RinconVTR wrote:
I would have no fear running Weslake tires on any trailer. In my research over many years, they have a great reputation and its not common to find a reported failures. There are far more (easy to find) reports of the G614's failing.
I find it very odd you did not feel comfortable with Westlakes because you are nearing their capacity...whatever that means. 80%? 90%? Do you even know? And they have a larger "bulb" where the rubber hits the road, which means what exactly. Its more prone to fail if it has a certain size bulge? Good tires do not bulge at all?
Those are very unprofessional and unwarranted perceptions, even for an internet forum.
Here's a reported failure for you:
I had the tread come part way off of this Westlake tire at approximately 7,000 miles. I was traveling at 64mph and never exceed 68mph, even though this tire is L rated for 75mph. The manufacturing date was 4914. The TPMS did not detect a low pressure or over temperature event. The tire was still fully inflated and reading 85psi (hot) at the time of separation. I incurred approximately $3,000 in damage to the underside of my FW when this occurred. I'll make it clear that the reason for failure is unknown, and may in fact be related to something that could have happened after the tire was put in service. But it failed, and did damage to my rig, so I'm wary.
I contacted Lions Head tire and wheel in Indiana who is the U.S. distributor for Westlake. I never heard back from them.
Up until that time, I had very good success with Westlake brand. However, you can not simply go to your local tire store and purchase a new set. You must try to find a distributor, purchase them, have them shipped to you, and then have them mounted.
So I started my research, and after many hours of analysis, I went with the Goodyear G614 LT tire. It is a name brand with a reasonably good reputation, and you can find a replacement in pretty much any large town in America.
