profdant139 wrote:
.......I wish we could get someone in the tire industry to post his or her thoughts about why tire manufacturers recommend ST tires for most trailer applications. .....
You called?
First, the US based tire standardizing organization - the Tire and Rim Association (TRA) - has standardized tires for Passenger cars - (Letter *P* in front of the size), and for Light Trucks (*LT*), and for smallish trailers (*ST*), and many other kinds of tires for many kinds of vehicles.
To expand on what Huntindog said, the tire manufacturers are under no regulation or obligation to follow those guidelines, but I don't know of anyone who doesn't - and that makes sense in that sharp lawyers are always looking for those types of things!
Further, the trailer manufacturers have access to those guidelines and design their trailers based on the guidelines (with some exceptions). Plus, they do not buy tires directly from the tire manufacturer. They buy from a wholesaler who frequently also supplies the wheel and related equipment.
So as Hutindog pointed out, the tire manufacturers don't *recommend* ST tires for trailers. They make ST tires with the idea that they are going on trailers that were designed to the TRA guidelines - and the trailer manufacturers use them - and that is the way the system was intended to work.
Where the problem lies is that 1) the trailer manufacturers don't always do a good job of estimating how much stuff goes into their trailers, 2) they don't always do a good job of sizing the tire (load carrying capacity), 3) they don't always do a good job of informing the consumer about speed limitations, 4) they don't always use a reputable tire manufacturer 5) the tire manufacturers don't always do a good job of designing the tires, 6) the feedback system is almost non-existent.
So it is important that anyone who experiences a tire failure report it to NHTSA (National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration). Those folks are charged with monitoring - among other things - tire safety.
