Tires

4X4Dodger wrote:
There are so many overly broad and irrational statements here regarding ST tires, Tires from China, Age of the tires, etc that it really makes me wonder just how much actual thought goes into this.

Some of the best and highest rated tires in the world are made in China for more than a few of the worlds biggest well known tire manufacturers. Simply being made in china is NO indication of the tires actual quality.

"ST" tires are also found on tractor trailers (although much bigger the most common size being 22.5's These are some of the longest wearing best tires you can buy, especially if they are made by a reputable company. Just being an "ST" tire is NO indication that the tire is bad or that you should automatically switch to an LT.

Maxxis Tires I believe are probably made overseas but Maxxis refuses to say where. SOME of their tires may be made in the US but I am sure not all of them. Now to me this is not a problem, but it is something for you guys who preach "Made in China is a bad thing" to think about.

The number of things that can affect the life of your trailer tire are legion...First and most important your trailer has NO shock absorbers...if it did your tires would take less of a beating and last longer. Then there is axle alignment, underinflation, curbing, out of balance and on and on. But so many rush to blame the poor tire.

To the OP: I wouldnt worry so much, take whats on it and keep them inflated, make sure the axles are properly alined before you take delivery of the trailer and that the tires are balanced. Then off you go and ENJOY your new trailer.

Last Maxxis I had were made it Thiland. It is printed on the tires. so not hard to find. And no matter what any one says. 4 years is all I will run any TT tire. The one that shreaded was a Marathon, and when we took the other 3 off. they were cracked in the tread, and the tread was so crooked the tires bounced as they rolled across the shop floor. Studies. Tests, opinions mean nothing when you see for your self what happens.

4X4Dodger wrote:
There are so many overly broad and irrational statements here regarding ST tires, Tires from China, Age of the tires, etc that it really makes me wonder just how much actual thought goes into this.

Some of the best and highest rated tires in the world are made in China for more than a few of the worlds biggest well known tire manufacturers. Simply being made in china is NO indication of the tires actual quality.

"ST" tires are also found on tractor trailers (although much bigger the most common size being 22.5's These are some of the longest wearing best tires you can buy, especially if they are made by a reputable company. Just being an "ST" tire is NO indication that the tire is bad or that you should automatically switch to an LT.

Maxxis Tires I believe are probably made overseas but Maxxis refuses to say where. SOME of their tires may be made in the US but I am sure not all of them. Now to me this is not a problem, but it is something for you guys who preach "Made in China is a bad thing" to think about.

The number of things that can affect the life of your trailer tire are legion...First and most important your trailer has NO shock absorbers...if it did your tires would take less of a beating and last longer. Then there is axle alignment, underinflation, curbing, out of balance and on and on. But so many rush to blame the poor tire.

To the OP: I wouldnt worry so much, take whats on it and keep them inflated, make sure the axles are properly alined before you take delivery of the trailer and that the tires are balanced. Then off you go and ENJOY your new trailer.

Thanks, 4x4Dodger. Well said!

Yes, I do remember passenger tires on TTs, it was when an 18 ft Holiday Rambler was all the rage and my TV weighted more than my TT.

If LTs are the solution to your problems fine. You should certainly use them.

But I doubt that all of the Tire industry manufacturers would go to the trouble to develop a tire for a niche market, sell millions of them; if they they did not work.

The ST was designed for TT and use with other trailer types, it is what the TT manufacturers recommend as replacements.

The discussion of LT and ST is on a par with which is better for pulling a PUP, an F-150 or an F-350?

There are so many overly broad and irrational statements here regarding ST tires, Tires from China, Age of the tires, etc that it really makes me wonder just how much actual thought goes into this.

Some of the best and highest rated tires in the world are made in China for more than a few of the worlds biggest well known tire manufacturers. Simply being made in china is NO indication of the tires actual quality.

"ST" tires are also found on tractor trailers (although much bigger the most common size being 22.5's These are some of the longest wearing best tires you can buy, especially if they are made by a reputable company. Just being an "ST" tire is NO indication that the tire is bad or that you should automatically switch to an LT.

Maxxis Tires I believe are probably made overseas but Maxxis refuses to say where. SOME of their tires may be made in the US but I am sure not all of them. Now to me this is not a problem, but it is something for you guys who preach "Made in China is a bad thing" to think about.

The number of things that can affect the life of your trailer tire are legion...First and most important your trailer has NO shock absorbers...if it did your tires would take less of a beating and last longer. Then there is axle alignment, underinflation, curbing, out of balance and on and on. But so many rush to blame the poor tire.

