Need new tires

[mrad]

In October of 2020, WE bought our first 5th wheel, a 2015 Heartland cyclone 4150. From what we can tell, it was left on a seasonal site since 2016. I am thinking the tires are original, and although they look almost new, I am planning on replacing them as it sounds like dry rot is a problem when a tire gets this old. The tires that are on it are E-rated. This is a triple axle coach with a 20,000 lb GVWR. When I did the math with the tire weight capacity that was listed on the tire, there was only 540 lbs left if the TH was fully loaded (which I doubt I will ever come close too). Does this seem odd that the TH would have come with these tires from the factory? I am thinking I need to put "G" rated tires on it when I replace these. My local small town tire shop recommended: "G" rated not only for the extra capacity but also said they have never seen a "G" rated tire shred on a 5th wheel. The price is about $210 per tire vs. $170 for the E rated. I have no problem spending the extra money, but just wanted opinions from those who have been doing this longer than I have

[Grit_dog]

Just to note, based on all the check the rim pressure rating advice...
That’s good advice, but that notwithstanding, you could “over tire” it with some G or H rated tires and run lower pressures without issue if you don’t need the additional pressure for the weight.
On my vehicles I generally don’t run higher than needed pressure to maximize ride comfort and minimize tire wear from being too high, although trailers I generally run more pressure than needed. Because tread wear isn’t an issue really, especially on skinny trailer tires and less flex (to a point) generally = a better handling trailer and less heat buildup from flexing.
That said, you can run down the road all day in confidence with G load trailer tires at 80 psi without a care in the world if that pressure is sufficient for the load.

[joebedford]

I put Sailun G tires on my tri-axle, not because I needed it for the weight ratings but because they were the best bang (no pun intended) for the buck. Check the rims to make sure they're 110psi rated.

BTW, I bought the tires through Wally World - turns out the Sailuns are too heavy for their tire mounting machine. Had to take them elsewhere.

[lincster]

rerod wrote:
I recently learned new air steams were being delivered with michelin tires..
That did it for me. I've already run some R250's on my first TH with good results. But reading that air stream is selling their trailers with LT tires on some has turned me into a believer..

But what I would like to know is why michelin? They make some great tires that Ive ran on my trucks, but why did air steam pick the LTX MS2 225/75 r16?

Does it have the most rigid side wall? Wouldn't a A/T or the Rib be more rigid? And why do they say trailers don't exert the same forces to tires as trucks do? Braking is probably more grueling on tires than acceleration.

I wish someone on youtube would chop up a bunch of LT tires to compare sidewall thickness's. But sometimes I wonder if the common knowledge "ST's having stiffer sidewalls" was untrue.

From watching the guys at Discount try and mount my Rib tires, I would say the Rib for sure has a stiffer side wall. Steel cords vs polyester.
LTX is a tad cheaper, maybe that is the reason?

Have you ever watched a trailer tire scrub with 3 axles? You don't see that on a truck tire.....

[fj12ryder]

"But sometimes I wonder if the common knowledge "ST's having stiffer sidewalls" was untrue."

As is usually true, common knowledge isn't so common, and in this case, also untrue. When I changed out the E-rated ST tires on my 5th wheel for G-rated LT tires, I was particularly impressed with the flexibility of the sidewalls on the ST tires. "Wet noodle" was the term that cam to mind.

[rerod]

I recently learned new air steams were being delivered with michelin tires..
That did it for me. I've already run some R250's on my first TH with good results. But reading that air stream is selling their trailers with LT tires on some has turned me into a believer..

But what I would like to know is why michelin? They make some great tires that Ive ran on my trucks, but why did air steam pick the LTX MS2 225/75 r16?

Does it have the most rigid side wall? Wouldn't a A/T or the Rib be more rigid? And why do they say trailers don't exert the same forces to tires as trucks do? Braking is probably more grueling on tires than acceleration.

I wish someone on youtube would chop up a bunch of LT tires to compare sidewall thickness's. But sometimes I wonder if the common knowledge "ST's having stiffer sidewalls" was untrue.

[nayther]

lincster wrote:

nayther wrote:

lincster wrote:
Run LT tires no matter what you go with.

Cheap and tires are not a good combination when it comes to tires.

Agree on the price, collateral damage will eat up any possible savings. You were a huge proponent of Michelin Ribs, correct? Still feel the same? I have an EXCELLENT tire store I've traded with for 50 years so I'm going to have a chat with my buddies at Western Tire.

