Carlisle Radial Trail RH Trailer Tire???

[Joseph_Fihn]

My trailer (Nash 25-S, 1998) needs new tires. The largest tire stores in my area are the Discount Tire Stores & they HIGHLY recommend the NEW Carlisle trailer tires. I'm looking at the 225-75-15-E's. My concern is that the Carlisle's had close to the worst reputation of all the trailer tires, in the past.
Discount tells me that the NEW Carlisle's are completely different & far more rugged than their previous models. I suppose it's possible to go from the worst to the best in one design but, I have my doubts. I want to take a trip from AZ. to Alaska for the summer in the near future & want the BEST tire available on my trailer. Don't want any failures in a remote area. No entertainment value to that.

Do any of you have any experience with the NEW Carlisle's? I'd appreciate your impressions of the tire. Thanks in advance.

Joe F.

[JJBIRISH]

There is up grading and there is just taking a stab in the dark… like many recommend here…

To upgrade the tire must equal or better the load rating as stated on the tire placard on the trailer, and the tire must match the rim speciation’s including bead profile, rim width, PSI rating, and load ratings… then they need to fit under the trailer with sufficient clearances on all sides and between the tires… it’s not some mythical number…

It’s not enough to say a tire is rated for so many pounds so it should work… and being popular wouldn’t matter if you landed in court after an accident… recently it was reported by many on here that the Vanco 2 tires are a popular choice and used by many here… well here is what the tire mfg. said to the direct question about the Vanco commercial line of tires…

Dear John,
Web Inquiry: 000000-000000
Thank you for contacting Customer Relations at Continental Tire the Americas, LLC.

We no longer manufacture ST tires, and the Vanco line is not a suitable alternative.
We would recommend searching for a dedicated ST tire line.
Customer By Email XXXXX XXXXX) 06/06/2013 03:56 AM
Please find below a request from the USA.
XXXXX XXXXX/Best regards,

XXXXX XXXXX Head of International Warranty
Central Customer Service
Tire Division
Continental
----- Forwarded by XXXXX XXXXX on 06.06.2013 09:41 -----
From: Administrator Technical
To: hotline XXXXXXXX

Also all position doesn’t always mean trailer positions with every manufacture and its wrong to make that claim…
some list steer only, and some drive only, while some say all position, it isn’t their position that it includes trailer tires, yet some do however indicate all position truck/ trailer tire…

it’s always your money, your choice, and your risk… no one here is going to back you when things go wrong…
if you change to LT tires it is far better to do it the right way, which is more involved, and that is seldom offered in forums like this… or follow the mfg. recommendations…

[SprinklerMan]

A tire store sells tires , they arent going to recomend something they dont stock . If dicsount tire reccomends them so highly tell the manager to give you a 5 year unconditional warranty or road hazzard policy for free since the tires are great there shouldnt be a problem..

[shakyjay]

I ended up going with the new Carlisle. According to their web site the new design does include the cap ply. My original tires were 205/75 15 C range. I originally planned on going to E range however that meant going up in size. Clearance became an issue so that was out. I also found that the rims were not rated for that high of pressure. I did go to a D range which has more than enough weight rating for my situation. So far they have been fine. I did have one tow of about 100 miles in approx. 100 degree weather.

[JIMNLIN]

The E tire (80 psi)does have a stronger carcass than the C tire but at those higher pressure ratings.

If possible I would upgrade to a LT that way you get away from ST tire issues.
Depending on room in the wheel well and proper wheel pressure/wheel width requirements the Goodyear Wrangler HT in a LT235/75-15 C (50 psi) at 1980 lb capacity. Most LT tire makers carry this size.

And a Wrangler HT in a LT215/75-15 D (65 psi) at 2090 lbs capacity.

Maxxis LT U-168 are a commercial grade tire with several 15" sizes and have became popular with all types of trailer owners.

Vanco 2 from Continental another popular tire for trailer users has several 15" sizes and load capacities.

I see the Yokohama RY215 in a 700R 15 D at 2040 lbs capacity is popular on some of the other RV websites.

Do your home work on the numbers.

If you stick with ST tires and make that long trip I would recommend two spares for the trailer.

[downtheroad]

therink wrote:
My buddy installed a new set of the Carlisle 225/75/15 E's last year. He told me there were completely new design and I did verify that they were stamped with "Made in USA" on the sidewalls. He hasn't run them enough to evaluate them but they look like a good tire.

If true, this would be good news...gives us more options to consider.
But, I searched far and wide and can't find anything to back it up....only see that Carlisle's are made in China.

[bighog01]

I bought a set of the new Carlisle RH last month. 205/75/14. So far only 1 trip about 50 miles each way. A real test will come next month when we go to Atlanta from the Tampa area. Bought from Pep Boys at $98 each. Fwiw I've had some real junk tires on it before and I've never had a failure. I always make sure that they're at 50 psi, don't overload them, and don't curb them.

[JJBIRISH]

therink wrote:
My buddy installed a new set of the Carlisle 225/75/15 E's last year. He told me there were completely new design and I did verify that they were stamped with "Made in USA" on the sidewalls. He hasn't run them enough to evaluate them but they look like a good tire.

