Doesn't seem to have been many ST tire failures this year.

I vote for all the above.

Also, interesting, this is the first time I've seen a trailer tire that actually shred. I didn't see it from the beginning, but I caught up with a fifth wheel that was still rolling slowly on the shoulder.

The front starboard tire blew.

CapriRacer wrote:
In comparison to past years, there doesn't seem to have been as many ST tire failures.

Does this mean the tires are improving?

Does this mean this year was just a mild year (weatherwise?)

Does this mean fewer people are complaining?

Does this mean people are paying more attention to tire condition and tire maintenance?

What say you?

Thanks for the thoughts so far.

Please remember the original question is: Do you think there were less ST tire failures this year compared to other years.

Please stay on topic.

mena661 wrote:

myredracer wrote:
There's too many factors that could skew the results.

IMO, there's only one factor, people drive too fast. I see this from people towing almost daily. Yesterday, long bed 3/4 ton Dodge towing a 5th wheel at 75 mph.

I will second this, I see it all the time in NV, UT, and especially the drivers on Interstates in Idaho, all of them. All going way too fast for the tire ratings... UT has 85 MPH speed limits in Southern and Central UT just south of SLC.

I think there were more reports of st failures in fhe last year. But I could be wrong. Maybe since the economy is improving people are not rving as much...flying, hotels, cruises, etc.

myredracer wrote:
There's too many factors that could skew the results.

IMO, there's only one factor, people drive too fast. I see this from people towing almost daily. Yesterday, long bed 3/4 ton Dodge towing a 5th wheel at 75 mph.

Heck, you'd have to prove that they're suitable for treading the first time, let alone retreading. :)

Francesca Knowles wrote:

ken white wrote:
IMHO, it is not if marginal ST tires will fail, it is when, and they fail rather quickly once they decide to go....

Oh and for all of those believers that the sidewalls of an ST tire are tougher than an LT tire, this is BS.

The sidewalls are 2-ply polyester and the carcass is very light compared to an equivalent LT tire...

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but it's my understanding that few if any LT's have something other than two-ply polyester sidewalls, though some may have sidewall enhancements such as the turnups provided by Dunlop on its off-roader, The Mud Rover.

Which of course is unlikely to be a choice anyone would make for a trailer.

My Michelin XPS RIBS have all steel plys.
It is a commercial type carcass, suitable for retreading, as per Michelin.

Are ANY ST tires suitable for retreading?:B

I've checked them out side-by-side and I'll stand with you and by your assertion Ken White.

"Since it takes a LR-E LT to obtain the carrying capacity of a LR-D ST, it should be no surprise that the LT would be "heavier"."

Why would that be "no surprise"? Please explain the "reasoning" behind that statement? Are you equating strength to weight?

And what's with the quotation marks around heavier? Are you saying that you mean heavier in an ironic sense?

This has surely been beaten to death and I'm not trying to pour gasoline on the flames, but in case it's of interest to others who are considering what tires to buy, you can consider these points:

Maxxis ST 235 80R16 weight (per an Amazon ad)is 34.2 lb.
This Maxxis tire load rating is 3420 lb

Michelin LT 245 75R16 at2 weight (per a Michelin site) is 44 lb
This Michelin tire load rating is 3040 lb

I have installed LT tires that have a lower load rating than the sticker on my trailer indicates I need. Factors I considered:
-An earlier poster who works in the tire industry (Capriracer?) explained that the LT tires are rated by a much tougher standard than is used for ST tires, and that the safety factor on the LT's is much higher.
-The LT tires do exceed my 6000 lb axle rating.
-We take long interstate trips with substantial time spent at or slightly below 65 mph for hours on end.
-Web posts by numerous earlier posters convinced me that 'lots' of people were having ST tires failures, and 'nobody' was having LT tire failures.
-I have 3 friends who have suffered >1 ST tire failures in the same day; similar trailer size and usage pattern as me. I don't personally know anyone who has suffered an LT tire failure.

With my triple axle trailer, when I crawl around a tight corner I can see how much stiffer the LT tires are when I look in the mirror. Distortion of the ST tires was significantly higher, though this is a subjective observation.
I don't mean to criticize anybody's decision to run ST's. If my usage was short trips to local parks, I would have stuck with what's on my trailer sticker. I certainly respect the decision to avoid a 'lower rated' tire. My opinion is that the Maxxis 8008 is an excellent quality ST tire. They just didn't work for me. They might work very very well for others.

downtheroad wrote:
More people running Maxxis

+1