CapriRacer wrote:
It might be time for me to mix things up a bit!
1) An ST tire carries much more load than a similar sized LT tire: LT235/85R16 LR E = 3085# @ 80 psi, ST235/85R16 LR E = 3640# @ 80 psi (+18%). That means that at least one of the government tests is more stringent for ST tires.
2) US Government testing procedures do NOT produce a tire that will perform well in the US market (This applies to Passenger Car tires, LT tires, AND ST tires!) Nowadays, the tire has to EXCEED the government minimums by a good percentage to perform adequately.
Except - I believe many trailer tires are actually ST 235/80 16 which is 3417lbs - much closer to the LT tire. Actually on the Goodyear site if you just go to tire size and put in 235/85 16, you get LT tires first. In my case, my trailer weighs about 9000lbs over the tires, so much less than the tires 12K potential - so, yes, caution to weight is essential. If you have a 12K axle weight, don't buy an LT tire, you might not even buy the ST 235/85 16 and jump up to a stronger tire. Many are going with the G rated tires. But we aren't comparing G rated to E rated. Tires must first be within the weight rating of the trailer fully loaded.
