Best Tires for Travel Trailer?

Lowsuv wrote:
Maxxis is a third tier tire brand . Michelin , Continental , and Bridgestone are example of tier one brands . Those 3 charge more because they have better tires .

These two sentences have little relationship, Tiers have to do with supply chain relationships and not with quality.

As a wild guess , I would say only 20 % or so of folks are "motorheads " or "car guys ".
The other 80 % are not and have more important things to do .
such as riding their mountain bike , going to their grandkids soccer games , rooting for their regional sports teams , and the list goes on .
Those are the folks who consider a car an ( disposable ) appliance .
Their car interior gets vacuumed every 6 months and a car wash does not mean a weekly hand wash with loving care .
That same 80 % wants a ONE WORD answer to tire safety for their travel trailer .
The Maxxis faithful give them that one word answer without regard to the facts .
There are no tire tests showing any maxxis tire to be a superior tire.
The solution to preventing catastrophic tire failure are a combination of several actions . In order :
Keep your tires inflated to the maximum psi as indicated on the tire sidewall .
Check for cracking and road hazards frequently .
When replacing your tires increase the load rating in pounds of your replacement tires .If you have 1820 # rated and go to 2271# .
If you have load range C tires , go to load range E or D .
Run those at the max psi shown on the sidewall .
If you can go up a tire width , say from 205 to 215 or 225 that will help also .
LT tires are tested to a tougher standard than ST tires . If you find an LT replacement that fits.
The load rating in pounds found on the sidewall is more important than the brand of the tire .
Maxxis is a third tier tire brand . Michelin , Continental , and Bridgestone are example of tier one brands . Those 3 charge more because they have better tires .
Still it is more important to maintain maximum psi , check for tire deterioration ,and increase the load rating in pounds of your RV tires than brand .

Folks don't have any problems getting the Vanco's for their trailers on this or any other trailering websites in the USA or in Europe where their used on trailers. Simply drop by your Continental/Vanco tire dealer and tell them what you want. My area Continental dealer says the Vanco's are one of his more popular tires for his customers trailers. No one has reported any issues with them on this or other trailering websites here or over there.

RV.net had the same problem with FastEagle and his same type load the question email from Michelin about using their XPS Ribs on trailers. Michelin says the LT E Ribs aren't to be used to replace a ST E tire.
However we have several emails from Michelin stating if the LT E at 3042 lbs capacity meets the trailer axle requirements then they are a good match and Michelin gives them their blessing.

The email from Michelin and the one from Vanco doesn't tell us how the question was worded or even what the question was however both got the standard liability issues answer that any tire maker will give if the right question is asked hence specifically worded question backed them into the liability corner.

The reply to my one and only e-mail to TIRE GUYS at Continental Tire…

Dear John,

Web Inquiry: xxxxxxxx

Thank you for contacting Customer Relations at Continental Tire the Americas, LLC.

We no longer manufacture ST tires, and the Vanco line is not a suitable alternative.
We would recommend searching for a dedicated ST tire line.

XXXXXX XXXXXXX
Head of International Warranty
Central Customer Service

Tire Division
Continental



And this information taken directly from the Continental tire website about the commercial Vanco tire line… it’s not something I am saying…

“The growing demand for short-distance transport of passengers and goods
also leads to increased requirements so that the performance of modern day
vans nears that of passenger car.”

“The concept of the VancoTM Camper is to use long well-proven Vanco
technique, optimize its performance for distinguished motorcaravan
requirements and thus cater to the needs of this specific target use.”

“The Continental Vanco Camper tyres are part of Continental’s Vanco tyre
range that comprises tyres exclusively for vans.”

Can anyone post any information from their website or official documentation stating differently???


And I should rely on who’s information here???



Yes I have gone to great lengths to examine my options, to find my best options from all the different perspectives… anyone that has read my post on the topic knows I am not one of the Maxxis faithful but yes I have chosen the Maxxis M8008 to be my best option for my trailer at this time…

Repeating test about some high speed sports car tires as some do or being a car guy, has no more bearing on my choice than reports on Maxxis motorcycle tires would… but when that’s all you got and you’re a car guy that’s what you go with… but know one thing, I am not concerned with car tires here in the TT forums, only trailer tires or TV tires…


.

