Best Tires for Travel Trailer?

JJBIRISH wrote:
The regulation 571.139 for today’s light duty tires under 10,000 including P and LT tires is a result of the investigations and hearings following the rollover problems of 2000, after more than 30 years there was a choice to update the certification and testing regulations and to not include the ST tire in any of the updates… the ST was excluded because of industry lobbying activity and objections made to their inclusion with no one arguing against their exclusion or for their inclusion in the upgrades… some of the arguments made were the ST tire is a trailer only tire not a passenger carrying tire and therefore they pose little risk to death or injury or property damage… in some versions or revisions to the new regulations the regulation itself (didn’t say non-passenger) used terminology like other than passenger carrying tire when referring to the ST tire… when reading these hard to follow regulations on the internet there are several revisions available with differently worded versions…

§571.139 Standard No. 139; New pneumatic radial tires for light vehicles. S1. Scope and purpose. This standard specifies tire dimensions, test requirements, labeling requirements, and defines tire load ratings. S2 Application. This standard applies to new pneumatic radial tires for use on motor vehicles (other than motorcycles and low speed vehicles) that have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,000 pounds or less and that were manufactured after 1975. This standard does not apply to special tires (ST) for trailers in highway service, tires for use on farm implements (FI) in agricultural service with intermittent highway use, tires with rim diameters of 8 inches and below, or T-type temporary use spare tires with radial construction..

With the exit of most mainstream tire builders and the rush to China by the other ST tire makers and all things being now equal, the tire builders may actually have to compete for their market share by building a better tire, the way it used to be…

A good example of that is the new Carlisle radial tire (and a few others) that now has a cap ply… it took almost 40 years for Carlisle to realize the importance of that cap ply in radial construction, even though it was common knowledge in the entire tire industry since the 70’s…

No I am not a tire engineer and have worked my whole life wearing a shirt with my name on it… I am not ashamed of that and have never denied that, so you can’t embarrass me with your remarks about it, thank you… but I have read and studied a lot about tires and especially as much as I could about the ST tire, its pros (and there are some) and it’s cons… both the lack of qualified LT tires for trailer use and the fact that a lot use them caused me to a least consider the pros and cons of them to… my opinions are mine and based in my own study and experience and I am to bull headed to easily change a informed opinion, but it can be done…

I have many opinions about the ST and RV tire and the industries surrounding them seldom or never mentioned here… when I do mention them I am accused of being a conspiratress (?) … I don’t believe I am but do think there has been a lot of industry collusion creating the problems as they exist, the newest tire aging theory for one (or reverse engineering and planned obsolescence)…

Just a little tid bit about the topic…

“During a panel discussion at Tire Technology, industry representatives grumbled about tires as a “grudge purchase.” XXXXX responded that tire makers need to demonstrate to consumers that their products are not commodities distinguishable only by price. They needed to provide individual identification on their products, track them through the life cycle and ensure they are removed completely from service when are they are no longer safe for use. An ancillary benefit to individual ID is the ability to easily discover whether a tire is recalled or not, which is currently in not possible.”

Do you really want chipped tires with tracking capability… and being forced to take them out of service on a calendar date…




hddecker ,
possibly Carlisle bias ply tires are still made in the USA, I think they were made in Carlisle PA but moved the plant to Tennessee.. Some of the rubber stock I believe is made in Greenville Illinois, but all of this was a few years ago so can not guarantee it today…

gmw wrote:
It's always amazing to me to see folks reaction when their ox is being gored. Folks will sometimes defend a product, or a brand, or a "type" ( like a ST tire ) in the face of overwhelming evidence and logic to the contrary. I suppose sometimes it makes sense for some folks to defend something. For instance, let's say a person has a financial interest in selling ST tires. They would have a compelling reason to continue to push a product or type of product, and they might full well know there is a weakness, yet not want to give up the financial gain they are deriving from selling it.

I don’t know who you aimed this remark at but if it’s pointed my way I can assure you it is pure unadulterated BS… I guess that would go to all the Honda, Hensley, and XPS advocates as well… at the price they all paid I guess you could say their ox was gored to…

I belive that you are correct about the bias ply. The problem is they don't make a 16", then too bias ply are not really the best RV tire.

This whole argument over tires, be it brand or ST vs LT is never going to be resolved. It will forever and a day come down to a personal choice. The only thing that I am sure about is I won't pay a premium for Goodyear Marathons made in China.