New Tires For A Brand New Trailer

[Abbadox]

So as someone that has yet to own a travel trailer I have been watching YouTube and a couple of the videos are recomending getting new tires or upgraded tires when you buy a new or used RV. I plan to buy a new Della Terra. How do I know if the tires that are standard on it are good enough or if they need to be upgraded.

[campigloo]

I had similar experiences as dodge guy. The factory seems to put just enough tire under them to handle the rated weight under perfect conditions. When you’re debating the extra hundred bucks or so factor in the amount of damage a blow out can inflict. I had one on my eighteen month old trailer that destroyed the inner fender/splash guard and tore up the fender. I now have a permanent reminder of insufficient tires.
You haven’t bought it yet? Make it either part of the price or a deal breaker, whichever the dealer would prefer.
Hope you enjoy your new toy!!!!!!

[2manytoyz]

I can only tell you about the Goodyear Marathon tires our TT came with.

We custom ordered our trailer, brand spanking new from the factory. It weighed 3995 lbs., and had dual axles. 4 tires sharing the weight. The tires were properly inflated, the trailer was level because of the weight distributing hitch, and I kept the speed under 65 MPH, which is the limit for ST rated tires.





This is one of several blow outs. The tires were less than 5 years old, not sun rotted, not underinflated, not overloaded.

These tires are ****, period. You can spend hours on Google reading the other horror stories.

Three things happened after this last experience. I started carrying two spare tires, all Goodyear tires were replaced with Maxxis tires, and I started using a TPMS.

Zero problems since. FWIW, replacing a tire on the side of a hwy sucks!

If you have this brand/model, I'd highly recommend replacing them ASAP. Nothing you can do to improve the situation, short of replacing them. When is a convenient time for one to have a blow-out?... because Murphy says "nah, I have another plan!".

Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum recommended limit of 640px maximum width.

[myredracer]

Some important factors on ST trailer tires.

You want at least 15% reserve load capacity - the tire's load rating compared to actual weight on tires (not dry wt. or total divided by 4). Some TT manufacturers provide tires that are very close to a GVWR, despite the RVIA now wanting a 10% min compared to the axle ratings. We upgraded from the TT manufacturers standard LRC to their optional LRD (Marathons) and have about 30% reserve capacity. Zero issues in 5 seasons.

Always run ST tires at their max. sidewall psi (providing rims are rated for higher pressure). It's recommended to periodically check pressure, esp. on a long road trip.

Tires on one side of a TT (or FW) can be overloaded depending on size/weight of slides or kitchen. Or can be overloaded on one axle while under on the other. It's a good idea to not only run through a scale to get total weight, but also side-side and per axle if at all possible.

Check date codes on the tires to make sure they aren't old stock (on new tires) or otherwise aren't more than 5 years old.

Heat is what kills ST tires. Besides low reserve load capacity, can be from towing over their speed rating, towing overloaded or towing under-inflated. Internal damage from heat is cumulative and some day a tire can fail for no apparent reason. Contrary to what many say, it's much more likely to be improper treatment, not the country of origin that results in "blowouts".

The new Endurance tire is getting excellent reviews and Maxxis is highly regarded too. A generic unknown-brand Ch*naMaster tire should be avoided in any event. If you ever end up with a blowout, it can cause some very expensive damage. Just not worth the savings and risk.

[allen8106]

I ran my original tires 5 years and about 20,000 miles with no issues. Those tires were U.S. made Goodyear Marathons. There were no known issues with them when I replaced them. I only replaced them due to the RV Nation 5 year rule.

As for your tires, a lot depends on brand and country of origin. If they are made in China you can run them but I would keep them at maximum side wall cold pressure and keep a very close eye on them. Literally check then every time before you pull out of the drive or campground looking for any signs of separation or abnormal wear.

[troubledwaters]

Last trailer I bought new i had the tires about 7 years before I replaced them. Current trailer i bought new, this is the 4th season and they still have zero sign of aging or wear.

