Selecting new TT Tires

Interesting article. One line caught my attention though.

“He says trailer overloading, not tire quality, leads to ST tire failures.“

Either he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, or the masses here on RV.net don’t. I’d like to see some numbers though. The difference in damage done between bias ply and radial when they do blow is undeniable. Radial damage is often very extensive. Bias ply blowout damage is none. But if bias plies blow far more than radials, there may be something to it. I’ll be staying with bias ply on my boat trailer. I do not want steel belts whipping my boat in case of a blow out.

Hannibal wrote:
Bias ply have two benefits. They’re more forgiving of curbs and potholes and, if one blows at highway speed, they simply fly apart. Radials roll easier, cooler and last many more miles as far as tread wear, but not years. When a radial blows at highway speed, they often beat the trailer with steel belts causing extensive damage. I have 14” Carlisle bias ply on my boat trailer with good results. I’m thinking of trying a set of 15” bias ply Carlisle’s on our TT this fall.

A worthwhile read if contemplating new bias ply tires.

Click Here!

Bias ply have two benefits. They’re more forgiving of curbs and potholes and, if one blows at highway speed, they simply fly apart. Radials roll easier, cooler and last many more miles as far as tread wear, but not years. When a radial blows at highway speed, they often beat the trailer with steel belts causing extensive damage. I have 14” Carlisle bias ply on my boat trailer with good results. I’m thinking of trying a set of 15” bias ply Carlisle’s on our TT this fall.

dodge guy wrote:
Yes, replace all 4. I would highly recommend going with the Carlisle HD’s in the “E” rating. One of the best tires out there right now!

X2

I just put Goodyear Endurance.... They are also heavier tires than other ST and LT tires in the same size.

The LT and ST in a 235/85-16 E are about the only two that are the same size.

Goodyear says the ST235/85-16 E weighs 44 lbs.

Goodyear also says their LT E Wrangler H/T weighs 50 lbs.

Michelin same size XPS Ribs weighs 56 lbs.

Bridgestone R-238 same size weighs 59 lbs.

BFG Commercial LT E same size weighs 45 lbs.

No doubt the new Endurance is a a lot heavier than the old same size Marathons at around 38 lbs. They should do well for rv trailer use.

Yes, replace all 4. I would highly recommend going with the Carlisle HD’s in the “E” rating. One of the best tires out there right now!

lenr wrote:
.... I just put Goodyear Endurance.... They are also heavier tires than other ST and LT tires in the same size. .

Yep.

Here's a video comparing the weight of the Endurance to a Les Schwab

It sounds like Goodyear Endurance is the way most are going.

I ordered a set of 4 and have them scheduled to be installed by Goodyear at my house on Monday.

JIMNLIN wrote:

Bias ply are from another era. For a road trailer the radial tire is the way to go.


RVIA has come out in support of that statement by recommending all of their members - about 98% of all RV trailer manufacturers - to start using radial tires on all wheels 13" in diameter or larger.

Click Here!

OP wrote:
I’m thinking that I should move up to Load Range E tires for the extra capacity.

Good idea on a trailer that size.

Should I replace just the one that failed or all 4? We probably have right around 8-10K miles on the tires, which are 6 years old.

If your tires are ST type they have timed out. ST tires that old and carrying the weight yours are carrying is a good bet others will have the same issue. We see this a lot on all the trailering websites.
Time for all new tires.

Should I consider Radials or BiasPly?

Bias ply are from another era. For a road trailer the radial tire is the way to go.

The Endurance and Carlisle HD have been out for around two years and so far are popular. Neither has been around long enough to see what kind of service record they will have for the long haul (4-5 years and 20k-30k miles). I'm betting both will have a much improved service record.
The Providers have been out since the '10/'11 era are the first of new gen higher speed rated ST class tires. Like many new ST/LT class tires they became popular on haulers webs first and finally trickle down to rv forums.
I have a 10k car hauler (9460 lbs on the axles) with Provider ST235/80-16 E tires with 30k-32k miles on them. I just got off a 623 mile run on a job at 70-75 mph speeds. After 5 years of trouble free service I'm looking to replace them with same.