Tire Brand

boshog wrote:
Here are a few highlights from an article I found, read this over and see if you agree. You can find the complete article by Mark Polk here;
rvingwithmarkpolk.com/2012/11/08/trailer-towing-st-tires-vs-lt-tires/

"Let me begin by saying when it comes to the type of tires to use on a travel trailer or 5th wheel trailer I think there is a lack of information and understanding on the topic. If you head over to the RV forums and type in ST vs. LT tires be prepared for a good deal of debate and varying opinions.

ST stands for Special Trailer tire. ST tires are designed for use on trailer axle positions only. They are not designed for the load or traction requirements of a drive or steering axle. ST tires have strengthened sidewalls to prevent the tire from rolling under the rim in turns and when cornering. All ST tires have a maximum speed rating of 65 mph. ST tires feature materials and construction designed to meet the higher load requirements and demands trailer towing presents.
Tim Fry, senior development engineer with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company stated, The major difference is reflected in the polyester cords used in ST tires. These cords are bigger than they would be for a comparable P or LT tire. Typically, the steel wire also has a larger diameter or greater tensile strength to meet the additional load requirements. Because of the heavier construction for an equal volume of air space, an ST tire is designated to carry more load than a P or LT tire.
Chinese Manufactured ST Tires:
Several years ago it was discovered that numerous brands of Chinese manufactured LT and ST tires had defects that resulted in premature tire failure. RV owners towing travel trailers and 5th wheel trailers were experiencing excessive tire blowouts and other tire failures long before the tire’s life expectancy was reached. The defective Chinese tire fiasco, from say 2005 to 2008, left a bad taste with RV owners and many resorted to replacing their ST tires with LT tires. Despite my feeling towards all things Chinese, it seems that U.S. brand tires manufactured in China since 2010 have been fine. This does not however apply to any of cheap priced Chinese brand ST tires being exported to the U.S."

So given a reputable tire, major causes of tire failure come from over-loading, under/over inflated, and improper weight distribution. I can say this looking around the travel areas, the only leveled fifth wheel/truck combination I’ve seen to date is mine. Every other one is tail heavy putting addition load on the back axle. Look at the pictures of blown tires, most are from the rear axle.

There are several misstatements in this article:

1. Not all ST tires are rated for 65mph. In fact my last set of Westlake ST tires with a 4914 date code were rated "L", 75mph. Sailun S637 tires are rated for 75mph.

2. My last failure was on the front axle, not the back.

3. The defective Chinese tire fiasco did not end in 2008. That is a complete line of BS. They are still popping and throwing tread and being the typical CHINA BOMBs they always have.

What is really a shame is that when there is a failure and you try to report it to the NHTSA, quite often the brand that failed is not listed as a drop down on the reporting menu, and you can't proceed from there. So without a way to report the failures and subsequent damage and accidents these CHINA BOMBs cause, there is a significant lack of data for the government to make decisions.