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ken_burke's avatar
ken_burke
Explorer
Jun 12, 2015

Another Subj . . . TIRES

All . . . .A very worn out subject.
I really need your help in buying a new set of 5th wheel tires. We have a heavy (3000 #s per wheel) Cedar Creek. We bought 5 GY Marathon tires within the last year. ST235/80/r16. Pressure of 80 #s. 2 of the 5 tires have blown out within less than a year. Don't want to buy more Marathons.
Questions . . . . Will LT tires work better than ST tires for heavy 5th wheel? Can we use 235/85/16 tires, and would that help carry the load. I see that "Me Again" recommends Michelin XPS tires, and Duval R250 tires. Any other recommended tire for a heavy 5th wheel??
Which tires have a stronger side wall??

thanks . . . . ken and sue.

60 Replies

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  • Lantley's avatar
    Lantley
    Nomad
    Jun 12, 2015
    G614s or Sailun's S637 if you want high quality tires for a heavier 5'er
  • joebedford's avatar
    joebedford
    Nomad II
    Jun 12, 2015
    If I were you, I would spend the money and get the Goodyear G614s. On my previous 5er about the same weight as yours, I had many tires issues until I went with G614s - after that: NONE!

    I run Duravis r250s now, but that's on a tri-axle.
  • JIMNLIN's avatar
    JIMNLIN
    Explorer III
    Jun 12, 2015
    Is that 3000 lbs per tire a estimate or actual scaled weight ?
    Rv trailers with slide outs are notorious for weighing several hundred lbs different side to side...plus running in a strong side wind all day long can over load a tire on the down wind side if it doesn't have any reserve capacity. Tire experts say a 15-20 percent reserve capacity is a better idea.

    What is the trailers GVWR ?
    Does your trailer have 6k or 7k axles ?
    Lots of 16" trailer wheels rated for G tires (3750 lb ) at 110 psi. Check your wheels for proper load and pressure rating.
  • RustyJC's avatar
    RustyJC
    Explorer
    Jun 12, 2015
    fj12ryder wrote:
    I would not buy another ST tire, but it looks like you need "G" rated LT tires rather than the "E" rated tires like the Michelin Rib. The "E" rated tire's weight limit is 3042 lbs. If you're at 3000 lbs. per wheel, it won't give you much leeway.


    The 3042 lb rated Michelin XPS Rib works fine on axles with 6K GAWR. I ran them on my 2000 Jayco Designer XL 3610RLTS with 6K axles for years in severe Texas summer conditions at Interstate highway speeds.

    The modern Goodyear G614 RST is an excellent choice as well and gives you more reserve with a 3750 lb rating at 110 PSIG IF your rims can take advantage of the higher inflation pressures if the additional capacity is required. Physically, the G614s are a LT235/85R16 tire and will certainly fit a 16" rim.

    Your money - your choice.

    Rusty
  • wilber1's avatar
    wilber1
    Explorer
    Jun 12, 2015
    ken burke wrote:
    fj12ryder wrote:
    I would not buy another ST tire, but it looks like you need "G" rated LT tires rather than the "E" rated tires like the Michelin Rib. The "E" rated tire's weight limit is 3042 lbs. If you're at 3000 lbs. per wheel, it won't give you much leeway.

    However the "G" rated tires can be inflated to 110 psi, so if you wanted to run at sidewall pressure you would need wheels that will allow you to inflate to 110 psi. I run "G" rated Sailun S637 tires on my 15,000 lb. triple axle toyhauler, and inflate them to 100 psi.

    . . .
    Thanks, but I don't think that the "G" rated tires will fit on a 16 inch wheel. As for tire ratings, the Marathon's are rated for 3400#s, while our 5th wheel weighs 3000# per tire. I think that the Marathon's are under-rated.


    Don't know about the sizes but you could be right about the Marathons being rated for too much weight. I have been using E rated Marathons for 13 years on fivers under 12K GVWR and have never had a problem with any of them.
  • SH's avatar
    SH
    Explorer
    Jun 12, 2015
    ken burke wrote:
    . . .
    Thanks, but I don't think that the "G" rated tires will fit on a 16 inch wheel. As for tire ratings, the Marathon's are rated for 3400#s, while our 5th wheel weighs 3000# per tire. I think that the Marathon's are under-rated.


    The GY 614's do fit 16 inch rims. Have a new set on our rig! Just be sure your wheel can handle the 110 psi.
  • ken_burke's avatar
    ken_burke
    Explorer
    Jun 12, 2015
    fj12ryder wrote:
    I would not buy another ST tire, but it looks like you need "G" rated LT tires rather than the "E" rated tires like the Michelin Rib. The "E" rated tire's weight limit is 3042 lbs. If you're at 3000 lbs. per wheel, it won't give you much leeway.

    However the "G" rated tires can be inflated to 110 psi, so if you wanted to run at sidewall pressure you would need wheels that will allow you to inflate to 110 psi. I run "G" rated Sailun S637 tires on my 15,000 lb. triple axle toyhauler, and inflate them to 100 psi.

    . . .
    Thanks, but I don't think that the "G" rated tires will fit on a 16 inch wheel. As for tire ratings, the Marathon's are rated for 3400#s, while our 5th wheel weighs 3000# per tire. I think that the Marathon's are under-rated.
  • fj12ryder's avatar
    fj12ryder
    Explorer III
    Jun 12, 2015
    I would not buy another ST tire, but it looks like you need "G" rated LT tires rather than the "E" rated tires like the Michelin Rib. The "E" rated tire's weight limit is 3042 lbs. If you're at 3000 lbs. per wheel, it won't give you much leeway.

    However the "G" rated tires can be inflated to 110 psi, so if you wanted to run at sidewall pressure you would need wheels that will allow you to inflate to 110 psi. I run "G" rated Sailun S637 tires on my 15,000 lb. triple axle toyhauler, and inflate them to 100 psi.
  • Allworth's avatar
    Allworth
    Explorer II
    Jun 12, 2015
    LT245/75R16. LR E. Will fit in the same space and give you a lot more options.

    I run BFG Commercial TA and have been quite happy with them. A 13,500 # trailer.

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