[BillyBob_Jim]

Abbadox wrote:
I have been watching YouTube and a couple of the videos are recomending getting new tires or upgraded tires when you buy a new or used RV.

There are also dumb-asses on Youtube that burn holes in their arms with cigarettes. One even douses his fresh wound with urine.

[Lwiddis]

"Am I foolish to expect this much or ?"

Yup! Check the date on each and every tire.

[Hannibal]

Going on season three with our OEM Rainier Chinese tires on our Jayco TT. So far they’re doing very well. Keep them covered, aired up, off the curbs and out of the gutters.

[dodge_guy]

Bought our 07 Cherokee and within 1 year I had to replace a tire with a shifter belt with the spare. In that time of looking for a tire another tire shifted a belt. So I replaced all 4 maxed out “D” rated tires with quality “E” rated tires. And mind you this trailer had an 11,200lb GVWR and it had “D” rated tires that were maxed out at the axle ratings. When I replaced them with E’s I had a big cushion per tire and never lost a tire again.

If they are junk replace them. You don’t want to be stuck in the side of the road with “good enough tires”!

[Grit_dog]

Abbadox, realize tire opinions vary as wildly as......every other opinion.
From swearing off Chinese tires to living and dying by the use of LT tires to running tires for x number of years.
A guy cant say run for 5 or 6 years definitively, because conditions are so variable. A tire that sits in the sun in the southwest will age FAR quicker than one that is garaged most of the year between uses.
Generally a "cheap" tire is cheaper for a reason but that doesn't mean it won't work.
Some like to have belt and suspenders and an elastic waist band. Other are ok as long as their pants don't fall down and others yet are ok with some plumbers crack!

But unless something is weird or you plan on extreme use, no reason to expect new(er) tires that haven't been on the road won't do the job for a while.
14&15" trailer tires are cheap and don't fetch much used. $100 a tire giver take is what most sell for. Selling newish cheapo tires may get you $200 and you'll spend $100 in mount and balance to swap them out. For the $100 net return on the old tires and the extra $100 you'll spend for quality tires, its a wash. Run the cheap tires for a while and get some use out of them.

Example, I bought a newer used utility trailer to move a bunch of stuff to AK. IDK, couple years old, barely used. Had the cheapest possible tires on it. Bias ply.
Trailer loaded heavy, hauled butt to AK, wore half the tread off the tires (not sure how, but they were seriously worn 2500 miles later). They worked and I got my moneys worth out of them. If one popped, that's why I had a spare. Since we wuz going to AK, I took 2 spares.
Last year bought a new cargo trailer on the other side of the country to haul some stuff back to WA. Loaded that little trailer with china tires to the gills, drove 80+mph back to WA. 2000miles later they were fine.
"Most" "issues" with trailer tires, IMO, are a product of age, road damage, pressure, severely overloaded (maybe 1 axle of a tandem on torsion axles is overloaded and the owner doesn't recognize it type of situation) or, in the past, if they said Marathon on the side lol.

[Sam_Spade]

Post the brand, size and model of tires here for some better advice.

NO reason to throw away perfectly good tires.

The pressure and tread wear should be inspected before (or after) each trip. Keeping the pressure up to the recommendation is critical.

IF...this really worries you that much, try to negotiate better tires in the purchase deal.

[twodownzero]

If they are American made tires, I would run then to six years based on the sidewall date. If they are Chinese, I'd replace immediately.

[Campfire_Time]

Yep, save your hard earned cash and use what the trailer comes with. Keep them inflated to the cold PSI on the sidewall, don't drive faster than the tires rating, usually but not always 65 mph with ST tires, and don't overload the tires.

We have 6 yo Tow Max on our trailer, the tires that came with. No issues. I'm running them one more short trip and plan to change them this summer.

[Iraqvet05]

I had the "China bomb" Tow Max tires on our first TT and had zeros issues with them in 5 years. Lots of people on the Jayco owners forum recommended replacing them but we hauled that camper to Arkansas, across Missouri and to Colorado and back in the middle of summer and they held up well.