Tire tread depth
I recently installed a set of Goodyear Endurance ST tires on my new 5th wheel. I noticed the tread depth was 8/32", and this was considerably less than the 13/32" I was used to when I used BFG LT Com...
Forum Discussion
JIMNLIN wrote:
On my GN trailers when on the road 24/7 we actually wear a tire out all the way down to the tread wear bars.
The thinner the tread the less miles of service before their worn out. This is where the LT with its 14-16/32nds of tread depth gives us far greater miles of service.
Another thing we see is the tires carrying heavy loads with a greater tread depth runs cooler unlike tires on a light vehicle such as a road racer. The closer the tire has worn to the wear bars the hotter it runs. And as one member said its more prone to picking up road debris.
New tires can run hotter/tread roll/tread squirm till their broke in.
ST tire builders have made claims in the past about their ST tires being superior in bla bla bla.... however most lay persons found out the hard way what worked vs what didn't.
I understand and may regret the ST tires. The Endurance is the only one I considered based on a lot of good reports on these forums. My 5th wheel is 30' and probably weighs less than 9K lbs when loaded. The Endurance tires are rated for 2K lbs over that so I'm well within the weight limits. Also, I usually drive about 60 mph, so all things considered I'm not pushing them.
Only time will tell. If I have problems it won't be too big of a deal to go to 16" wheels and LT tires.
I'm still wondering if shallower treads on tires used with trailers carrying a lighter load will dissipate heat better?? Would be interesting to see if any of the manufacturers have done studies.
