ST225/75R15 Trailer Tires
First of all, please forgive me for intruding in the TT forum, but I need to help out some friends. They have a TT that came from the factory with cheap Chinese Brand X (she didn't say) ST225/75R15D ...
Forum Discussion
Too many people jump on the country of origin as the primary cause IMO. Without knowing the exact history of how the tires were treated over their lifetime, you have insufficient data to make a judgment. With ST tires, it is so very important to never tow under-inflated or overloaded and to stay under 65 mph. Irreversible internal heat damage will be a result and is cummulative. Also avoid hitting speed bumps and potholes at speed and stay off road shoulders.
Some TT manufacturers install tires with almost no reserve load capacity which in itself is not good and then, one or more tires could be overloaded because weight is not evenly distributed between all 4 tires. It is a worthwhile exercise to go to a scale with any TT and get weights on all 4 tires when the trailer is fully loaded. What is the trailer's GVWR?
The loss of 3 tires on one trip is highly suggestive of either improper care/treatment or picking up road debris or both. Was it "blowouts" or punctures and how old are the tires? As already mentioned, other contributing factor(s) could be an axle problem. Loose wheel bearings can also damage tires. I've read of a few cases where the manufacturer welded the spring hangers in the wrong location, causing the tires to track wrong.
A big contributing factor in ST tire failures in my mind is that nobody tells you how to treat ST tires when you buy a TT. The dealer says nothing, there's nothing in the owners manual or package, no warning stickers - nothing. It's not until owners go onto an RV forum that they learn about ST tires. I would say TT buyers generally have an expectation that trailer tires are like tires on cars & trucks, but they're just not.
Going to a higher load range tire or LT tire may be the thing to do, but I believe you should get the weights on all 4 tires so you can make an informed decision. Maxxis gets good reviews but are not immune to failures. We have Marathon LRD and are good 2 seasons and about 10K miles later - our TT would have come standard with LRC tires and now we have very good reserve load capacity. A TPMS is a very good investment, and while it won't warn of an imminent blowout, it will warn you of a slow leak.
Some TT manufacturers install tires with almost no reserve load capacity which in itself is not good and then, one or more tires could be overloaded because weight is not evenly distributed between all 4 tires. It is a worthwhile exercise to go to a scale with any TT and get weights on all 4 tires when the trailer is fully loaded. What is the trailer's GVWR?
The loss of 3 tires on one trip is highly suggestive of either improper care/treatment or picking up road debris or both. Was it "blowouts" or punctures and how old are the tires? As already mentioned, other contributing factor(s) could be an axle problem. Loose wheel bearings can also damage tires. I've read of a few cases where the manufacturer welded the spring hangers in the wrong location, causing the tires to track wrong.
A big contributing factor in ST tire failures in my mind is that nobody tells you how to treat ST tires when you buy a TT. The dealer says nothing, there's nothing in the owners manual or package, no warning stickers - nothing. It's not until owners go onto an RV forum that they learn about ST tires. I would say TT buyers generally have an expectation that trailer tires are like tires on cars & trucks, but they're just not.
Going to a higher load range tire or LT tire may be the thing to do, but I believe you should get the weights on all 4 tires so you can make an informed decision. Maxxis gets good reviews but are not immune to failures. We have Marathon LRD and are good 2 seasons and about 10K miles later - our TT would have come standard with LRC tires and now we have very good reserve load capacity. A TPMS is a very good investment, and while it won't warn of an imminent blowout, it will warn you of a slow leak.
