Maxxis tire failure
I had a Maxxis M8008 205/75 R 15 tire fail on my utility trailer yesterday. I had stopped for fuel and noticed what looked like a wet spot on the tire where the tread and side wall meet. The tir...
Forum Discussion
BenK wrote:
Am NOT a tire engineer...just my opinion on this one
I change out all ST class tires on my trailers over to LT class.
Expensive, as the wheels also need to be changed (in most cases)
Am not of the philosophy that the sidewalls MUST be stiff to resist this force
and why I like LT radials of HIGH aspect ratio as I can find
Down side is that the trailer will have a higher tendency to wiggle the side
walls and I've managed that with the highest ply rating and keep them aired up
to max PSI
Bottom line is that all the trailer suspensions I've ever looked at are El Cheapo
NONE had shocks
You are 100% right about the shocks ALL travel trailers should come STANDARD with them.
However I can tell you from an engineering perspective that Sidewall stiffness is integral to ST tires and the special work they do. I am not a Tire Engineer but Sidewall stiffness will reduce the movement that is often mistaken for "SWAY". It helps the trailer hold a better line. LT's might work well too or they might be too flexible in the sidewall, depending on the brand and how they are made.
ST tread is designed for TRAILING and LT tires are designed for traction control and steering. They may be compatible or a certain brand might not work as well as a good brand of ST. It's hard to tell until you experiment.
I have thought about this as well but decided to stay with the ST's
My family was in the trucking business (moving and storage companies from Socal to North Carolina). When I was a kid we bought ST tires by the truckload. I left the family business...didnt want anything to do with it but ended up with my own trucks as a sideline to my regular career for years. I have bought my share of ST tires too. I can tell you for certain I have asked all the questions and watched as the technology and the tires have gotten better and better as time goes on. I have also watched as some of the foreign manufacturers have taken a bigger and bigger market share with really excellent tires at better prices. Toyo, Yokohama, Michelin etc. When you have even a small fleet of say 10 trucks tires become a BIG deal.
