Tire attributes other than longevity

[Durb]

I'm about to finish my fourth season on my Towmax tires and will replace them next Spring. I can't complain about the tires as they have run for thousands of miles and delivered me each trip without incident. This is also my first fifth wheel and I really don't know what to expect in terms of tire performance, right now, the trailer just rides behind the truck without drama.

My question is: Are there other tire attributes such as comfort, braking performance, wet weather performance, tracking, handling, or even side slipping during backing that I should consider? My tires are 235/80R16 LRE and I run them at full sidewall 80 PSI even though I only average a little over 2,000 pounds per tire. I'm thinking about using the tire inflation tables on my next tires, are there brands more amenable to being aired down?

Have any of you changed brands and could immediately notice a difference in the quality of their tow?

[BarneyS]

Dtank wrote:

BarneyS wrote:
For those of you who have an "edited by Moderator" type message in their posts, I invite you to read this thread that I posted a couple of weeks ago.
Barney

Barney - maybe he was "before your time", but (outstanding) Moderator Sir Francis Drake (RIP) made the same observation about quotes (quoting the entire original post).

He did *his* due diligence with the "powers that be" - and backtracked on the need to do so.

I agree there is really no need to quote an entire post, but as he (found out - his research) and then pointed out - it didn't really matter.

So - are you speaking from *your* own point of view, the Admins, or?

:@

There are very few on this forum that are "before my time"! :B I was the 2nd moderator "hired" by Admin about 16 years ago and had been a member of this forum for about a year before that.

I am not speaking from Admins point of view but strictly from my own. I spend a lot of my valuable time on this forum in order to help our members get a better experience. That time often involves editing a members post to take out unecessary quotes that have already been quoted many times before. I hate having to scroll past quote after quote in order to read a response when all the member had to do was delete the extra quotes before posting.

Instead, many members just hit the "quote" button but don't take the time necessary to edit their post, before posting it, to take out the extra quotes. I think it is a reasonable request to make and since I have moderator privileges will delete posts that contain long strings of quotes. No, it is not written in the rules but is a "campaign" that I have undertaken on my own. I, unlike Sir Francis Drake, will not relent and will just delete instead! :B

Since this post is completely off topic, I will just say I'm sorry to the OP and that no more response is needed here on this. If you wish to respond to my remarks above, do it in the thread that I linked to earlier.
Any new responses to this thread that are off topic will be deleted.

Carry on! 🙂
Barney

[Ralph_Cramden]

JIMNLIN wrote:


All ST tire were problematic even when they all were made in the USA by our domestic tire makers. And yes most of the older ST C/D/E china made tires had a very poor service record on all types of trailers (rv and non rv).

Really.

[Dtank]

BarneyS wrote:
For those of you who have an "edited by Moderator" type message in their posts, I invite you to read this thread that I posted a couple of weeks ago.
Barney

Barney - maybe he was "before your time", but (outstanding) Moderator Sir Francis Drake (RIP) made the same observation about quotes (quoting the entire original post).

He did *his* due diligence with the "powers that be" - and backtracked on the need to do so.

I agree there is really no need to quote an entire post, but as he (found out - his research) and then pointed out - it didn't really matter.

So - are you speaking from *your* own point of view, the Admins, or?

:@

[BarneyS]

For those of you who have an "edited by Moderator" type message in their posts, I invite you to read this thread that I posted a couple of weeks ago.
Barney

[alexleblanc]

Durb wrote:

Thanks. The tread on my current tires is good and there is no evidence of sidewall cracks and I don't monitor the actual mileage. I just have that nagging "Blowmax" feeling when I tow. My trailer tows at 10,050# with 1,900# on the pin and 8,150# on the axles. I am open to LT tires but don't have room for 85 series tires as I only have 2" overhead to the wheel wells. You mentioned you like a narrower tire but I can't afford to lose the height with 215/85 as I am towing just slightly nose high. The LT 245/75 tires are around the same height but wider, is there a problem with this on 7" rims? Would I expect any positive or negative towing effects?

for what its worth i'm towing pretty much the same weight as you are on LT215/85R16E Bridgestone Duravis R500HD's and couldn't be happier with them, previously had BFG Commercial T/A's that I ran for 3 summers that had some tread separation issues early this summer.

2" nose high wouldn't worry me much at all.

[JIMNLIN]

The LT225/75-16 E has a 2680 lb rating at 80 psi and 29.4" diameter.
And the old stand by size LT245/75-16 E at 3042 lbs capacity and 30.7" diameter that is just as popular as the LT235/85-16 E tire with trailer owners.

[Durb]

JIMNLIN wrote:

For a 2000 lb load per tire you sure don't need a 16" tire with 3400-4000 lb load capacity. Is that a actual scaled weight or a estimate ??
Another very commercial grade good all steel ply carcass LT E tire that is recommended for trailer use is the Bridgestone R-250 and the new R-238. The R-238 has more sipes for better traction on wet roads.
The Provider ST have been around since the '11 era and are probably one of the first ST brands that came with the new M (81 mph) speed rating. Their a proven ST class tire more so in the commercial side. However some say their OEM on certain brand RV trailers now. check them out if you want to stick with a ST tire.

