Tire Repalcements

Lowsuv wrote:
Keep in mind that it is LowSuv's intention to help the civilians on this forum with their tire issues .
LowSuv includes in his posts the logical evidence that indicate that Maxxis is a provider of lower grade tires .
Other motorheads on his forum who have decades of experience upgrading their tires on their hotrods , sportscars , pickups , and other trailers have a good understanding of how a real upgrade in tires is possible for little expense at changeover time .
LowSuv does not enter into personal attacks on this forum .
Maxxis ST tires are most often supported on this forum by references , such as " I really like them " , or " my tire guy ( whoever that is ) says you cannot use LT tires on a trailer ".
My whole intention is to allow other RV forum members to make a real upgrade that will eliminate / mitigate future ST tire failures going forward .
The evidence supports the position that Maxxis tires are not a better brand than other ST tires .
Those suggestions that just replacing OEM tires with a maxxis tire of the same load weight rating are just plain wrong . There is no gain to be made by that Maxxis replacement .
LowSuv repeatedly gives reasons why for 15 inch tires the 225/70R15 load range D Goodyear Cargo G26 is the clear first choice .
LowSuv repeatedly gives reasons why for 14 inch tires the 205R14 Kumho 857 load range D is the clear first choice .
A search through " view posts " for LowSuv will show that his suggestions are supported by logical evidence and have been consistent for a long time .
As a motorhead LowSuv made his first tire upgrade in 1964 on his 1955 BelAir by going to 720x15 tires instead of the 670x15 tires that came stock .
LowSuv has been upgrading his tires ever since .
I encourage upgrading tires at replacement time .
Changing brands to Maxxis does not accomplish this .

It would help if LowSuv was honest. He keeps on recommending LT tires that are rated at lower weight ranges for equivalent sizes and tires that don't fit our rims or trailer wheel openings. The increased leverage of using LT tires that are not designed for trailer usage is potentially damaging to the trailers suspensions and frames. Lt Tires don't meet the performance standards of ST tires.
MM49

FastEagle

gmw photos wrote:
For what it's worth, here is example of a "commercial euro metric" tire ( vans, light trucks, and trailers ) that has molded into the sidewall, the letters "LT Radial". You can take that to mean whatever you want. It is on the sidewall of the Kumho 857's that are on one of my trailers.
Good luck in your choice, and happy camping to you.

After running GY Marathon tires for almost 20 yrs and over 100K miles w/o any complaints I'm also a recent convert to the KUMHO 857 CAMP ... not from any issues, but I wanted fancier shinny aluminum wheels and along with that came because of the higher load rating for the new wheels what on paper was a better tire load, and speed wise so the swtich was made. Almost 2 years now later and approaching 10K miles the Kumho's are a keeper so far and can now recommend others give them some serious consideration, especially if the are STUCK with staying with 14" tires. It's too bad they aren't more widely available, but can be ordered and quickly gotten when needed.

One thing I think folks need to appreciate is that due to the fact that all ST tires are made overseas a CRUCIAL part of that process is the ability and willingness of the brander to put sufficient resources and attention to QA and GY got burned on this issue some years back and is still suffering the negative effects of that. However, IMO they certainly have the resources to apply to ensure this is not repeated ... I wonder if other branders like Maxxis, etc. have the same resources and are using them in the best interests of their consumers. Just something to chew on in your spare time.

Larry

Many tires are branded with LT in the name, or marketed as a LT truck tire and come as OE tires on light duty trucks but are really only P rated tires… a Wrangler RT/S might be an example and comes in sizes P235/75R15 105S --- P255/70R16 109S --- P265/70R16 111S…

Or the Michelin LTX® A/T2 Light Truck tire might be a P235/75R15/XL 108 S or a P275/60R20 114 S …

but they are still P rated tires not LT tires…

And they need to be derated for use on trucks SUV’s or in trailer applications… marketing won’t change the facts…

(John Rastetter, director of Tire Information Services for South Bend, Ind.-based Tire Rack Wholesale)

“Until the arrival of the global vans, the Euro-metric commercial tire sizes were “incredibly limited,” according to Mr. Rastetter.

Mercedes-Benz North America recently introduced its Sprinter Euro van.
Some tire makers have listings of such tire sizes in other markets, but Goodyear declined to comment on the issue and Continental said it will be introducing a 16-inch rim diameter all-steel-belt tire for the pickup and delivery segment in the U.S. in 2015.”

