myredracer wrote:
I know this is just another ST tire thread, but I would like to know, can anyone really step forward and say what the number one ST tire is to buy based on some real study or reports or technical data or testing?
Based on some real study, reports or technical data or testing… NO… there are no such test or reports…
I just want to know what to look for in order to get some reliable tires that won't risk our lives or injure our trailer. Do I really need to live in fear of something terrible happening just because we happen to have non-US made tires?
The only ST tire I will use on my trailer today in 15 inch is the Maxxis M8008 radial that I believe has proven itself to be built to a significantly higher standard than is mandated by DOT... they have enough positive user testimony and have been built better for a long time now… and have used a full belt cap without being forced to by the competition, a part that has been known to be critical since the 70’s in radial construction… only now being used in some of the new Carlisle’s…
Our new TT came with Freestar tires. I have not been able to find out anything significant about them other than they are made in that questionable country... We did have the option of upgrading to Marathon as an option, but DW (an accountant) nixed that idea despite my best technical pitch. But now I am hearing that Marathon may not be that great anyway. Could an RV maker even be getting their own branded tires made by some generic company in China?
Who knows but I doubt there will be a RV branded tire, but there are already private label tires out there like Del-Nat Tires, National Tires, Delta Tires, Akuret and Private brand tires…
I know that what some say is exaggerated or their tire problem may be due to not treating them well, but I am getting the impression that anything with "made in China" is seriously bad news. The more I read, the more I have no idea what would be the best choice to get.
Just to keep things in perspective, very few tires will have a catastrophic failure… since people don’t report the good ones things are badly exaggerated to start with and then things get embellished a little to… China and cheap was a perfect fit and is why there was such a fast and a mass migration to china by the ST tire mfg…
I would just love it if someone who really knows ST tires and the tire industry could just list one, or two, or three of the best ST tires to buy. If there really isn't a good one anymore, then why even bother discussing ST and just go to LT? But on a brand new trailer, you can't just upgrade to LT for a few more dollars. You'll be asking the dealer to keep the tires and wheels that came with the camper. And if the camper is delivered to the west coast, they already have over 2K miles on them and probably not worth enough to go against an upgrade.
I AM NOT A EXPERT BY ANY STREACH OF THE IMAGINATION, but I have followed this as close as anyone because like you I need a good ST tire or I need to make the change to the LT tire… at this point in time Maxxis is the only 15 inch tire I would use… if other ST mfg’s. don’t step up and Maxxis fails to keep up, I would move to 16 inch wheels with LT tires in a heartbeat…
When we bought our first trailer, I thought you just hooked it up and went camping and enjoyed life. How wrong I was. It's bad enough that I have recently discovered that we have to worry about our frame developing cracks but then you add on top of that worries about exploding tires, I have to wonder if I want to go camping at all. Sigh...
What you thought is how it should be, but again in proper perspective it is almost all of the time… sometimes it seems it would be better to be uninformed about some of these things…