All ST tire were problematic even when they all were made in the USA by our domestic tire makers. And yes most of the older ST C/D/E china made tires had a very poor service record on all types of trailers (rv and non rv).
However....Goodyear and Carlisle are our oldest ST tire makers and both have came out in the last year or two with some very good looking higher speed rated ST tires. Time and miles of service will tell their stories on reliability issues.

My old '97 rv trailer has 5200 lb axles with a 11200 lb gross weight and 2400-2480 lb load per tire. I like a narrow tread for tires on a trailer so I went with a LT215/85-16 E at 2680 lbs per tire. That way I can keep them pumped to 80 psi for max. The first two sets ran for 7 years each at 55k and 52k miles. I'm into the 3rd set with around 15k miles. No issues with any of them.

Thanks. The tread on my current tires is good and there is no evidence of sidewall cracks and I don't monitor the actual mileage. I just have that nagging "Blowmax" feeling when I tow. My trailer tows at 10,050# with 1,900# on the pin and 8,150# on the axles. I am open to LT tires but don't have room for 85 series tires as I only have 2" overhead to the wheel wells. You mentioned you like a narrower tire but I can't afford to lose the height with 215/85 as I am towing just slightly nose high. The LT 245/75 tires are around the same height but wider, is there a problem with this on 7" rims? Would I expect any positive or negative towing effects?

[theoldwizard1]

You can safely run light truck tires (LT) IF they are the same size and load rating (as written on the side wall). You have a lot more choices with truck tires. Trailer tires usually run 50K+ and many years. Most people replace them because of sidewall cracks caused by UV exposure.

[Cummins12V98]

Look into GY Endurance tires. Your lucky to have been unscathed with your current tires.

[JIMNLIN]

My question is: Are there other tire attributes such as comfort, braking performance, wet weather performance, tracking, handling, or even side slipping during backing that I should consider? My tires are 235/80R16 LRE and I run them at full sidewall 80 PSI even though I only average a little over 2,000 pounds per tire. I'm thinking about using the tire inflation tables on my next tires, are there brands more amenable to being aired down?

Keeping those blowmax pumped to 80 psi was a big help with them lasting that long. Most RV folks don't say how many miles their tires on their trailers have but with only 9 or 10/32" of tread about the most their good for is 20k-25k miles on heavy rv trailers.
Using those minimum tire pressure charts for close spaced tires on a trailer with the axle in the center isn't the best idea.

Have any of you changed brands and could immediately notice a difference in the quality of their tow?

For a 2000 lb load per tire you sure don't need a 16" tire with 3400-4000 lb load capacity. Is that a actual scaled weight or a estimate ??
Another very commercial grade good all steel ply carcass LT E tire that is recommended for trailer use is the Bridgestone R-250 and the new R-238. The R-238 has more sipes for better traction on wet roads.
The Provider ST have been around since the '11 era and are probably one of the first ST brands that came with the new M (81 mph) speed rating. Their a proven ST class tire more so in the commercial side. However some say their OEM on certain brand RV trailers now. check them out if you want to stick with a ST tire.

All ST tire were problematic even when they all were made in the USA by our domestic tire makers. And yes most of the older ST C/D/E china made tires had a very poor service record on all types of trailers (rv and non rv).
However....Goodyear and Carlisle are our oldest ST tire makers and both have came out in the last year or two with some very good looking higher speed rated ST tires. Time and miles of service will tell their stories on reliability issues.

My old '97 rv trailer has 5200 lb axles with a 11200 lb gross weight and 2400-2480 lb load per tire. I like a narrow tread for tires on a trailer so I went with a LT215/85-16 E at 2680 lbs per tire. That way I can keep them pumped to 80 psi for max. The first two sets ran for 7 years each at 55k and 52k miles. I'm into the 3rd set with around 15k miles. No issues with any of them.

[Durb]

downtheroad wrote:

Durb wrote:
My question is: Are there other tire attributes such as comfort, braking performance, wet weather performance, tracking, handling, or even side slipping during backing that I should consider?

Another attribute: consider choosing a tire made in the U.S. Seems like many of the Chinese tires were (are) problematic.

Good point and I agree. Endurance tires are ones I am considering.

[phillyg]

Only thing I've noticed, since replacing Towmax with Sailuns, is the stiffer wall rides a bit harder, but I went from max 80psi to 110psi. I run about 100psi since the FW is not loaded to max.

[downtheroad]

Durb wrote:
My question is: Are there other tire attributes such as comfort, braking performance, wet weather performance, tracking, handling, or even side slipping during backing that I should consider?

Another attribute: consider choosing a tire made in the U.S. Seems like many of the Chinese tires were (are) problematic.

[enblethen]

You have had good luck with what you have.
Weights are good and the tire tread design is good for the NW.
I would not change.