Speed and blown tires
Another thought I had while driving home today again from our holiday camping trip up north. I posted about driving to fast and not surprisingly I was told I was going to fast at 68mph even though I ...
Forum Discussion
I full time and pull a 14,000 pound GVWR fiver. I run no faster then 60 mph and keep my tires aired up. No TPMS. It came with the dreaded Towmax tires (thanks Heartland). I wanted to get one full season out of them before switching but that was not to be. When the first one blew almost exactly one year after delivery (maybe 7,000 miles) I switched to Maxxis. They were fine until a few weeks ago (3 years old) when one of those also blew. So I changed out all 4 to Sailun S637. They are a 'G' rated medium duty truck tire (110 PSI) and also rated for 75 mph. Sailuns are made in China and I have not read anything but praise for them. They seem to be a very high quality tire. There is one person on these forums who can quote chapter and verse about the quality standards that Sailun meets. If interested you might do a search on the fifth wheel forum, where tires get discussed at regular intervals.
A few observations and opinions -
1. A TPMS may save you from a blowout but it does not solve the real problem of junk ST tires.
2. The Chinese will build a tire to whatever spec is provided to them. Towmax (especially) is apparently a very low spec tire. Sailuns are a quality tire, also made in China.
3. The Maxxis tires I ran weighed approximately 34 pounds. The all steel belted Sailuns weigh 55 pounds for the exact same size. I'm betting the Towmax weighs less then the Maxxis tire.
4. I believe that 'E' rated ST tires simply cannot handle the heavier trailers, even if the tires are rated for the weight of the trailer.
5. Almost all ST tires are rated for a max of 65 mph. Running them faster builds heat. Combine that extra heat with tires that are pretty much maxed out weight wise (more heat) or maybe are a little underinflated (even more heat) and they blow. Who woulda thunk it ?
6. My personal opinion - I won't run LT tires because they aren't rated for the weight. And there also seems to be an argument for the stiffer sidewalls on trailer tires that LT tires don't provide. But I do understands why some would run them as opposed to a cheap ST tire (AKA Towmax).
7. I do think that Maxxis tires probably work just fine on lighter trailers.
8. I really lay this entire situation at the feet of the trailer manufacturers, not the Chinese. I don't think they are specing out tires that will handle real world weights and speeds. It sure seems like we need to go up one 'rating' from what comes as OEM on our trailers. Example - From D to E on lighter trailers and from E to G on the heaver ones. And putting Towmax tires on heavy trailers as OEM is almost criminal IMHO.
A few observations and opinions -
1. A TPMS may save you from a blowout but it does not solve the real problem of junk ST tires.
2. The Chinese will build a tire to whatever spec is provided to them. Towmax (especially) is apparently a very low spec tire. Sailuns are a quality tire, also made in China.
3. The Maxxis tires I ran weighed approximately 34 pounds. The all steel belted Sailuns weigh 55 pounds for the exact same size. I'm betting the Towmax weighs less then the Maxxis tire.
4. I believe that 'E' rated ST tires simply cannot handle the heavier trailers, even if the tires are rated for the weight of the trailer.
5. Almost all ST tires are rated for a max of 65 mph. Running them faster builds heat. Combine that extra heat with tires that are pretty much maxed out weight wise (more heat) or maybe are a little underinflated (even more heat) and they blow. Who woulda thunk it ?
6. My personal opinion - I won't run LT tires because they aren't rated for the weight. And there also seems to be an argument for the stiffer sidewalls on trailer tires that LT tires don't provide. But I do understands why some would run them as opposed to a cheap ST tire (AKA Towmax).
7. I do think that Maxxis tires probably work just fine on lighter trailers.
8. I really lay this entire situation at the feet of the trailer manufacturers, not the Chinese. I don't think they are specing out tires that will handle real world weights and speeds. It sure seems like we need to go up one 'rating' from what comes as OEM on our trailers. Example - From D to E on lighter trailers and from E to G on the heaver ones. And putting Towmax tires on heavy trailers as OEM is almost criminal IMHO.
