the dreaded tire topic...
So i see that tires are purely a preference type purchase, but seeing that i am now in the market for some. The threads have been informative... but... load ratings or Ply counts... 8- 10 -12 b...
Forum Discussion
Good report John
I agree whole heartedly about reporting the failures to the NHTSA… they are the party responsible for collecting that data and issuing orders to make corrections…
But we can’t forget they are also the ones responsible for establishing the standards for all our highway tires… they are the ones that allowed for the sub-par trailer tire to be built with no reserve capacity in the build requirements… they are the ones that allowed the trailer tire to be built with practically no long term endurance testing… and they were the ones that allowed the ST tire to escape upgraded testing requirements after the rollover tread separation events of 2000, caving to the industry arguments that they are not a passenger tire and offer little risk of injury or property damage and should not be included in the updated testing procedures…
We can’t forget that the American tire and trailer industry worked very hard to build a special trailer tire market one that due to low demand was BOTH profitable and low cost caused by the constant pressure from the trailer industry’s… they encouraged the use of the ST tire and stopped building the smaller LT tires to lock in the use of the ST tire…
While switching to the LT tire can be a good move, it just isn’t possible for some, and it is costly for all…
Even though I agree with John, and tireman on the reporting and think it is important to do so… it is so wrong in so many ways that it takes changing tire types to be or even just to feel safe and comfortable…
Reporting won’t bring the needed change… the only thing that will cause meaningful change is US… if we don’t demand better, if we don’t make it a deal breaker, if we don’t start to insist, you will never get nor could you ever expect better…
Yet I talked to my dealer and another local dealer yesterday, and both say they are never even asked about what type of tires they have and they both say unequivocally they have never ever had anyone demand LT tires as a condition of sale, or even a upgrade to a LT tire…
So IMHO there is plenty of blame to go around for the cause of the problem but we are the blame for the lack of a cure… we have done precious little to pressure the tire or the trailer industries, and when buying replacements our first question is how much…
All of this even before the complications of operator error and abuse, or the country of origin…
Did you know it was shortly after the introduction of the radial tire, the importance of and the need for a cap to hold the belt in place and aid in the prevention of separation became well known… 35+ years later Carlisle announced they now use a full cap in just one line of their trailer tires???
today as far as I know this important and critical part is missing from most ST tires… this cap acts like shrink-wrap in curing, to help hold the steel belt in place and the belt edges from moving, curling and cutting inner parts of the tire…
I agree whole heartedly about reporting the failures to the NHTSA… they are the party responsible for collecting that data and issuing orders to make corrections…
But we can’t forget they are also the ones responsible for establishing the standards for all our highway tires… they are the ones that allowed for the sub-par trailer tire to be built with no reserve capacity in the build requirements… they are the ones that allowed the trailer tire to be built with practically no long term endurance testing… and they were the ones that allowed the ST tire to escape upgraded testing requirements after the rollover tread separation events of 2000, caving to the industry arguments that they are not a passenger tire and offer little risk of injury or property damage and should not be included in the updated testing procedures…
We can’t forget that the American tire and trailer industry worked very hard to build a special trailer tire market one that due to low demand was BOTH profitable and low cost caused by the constant pressure from the trailer industry’s… they encouraged the use of the ST tire and stopped building the smaller LT tires to lock in the use of the ST tire…
While switching to the LT tire can be a good move, it just isn’t possible for some, and it is costly for all…
Even though I agree with John, and tireman on the reporting and think it is important to do so… it is so wrong in so many ways that it takes changing tire types to be or even just to feel safe and comfortable…
Reporting won’t bring the needed change… the only thing that will cause meaningful change is US… if we don’t demand better, if we don’t make it a deal breaker, if we don’t start to insist, you will never get nor could you ever expect better…
Yet I talked to my dealer and another local dealer yesterday, and both say they are never even asked about what type of tires they have and they both say unequivocally they have never ever had anyone demand LT tires as a condition of sale, or even a upgrade to a LT tire…
So IMHO there is plenty of blame to go around for the cause of the problem but we are the blame for the lack of a cure… we have done precious little to pressure the tire or the trailer industries, and when buying replacements our first question is how much…
All of this even before the complications of operator error and abuse, or the country of origin…
Did you know it was shortly after the introduction of the radial tire, the importance of and the need for a cap to hold the belt in place and aid in the prevention of separation became well known… 35+ years later Carlisle announced they now use a full cap in just one line of their trailer tires???
today as far as I know this important and critical part is missing from most ST tires… this cap acts like shrink-wrap in curing, to help hold the steel belt in place and the belt edges from moving, curling and cutting inner parts of the tire…
