Tire blow out trailer

I don’t know why, but on this subject everyone seems to have the need to embellish their story and overstate the problems and the solutions to bolster their point of view…

I read all the horror stories about the ST tire just like everyone else, but most people I meet and talk to in the CG’s are completely unaware of the controversy… then there are many that have reported not having a problem with the ST tire… my own experience is the same, I have never had a ST tire failure even using them on dozens of trailers over many years, and very many tens of thousands of miles…

While I have never owned a horse trailer, my son has had a few of them… I have had many RV’s, cargo trailers, utility trailers, equipment trailers and boat trailers all sporting ST tires and still not one highway tire failure on any of them… the only catastrophic tire failure I have had in the last 30 or so years was a LT tire on my TV…
I DID have the OE tires that came on this trailer have three sidewalls fail but never while I was on the road and they all failed in the first few months after purchase and were replaced by the dealer at the dealers…

Most of the vocal LT advocates argue they have had multiple ST failures and have since learned… I personally believe when one person has that many problems the problems are deeper than just the tire…
Although if were to believe everything you read here, 100% of those that had a failure all religiously took good care of their tires, never over-loaded, never run under-inflated never exceeded the rated speed and are at a complete lose on what could be wrong… BULL…

I am convinced that the failure rate for the ST tire is somewhere near 1% (and that is to high), and no I can’t prove that, it is solely based on my own research of the problem and is my own embellishment I guess…

Here’s the thing, the argument always boils down to two sides arguing points that even if true are not very material to the other side of the argument… this is especially true for trailers with a GVWR of less than 10,000 pounds… there are people that claim to have solved their problem that own bigger heavier trailers arguing with others that have smaller light weight trailers… as though it’s a one size fits all deal…

High end trailers come with LT tires… who, at what are the GVWR’s, and in what size and LR are these tires???
Could it be they have many choices in tire sizes for these high end units???
I would give odds that none of them come on 13, 14, or 15 inch rubber…

I don’t care if we are talking RV’s, cargo, utility, or equipment trailers… with a GVWR of 10.000 pounds or less, I don’t recall any mfg. recommending a LT over a ST tire, or for that matter recommending a LT tire if they do…
the only thing I have seen in the manuals is in the glossary of tire terminology, where they might say a light truck (LT) tire: A tire designated by its manufacturer as primarily intended for use on lightweight trucks or multipurpose passenger vehicles… and might say, may be used on trailers…

Most RV’s , 2 horse trailers, cargo trailers and an overwhelming majority of utility trailers come equipped with ST tires… and all of them under 10,000 pounds have a vehicle placard… This placard provides tire size and loading information… these labels indicate the vehicle manufacturer’s
information including, Recommended tire size, Recommended tire inflation pressure, Vehicle capacity weight or cargo carrying capacity, Front and rear gross axle weight ratings, and are permanent attached near the left front of the trailer…

they also say, to maintain tire safety, purchase new tires that are the same size as the vehicle’s original tires or another, size recommended by the manufacturer… Look at the tire information placard, the owner’s manual, or the sidewall of the tire you are replacing to find this information…

this all follows the NTHSA tire safety guidelines and is hardly a recommendation to use a LT tire by the trailer or the tire mfg.…

gmw photos wrote:

.....snip....

The sidewalls are meant to take the turning and flexing that towables are subject too that LT's can't handle. That's not to say LT's are bad, but ST's are made specifically to handle the.....snip....
.

Nonsense about LT's not being able to handle it. Total nonsense. As always, I quote from the owner manuals of both my horse trailers and my equipment trailer that state LT are appropriate and approved. The smallest of these trailers is 7000 pound GVWR and the other two are 14,500 pound GVWR.

I have to agree , my Sunset creek camper also says LT tires are acceptable . What I find interesting is that I havent ever seen a post or complaint about a LT tire failure on a trailer . I use to run ST tires on my equipment trailers because thats what the tire store recommended , I had many experiences like the OP had , torn up fenders , shreaded tires , I havent had one since I went with LT tires . I have had to replace them when they went bald ( 7 years old and lots of miles)

westend wrote:
Bad deal, looks like he is without water for awhile.

FWIW, my Starcraft had the top of the driver's side wheel well gone, shattered and opened by a spinning tire belt. The load center was covered with mud from driving the trailer in wet weather.
I rebuilt the wheel well, plating it with 303 steel, the same stuff they use for garbage trucks and military vehicles.

Now that's how RV towable manufacturers should build the wheel wells. Sure would prevent some damage.

Bad deal, looks like he is without water for awhile.

FWIW, my Starcraft had the top of the driver's side wheel well gone, shattered and opened by a spinning tire belt. The load center was covered with mud from driving the trailer in wet weather.
I rebuilt the wheel well, plating it with 303 steel, the same stuff they use for garbage trucks and military vehicles.

Huntindog wrote:

ReneeG wrote:
The sidewalls are meant to take the turning and flexing that towables are subject too that LT's can't handle

Who told you that LTs can't handle it?
I have never read that ANYWHERE. An awful lot of high end TTs come with LTs, and many of us have upgraded to them....

The ad propaganda from the ST tire makers are/is careful in their wording around this subject.... They NEVER state that LTs can't handle it.... They do imply that ST tires are especially good at it.

That doesn't mean that LTs fall short of the job.

Big difference.

An article in Trailer Life magazine on trailer tires, brands, differences between LT and ST, what each can handle etc. Very good article. Yes, they do imply that ST tires are especially good at it but as I stated, that's not to say LT's are bad, but ST's are made specifically to handle the flexing. Here's the article. What's missing from the hard copy is a chart comparing all the trailer tires out there - Goodyear, Maxxiss, Towmaxx, Carlisle, etc.

And as to the fella that owns this trailer in the photos, my bet is he is now going to be yet another convert that realizes ST tires are junk. He'll fix his trailer, buy LT tires and head on down the road. Sadly, for many, it takes learning this the hard way.

The tire looks to have been curb'd pretty hard which could cause the tread separation. Heat from running over loaded or under inflated could also do it. He could try to recover some of the cost from the tire maker but upon inspection they will probably conclude that the sidewall damage or heat from under inflation was the cause. Been there, done that and it was just a waste of time and effort.

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