The best upgrade for your TT

[gopherslayer]

The best upgrade is ditching your Chinabomb tires. Chinabombs have a lot of squish and bounce. I tow with a 2500 Silverado and have a 28ft TT with an 8000# gross that came with load range C tires. Even with the 2500 there was some motion in the ocean and was very apparent in town on bumpy roads at 25-30 mph. Upgraded to Goodyear Endurance Load range D and it’s smooth sailing with very little movement on the bumpy roads and the highway is now glass smooth feeling. Handling around corners at speed on the highways is excellent. My wife has a lot more confidence towing now. 5 tires at $825 was money well spent.

Discussions are usually about the tow vehicle tires and shocks but the night and day difference on the trailer makes the money well worth it.

[toedtoes]

bucky wrote:
Admittedly a lot of us run tire pressure monitors now but I have NEVER seen anybody checking tire pressures in a camp ground. That includes many years before TPMS' were even invented.

I have the tire pressure caps on all my vehicle tires. I had cat eyes on my duallies. I wouldn't get down and use a gauge unless the cap indicated low pressure. So, you may not see me checking tire pressure, but as I walk around the vehicle/trailer, I am doing a pressure check.

However, I suspect the majority of folks don't check tire pressure at any time. This forum is not really a good overview of the trailer population in general. Most folks here are 60+ year old men who enjoy technical and mechanical talk and gadgets and discussions. And the few of us regulars who are not in that exact category share at least a bit of those interests. But the average RV owner who is "just going camping or RVing" isn't sticking around here to participate in these discussions - and they are the ones who are filling up the campgrounds.

[canoe_on_top]

I agree that setting up your own WD hitch is a good idea. Previous TT the dealer set it up and I changed it as soon as I got home. Current TT, I set it up myself in the Dealer's parking lot. Fine tuned it a little after that. JIMNLIN is right, (as usual), tire pressure can make a big difference in the way a TT handles.

[bucky]

Admittedly a lot of us run tire pressure monitors now but I have NEVER seen anybody checking tire pressures in a camp ground. That includes many years before TPMS' were even invented.

[ktmrfs]

I've got a whole list of better upgrades than new tires to replace OEM tires. I had towmax on our trailer, lasted 25K miles, when worn out replaced them Maxxis, when those wore out after about 25K miles, replaced them with Goodyear endurance. Tire failures= Zip.

portable ice maker
electronic ignition for oven
solar panels
true inverter microwave and 1000VA inverter
good batteries for dry camping
silencer for AC unit
pull out drawers under bed
extra pump wired in for water fill from jugs when dry camping
replace shower faucet with imeka 3 way mixing valve with seperate temp control and water volume
TPMS for trailer
replacement mattress
Air safe air hitch for the truck -- designed to work with WD as well
water stick water softener for places with hard water easy to recharge, small

[kellem]

Portable ice maker, wife uses a lot of ice.

[Durb]

When in the market for new trailer tires, I started a thread on a forum asking the question: Other than longevity, what should I be looking for in a trailer tire, better traction, easier scrubbing, more resistant to side loads, better braking performance, puncture resistance, etc.?

Not a single response touting a tire's features or performance. I ended up with Endurance tires and they tow no differently than the previous Towmax tires.

I can say the shallow tread depth of the Endurance tires may contribute to less squirm, but I can't tell from the truck.

[valhalla360]

gopherslayer wrote:
I’ll make sure I buy the cheapest tire next time since they’re all the same and it’s a placebo effect. Same goes for my truck tires and shocks. You guys just saved me a bundle of money.

Your welcome.

Only blowout I've had in 40yrs of driving including around 60,000miles towing was when a leaf spring on the trailer broke, swung out and ate the side of the tire.

Always buy off brand of the appropriate weight rating. Current tires that came with the trailer have just shy of 10,000miles and look and ride fine. About 1,300miles into a 10,000mile trip to Alaska currently.

When hooking up and removing the X-chocks, I make a point of checking the pressure things on the valves and verbally announcing tire good 4 times as I look at each (also check the brake lights, do a final walk around after pulling out of the site and brake check before hitting the road).

Once you get a good pattern, it really doesn't take much time. Assuming we don't need to dump the tanks, we can go from sitting inside to on the road in about 10min without rushing (slow is fast and fast is slow).

[JIMNLIN]

dust wrote:
Help me to understand what "difference in tracking" means.

Best way to feel what trailer tracking can feel like is drop your trailers tires psi down by 50 percent then take off down the highway and make sudden lane changes.
Lots of over steer from the trailer.

Everyone has different tolerance for tracking (truck or trailer) issues.
Some can feel it and others just live with it.

