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.
