nomenclature for tire size. If they do they just overlook it as another obstacle they rather not have to deal with when it’s time for replacement tires.

ST235/85R16 is a size designation. LT235/85R16 is a size designation. In the world of tire industry standards those designations are not interchangeable. None of them are unless approved by the vehicle manufacturer. In the automotive tire world the vehicle manufacturers provide retailers with listings of approved tire sizes and options. That process does not exist in the RV trailer industry. Owner’s seeking recommendations from RV trailer manufacturers seldom get satisfaction with their replies and seek recommendations from elsewhere.

Tire quality grading, load indexes, load ranges and speed restrictions are not a part of a tire’s designated size.

[pitch]

Another qualifier, No one is going to post that their trailer sat for a year and they just took off without checking pressure or condition.
People on any forum really do not like to admit to idiocy or mistakes, but that does not stop them from ranting!

[Ron3rd]

fla-gypsy wrote:
The Carlisle radial HD has come on in the last few years and proven to be reliable. I switched to them 3 years ago with no problems since. Before that I used Maxxis exclusively but my experience is they have slipped some after the last set I had. May have just been a fluke. In any case I buy one size heavier for some extra capacity.

Good to see you back gypsy.

I've been running the new Carlisle Radial Trail ST tires for about a year so the jury's still out. They've been getting good reviews however. GY Endurance seems to be another good one. Everybody was running to Maxxis at the height of the China Bomb scare and folks still swear by them. Any of those 3 should serve the OP well.

[Grit_dog]

Jimlin, apologies, I stand partly corrected. There are some available, but the prices, expensive and less load cap than available trailer tires.
To each there own.
I couldn’t see dropping $150-200 ea on 14-15” LT tires that have less rated capacity than much less expensive ST tires.

[JIMNLIN]

So what do you use in place of those 14"&15" ST tires? And I'm not talking about back in 1991. I mean now, today, pertinent to the original question?
Love the ridiculousness and the "uphill both ways to school, barefoot, in a snow storm" diatribes.

In 1991 as today I upgraded 14" wheels on my job site tool trailers or any type trailer to 15" even today if 14" P class tires with enough capacity aren't available .
In 15" sizes, in 1991 as today, we had Goodyears Wrangle HT LT235/75-15 C or LT215/85-15 D load ranges for my tool trailers with 3500 lb axles.

Also we use 15" P class tires on smaller trailers with 3500 axles and smaller.

Maxxis LT U-168 are a commercial grade tire with several 15" sizes and have became popular with all types of trailer owners....not just rv trailers.

Vanco 2 from Continental another popular tire for trailer users has several 15" sizes and load capacities.

I see the Yokohama RY215 in a 700R 15 D at 2040 lbs capacity is popular on some of the other RV websites.

Goodyear Cargo G26 2249 lb capacity in a 225/70R 15 C 65 psi load range D for trucks/vans and trailers.

On my rv and non rv trailers with 5200 lb axles I upgrade to 16" wheels and LT E tires.

When choosing a better tire in a different size you will have to do your home work on what fits in the wheel well or how to make room for a different size or diameter.
If you have trouble with a fitment I and others on this forum can help you make a wise choice.

[Lynnmor]

I have a utility trailer that gets little use, the ST tires rotted to the fabric in three years. I replaced them with truck tires seven years ago and they still look brand new, so much for the rot prevention theory.

[Terryallan]

Lynnmor wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:
They buy a travel trailer or 5er, and the first thing they do is overload it. Then they proceed to clip curbs and drive off onto debris filled shoulders along with driving the same as when they're not towing,such as driving at high speed.

Funny how the truck tires survive the same conditions, maybe the tires are better? 😛

Actually truck tire do NOT live in the same conditions as the TT tires. "Most" trucks are driven nearly every day. So their tires oil themselves as they roll. "Most" ST / Trailer tires, sit sometimes for months at a time. So they do not oil themselves, and dry out much quicker. That is what causes the ST tires to fail sooner. They look great, no wear, and unless you dismount them. You can't see the cracks. That is why I will not leave TT tires on my TT more than 3 years any more.

However. Curbing any tire is not a good way to keep it round.

