Tire Choice

[usnret]

I have made the decision to replace my GY Marathons (E)rated tires on my 15000 LB fiver. I am also replacing the wheels with 110PSI rated wheels. I'm leaning towards going with Sailun 637 235/80R/16. I had never heard of these tires a week ago when the rep at Big O Tires recommended them. I have looked at reviews and all seem to be good. If you have any first hand knowledge I'd like to hear from you.

Thanks,
Jim

[fj12ryder]

You didn't say what year the 5th wheel is but many late models that came with the "E" rated ST tires also have wheels rated to mount tires up to 110 psi. Mine is a 2010 Fuzion and it came with wheels rated to 110 psi. The rating was stamped on the backside of the wheel and didn't require tire removal.

And nothing says you have to run them at the full 110 psi, but you'd be introducing a certain amount of sidewall flex if you tried running them at 80 psi. It could be done, but may be detrimental to the long life of the tires.

[laknox]

R. Walter wrote:
Can the Sailun S637 be mounted on a regular factory wheel? My fifth wheel is a Hitchhiker 31.5 LKTG. It has LT235-85-R16s on it right now. Or, do I need 4 new wheels?

You have to check the wheels to see if they will support the weight or psi rating for G tires. This may be stamped on the back side of the wheel (mine is on the outside of the bead) or it may be stamped in the valley inside, necessitating a break down of the tire. Chances are, you've got 80 psi wheels so would need to replace them to step up to G's. Frankly, if you've got plenty of reserve on the current tires, just get =good= ones, like the Michelin XP Rib or the Duravis R250.

Lyle

[R__Walter]

Can the Sailun S637 be mounted on a regular factory wheel? My fifth wheel is a Hitchhiker 31.5 LKTG. It has LT235-85-R16s on it right now. Or, do I need 4 new wheels?

[JIMNLIN]

laknox wrote:

usnret wrote:
I have made the decision to replace my GY Marathons (E)rated tires on my 15000 LB fiver. I am also replacing the wheels with 110PSI rated wheels. I'm leaning towards going with Sailun 637 235/80R/16. I had never heard of these tires a week ago when the rep at Big O Tires recommended them. I have looked at reviews and all seem to be good. If you have any first hand knowledge I'd like to hear from you.

Thanks,
Jim

If, as anecdotally they seem to be, the Sailuns are of equal quality to the GY, then the price difference between them is an "insurance policy" against a catastrophic failure doing damage, which GY has been pretty good about paying out on. From what some others have posted, Sailun will not repair any damage caused by a non-road-hazard tire failure. Just sayin'...

Lyle

I have six Sailun S637 LT235/85-16 G on one of my 36' GN tri axle stock trailer with 7k axles. Their just over a year old with around 12k miles. This trailer is on the road weekly making short and long runs (450 miles). These tires were recommended by a truck tire dealer who handles several brands of tires.

I first heard of the Sailun S637 16" G tire from a car hauler running a four car slant at a truck stop on I-44 near me about four years ago. I frequent other type of websites where some type of trailer is used. I've seen no reports of the 16" load G Sailun fail.

[usnret]

Thanks to all for your honest and knowledgeable comments. In view of no first hand reports of any actual Sailun tire failures I am confident that these tires will be a good tire choice. After I use them awhile I will post a review. Thanks again.

Jim

[laknox]

usnret wrote:
I have made the decision to replace my GY Marathons (E)rated tires on my 15000 LB fiver. I am also replacing the wheels with 110PSI rated wheels. I'm leaning towards going with Sailun 637 235/80R/16. I had never heard of these tires a week ago when the rep at Big O Tires recommended them. I have looked at reviews and all seem to be good. If you have any first hand knowledge I'd like to hear from you.

Thanks,
Jim

If, as anecdotally they seem to be, the Sailuns are of equal quality to the GY, then the price difference between them is an "insurance policy" against a catastrophic failure doing damage, which GY has been pretty good about paying out on. From what some others have posted, Sailun will not repair any damage caused by a non-road-hazard tire failure. Just sayin'...

Lyle

[RoyF]

I put on one Sailun G-rated at the end of 2013. The Sailun is all steel-belted, with a single sidewall belt. (The more expensive Michelin E-rated XPS Rib has two steel sidewall belts.)

I put 26,000 miles on the Sailun during 2014 and 2015. It shows little tread wear and no sign of sidewall cracking. I do keep tires covered when the unit is in storage.

[dcg9381]

Jim, like you, I threw away my factory tires and went with Saulin's.
The difference in weight per tire was about 35lb to 61lbs. I think they're a great deal.

People will point out that they're made in China, but these things are built like 22" Michelin, steel belts, I'll buy them again...

[fj12ryder]

Barney posted some good reading. In over 2 years I've not heard a single bad thing about the Sailun tires. And I own 6 of them. 🙂

[TucsonJim]

I was torn between these and the Goodyear G614 LT 235/85R16 G rated tires. In the end, I decided on the Goodyears even though the price is substantially higher. I've visited multiple forums and read many reviews, and it stacked up on Goodyear's side. But the Sailun's seem to be a great tire also.

If you're interested in the Goodyears, they are starting a rebate program on 4/1/16 for $20 bucks off per tire. Here's a link to the rebate form:

Goodyear G614 Rebate

When I priced four G614 tires from Goodyear, they were $150 more than Discount tire. But the rebate works, no matter who you purchase them from.

[BarneyS]

Posts about Sailun 637 tires.
Barney