LT Tire Longevity on TT?

Back in the summer of 2012, I switched from ST225/75R15's LR D to LT225/75R16's LR E. See here ST225/75R15 to LT225/75R16 Conversion

Before the conversion I had to figure out the best I could why I had 3, ST tires made in north america failed on me. See here for more ST Tire Failure Analysis (Long - Lots of Pics)

I went to BFG Commercial TA's. It did cost me in time and $$$ to do the conversion but I am very happy with the results and glad I did. On my heavy camper, I will not go back to ST's. The tires have worn excellent and I have no weather cracking in the treads or sideways to date. I'm at the 5 year mark now and come spring will be in the just past the 5 1/2 year mark. I will change them before they reach the 6 year mark. In our case, mid summer before our long trip. Not due to the tire outside appearance, but even on a good tire taken care of with the right loading for the tire, 5 to 6 years is it for me from the research I have done. We do camp all year round, less in the winter but still do. So the tires get used all year round.

I just had to change out the 5 1/2 year old tires on the truck before our big trip this year. These 18" LR E truck tires are costly. $1,700 for tires, mounting, road hazard and alignment. They still had another 8 to 10,000 miles left on them but I was not going to press it any further. The truck is almost always loaded with the camper or equipment flat bed trailer.

The 5 year area fits for me. A little more is not a bad thing pending the situation but 6 years is my hard limit.

Hope this helps

John

JIMNLIN wrote:
Per Carlisle our oldest ST tire maker;

Time and the elements weaken a trailer tire.
– 3 to 5 years is the average life expectancy of a trailer tire,regardless of mileage.
– It is estimated that in approximately three years, roughly one-third of a tire's strength is gone
– After three years, depending upon storage and conditions of usage, consider replacing trailer tires even if they have tread depth remaining.

– After five years, trailer tires should be replaced in all cases.
...............................................................

And how does Carlisle make money? By selling more tires. Might be a little self serving here.

JIMNLIN wrote:

And for those reading all the good stuff about Michelin. You should know they have a really bad rep for cracking, even on vehicles that run every day.

I agree 200% on the Michelin’s! They are the worst tire out there. I’ve seen 2 year old P tires with sidewall or tread cracking that makes them look like 10 year old tires! I recommend staying far away from any Michelin tire.

Of course we know this isn't true as not all Michelin tires have cracking issues even in their P line up or LT line up.

So which line/type of Michelin tires did you guys have cracking problems on your trailer. This can help others in not making the same mistake in choosing the wrong tire for their trailers.

That’s any Michelin tire, any type or size!

And for those reading all the good stuff about Michelin. You should know they have a really bad rep for cracking, even on vehicles that run every day.

I agree 200% on the Michelin’s! They are the worst tire out there. I’ve seen 2 year old P tires with sidewall or tread cracking that makes them look like 10 year old tires! I recommend staying far away from any Michelin tire.

Of course we know this isn't true as not all Michelin tires have cracking issues even in their P line up or LT line up.

So which line/type of Michelin tires did you guys have cracking problems on your trailer. This can help others in not making the same mistake in choosing the wrong tire for their trailers.

I agree 200% on the Michelin’s! They are the worst tire out there. I’ve seen 2 year old P tires with sidewall or tread cracking that makes them look like 10 year old tires! I recommend staying far away from any Michelin tire.

Lynnmor wrote:


I don't think you should compare Chinese TowMaster and Marathon tires to a good LT tire. The OP wanted to know about how long he might want to run a good tire. Tires that can only be expected to run three years are something that nobody should install.

I didn't. But it's all good. you gamble your way, and I'll hedge my bets. ALL tires rot when sitting. They only oil themselves while they roll.

And for those reading all the good stuff about Michelin. You should know they have a really bad rep for cracking, even on vehicles that run every day.

Gee, some of you are conservative! OK, every three years. To err is human, to be safer is smart.

Another big factor is how much are they loaded compared to their max load capacity. I've seen much faster wear and deterioration on tires (ST in my case) where they are loaded right to the max (or beyond depending on side to side loading differences). My current trailer was maxed on the original tires, I upgraded from C to D rated tires and bumped the tire pressure from 50 to 65 psi. Some of them were 4 years old this summer when we went west, traveled over 5k miles at 70 mph most of the time with temperatures as high as 115. They still seem to be fine. I've not weighed my trailer lately but I'm guessing I have 7k lbs on my 2 3500 lb axles. I'd have no qualms about running up to 5 years on LT tires if they are for certain run below the load rating for the pressure you have in them.

I replaced the Michelin LTX M/S2 tires on my Suburban (245/75R15E) this year at 5 years of age. 2 of the tires were cracking even before the trip out west in the sidewalls. The treads and shoulders did not have cracking so I ran them the rest of the summer. I'll skip the Michelin's next time as they seem to have this problem a lot.

I was pretty good about keeping the tire covers on when parked and my tires just started showing signs of age this year, 7 years out. (Gonna try the Gooodyear Endurance for replacements) Its the UV that tears them up, causing sidewall cracking and weakness. Keep 'em covered and use a good UV protectant, like 303, and you should easily get 5 years of use.

IMO if they're older ST tires I'd replace them tomorrow. If they're some of the newer ST tires, or LT tires then I'd go at least 5 years, probably longer.