[BarneyS]

[CALandLIN]

cav123 wrote:
hey guys had not been on in a while so trying to catch up abit,but here is a question I have a 2013 29ft Springdale travel trailer that needs replacement tires before we go camping again the tires had never been replaced and are in bad shape any ideal on a good set of tires that will hold up pretty good price is no issue,I have been looking at maxxis and a couple of other brands tires now are ST 225/75R 15,someone that I know said that the 15"tires are getting hard to find

Obviously you haven't had any problems with your current tires so why don't you just pick a brand that is easy to find and be done with it. You could consider going up to a LRE if the OE tires are LRD. Change to valve stems that support 80+ PSI and use steel caps on them.

[fla-gypsy]

The Carlisle radial HD has come on in the last few years and proven to be reliable. I switched to them 3 years ago with no problems since. Before that I used Maxxis exclusively but my experience is they have slipped some after the last set I had. May have just been a fluke. In any case I buy one size heavier for some extra capacity.

[Grit_dog]

"Or especially those of us running commercial plates that were on the road daily driving the max HOS till shutdown....then back on the road racking up 80k-90k miles a year. Hell we couldn't afford using 14"/15"/16" ST tires in this type work."

So what do you use in place of those 14"&15" ST tires? And I'm not talking about back in 1991. I mean now, today, pertinent to the original question?
Love the ridiculousness and the "uphill both ways to school, barefoot, in a snow storm" diatribes.

[Grit_dog]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

Bionic Man wrote:

Maybe because ST tires are historically junk that degrade too quickly, and have a tendency to explode on the highway causing thousands of dollars of damage to the trailer on a regular basis?

Take a look the next time you are a campground. It is a common occurrence to see trailers with damage around the wheel wells from tread separation.

Hardly a problem that doesn't exist.......:R

RV forum nonsense.

It always amazes me that we could run ST trailers for years on a fleet of over a dozen trailers in a business setting, and not have a problem that we could not attribute to road hazard or operator abuse.

Campgrounds are full of trailers with ripped up wheel wells and skirts lol.

That's a fallacy and u know it Ralph! Those tires blew up and popped their tread off at the mere sight of a trailer rim. You HAD to be running those mythological Load Range E heavy duty 14" and 15" LT tires!
LOL

[JIMNLIN]

What you do not take into account is the fact that the number of people towing, either an RV or any other trailer, that actually post on forums is a very low percentage of the overall towing public. Way less than 1/100 of 1%. Out of those that do in RV forums, you have a high percentage of people who never towed in their life. They buy a travel trailer or 5er, and the first thing they do is overload it. Then they proceed to clip curbs and drive off onto debris filled shoulders along with driving the same as when they're not towing,such as driving at high speed.

And you make my and other point. The percent that report ruined ST tires on forums is low ...but is a good indicator of what goes on overall. Your percentage number are your own though.
And its not just rv newbs who had tire issues. I've been on this web since '03 and just like others we've seen and heard from rv newbs...those who make short local trips with maybe 3500 miles a year...others who have been around for years and make cross country 20k-25k miles a year. They all had one thing in common....ruined ST tires.
Everyone doesn't run over curbs/debris or pull a overloaded trailer nor pulling their trailers above the tires max speed. Now your blowing smoke.
Nor do we read on these boards the highway should be choked with trailers pulled over with blown ST tires. Big Exaggeration there.

We racked up hundreds of thousands of miles with box and flat equipment trailers in a concrete business for years, being driven by guys whose idea of taking care of equipment was how fast they could get back to the shop at the end of the day. We never had a recurring constant issues with ST tires on those trailers no matter what brand they were.

"Back to the shop at the end of the day". Ok that says a lot about your fleet of trailers tire use. Short runs a day ain't going to heat a tire up like a rv making all day runs and especially some one like myself and others who make 600-800 mile a day runs for days at a time pulling for a living. Typically like a lawn service trailer that spends it life rolling across town to the next job site. Sure that type of work better fits a ST tire. Low miles and no all day long runs. Not everyone fits into your fleet trailers short daily run tire use scenario.
Or especially those of us running commercial plates that were on the road daily driving the max HOS till shutdown....then back on the road racking up 80k-90k miles a year. Hell we couldn't afford using 14"/15"/16" ST tires in this type work.

Most folks opinions about ST comes from their own experience or from one rv forum. Mine comes from my own experience with 5 road trailer with 28 tires on the ground rolling up 60k-80k miles per trailer but mostly from other rv and non rv forums. This way I see what tire issues others are having and what they did to stop those type tire issues.