Lowsuv wrote:
one of the maxxis faithful went to great lengths to get an email from someone at Continental tires saying that the Vanco .

I am the guy your statement refers to, and your statement is a bold face flat out LIE…


.

one of the maxxis faithful went to great lengths to get an email from someone at Continental tires saying that the Vanco 2 tires were not rated for trailer use . this particular maxxis supporter is unending in his support for maxxis tires to the exclusion of other brands .
i will assume that his email from a continental employee was truthful .
As a lifetime car guy I have observed that Continental Tires have been top tier tires for the 50 years I have been driving .
Continental Tire is a Tier One tire producer . Maxxis is a tier Three tire producer .
Vanco 2 tires are only manufactured in Germany and Slovokia in the 225/70 R 15 size and are a load range D tire with an LT weight rating of 2470 pounds . They are speed rated for 106 mph , a minor bonus in tire quality / design .
Maxxis ST tires are made somewhere in asia. They are rated for 65 mph .
The Vanco 2 size 225/70R15 will fit most RV steel wheels without having to upgrade the wheels .
In practice you can inflate them to the 65 psi shown on the sidewall and seriously upgrade your tire capacity . This means that if you start the day at 65 psi and you pick up a nail that you still have the same capacity as that size if the pressure drops to 50 psi as a load range C tire at max psi.
I check my tires at each rest/gas stop so I have the opportunity to see or feel the mishap before it becomes more serious .
Many German cars such as Porsche , Audi , Mercedes and others only approve about five brands of tires for their cars . Those brands include Michelin , Continental , Bridgestone , Dunlop , and ?
Maxxis tires are not approved by Porsche . In the November issue of Consumer Reports 60 tires were purchased and tested . Continental had the top rated tire in a performance tire with the usual mix of Michelin and Bridgestone very close .
The maxxis tire was in the lowest 25 % of the ratings .
My life's experience is hanging out with bench racers in my porsche club. these old guys ( my age ) go to tech sessions about everything car related including tire tech sessions and demos put on by the tire makers at the national and regional meets .
the maxxis faithful do not have the same background . if they choose to ignore that tire makers that have to deal with autobahn speeds and tire quality to be an OEM supplier to the best handling cars available worldwide then that is their choice .
Michelin ,Continental and Bridgestone charge more for their tires . Consumers willingly pay extra because of quality.
the bottom line for me is an Continental LT rated tire with 2470 pound capacity is a safer tire than the same size tire with an ST rating .

"This spring I ordered 4 Continental "special " tires from Tire Rack on a Monday ."


I thought the Vanco tires are not recommended for trailer use?

In actual practice you can receive the Kumho 857 tires in 3 days .
Tire Rack has them in stock.
They will ship direct to your local tire installer .
This spring I ordered 4 Continental "special " tires from Tire Rack on a Monday .
They promised Friday Delivery.
They arrived at my tire installer on Wednesday .
They were mounted on Thursday .
For those that do not have a favorite local tire installer , Tire Rack maintains a list of cooperative tire installers for most every locale .
Because I am a " car guy " I have used Tire Rack repeatedly to get specialty tires and specialty wheels delivered to my town .
The prices are always low and the delivery time is immediate .

Michelin LTs Smoother ride, better grip in rain and on slush etc and if you get on the edge trailer will follow you on to road.
built for freeway, 75 MPH on TX freeways. I'm not saying I'd pull my trailer that fast as 67 is fast enough for me.

I generally agree. I definitely do not trust any Chinese product that's made and exported by a Chinese company. I would think a GY Marathon made in China, if Goodyear employees are running the QC program, should be good.

hddecker wrote:

Yardvarkers wrote:
Most of the ST tires are good in my opinion.I think blowouts occur due to neglect of the tire such as tire pressure, cleaning, exessive speeds, ect. Btw, I ran Goodyear Marathons for 8 years with no problem. It just had a few hairline weather cracks. Then replaced the load range from C to D. They are also made in China.

Yard, I agree with the neglect issue being the major problem. However I do not trust the quality of anything made in China.

The record of Chinese manufacturing is noting to write home about. What was the final total number of pets killed with the melamine pet food scandal. How many surgical gloves had foreign objects including bugs trapped in the vinyl. Then of course the lead paint in toys.

Too many hidden defects Chinese products for my liking.