Lowsuv wrote:
nobody can say that there is some brand of number one ST tires .
Consumer Reports tested Maxxis MA-T1 Escapade passenger car tires in their November 2012 issue on page 60 .
Consumer Reports purchases their tires and that issue covered about 62 all season tires and 16 winter tires .
The Maxxis were in the lowest 25 % .
The solution to tire failure is to use the load rating posted on the sidewall of the tire .
If you have a load rating of 1820 # you will gain a significant reserve by upgrading to a tire with 2271 # and so forth .
There have been no reports of steel RV wheel failure due to overinflation say to 80 psi .
You can gain a margin of safety by using a load range E tire and using 80 psi , as the tire sidewall states .
For most that means in a 15 inch RV wheel that the 225 /75 R15 load range E is the highest rating you can get .
A change to 16 inch wheels ( 6 bolts not 5 ) allows one to use the common 245/75R16 load range E tire at 3042 # . Only a few will do this .
Tire Load Rating in pounds trumps brand .
Lowesuv,
This is what I have personally done. I went from 225/75R15 load range c's to 225/75R15 load range E's in Maxxis tire brand. It seems that the only place the Maxxis brand really shines is in ST tire reports and in Motocross (Not an empirical statement, just an observation)
Something That I have personally observed in trailers is the tendency to "curb" the ST tires, people just are not use to pulling for the most part and tend to run over curbs and things.
Is this the cause of the trailer tire blow out's? I am not sure...it certainly can't help.
Do Maxxis give better service to their owners because by the time the owners are aware of the issues with ST tires they have found that Maxxis is the preferred brand? Do this now aware owner take extra care to miss curbs and pay closer attention to air pressure? Maybe.. quite possibly...
Is speed an issue? Maybe...
Here is a picture of a 4 year old Goodyear ST load range E tire. Both this tire and its companion on the passenger (curb?) side of the Fiver have let go. Ironically, there is only one slide on this side of the trailer and there are three on the other. Yet this "light" side is the side that let go.
While this tire letting go is surprising it's companion that let go a few weeks later let go in SPECTACULAR fashion, akin to an 18 wheeler tire blow out with the main tread coming apart as one long piece and the remaining part shredding into many many pieces.
The other two tires, on the heavy side of the trailer, are still there, still functioning, with no hints of letting go.
We have often talked about why the light side of the trailer went and truthfully, we don't know. The trailer was bought used. However, I suspect that the tires were curbed at some time and damaged the bands internally. This is just speculation on my part.
All that said, I think (my opinion, nothing more) the best method for overcoming this situation is to:
#1) have excess load capacity in your tires
#2) Slow down to 55-60 mph.
#3) Maintain your tires, watch pressure, watch for visible changes in the tires shape and replace as needed.
Our good forum Friend JBarca has an EXCELLENT Sticky Worthy post on his ST Tire failure and analysis. His diligence to maintenance found the tire failure before the tires failed on the road.
I highly Recommend EVERY owner of ST tires reads his epic post
ST Tire Failure Analysis (Long- Lots of Pics)Good luck!
Jeremiah
