5th wheel tires

cal wrote:
The average consumer seeking replacement tires have no real reason to cross over to something different than what has been recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.

When looking around the net at the many rv and non rv trailering websites (dozens) just about every member that asks the same old question about a better replacement tire than his OEM tires is looking for a better tire.

There are no state/fed laws that enforces the tire placard or say we have to stay with the trailer mfg tire choices .
The tire placard is required by law for the vehicle mfg to list his tire choices . These choices have to be on the trailer at first retail sales.
After that the vehicle owner wants to upgrade the tires before making the first trip or replacing worn out/time out tires, he/she is under no legal obligation to use the same tire on the placard.

The only legal aspect would be if the owner for whatever reason gets weighed and the tires capacity doesn't meet the actual load on them then he may receive a over weight ticket.

IMO the tire placard is a good idea (a place to start) for those who don't have the experience or knowledge to choose a proper/safest tire for his/her tow vehicle or trailer.

This post was started by a person that has been a member of this forum for 20 years. I’m sure he knew what he was doing when he asked such a broad question (S).

On the flip, what are the best LT or P tires?

The China ST tire industry has substantially improved the quality of their product over the last few years. Some improvements were from advanced technology and others were just in keeping in step with consumer demands.

Michelin and Bridgestone put some pressure on with their steel cased 16” tires and GY built the G614 steel cased LT and coined it RST. The GY was the only one to get substantial OEM support. I’m sure the cost of the others prevented the trailer manufacturers from using them as OEM. It could have also been the fact they are retreadable with tall treads making them damageable from high sheer forces all RV trailers encounter.

Anyway, the China ST tire manufacturers took note and saturated the market with 16” steel cased ST tires. In the past year there have been at least two brands introduced with 15” steel cased ST tires. I’ve even seen a 12” ST radial.

RIVA has mandated a recommended 10% load capacity reserve for all Original Equipment tires. That’s been in effect for nearly three years. The US government got in the act and demanded all imported ST tires must have speed ratings displayed on their sidewalls. TRA supports increases to 81 MPH.

The average consumer seeking replacement tires have no real reason to cross over to something different than what has been recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. High mileage consumers usually have large trailers and the new steel cased ST tires will last just as long as other designs. Once you get into the 17.5” market the door opens wide for low platform trailer tires by numerous brand manufacturers. However, that market has lots of “J” speed rated tires @ 62 MPH

mileshuff wrote:
There are now 8 pages for this topic. About the same for every tire topic. I'm late but if it helps the answer is Yes, fifth wheels need tires.

Just to keep in the tradition of this site, I'm going to argue with this post and take an oposing position..
In as much, I know someone that never uses tires at all and never has a problem.

There are now 8 pages for this topic. About the same for every tire topic. I'm late but if it helps the answer is Yes, fifth wheels need tires.

1/4” tread seems thin but they have a high tread wear rating. Most will age out before wear out.

The thin tread depth is one reason some trailer owners who rack up thousands of miles a year can't afford ST tires.
There better suited for rv trailer owners who run 20k-25k miles in 5 -6 years at the most.
I run 50k-55k miles in seven years with poly carcass LT E tires on my 5th wheel rv trailer. I 'm on the third set installed late last fall. Many 16" LT E tires can have 14 or 15/32 of tread depth so ST E tires doesn't make cents/sense for those of us who run lots of miles per year.

The all steel ply carcass R250 and Xps Ribs have ran 60k-80k miles on commercial class trailers. Both of these tires make better sense for the long haul on a high miles per year rv trailer. Beside they have many years and miles of service records to back them up vs the Endurance that been on the market for 3 years and no miles of service record yet.

laknox wrote:
FWIW, I just checked Discount Tire and their price for the R238 is =higher= than the same size Michelin XP Rib by a few bucks. Used to be t'other way 'round.

Lyle

I just ran the LT235/85-16 E on DT website.
XPS Rib ...281 bucks
R238 ......265 bucks

Simpletire.com shows the
XPS at around 265 bucks
R238 at around 250 bucks

Jeeze the first XPS Ribs I bought for a equipment trailer from DT was 148 bucks each....some years back.

I've read some replies from rv folks that DT won't install a LT tire on a trailer for all kinds of reasons. Both DT stores near me will install LTs on a trailer. Both store mgrs said DT corp left it up to the store owner for that decision.
Both of these store have lots of commercial and non commercial trailer customers so their well up on any legal/liability issues vs tire placard recommendations. I thought I knew "some" about this issue but one store mgr had much more input on a companies liability issues. He seemed ready to talk with a customer that knew something on the subject other than the tire placard sayz bla bla bla.

joebedford wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Forget the ST part when it comes to ENDURANCE tires. Do some research. Three years on the market and no reported non road hazard claims.

Bonus they are USMade.

I've done a lot of research but I have no opinion yet on the Endurance ST tire.

They weigh only 44 pounds each.

The tread depth is only 8 32nds.

The speed rating is 75mph.

It's less expensive than the Bridgestone and more expensive than the Sailun.

I don't care where it's made.

Their largest E tire weighs 51#. Their speed rating is 87 mph. Zero non road hazard issues with three years on the market.

1/4” tread seems thin but they have a high tread wear rating. Most will age out before wear out.

I understand that the OP doesn't need the capacity of G tires, but I am going on 5 years on my Sailun S637's and they still look like new. They also only lose 2-3 psi each while the fiver sits for 6 months over the winter. I would not hesitate whatsoever to go with them again.

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Forget the ST part when it comes to ENDURANCE tires. Do some research. Three years on the market and no reported non road hazard claims.

Bonus they are USMade.

I've done a lot of research but I have no opinion yet on the Endurance ST tire.

They weigh only 44 pounds each.

The tread depth is only 8 32nds.

The speed rating is 75mph.

It's less expensive than the Bridgestone and more expensive than the Sailun.

I don't care where it's made.

fj12ryder wrote:
Do you also check your car or truck and remove any Chinese made parts? And remove all the Chinese made parts from your computer? TV? Microwave? Many of those parts have the capacity to cause a lot of damage to your house if they self-destruct. The only way to judge some things is by their past performance. Sailun's past performance is exemplary, arguably better than Goodyear, not a Chinese company.

No I don't. And I don't think that is a meaningful response at all. I buy tires with a brand name on the side that has a long history of standing behind their product. I have insurance if one of them blows up but I don't want the hassle.

I've seen the Sailun tires in person and they look to be quality all steel tires. I do not need "G" load capacity nor would I expect a company like Sailun to stand behind their product if I had an issue.

If other people want to buy China bombs, be my guest. It's your money. When I can buy a quality product made here for similar money, that's what I'm going to do, not because I'm a nationalist, but because I have much more confidence in the quality control procedures of a 100+ year old company versus some unknown place on another continent.