NMDoyle
May 22, 2013Explorer
ST or LT tires?
Hi all... We have a 2012 Voltage 3795 that has already "lost" two of the factory tires. The first one developed a bulge on the sidewall - so we replaced it. The second just had tread seperation (wh...
wilber1 wrote:Cummins12V98 wrote:wilber1 wrote:Cummins12V98 wrote:wilber1 wrote:azdryheat wrote:
Maxxis are not made in China and seem to doing well according to what I've read in this forum.
According to Voltage, each axle is rated at 7,040 pounds and the tires are rated at 3520 (totaling 7040 per axle). The 3 axles and 6 tires give a total weight hauling capability of 21,120 pounds, which is 2,120 pounds over the 19,000 GVWR of the trailer and this doesn't count what's on the hitch. One might go so far as to say that airing up the tires to the 80 pounds max load rating listed on the sidewall is most likely over filling the tires, which also may cause a failure since the tires don't need to carry 21,120 pounds.
If the trailer has a pin weight of, say, 3500 pounds then the tires only need to hold up 15,500 or 2583 pounds per tire, which, again, does not need 80 pounds of air.
So it seems to me that Voltage has over built the trailer for hauling the given weight and that is commendable.
Running a tire at a lower pressure will generate more heat because the tire will flex more. The reason your tires have their maximum weight rating at 80 PSI is because they are less likely to fail at the higher pressure, not more likely. The biggest cause of tire failure is running them at too low a pressure.
As long as tread wear is even, I run my trailer tires at max sidewall pressure. I would always want to ere on the side of being too high as long as I am not over the max sidewall pressure.
Running a tire at the proper pressure is the correct thing to do. That is why they have weight/air pressure charts.
Just because the tire says MAX PRESSURE 80psi does not mean that is what you should run.
Most RV's are at or near the Max tire rating and should be ran at Max psi but not all!
What is the proper pressure for a trailer? How many trailer manufacturers publish recommended pressures for different loads? Mine didn't. How many have charts from the tire manufacturer that give load ratings at different pressures for their particular tires? How many know exactly how much weight their axles are carrying?
What is the benefit of uprating from say a D to an E and then running at the max pressure for the D? At 65 PSI the E will have about the same load rating as the D anyway. Heat is the biggest cause of tire failure. Under inflation is the biggest cause of tires overheating.
I run recommended pressures in my vehicles because the vehicle manufacturer gives them to me.
azdryheat made a comment about his rv having more tire than was needed and he could run less than the MAX psi. I said most do need the MAX.
The benefit of going from a Maxed out D to a E and running the same psi if that is what the inflation chart says for the weight is that the E is a much stronger tire and will hold up much better.
I went from E to G on my last RV and ran 85 psi for 5 years with perfect tread wear and not even a flat.
Because an E is a heavier tire, it will generate more heat than a D running at the same pressure.