Trailer Tires

You can save time by searching for those tire brands in this forum. Otherwise, I'm sure plenty of posters will come along and have another spirited tire discussion.

DBtex: I would stay away from any of the ST tires. I had Carlisle on a TT that I had and when it exploded it did damage to the trailer. I don't know what size trailer you are getting but there have been a lot of comment on the Bridgestone and I had BFG Commercial TA's and now am running Michelin XPS which is a rib tire. A lot depends on your pocket book but in any case I would lean towards the LT tire. Good Luck and Happy Camping.

If "E" rated tires, I'd steer clear of Carlisle tires and look at the Duravis R250, the Michelin XPS RIBS, (pricey but VERY good) or the Maxxis which you are comparing to the Carlisle...

I'd highly recommend an LT tire over the ST tires...stick around, you will get more comments:)

I've been reading some of the past posts for 'ST' tires versus 'LT' tires and I'm a bit confused. If what I'm reading is correct, then the 'ST' tires have a better reinforced sidewall to handle the flexing that occurs when the trailer is being towed and maneuvered and 'LT' tires don't have that. Is that correct? I only run BFG 'AT' on my trucks. When I can get 80,000 miles out of a tire with no flats or blow outs, that's very good value in my opinion. That being said…, I don't see anyone advocating running 'AT' tires on a trailer. In regards to the personal opinions that I have read of past tire posts, I think so long as I purchase an 'E' rated tire (8 or 10 ply) whether it be Carlisle or Maxiss I will probably get good performance out of either. I will do some further research on the Duravis & Michelin. I'm leaning towards the Maxiss but the only downside I see so far is availability. If most places don't keep it in stock that could be problematic in the event of a tire mishap and having to special order a replacement tire. I'll keep reading and thanks for the input thus far.

DBTex wrote:
I've been reading some of the past posts for 'ST' tires versus 'LT' tires and I'm a bit confused. If what I'm reading is correct, then the 'ST' tires have a better reinforced sidewall to handle the flexing that occurs when the trailer is being towed and maneuvered and 'LT' tires don't have that. Is that correct? I only run BFG 'AT' on my trucks. When I can get 80,000 miles out of a tire with no flats or blow outs, that's very good value in my opinion. That being said…, I don't see anyone advocating running 'AT' tires on a trailer. In regards to the personal opinions that I have read of past tire posts, I think so long as I purchase an 'E' rated tire (8 or 10 ply) whether it be Carlisle or Maxiss I will probably get good performance out of either. I will do some further research on the Duravis & Michelin. I'm leaning towards the Maxiss but the only downside I see so far is availability. If most places don't keep it in stock that could be problematic in the event of a tire mishap and having to special order a replacement tire. I'll keep reading and thanks for the input thus far.

ST tires "supposedly" are made for the job, but if you do research, it's just the opposite. ST tires aren't better: To satisfy your curiosity...pick up that Carlisle tire, see how much it weighs, check out the thickness of the sidewall...Now pick up a Michelin XPS RIB, look at the thickness of it's sidewall, see how much it weighs...almost twice the tire the Carlisle is, ...the proof is in the pudding..:)

Big difference between tires you run on your truck, you have a steer axle (front axle), tires have to work for that application..Tires on the 5er are being rolled in a straight line..Some LT tires work great for this application... Some already mentioned. If you have 6,000# rated axles, then some of the E rated LT tires mentioned will work...(see below).

The Duravis R250 is a very good tire, some say as good as the RIBS, and they're less expensive..I agree...The RIBS are very good tires...to me, either would work...hard to put a price on safety and peace of mind.

Just a quick footnote, I checked Discount Tire for the Michelin & Duravis R250 in my tires size and both would have to be ordered. Apparently, my tire size isn't common enough to keep in stock. Guess I need to make a trip to the store and see about possibly changing the tire size in order to get into either of these other tire brands. The Duravis is a good looking tire, nice tread pattern.

DBTex wrote:
Just a quick footnote, I checked Discount Tire for the Michelin & Duravis R250 in my tires size and both would have to be ordered. Apparently, my tire size isn't common enough to keep in stock. Guess I need to make a trip to the store and see about possibly changing the tire size in order to get into either of these other tire brands. The Duravis is a good looking tire, nice tread pattern.