I still run the Ribs, but only because Michelin pro rates them so well every time I get some ozone cracking.
I get it every 2-3 years and then after year 4, it is so bad I am not comfortable.
Michelin will give me between 40-65% proration so it is hard to start over with a different brand.

I will only run LT tires, but some of my buddies run the G rated tires, ST, that are out there.
Sailun is one and Hercules is another.
They have blow outs.
They blame them that is because they sit in the sun in Phoenix.
I agree that is not the best, but these are tires that are only 1-2 years old. Even sitting in the sun, they shouldn't be blowing out that soon.

I ran Goodrich LT tires on my Rage'n. Had two blow outs on the OEM, tires were out of date though. Thanks for the info. will include ribs in my discussion at Western Tire.

[lincster]

nayther wrote:

lincster wrote:
Run LT tires no matter what you go with.

Cheap and tires are not a good combination when it comes to tires.

Agree on the price, collateral damage will eat up any possible savings. You were a huge proponent of Michelin Ribs, correct? Still feel the same? I have an EXCELLENT tire store I've traded with for 50 years so I'm going to have a chat with my buddies at Western Tire.

I still run the Ribs, but only because Michelin pro rates them so well every time I get some ozone cracking.
I get it every 2-3 years and then after year 4, it is so bad I am not comfortable.
Michelin will give me between 40-65% proration so it is hard to start over with a different brand.

I will only run LT tires, but some of my buddies run the G rated tires, ST, that are out there.
Sailun is one and Hercules is another.
They have blow outs.
They blame them that is because they sit in the sun in Phoenix.
I agree that is not the best, but these are tires that are only 1-2 years old. Even sitting in the sun, they shouldn't be blowing out that soon.

[lamopar]

We had a tripple axle toy hauler for 8 years. I had a lot of problems with tires not holding up until I changed over to the GoodYear tires from Discount Tire. They are speed rated at 81 MPH and showed impressive wear resistance. These tires were 15". Our new unit has has 16" tires and G rated but it is only two axles. Just giving my experience with the GoodYears and it was great. Also from my experience with other tires we saw the tire blow out and belts eat a hole through the floor, a tire blow out and blow the fender off the trailer and hit a piece of rebar from a broken curb in a parking lot take out two of the three tires when I only had one spare.

[nayther]

lincster wrote:
Run LT tires no matter what you go with.

Cheap and tires are not a good combination when it comes to tires.

Agree on the price, collateral damage will eat up any possible savings. You were a huge proponent of Michelin Ribs, correct? Still feel the same? I have an EXCELLENT tire store I've traded with for 50 years so I'm going to have a chat with my buddies at Western Tire.

[lincster]

Run LT tires no matter what you go with.

Cheap and tires are not a good combination when it comes to tires.

[Edd505]

nayther wrote:
Sailuns vs. Good Year Endurance, which is better? I assume Sailuns are cheaper. In the market myself but not as concerned about weight since not a toy hauler anymore

Both are getting excellent reviews. With what I have read your paying for the good year name and the price was not significant between them, most buying all new can afford either brand. I have run LT's on all my prior 5W's including my currant. Flat on one LT and the other where getting to the end, so I went Sailuns to see if they meet their reputation, plus the dealer had them in stock and had to order the Good Years. I have only had them on a short time but so far, high winds and 6o miles of snow cover road and the 5W tracked great.

[nayther]

Sailuns vs. Good Year Endurance, which is better? I assume Sailuns are cheaper. In the market myself but not as concerned about weight since not a toy hauler anymore

[fj12ryder]

3,400 lbs. hitch weight could be a bit light too. You could be looking at 3,600-4,000 lbs. hitch weight. Depends on how much stuff you carry in the garage. Toyhaulers tend to be front heavy so when weight is added to the garage, the hitch doesn't get too light.

[mrad]

valhalla360 wrote:
The side of the tire will have a date code on it, so no need to guess at age...but most likely they are the original tires, so 6-7yrs old. Yes, that's time to be looking at new tires.

When you calculated the load ratings, did you do it based on the GVWR or the GVWR minus the hitch weight. It's fine if you want to upgrade the tires but if you have excess capacity, that's should be fine.

I did not calculate the pin weight. That completely slipped my mind. If I subtract the 3,400lb of hitch weight, I guess I have plenty of capacity left on each of the E-rated tires.