ST trailer tire 75 mph rated

[rexlion]

For those who prefer to tow a little faster than 65 mph, as well as for those who would like some extra cushion in their tires' speed rating, I recently learned that Hercules ST tires are rated for 75 mph. Just wanted to let folks know about this additional option. I am getting one put on my cargo trailer next week (they had to order it from the warehouse, the store didn't stock it).

[Huntindog]

Sport45 wrote:

Huntindog wrote:
Gonna have to dash your hopes.
They say "The United Kingdom" on the sidewall.
Since they are Michelins, then that likely means Germany.

You will get over it with therapy.:B

Was that meant to be a poke at the Brits, the Germans, or both? :@

Neither

[Skid_Row_Joe]

gmw photos wrote:

....snip.......

Finally much of the ST tire controversy stems from a strong bias against tires imported from the Far East manufacturers; .....

snip....

Let me offer an analogy here regarding the potential real, or perceived quality of round black things from a certain country in question.....

I ask the reader to put themself in exactly the same position I was in this time last summer. Grand-daughters '10 Ford Fusion needed new tires. Knowing that we would have an 18 year old driver zooming around the streets and highways, including some road trips at the posted speed limits on hot days......would you choose the least expensive tire from you-know-where ? Or would you choose a set of tires a little further up the food chain ?
Your choice. Your money. Your grand-daughter.

I went to the Michelin dealer.

( It's just an analogy ok ? Just trying to get people to think here. I know that cars are different than trailers, etc, etc, yada, yada.... )

I'd go to Sears Tire and Auto Center for some Road Handlers in all likelihood. Sears brand offers a lot of value.

[Sport45]

Huntindog wrote:
Gonna have to dash your hopes.
They say "The United Kingdom" on the sidewall.
Since they are Michelins, then that likely means Germany.

You will get over it with therapy.:B

Was that meant to be a poke at the Brits, the Germans, or both? :@

[coolbreeze01]

Manufactures went to China to lower their costs, raising their bottom line.

We the consumers, haven't saved a cent buying tires made in China.

[Huntindog]

JJBIRISH wrote:
More arguments that have no relevance to the light weight travel trailer market that this forum is all about…

No light weight travel trailers offer LTs as standard OE tires and I doubt if any even offer them as an option… the only exception might be for off road versions that may use an aggressive tread pattern…This has already been proven false. What is true is that most do not. Once again it is a price point issue. The market that most of the smaller TTs are comprised of price sensitive consumers. Manufacturers cut every corner they can to seem to be the best value. Most consumers think that the tires on that shiny new TT are made to pass the same govt tests as what is required of their TV tires. If only that were so.

If you want to argue what heavy fifth wheel trailers MIGHT OFFER and only might offer, it would be best made in the 5er forums where they carry some relevance and meaning… WHY? You can do the same for the smaller stuff, and thare are other manufacturers of them doing it.

but all you are doing here is mudding the water to support your beliefs, and adding to the confusion to the topic of tires for light duty trailers (under 10,000 pounds) as ALMOST all travel trailers are…
while the concerns may be similar for the larger high end trailers, the solutions are far different in most TT applications and can be much more expensive or even near impossible for many to have the same options as a 15,000+ pound 5er…
There are ALWAYS options. But knowledge is power. Not knowing what your options are makes you powerless to make an informed decision. IE: You lke two TTs equally as well and would be happy with either. But a small detail such as one have 6 lug rims and the other 5 lug rims can make it much eaiser to the to make swap to LT tires on the 6 lug one. If you know this, then you have the knowledge needed to make a decision that will allow you to upgrade tires easily. You find that knowledge here in discussions such as this one.