If you're going to order, look at tire rack, they're cheaper than Discount tire....

We have Maxxis ST tires on our 10K# TT and they have performed well over the last 4 years. Will go at least another year or two before replacing.

I agree on heavier 5ers that a high-end LT tire is the way to go, but Maxxis ST tires have a good reputation as long as they are not overloaded, under-inflated, and not overly driven above 65mpg although I have been guilty of doing so without any ill effects thus far.

If you are talking about using them on your Nash 5er I wouldn't hesitate as the LR E 15" Maxxis tire will do the job nicely for your size of 5er as long as rim on your 5er is rated to handle 80psi.

No experience with Carlisle ST tire although in the past they have had their share of problems, but I've heard they have been recently redesigned (according to Discount Tire) and are more durable.

They were no Maxxis readily available locally as Discount tire tried heartily to sell me an ST tire that gave them the largest profit margin like any other tire store does, just went online to DiscountTireDirect.com and had them delivered to my front door via UPS in 3 days.

Took them over to our nearest Discount Tire store and had them balanced, installed, and warranted. I have since had our local Discount Tire order me a Maxxis tire to replace an aging spare tire and they did so reluctantly (of course they attempted to sell me yet another brand ST tire) and they had it within a day so they can get them if you press them to.

Sandia Man wrote:
We have Maxxis ST tires on our 10K# TT and they have performed well over the last 4 years. Will go at least another year or two before replacing.

I agree on heavier 5ers that a high-end LT tire is the way to go, but Maxxis ST tires have a good reputation as long as they are not overloaded, under-inflated, and not overly driven above 65mpg although I have been guilty of doing so without any ill effects thus far.

If you are talking about using them on your Nash 5er I wouldn't hesitate as the LR E 15" Maxxis tire will do the job nicely for your size of 5er as long as rim on your 5er is rated to handle 80psi.

No experience with Carlisle ST tire although in the past they have had their share of problems, but I've heard they have been recently redesigned (according to Discount Tire) and are more durable.



They were no Maxxis readily available locally as Discount tire tried heartily to sell me an ST tire that gave them the largest profit margin like any other tire store does, just went online to DiscountTireDirect.com and had them delivered to my front door via UPS in 3 days.

Took them over to our nearest Discount Tire store and had them balanced, installed, and warranted. I have since had our local Discount Tire order me a Maxxis tire to replace an aging spare tire and they did so reluctantly (of course they attempted to sell me yet another brand ST tire) and they had it within a day so they can get them if you press them to.

Watch your tires, no matter the make, most are recommended to replace after 5 yrs of use, no matter how good they look, but again, just a suggestion.

May be wrong, but was thinking OP had 16" E rated tires, (80 psi)...didn't know they might be 15"...Michelin doesn't make a RIB in 15".

DBTex wrote:
Good afternoon fellow 5'ers. I am in the process of buying a used 5'er and would like to put new tires on it before I move it to it's new home since it has been sitting parked in the same spot for the last few years. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure…, you know the old adage and I want to avoid any tire issues trying to move it. That being said, I've been comparing the Maxxis M8008 ST Radial BS Trailer Tire versus the Carlisle Radial Trail RH Trailer Tire (both E1 rated). I primarily tow between Texas/Arizona where asphalt is pretty darn warm and daytime temperatures are downright hot except in the winter time!

If anyone has any personal experience towing with either of these tires I would be grateful for your input on tire performance & tracking review. The Maxxis looks as though it is a slightly beefier tire but that could just be the pictures. Before I spend the money for the tires I would like to hear from other 5'ers that are actually towing with either of these tires and read your input on them. Thanks. DBTex

If the Nash 21.5 in your profile is the rig you're talking about, you've got 15" rims. There are NO 15" LT E-rated tires...period. The Maxxis are the best of the ST tires, mostly because they're not made in mainland China. I =am= running the Carlisles and am OK with them, though they're already starting to show some weather checking after only 2 years. (I store on boards and covered.) You're also light enough, assuming the Nash, that you can get away with D-rated tires; E's simply might be overkill. Either way, go with the Maxxis over any other ST. I can't give any opinion on a D-rated 15" LT as I've literally never researched them. If you =can= work the LT D's into your weights, then I'd certainly consider that. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it! :-)

Lyle