TIRE TIRES TIRES

[352]

Does anyone have any information from the tire manufacturer why we should use trailer tires instead of truck tires on trailers? If all the side wall ply and tread ply are the same, what is the difference?

[djwest21]

Another great tire for trailer ST is Tow Master never any worries coast to coast. Discount or American tire. They also warranty for road hazard and dry rot.
I also just purchased Carlile for my car trailer. So far to few miles to mention.

[RinconVTR]

JIMNLIN wrote:


LT vs ST production numbers...... rvtiresafety.com

In 2014 there were about 310,000 trailer sales.

310k cannot possibly not account for every trailer bring sold. Heck, the biggest reason being not every trailer needs to be registered in each State.

Per this site, that 300k-ish number accounts for RV's only. Then try to figure out what is TT or 5th vs motorhome.

http://www.rvia.org/?ESID=indicators


EDIT: Reports say towable RV's account for about half that 300k number. So I suppose one could assume the non-RV trailers could easily make up the other 50% leaving you with nearly the same total. Interesting.

[Timeking]

Just thought I'd post this somewhere on here, as others have given me much helpful info in past. Couple years ago I bought a pair of Maxxis and put on the rear axel. Eventually, the tires on the front axel wore down, so I moved the Maxxis to the front, and put new Hercules on the rear. So now the Hercules have worn down, but the Maxxis are still serviceable. I thought that was amazing. A typical "trip" for me is around 10,000 miles.

[JIMNLIN]

Michelin XPS Rib at one time ran this add on their website but was later dropped . I had two Michelin truck tire dealers say that Michelin said they felt some prospective XPS Rib buyers may not want a tire on their high cost truck/van/suv that says its for a trailer.


**Michelin® XPS Rib® tires are the best value per mile in the Michelin commercial tire lineup and an ideal choice for commercial trailers because of low rolling resistance (for better fuel economy), a long-wear tread design and retreadability. These tires also have the strength of a reinforced all-steel construction for lasting durability.
Responsive handling helps you negotiate through tough traffic
Greater durability and puncture
resistance from a third steel belt.
Easily retreadable all-steel casing
Lowest cost per mile in this category
Resists sidewall damage with the sculptured sidewall protector.
Sidewall: black serrated
outline lettering.
Load Range: E
Service Description: 120/116**
................................
ST tires are a niche tire with low national sales. The major tire makers mfg their own ST tires at one time years ago. There simply wasn't big money in the niche tire market like the ST or agriculture tires/construction equipment tires/etc.

LT vs ST production numbers...... rvtiresafety.com

In 2014 there were about 310,000 trailer sales. A majority of these came with ST type tires and some with LT type tires. While I could not find specific figures I believe that almost all ST type tires were imports. I would estimate this represents almost 1 Mil. OE tire sales.

In the US there were about 7.6 Mil cars and 8.7 Mil light trucks and 400 thousand heavy trucks produced in 2014. There were about 253 Mil. passenger tires plus 33.6 Mil. LT tires and 23.1 MIl medium and heavy truck tires sold at replacement and OE.

[laknox]

taken wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
Anyone who avers that ST tires have stiffer sidewalls has never compared them side by side. I have, and I can tell you the ST tires I compared, Carlisle BTW, had sidewalls that were made of tissue paper compared to the LT tires I had on hand: Sailun S637.

The Sailun's are a great tire! One update on them though. They are now classified as ST. Same exact construction but they changed them to ST to beat the import tax on LT tires or some such thing. So, the old argument of ST vs. LT just got a new twist now that there is finally a high quality ST tire. Albeit an LT in ST clothing...

I've often wondered why the other mfrs don't do something like this. Take a known, and respected, LT, change the sidewall mold and turn it into an ST. :h

Lyle

[taken]

Ah, now I follow you... Like my GY's that are trailer position only despite being LT's. However, there are a lot of actual truck tires that are used on trailers too. Bridgestone Duravise R250's, Michelin XPS Rib, Cooper Discoverer HT3. I know there are a few more out there that have their own fan base but these three seem to be the most popular I've seen. They are always a commercial highway Rib tire usually with steel carcass construction.

[RinconVTR]

taken wrote:
I know the sizes of LT's mounted on trailers. I have Goodyear G614's on my trailer too which are still called LT but yet are listed as trailer position as no trucks take this size anymore. I'm still not following your line of thought? Are you mentioning this because modern trucks are generally 17,18, or 20" and trailer tires are 16"? I'm just guessing as I have no idea where your going with this. I must be having an off day...

Tires made often made exclusively for trailers and RV's are stamped with "LT", yet will never be mounted on any truck. It's a misuse and abuse of the LT designation. That's my point in a nut shell.

I'm willing to bet OEM's could take a trailer tire marked with LT, put ST on it, give it a new name, and we'd have multiple debates about which is better and they would sell plenty of both "versions".

[taken]

I know the sizes of LT's mounted on trailers. I have Goodyear G614's on my trailer too which are still called LT but yet are listed as trailer position as no trucks take this size anymore. I'm still not following your line of thought? Are you mentioning this because modern trucks are generally 17,18, or 20" and trailer tires are 16"? I'm just guessing as I have no idea where your going with this. I must be having an off day...

[RinconVTR]

taken wrote:
Rincon, I don't think anyone was saying they used the same size or tread pattern on their truck and trailer. Just that they ran LT's on both. There are lots of LT tires the correct size for RV's. Most of the time they are are a highway rib pattern which is great for RV's.

Yes, but you see you're missing the main point behind the question...which is LT's for trucks are not the same LT tires used on trailers.

Those that can crossover (either way) are generally a rare find to see on a real truck....or trailer.

Just look into all sizes available (and how limited sizing is!) for the "LT" versions people are mounting on trailers...it will make more sense.

[mileshuff]

majorgator wrote:
It's about time. I was wondering if we were going to have a tire thread this week. Holding my breath and waiting for the next GVWR/GCWR thread.

There is really no need for anyone to ask most any question. Just about anything someone might ask has already been discussed at some point in this sites history!

For me, each time a topic is brought up I gain a little more insight or perhaps I can provide experiences that are new and help someone else. Tires are a huge item with RV'ing so talk on!!

[majorgator]

It's about time. I was wondering if we were going to have a tire thread this week. Holding my breath and waiting for the next GVWR/GCWR thread.

[mileshuff]

Rebel1 wrote:
My concern now is that with the LT235/85R16 is quite a bit larger in diameter than the ST235/80R16. Consequently I now only have 1/2 inch clearance between the tires! Is this enough clearance?
Thanks

I went with the LT245/75/R16 XPS Ribs to replace my old ST 235/80R16's. Nearly the same height and about 1/4" wider. Had more room in width than height.

[RustyJC]

1. Tire growth due to centrifugal force at high speeds, although the steel radial construction should be more stable.

2. Suspension droop (downward movement) since the shackles are at the outer ends of the springs, right? The inner ends of the spring are fixed at the equalizer, so as the springs shorten under droop, the axles will tend to move closer to each other.

I'm not saying the tires WILL touch - just that you have less than the 1"-2" clearance between the tires that is normally desirable.

Rusty

[Rebel1]

No chance of swapping since I had Discount Tire special order them for me. I really didn't even think about the clearance since it's the tire size HitchHiker says to use.
Are there any scenarios where the tires could get closer together and rub??