Well I certainly could be wrong, but as I understand it, the newly redesigned Carlisle radial tire is made in China… if his tire is made in the USA by Carlisle chances are it is their bias ply tire… nothing new about them…

No one could have much info about the newly redesigned Carlisle radial because they have no track record to go on yet…
what is known by Carlisle and all other manufactures is the importance and need of/for the cap ply to hold the steel belt, and it’s been known almost since the advent of the radial itself…
but they and many trailer tire mfg. choose to not include them anyway…

[therink]

My buddy installed a new set of the Carlisle 225/75/15 E's last year. He told me there were completely new design and I did verify that they were stamped with "Made in USA" on the sidewalls. He hasn't run them enough to evaluate them but they look like a good tire.

[westend]

I'm looking at tire replacement, too and have visited Discount Tires for a quote. My impression is that they make more money from Carlisle than Maxxis. They can order the Maxxis for you.
My understanding is that Carlisle has reformulated the materials and changed the construction (including belts). How much is market-speak and how much is to the benefit of the tire is unknown to me. I'm always leery of promoted new benefits to any product. How much better is "New Tide" over the original product, so to speak.
As Lowsuv posted, an increase in load range is going to trump brand or market-speak. The anecdotal information can be skewed, also. I have no idea about how someone else's tire is used--speed, inflation, alignment, suspension, weights, etc. are different for everyone.

[downtheroad]

Joseph Fihn wrote:
DOWNTHEROAD,
It has been recommended to me that the E's have a tougher carcass & for about $10.00 per tire over the cost of D's I thought that might be a good idea, especially, travelling the roads of Alaska for the summer. I do drive on forest dirt roads in eastern AZ. quite a bit & like the idea of a tough carcass.

My wheels do allow for a maximum of 75 LBS. tire pressure as marked on the wheel next to the fill valve.

I was seriously thinking of the Maxxis M8008's which, I had also heard were very good tires. However, there is a thread on this site of Maxxis failures, which, scares me a bit.

Joe F.

Joe,
Since your wheels will handle them, go with the E's. (that's what I did.) It will give you excellent reserve.

I may be looking at the wrong thread, but the Maxxis thread was about a guy who's tires failed....but they were 7-8 years old. He said he got great service from them and was going to replace them with another set of Maxxis..

Have a great trip and adventure on your Alaska run.

[CORNFED__5-0_]

I have those junk tires on my BigTex flat bed trailer. I was told the same thing by Discount Tire. The tire is junk and that is all there is to it and the tread peels like an orange. As the tires come apart I am replacing them with a commercial truck tire. Within the last year I have had 6 Carlisle tires come apart on my flat beds . Discount claimed my trailers were out of alinement. So I had that checked on two of my trailers and they were fine. I am stuck with the junk on my BigTex and discount will not warranty the tires anymore. The damage to the BigTex trailer was some wires and mud flaps because it is all steel.

My 5th wheel had the same junk tires on it too. I peeled the tread on it too but was lucky the damage was not bad. Yesterday I bought new tires. I was going to put light truck tires on my 5th wheel but I was advised by a good friend who owns an RV repair shop not to. I went with a trailer tire with a "G" rating.

I was told that all trailer tires only have a 65 MPH rating on them. I looked online at Firestone, Goodyear and Others but found no rating listed. The tire stores I talked with said they have been hearing the same thing but do not know where the info comes from. Stating that the tires have to meet federal DOT requirements and have to be 50 state legal and most other states ( I am in California ) let trailers go 70 to 85 MPH legally..

So now we will see if I made the right choice but I know moving away from Carlisle was a good thing.

JMHO

[johnrbd]

You can probably find a thread about any tire brand and failures. However, Maxxis is BY FAR the best reputation for ST's against failures, but they are not perfect.

I installed Maxxis 6 1/2 yrs ago (did not upgrade size or rating) and to date no issues whatsoever.

Problem with going up two sizes and two ratings is your trailer will have to absorb more shock.

You money your choice, but you do not want to accept a dealer's word. They are in business to sell tires, especially the tires they have on hand.

[midnightsadie]

once a snake always a snake carlie has a bad rep, I,m not going to be a test pilot for them. tire dealer says there great???? who told him? the carlie salesman??

[Joseph_Fihn]

DOWNTHEROAD,
It has been recommended to me that the E's have a tougher carcass & for about $10.00 per tire over the cost of D's I thought that might be a good idea, especially, travelling the roads of Alaska for the summer. I do drive on forest dirt roads in eastern AZ. quite a bit & like the idea of a tough carcass.

My wheels do allow for a maximum of 75 LBS. tire pressure as marked on the wheel next to the fill valve.

I was seriously thinking of the Maxxis M8008's which, I had also heard were very good tires. However, there is a thread on this site of Maxxis failures, which, scares me a bit.

Joe F.

[Joseph_Fihn]

Yes! The trailer did come with 205-75-15-C's. The next size up is 215-75-15's but, I found the 225-75-15-D's or E's fit very well & actually look more appropriate for the size of the trailer. No failures with the larger sizes, either.

All this was prompted by my friend with a Nash 24-A that had a blowout back east & replaced 4 tires & put the best, old tire on the rear bumper as the spare. By the time he got back to Phoenix, the SPARE had blown out on the sidewall & the tire wasn't even on the ground (early, Goodyear Marathon's).

That was enough for me to start doing some research.

What I found was that many tires had steel/polyester belts that when heated up, allowed the tire belts to expand & contract regularly. The new designs introduced an outer tread ply belt of nylon between the steel/polyester belts on the tread side. The nylon does not expand when heated & worked as a "girdle" holding the other ply's in their proper place. Seemed to help the longevity of the tires. The NEW Goodyear Marathon's had the letter "S" enclosed in a circle stamped on the sides of the tires & the addition of NYLON Belt in the area the showed what the tire was made of.

Joe F.