We live in Florida & the summer heat destroys our tt tires. We keep them covered & don't drive over 65 mph, and yet, we blow tires every 2 years. We were advised by another RVer to use truck tires on the tt. Has anyone done this or do you have any recommendations?

Have not done it myself. I ran into a campground host this week that suggested truck tires. Until that moment, I would have never thought of that. He was one of the hosts at Florida Caverns State Park.

Doing a search, you will see a lot of LT vs ST tires discussions. Entertain yourself with them.

14"/15"/16" light truck and passenger tires were used for many years before the tire industry gave us the infamous ST tire. Trucks don't use 14" or 15" wheels anymore so all those sizes LT and big P tires we used are history. We have a fair selection of 16" LT tires up 3750 lbs for using on a trailer. I could find and make a list of LT or P tires but it would be easier if you could tell use what size/load range the OEM tires are on your trailer......or trailers axle ratings and its GVWR.

I modified the suspension on our small fifth wheel just so I could run 16" LT tires on it. You want to stick to ST or LT tires, and LTs only come in 16" and bigger. For 14" and 15" another option is to switch to better brands of ST tires--Maxxis is popular and that is what I use for 14" and 15" trailer needs. If possible it would be a good idea to increase the rating of the ST tire that you're using by going to a higher ply rating (such as switch from C to D) or a wider tire (215 to 225). Search for threads on tires--probably one of the top 3 topics. In fact this thread will probably explode just after everyone wakes up.

Truck tires and trailer tires are two different animals. The truck ones are not as strong in the sidewalls and the general method of building is different.The main problem with having a trailer just sit is they rot out from the inside as the need to move to lube the inside.

Truck tires on tt? | Good Sam Community

crollman
Explorer III
Jan 22, 2016
"The tire engineers here on the forum tell us that "the dynamic forces involved when the tires in motion" are accounted for in the specifications of the tires. To put it simply, the figures the tire manufacturer states include the forces exerted on the tire while in motion, such as "increases of weight loading when traversing bumps in the road at speed".
Which make sense, as it would be difficult indeed for us to foresee actual loads in motion."

Those 'tire engineers' are wrong. The test spec for ST tires (FMVSS 109) only requires that they be stressed to 100% of rated load, and be tested for puncture resistance. There is no overload test embedded in that spec. When you tow on a curve there is a constant and huge increase in force on the outside tires that is not allowed for in the testing. When you tow in a cross wind there is a similar increase in force on the leeward tires that can also be in the many hundreds of lbs. Neither of these effects is taken into account unless the resulting force on the tires is less than their load rating.
tsetsaf
Explorer III
Jan 22, 2016
If it is dry cracking and rot causing the issues then no truck tires won;t help. If it is a matter of running near max ratings then yes upsizing rims and tires should.
gmw_photos
Explorer
Jan 22, 2016
Boon Docker wrote:

I totally agree!

I will only use what is recommended by tire manufacturers, not something that is supposed hearsay on a forum.

If LT tires are supposed to be better and safer on trailers, then all tire manufacturers and tire sellers would be recommending them instead of recommending "cheap/inferior" ST tires.

I can say that the hard copy owner manuals for both my LoadMax equipment trailer, and my Kieffer Built horse trailer state that "ST or LT tires are the correct fitment".

Now then, having said that, it could be that the manual for Boon Docker's trailer states, "do not fit LT tires". If that's the case, then yes, I can see why you made the above statement.
So yes indeed, it's good practice to follow the recommendations of the trailer manufacturer.
gmw_photos
Explorer
Jan 22, 2016
rbpru wrote:
If you are trying to say that LTs are tested to run faster, are stronger, give greater traction and can be purchased in more load ranges than ST tire, no one is debating that.

If that is your reason for assuming they are better for TT use; then by all means buy them.

If you want to buy a tire designed and built specifically for trailer use by the tire makers, then you are looking at STs.

There is nothing mystical here.

Let's see here: "LT's will run faster, are stronger, give greater traction, and can be purchased in more load ranges".

Hey, that sounds like EXACTLY what I'd like to run on my camper !

Oh wait.....that IS EXACTLY what I run on my camper. And my equipment trailer. And both of my horse trailers. Yep, sounds like a winner combination to me, and in fact has proven to be just that.
Huntindog
Explorer
Jan 22, 2016
rbpru wrote:
If you are trying to say that LTs are tested to run faster, are stronger, give greater traction and can be purchased in more load ranges than ST tire, no one is debating that.

If that is your reason for assuming they are better for TT use; then by all means buy them.

