Extra spare tire
Just bought 4 new tires and rims. Dexstars and er, um, you know, the M tire. Waiting for a tad warmer weather to put them on and check brakes and bearings (9 degrees). I was wondering how many of you ...
Forum Discussion
Lowsuv wrote:
I took a different approach to this issue .
LT graded tires are more expensive than the same size and load range ST tires .
There have been some threads discussing this issue and it might be reasonable to assume that an LT graded tire is 5 % to 20 % more tire than the equivalent ST tire .
On my boat trailer and on my travel trailer I upgraded to a significantly higher sidewall weight rating and also went to an LT graded tire from the ST at the same time .
This costs plenty extra .
I stopped carrying a spare on my boat trailer .
Boat spares are in the way at launch time .
I tow my boat long distances often leaving home in the evening and arriving at the Sacramento Delta 10 hours later , early morning the next day .
We often stay on the water all day Sunday and leave for home at 6 pm , and drive at night coming home .
I bought the more expensive LT tires with a 2271 # weight rating graded on the LT scale . They replaced 1760 # rated tires on the ST scale .
Count me lucky as I have never had a failure of any kind because my boat trailer tires are so stout that they are never taxed even in 115 degree heat that sometimes happens on the Delta .
I did a similar thing for my travel trailer which came with 1820 # ST rated tires and I replaced with LT tires of an 2271 # rating .
My 21T komfort trailer came with a spare mounted under the frame just in front of the TT axles , but it has never been used either .
The TT has also been used in 115 degree heat in the CA and AZ deserts .
LT tires do carry a heavy price premium over the same size ST tires so I needed to make sure that my reserve capacity was significant .
As to the weight of a spare , the LT tires can each weigh 10 - 20 % more than the same sized ST tire .
Before I spent $650 on wheels and tires, I spent a lot of time researching. I would have gone the LT route, if there was a better choice than the Kumho tire in my size. I could possibly go to a 15", but would be too close to minimum clearances. So, in (hopefully) 4 or 5 years, I'll revisit the whole thing.