Sometimes the decision is tougher. IE: The TT you like better is the one with the 5 lug rims, but you really want to upgrade to LT tires. It can usually still be done, but will be harder and more expensive... But at least you know what you are faced with because of this forum.

you would do the TT forum a service to not even post unrelated rhetoric that has little to no meaning here… it only serves to confuse the issue for those trying to come up with realistic solutions to their own issues…
Your opinion of what is realistic is different than mine.
In previous discussions you have opined that we should get the govt. to raise the ST testing standards to fix the ST issue (which you have admitted is real many times).
I don't think that is a practical solution for me.
I could be dead before we can get the govt. to change the regs. But I need reliable tires NOW.
For me it is more practical to find a solution that will work NOW. Not 20-30 years from now.

as far as the ST LT debate most RVers I have met and talked to are not even aware there is a tire issue and have never had a issue of their own…That is great. But as I said in a earlier post, most RVers do not really use their RV as often or as hard as some of the enthusiests here.
So a cheap tire suits them just fine. America is a great country with all the choices we have here.

I myself have used exclusively ST tires on multiple trailers without a single failure over many years and thousands upon thousands of miles, and I believe those having multiple failures need to look within to find the real problem,Now this is so sad I don't know whether to laugh or cry. You know full well That I gave ST tires a more than fair shake. I spent many thousands of dollars buying set after set, upgrading sizes and rating as I went trying to make them work for me...Meanwhile the LT tires on the truck were performing flawlessly. In 2006 I made the jump tp LT tires, and ever since I haven't had a problem. And I treat these tires ROUGH compred to the ST tires that I babied trying to make them last. or spend thousands raising the trailer and upgrading hubs, wheels and tires to a point where even they can’t destroy them… which it seems is one option being offered by some… I will point out it is one that will work if you have a oversized wallet…
My wallet isn't oversized, and I want to point out that it would be a lot bigger today if I hadn;t wasted all that money on ST tires.

I think I am going to go and mod my golf cart with a lift kit, 16” wheels and XPS tires so I never have another flat tire again… but I will talk about that in a golf cart forum or in the around the campfire forum…

So what it boils down to is what it always does What does one believe is the facts and what does one believe is just marketing.

Since there is NO govt. standard that is special for trailers, all we have is the same tests that is used for LT tires, but the ST tires standards are a lot weaker in those tests.

So testing wise the LT tire wins hands down. This is a fact.

Now marketing is a different story.

An ST tire has a shallower tread for cooler running
Or an ST tire has less tread because it is cheaper to make.

An ST tire has fewer but larger cords in the sidewall for cooler running and the special forces a trailer tire deals with.
Or An ST tire has those things because it is cheaper to make it that way.

An ST tire is an affordable solution for your trailer tire needs (This was on a ST tires website at one time)

Or an ST tire is cheaply made so we can sell it cheap to you and still make a profit.

It's not what you say, it's how you say it.. That is marketing

For the record I don't bash the Chinese for this problem.
They didn't create it. We did. Consumers in general want everything as cheap as possible. To meet that demand, ST tire production went to where the cheap labor is.

[gmw_photos]

quote:

Still there is a reason that no major tire manufacture will ever recommend using a LT tire as a replacement for a ST tire… they would sell their soul for a profit, so I find it hard to believe with all the marketing and deceit they employ in their marketing that they wouldn’t recommend the use of what is claimed to be a legal and superior tire for replacement of a ST tire… you need to hide from them (be deceitful yourself) that it is a replacement for a ST tire to get their blessing...

end quote


I'm going to go way out on a limb here on the following, so I'll admit this mostly a lot of idle speculation because I am not taking the time to research the availability of different LT tires in varying sizes.....but here goes anyway. I suspect part of this comes down to the fact that most LT tire production and marketed product in north america is in "larger sizes", as in, tires that need wider rim widths. Most of the trailers running around this country are on rims that are pretty narrow, making a lot of LT's the wrong fitment just on that spec alone.
Let's face it, the trailer market is relatively small compared to cars, trucks and SUV's

[gmw_photos]

....snip.......

Finally much of the ST tire controversy stems from a strong bias against tires imported from the Far East manufacturers; .....

snip....