“Chrysler appears to be planning to address the issue after it began shipping the 2014 Dodge Ram ProMaster late last year to the U.S. The vans are fitted with Continental tires in size P225/75R16C but will transition to Nexen brand tires later this year, the auto maker said. “

The commercial van tires as they were originally known by are Euro Metric tires with a new commercial designation and higher load capacities and higher air pressures… they were initially manufactured for and marketed for use in countries other than the US… their introduction into the US has largely been done by third party sellers and not the Manufactures themselves who still resist importing to the US…


Metric / Euro-Metric -- 185/65R15 88T
Metric tires, also known as Euro-Metric tires because the sizing originated in Europe, don't have a letter designation. Euro-Metric sizes are equivalent to P-Metric sizes in dimensions, but Euro-Metric sizes have subtle differences in their load-carrying ratings and capabilities. Euro-Metric tires are usually found on European cars, but they're also used frequently used on SUVs and vans.

C = Commercial
Euro-Metric tire sizes ending with a C are commercial tires, for use on delivery trucks and vans capable of carrying heavy loads. In addition to the C designation, these sizes are also branded with a load range or service description rating…

they are P rated tires on steroids JMHO…

Per the tire rack, “Three tire-sizing systems are used on the Original Equipment (O.E.) tires fitted to today's light trucks, Euro-metric, P-metric ("passenger" metric) and LT-metric ("light truck" metric)… 1/2-ton vehicles use Euro-metric and P-metric sized tires, while some 3/4-ton and 1-ton vehicles use LT-metric sized tires.”


Say what you will the commercial tires referenced ARE Euro Metric tires…

they are close relatives to the P and Euro Metric tires, and are heavy duty replacements for the standard or XL P and Euro Metric rated fitments…

FastEagle

Tire Rack lists the Goodyear Cargo G26 as an LT tire .
The 225/70R15 G26
2470# at 65 psi on an LT scale
tire weight is 33 #
diameter = 27.4" x 9 " section width
Cost is $ 156 each
The Goodyear "P " tire is a Wrangler
225/70R15
rated 1753 # on an P = passenger scale at 44 psi
diameter = 27.4" x 9 " section width
Tire weight = 27 #
Cost is $ 106 each
The Goodyear Marathon " ST " tire is a Marathon
225/75R15
rated 2540# # on an ST scale at 65 psi
diameter = 28.3" x 8.8 " section width
Tire weight = 31 #
Cost is $ 106 each
JJ refers to " they do not exclude Euro Metric "
Huh ?
Who says a commercial G26 is a Euro Metric P tire ?
JJ makes the assumption that the G26 is a Euro Metric P tire .
Show me ...
All 3 tires are Goodyear .
The heaviest and most expensive is the G26 .
The cheapest tire is the ST Marathon .
Yet the Marathon carries the highest placarded sidewall for weight rating .
The G26 is an LT tire .
The G26 is not a P tire as JJ has asserted .
I used Goodyear brand exclusively to remove branding from the variables .
Poring over the charts I find little difference between brands for tire weight , diameter , section width as regards the majority of ST tires .
Regarding "civilians" I do not see any of them willing to research the details just provided .
They have better things to do , of course .

Man alive ! I go out for a few hours with the chainsaw to cut up a fallen tree....and come back to this thread ! Ha ! Ha ! ....look how all my forum buddies are acting :B :E

To the original poster, you can spend endless hours on this and other forums reading about tires, what works, what fails, etc, ad naseum.

If you want what I would consider the cliff notes version, it's likely going to come down to this:

1. lots of folks report problems with ST tires.
2. lots of folks have switched to LT tires and "mostly" solved their tire failure issues.

For what it's worth, here is example of a "commercial euro metric" tire ( vans, light trucks, and trailers ) that has molded into the sidewall, the letters "LT Radial". You can take that to mean whatever you want. It is on the sidewall of the Kumho 857's that are on one of my trailers.
Good luck in your choice, and happy camping to you.

keep in mind the G26 and other tires of this type are not LT tires, they are European Metric sized tire more closely related to a reinforced P rated tire for use on small trucks and vans… designated as a commercial tire not a LT tire…

what Good Year says is about Euro Metric sized tires, they do not exclude the commercial rated Euro Metric…

“The maximum load capacity stamped on the sidewalls of P-Metric & European Metric
tires is reduced by 10% when used on a light truck, utility vehicle or
trailer. Never fit P-Metric or European Metric tires to light trucks that
specify LT-type replacement tires. “

md_procouple wrote:
Two years ago we replaced 2 tires on our TT, and just had one Blowout on the way home from Va. Then I noticed on the sidewall lip that they were made in Bejing China.

Does any one know of any Trailer tires made in the US? Or at least decent ones made elsewhere? Thanks for the input and help !!

TT's come in sizes from small 4k-6k units with 13" P and C tires to 35+ footers with 16" tires E and G tires.

Is your trailer a small single axle or a tandem or a tri axle trailer. ??
What size and load range tire do you need ??

We can help you but we need some more info.

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IMO this thread is a good example why we need a sticky on the different trailering forums for folks asking help with their trailers tires. The sticky can have a few question for the OP to fill out.
The idea of a forum is to offer help/ideas that works instead of personnel attacks on other members opinions/ideas/experiences.