sgrizzle wrote:
Radial ST 225/75 R15D (F-108)? They are 6 years old and we are headed out this spring on about a 3,000 mile camping trip over the rockies and to the Moab area...I have heard trailer tires need to be replaced every so many years, whetherthey look worn or not.
I am considering replacing them with LT tires.
My Trailer:
GVWR is 7900 lbs.
GAWR (each Axle) is 4,400 lbs.
Max Cargo is 1,460 lbs.
How do I choose the best match in a LT tire. I have tried looking at Tire Rack and michelin sites and it gets pretty confusing. Thanks for your help!
If you are at 6 years, IMO your time is up to change. Good choice to change them before your next trip, including the spare.
A good part of understanding tires failures is proper loading with reserve capacity and proper air pressure (at max side wall pressure cold). With the camper fully loaded, including water if you tow with water down the highway, you need to find a scale setup that can weigh each tire as they are not all loaded equal. Then work to get a tire or reduce weight at that wheel to get to 20% extra load capacity over the heaviest loaded tire.
I can see by your D rated tires on a camper that light, as long as you are not over the weight ratings your setup is a lot better then most.
As far as a brand of ST tire, I have had acceptable luck with Maxxis, however 5 years is going to be about it before side walls and tread cracks are pretty advancing along.
If you want to go to LT tires, there is some home work and work involved. You can see my upgrade here to know if this is something you want to take on. Your camper may be setup different and you do not have to fiddle so much with wheel well clearance.
ST225/75R15 to LT225/75R16 Conversion Hope this helps and good luck
John