[klutchdust]

canoe on top wrote:
By tracking, I mean traveling on a straight stretch of road, the truck and trailer travel in a straight line as one unit. I don't feel the trailer wiggling independently. Not much, but I can feel it. ST tires have stiffer sidewalls than LT tires. Doesn't make much difference going straight down the road. Significantly underinflated tires can make a big difference in how much the trailer moves around independent of the truck.I run my LRE tires on the trailer at 70 psi as that is compatable with the weight on each tire. When towing, I run the LRE tires on my Ram CTD at 60psi front and 70psi rear which is what the door sticker says. I run all the truck tires at 50psi when running empty. I have very even tread wear. I get 50,000 miles out of a set of Michelin ATs on the truck.

Trailer wiggle comes from improper loading as well. In all my years of towing I can't say that my tires made a difference nor could I tell if it was the tires.There are so many variables how can one narrow it down to the tires. Glad you figured it out. After replacing my tires recently and going down the road nothing changed. I have loaded the rear heavy with wood, nothing changed. I have a Work and Play toy hauler 25ft. 100 gallon water tank mounted between the axles, empty or full, same.
2000 lb Polaris vs. Honda Ruckus ,same. It pays off to have your WD hitch properly adjusted and for the driver to fully understand what it is doing. FWIW, the salesman who set it up when you picked it up, nope.....

[canoe_on_top]

By tracking, I mean traveling on a straight stretch of road, the truck and trailer travel in a straight line as one unit. I don't feel the trailer wiggling independently. Not much, but I can feel it. ST tires have stiffer sidewalls than LT tires. Doesn't make much difference going straight down the road. Significantly underinflated tires can make a big difference in how much the trailer moves around independent of the truck.I run my LRE tires on the trailer at 70 psi as that is compatable with the weight on each tire. When towing, I run the LRE tires on my Ram CTD at 60psi front and 70psi rear which is what the door sticker says. I run all the truck tires at 50psi when running empty. I have very even tread wear. I get 50,000 miles out of a set of Michelin ATs on the truck.

[gopherslayer]

I’ll make sure I buy the cheapest tire next time since they’re all the same and it’s a placebo effect. Same goes for my truck tires and shocks. You guys just saved me a bundle of money.

[klutchdust]

Date codes, yeah, what are they? LOL Do you know how to read them? Gee, there is so much tread left.... air compressor, carry one with you? Infrared thermometer?

great for quick checking tires, ..all about the same temp, good. One hotter than the others, bad.

[PButler96]

Gdetrailer wrote:


Trailer tires are a long ways behind the driver, there are a lot of road "hazards" which your vehicle tires may miss but yet you end up with a blown tire on the trailer..


People just get way to wound up in the blame game..

I am surrounded by 7 campgrounds that are within 10 miles of my house, all accessed by two lane state, county, or township roads. I see and get behind a lot of people pulling travel trailers or 5th wheels and most have one thing in common, they don't know how to drive when towing. Almost everyone I see can not negotiate a curve or corner without getting a trailer wheel somewhere it does not belong, such as on the shoulder or over a curb. In one small village that is between the interstate and a KOA, with 5 tight 90 degree curves on a two lane state road, I've only seen a few go through there that did not clip a concrete curb, most clip one multiple times, and most don't even slow down much if any through there, they clip them at 30-40 mph. I seen one guy do it so fast that both tires left the ground.

Take a walk on any road shoulder and you'll see it looks like the hardware aisle at Lowes.

The tire does not know the driver is an idiot.

[time2roll]

Gdetrailer wrote:

time2roll wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:
Myself, Have used what every tires I can find which are readily available and never had drivability, stability or blow outs issues...

OK and my oem DUROs came apart at less than 3 years. One blew and the rest were separating. Denman Express was supposed to be a quality tire with higher load range. Again about 3 years and a tread came clean off but still held pressure to pull over for the change on the Los Angeles freeway. OK step up to MAXXIS and again 3.5 years and there is a tread separating as I want to leave town. Changed the tire and went with no spare but plenty of anxiety.

Next set Endurance, no issues over 4+ years. Although one did pick up a nail that I found before it leaked down. Probably time to replace these on age alone. Endurance is the ONLY set that held together.

:R

And yet, I have had several sets of those dreaded Carlisle ST tires that everyone on this forum called Bombs that never blew up on me..

Oh.. the hate and drama of the "arm chair tire gurus" on this forum..

As I said, if it makes you "feel better" run with it and be happy..

I understand Carlisle has improved their tire about 8 years ago. Last set or two were probably the good ones. :E