If you want to buy a tire designed and built specifically for trailer use by the tire makers, then you are looking at STs.

There is nothing mystical here.
Right there you pretty much admit what I have been saying all along. LT tires not only meet ST tire standards, but exceed them by quite a bit.
That would be why the makers of many high end TTs equip their units with LT tires. Their market demographic is not that cost concious, and are willing to pay more for better performance and reliability.. As I also said earlier, not all people need that. Most TTs are only used 2-3 times a year and towed short distances. Those consumers are understandably reluctant to spend as much for TT tires as they do for their TV which is used daily. That is what the ST tire is designed for. If this fits you needs, thats great.
If and when you find that those tires are not doing the job... There are options.

My St tire experiment began in 1993 and ended in 2006. In that time frame I owned at least 11 sets of ST tires. and two sets of rims. I started with 205/14/LRC and ended with 225/15/LRE. None of those tires made it two years. I just installed my 3rd set of LTs The first two sets were replaced due to old age! What a concept!

They have been treated just as my truck tires are.. They go everywhere the truck goes, hitting the same bumps at the same speeds and are every bit as reliable as the truck tires.. The difference in performance is night and day. I no longer give my TT tires much thought. no special treatment or low speeds are necessary. They just work. There is only two drawbacks to them.
The intial cost, which shrinks over time due to the excellent life and resale value. (I get at least 200.00 on CL for my old tires now)
And some people here on the forum that refer to people like me as a fool, nimrod, idiot, etc... I can live with that.
Boon_Docker
Explorer III
Jan 22, 2016
rbpru wrote:
If you are trying to say that LTs are tested to run faster, are stronger, give greater traction and can be purchased in more load ranges than ST tire, no one is debating that.

If that is your reason for assuming they are better for TT use; then by all means buy them.

If you want to buy a tire designed and built specifically for trailer use by the tire makers, then you are looking at STs.

There is nothing mystical here.

I totally agree!

I will only use what is recommended by tire manufacturers, not something that is supposed hearsay on a forum.

If LT tires are supposed to be better and safer on trailers, then all tire manufacturers and tire sellers would be recommending them instead of recommending "cheap/inferior" ST tires.
crollman
Explorer III
Jan 22, 2016
rbpru wrote:
If you want to buy a tire designed and built specifically for trailer use by the tire makers, then you are looking at STs.

What worries me is that I suspect ST tires are specified with the best interests of the RV manufacturers in mind, not necessarily the best performance and safety that would benefit you and me. My Kumho 857s are a good example of how it's possible to make a significantly more capable trailer tire than ST's, but the RV industry isn't going down this path.
rbpru
Explorer II
Jan 22, 2016
If you are trying to say that LTs are tested to run faster, are stronger, give greater traction and can be purchased in more load ranges than ST tire, no one is debating that.

If that is your reason for assuming they are better for TT use; then by all means buy them.

If you want to buy a tire designed and built specifically for trailer use by the tire makers, then you are looking at STs.

There is nothing mystical here.
Huntindog
Explorer
Jan 21, 2016
rbpru wrote:
Why would anyone expect a tire that was specifically designed to be use for trailer service; straight running, a non-steering axle, straight running tread design, stiff sidewall and service below 65 mph expect it to be suitable for two vehicle service?

Still, there are fools out there that will ignore the intended purpose of the tire then sue the company because it did not work right. Hence the required warning.

Tires are marked in many way, my riding lawn mower tires say "not for highway use" to keep some nimrod from putting them on a boat trailer.
So,,,, The govt. is protecting the manufacturers of ST tires and lawn mower tires by requiring specific warnings to be molded on to the sidewall.

Since no warning is required on LT tires....
I guess the govt. doesn't want to protect the manufacturers of LT tires from being sued when one of us nimrods puts them on a TT..

Or is the real reason that they are suitable for either type of service?

Go back and read the govt. testing standards I posted earlier in this thread, and then decide what makes sense.

Game
Set
Match
:)
crollman
Explorer III
Jan 21, 2016
rbpru wrote:
Why would anyone expect a tire that was specifically designed to be use for trailer service; straight running, a non-steering axle, straight running tread design, stiff sidewall and service below 65 mph expect it to be suitable for two vehicle service?

It's actually not that black and white. The FMVSS 109 spec that defines how ST tires are to be tested also applies to pneumatic bias ply tires for passenger vehicles, and to passenger vehicles with very small tires. The FMVSS 109 spec is 40yrs old, is outdated, and was due to be replaced, but this was apparently aborted for political reasons.

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