Karrier ST tires.. Problems ???

[JCR-1]

Both blew out within 5000 miles of each other. Tread was good and alignment good and trailer not overloaded. Tire pressures checked and good. These tires have an 8 ply rating (1600lb) load rating. Saving grace was that Walmart carried my 13 rim size in a ST 175 x 80x 13 but only in 6 ply 1360 lb rating.I hate to keep them on there but they have been doing great now for 3000 miles. ?? I heard that LT tires are good idea but I don't think they are made with a stiff side wall for protection when it goes down at speed.Any ideas recommendations. Looking for a good tire ..

[gmw_photos]

JCR-1 wrote:
I have only 2.5 inches from top of tire to the wheel well . I think I am limited to 13 inch tires with a D rating . No room for anything in 14 inch I believe.

Yes, I think you are right. Sounds like it's pretty limited in vertical space.

[JCR-1]

I have only 2.5 inches from top of tire to the wheel well . I think I am limited to 13 inch tires with a D rating . No room for anything in 14 inch I believe.

[MitchF150]

I've got the Karrier Load Star tires from etrailer.com in the exact size as you in the D load range (65 max psi) and I've never had a failure with them in the last 5 years I had them.. One tire did start to show side cracking, but that was mostly my fault, since I never covered them....

I just bought 4 more of these tires (mounted on white steel wheels) for $109 each and FREE shipping..

Swapped out my old spare tire that was 14 years old (but never has touched the ground) with one of the better looking ones from 5 years ago and calling it good!

The OEM tires were only LR B tires (35 max PSI), so these D tires have much more capacity than the GVWR of the trailer and they are still 13" tires. I run them at 60 psi.

No, I don't have room for 14" tires.. 🙂

But, I see no need for them anyway.

Good luck!

Mitch

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JCR-1 wrote:
Thanks for all the replies .Here is more information It is a Coachman Clipper model 17 FQ
GAWR 3220
Dry wt 2861
Specified tire is ST175 80 R 13
I would like to move up to a 14 inch and stronger tire rating, but not sure if I would have the room, A low profile 14 inch might work but may hit the wheel well on a bump. What ya think ??

I think it's impossible for us to say whether a bigger tire will fit, without more info.
If you could show us a picture of the trailer ( specifically the wheel well area ) and give some measurements of room between the top of the tire and what is above it ?

[JCR-1]

Thanks for all the replies .Here is more information It is a Coachman Clipper model 17 FQ
GAWR 3220
Dry wt 2861
Specified tire is ST175 80 R 13
I would like to move up to a 14 inch and stronger tire rating, but not sure if I would have the room, A low profile 14 inch might work but may hit the wheel well on a bump. What ya think ??

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

See my post in this thread.

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krobbe wrote:
The Kumho 857 is a LT tire for commercial light truck, transporter, van and trailers. Only available in 14", it has an 8ply strength (actually twin steel belted with 2ply poly cords) D load range with Q(99mph)speed rating. In 205/R14 it has a max load of 2271 @ 65psi.
I just installed these on my trailer. Wish me luck.

Ok, I'll wish you luck 🙂 "good luck" ;).
If your experience is like mine, you are going to like them very well indeed. I have a set on my trailer that are coming up on 4 years now, over 25K miles. Much of my pulling is in very hot weather. The Kumho's have worked just fine. They seem to run cool enough, easily lay my hand on them right after stopping from hiway speed, and my non contact IR thermometer shows them to be typically only about 15 to 20 degrees above outside ambient temp.

The have now worn just over 2/32" off of original tread depth, so it's pretty obvious to me they will age out before they wear out.

The only reason I did not mention them in my post above is because as far as I know, as of right now, the only size available in NA is the 205-14. This tire is 27" in diameter, and some trailers may not have clearance for them. On mine, I am using 185-14 which are slightly smaller in diameter (25.7" as I recall ). That was critical in my particular application.

The Hankook I referenced is currently available in 185-14.

Barney made a good point that a P tire might well be a good choice for the OP's trailer. Hopefully the OP will come back with the make/model/weight of his trailer.

[krobbe]

The Kumho 857 is a LT tire for commercial light truck, transporter, van and trailers. Only available in 14", it has an 8ply strength (actually twin steel belted with 2ply poly cords) D load range with Q(99mph)speed rating. In 205/R14 it has a max load of 2271 @ 65psi.
I just installed these on my trailer. Wish me luck.

[BarneyS]

Personally, If my trailer was a single axle trailer like most teardrops and utility trailers are, I would run regular passenger tires on it and not worry about ST tires, You do not have to worry about the tire sidewall bending when making a sharp turn, don't have a 65mph speed limit, the sizes are easily available anywhere in the country, and probably most important you DO have millions of miles of "product testing" my millions of people. JMO. 🙂

That being said, I run Maxxis M8008 ST tires on my travel trailer and have since 2010. Just ordered another set last week. The previous three sets of tires were Goodyear Marathons. Never had a single problem with any of them.
Barney

[JIMNLIN]

When I buy a trailer with 13" tires I always sell them and go with 14" or 15" tires all depending on how heavy the trailer is. Not much in the way of quality 13" tires.
As Steeljag says 13" LT tires are non existant. And the LT sidewall is just as stiff as a ST...guess this internet myth will never die regardless of what actual tire experts tell us.

Not all Maxxis ST8008 has the nylon cap under the tread. Better check with Maxxis before deciding on a tire size. The cap helps hold the tire together as it side scrubs around corners. These tires are speed restricted to 65 mph.

I would look at ST tires like the new Carlisle radial trail RH and the newer HD series tire. These tires carry a higher speed rating similar to a LT tire.

Or the Provider ST tire which has the nylon cap and is M speed rated

[gmw_photos]

JCR-1 wrote:
Both blew out within 5000 miles of each other. Tread was good and alignment good and trailer not overloaded. Tire pressures checked and good. These tires have an 8 ply rating (1600lb) load rating. Saving grace was that Walmart carried my 13 rim size in a ST 175 x 80x 13 but only in 6 ply 1360 lb rating.I hate to keep them on there but they have been doing great now for 3000 miles. ?? I heard that LT tires are good idea but I don't think they are made with a stiff side wall for protection when it goes down at speed.Any ideas recommendations. Looking for a good tire ..

What is your trailer and it's actual weight ? Do you have room to move up to 14" rims ?

If room for 14", as of right now from what I have seen that is available, what I would do is buy Sendel aluminum trailer wheels in a 5.5" x 14" size, and Hankook RA12 ( replaced the RA08 ) commercial LT tire in 185-14.

Expect that ST tire fans will be along shortly to tell you that you can't do that, etc, etc.
Do your own homework and come to your own conclusions. Here is a well written thread that will give a wealth of information:

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/23225970.cfm

[scbwr]

Tires are so often debated here on the forums. Before taking a big trip out west last year, I replaced 2 year old tires on my Winnebago with Maxxis tires. I had great service from Maxxis tires I've owned before, and Maxxis tires have a good reputation. I'd also consider the Kuhmo Radial 857. I don't have any personal experience with this tire, but Kuhom tires have a good reputation.

I owned on set of Goodyear Marathons, and I wouldn't buy them again.

[Steeljag]

I don't think you will find a LT in anything under a 15" rim !

[Shadow_Catcher]

In looking for replacement tires for our teardrop trailer I found that at that time, all appeared to have been made in China. Talking with a former Goodyear tire exec he indicated quality control was not there.
I settled on passenger car tires that are more than enough for our light weight.
Be sure to file a complaint with NHTSA Tire recall and complaints