To the OP: I wouldnt worry so much, take whats on it and keep them inflated, make sure the axles are properly alined before you take delivery of the trailer and that the tires are balanced. Then off you go and ENJOY your new trailer.

I'd run the tires it comes with for up to three years but only if you have a spare.

I have been camping for more than 30 years. Never worried about the tires on the camper. Did keep them aired to the correct psi ALWAYS. So I never had any trouble, EXCEPT ONCE. It was a Goodyear Marathon. so it was NOT a cheap tire. But it was at the end of it's 4th year.

Since then. I don't let my tires get old. And I make sure the ones that I buy are really new, like the build date is only a few weeks before I let them be mounted.

Will I but any more GoodYears? No, but then, I don't put GoodYears on my truck either. I have not liked GoodYears since the early 80s. they don't hold up for me, and I don't buy them. But that is my choice.

As to TT tires. Keep them aired up. don't curb them. Curbing is the main cause of trailer tire failure. So swing wide. And then in 3 1/2 or 4 years. Get them off, and replace them with Maxxis. After 4 years, you are running on borrowed time. And after scattering one all over the highway at 60 mph. I don't want to do it again.

I had a set of China bombs on my current trailer. They lasted all of a year and 300 miles before i found a shifted belt!. I replaced them all before the next trip. I replaced them with Carlisle RH's LR "E" those I got about 8k miles out of before I found a shifted belt. So I replaced them with another set of Carlie's just last year. Not all failures result in a blow out. Yes I do tow near 70mph and in high heat (mid July temps near 100deg!). 5 years is about max for a set of trailer tires anyway. Many people that have a failure come and complain about the junk tires. Truth is manyof those failure are in tire well over 5 years old!

I'll throw my two cents into the mix.

Get 5 Maxxis trailer tires and also a good quality TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring System) like TireTracker or TST and be done with the arguing!

The tire industry looked at the requirements needed for trailer applications a designed the ST to do the job. If the tire industry thought an LT was a good choice for trailers they would be selling them instead.

Actually the tire industry gave us the ST as a compromise between the low cost passenger tires and the higher cost light truck tires.
Guess you weren't around before the ST tire hit the streets and all trailers came with a passenger tire or a light truck tire.
The trailer industry has always used the LT (light truck) tire as OEM by various brands of trailers or a certain lines. Many brands use the LT as a upgrade option.

An ST tire is also designed to withstand braking but its principle design feature is the resistance to the heavy sidewall strain of a TT and other trailer types. LT are not tested for this because it is not expected in their use.

Not according to the FMVSS testing as they both have the same bead unseating tests to pass.


Having made a living pulling various sizes of trailers I found out the hard way the ST was good for approx 10k-15k miles if it lasted that long vs 60k-70k for a LT tire on the same trailer using the same brand axles/wheels/ as our RV trailers.

For those that are stuck with the idea that LT and ST tires are some how different or the ST is some how superior in sidewall stiffness or other ST tire myths should read some of the Tireman9 (Roger Marble) rvtiresafety.com tire blog on the subject or CapriRacer (Barry Smith) comments on this web or his answers on allexperts.com website. Both are tire industry engineers and not just some guy with a tire blog.

Hunting dog,

Your analysis is good except that the LT is tested longer and tougher because it is expected to do more. LTs are for light trucks, they are expected to withstand the rigors of acceleration, braking, steering torque, off road use, and a host of other things that a TT tire will never have to endure.

An ST tire is also designed to withstand braking but its principle design feature is the resistance to the heavy sidewall strain of a TT and other trailer types. LT are not tested for this because it is not expected in their use.

To test an ST to LT standards is the same as mounting LT tires on an Indy racing car and expecting top performance. You are asking it to do something it was not designed for. Likewise an Indy racing slick tire probably would not make a very good light truck tire.

The tire industry looked at the requirements needed for trailer applications a designed the ST to do the job. If the tire industry thought an LT was a good choice for trailers they would be selling them instead. The cost is about the same and they already make dozens of LT models for about any light truck application.

It is the same with “P” tires on half ton pick-ups. Tens of millions are sold and replaced every year. It is true that type P tires are not as durable as an LT, they cannot handle the load of an LT but type P tires work fine for their intended applications.

If switching to LTs makes a person sleep better because they survive and bank of tests, then but all means that is what that person should have.

Personally I prefer a tire specifically designed for the application.