Let me offer an analogy here regarding the potential real, or perceived quality of round black things from a certain country in question.....

I ask the reader to put themself in exactly the same position I was in this time last summer. Grand-daughters '10 Ford Fusion needed new tires. Knowing that we would have an 18 year old driver zooming around the streets and highways, including some road trips at the posted speed limits on hot days......would you choose the least expensive tire from you-know-where ? Or would you choose a set of tires a little further up the food chain ?
Your choice. Your money. Your grand-daughter.

I went to the Michelin dealer.

( It's just an analogy ok ? Just trying to get people to think here. I know that cars are different than trailers, etc, etc, yada, yada.... )

[JJBIRISH]

There is plenty of confusing and contradictory information from all of the representative industries to and that is so unfortunate…

I doubt that anyone is saying LT tires can’t be used, and while LT tires are good tires and using a LT tire is a good choice if you can find one that fits at reasonable prices and only if reasonable mods are required to accomplish the change… reasonable is in the eyes of the beholder of coarse…

While the 857 is highly touted as a good replacement for some sizes I have read enough complaints about them to be uncertain if they are any better than a good ST tire… then there are other commercial van tires (commercial seems to be a marketing term) that are not rated as LT tires but are really euro metric passenger tires, much like the extra load and reinforced sidewall tires are and like them carry higher air pressures… all P metric and euro metric can be used as well but they need the sidewall stated loads de-rated by 9% when used for trailer use, but still could contribute to sway especially at highway speeds… also the de-rated load must meet or exceed the axle weight ratings…

Still there is a reason that no major tire manufacture will ever recommend using a LT tire as a replacement for a ST tire… they would sell their soul for a profit, so I find it hard to believe with all the marketing and deceit they employ in their marketing that they wouldn’t recommend the use of what is claimed to be a legal and superior tire for replacement of a ST tire… you need to hide from them (be deceitful yourself) that it is a replacement for a ST tire to get their blessing...

As far as origin, I have no faith in China to provide CONSISTANT and reliable quality at least not yet… their reputation for quality fade is earned and well deserved… maybe someday… but I don’t see them as a friend, ally, or partner that can be trusted, economically or any other way yet…

[gmw_photos]

....snip....

• There are some individuals who have looked at the testing of LT and ST tires and in good conscience feel the RV and Tire industry are wrong.
• And of course there are some individual would rather not second guess the RV and Tire industries and simply use the tire their TT was designed around.
....snip.....

The RV industry buys their components from other suppliers, such as Dexter axle. If we go to the Dexter website and look in their catalog, they define the appropriate wheels and tires for their axles ( by weight category ). They list both ST and LT as appropriate in 14", 15" and 16".

An example of the tire industry recommending a "light truck" tire for trailer use, is the Kumho 857. They state on their website that tire is designed and built for light trucks, vans and trailers.

I'm not trying to second guess any of these manufacturers. I'm simply looking at all the available information I can find from authoritative sources and making decisions as to what will most likely provide me with the highest reliability and durability. I'm not looking for the least expensive buy in price. I consider for instance, Dexter axle, Kumho tire, and numerous trailer manufacturers, among others, to meet the definition of authoritative for the purposes of these choices.

If others look for the same information and decide that a ST tire most closely meets their needs, then that's terrific. I'm glad the market provides them that choice.

[gmw_photos]

CALandLIN wrote:
Pretty soon all foreign manufactured ST tires will have a speed letter or the speed rating listed on their sidewall. There is no letter for 65 MPH but there is K=68 MPH.

The reason for the addition of the speed restriction is tariffs. ($$$$). To receive the current tariffs the manufacturers must comply with the new rules.

The ST tires that came on my travel trailer from the factory were speed rated J, which is 62mph.

[CALandLIN]

Pretty soon all foreign manufactured ST tires will have a speed letter or the speed rating listed on their sidewall. There is no letter for 65 MPH but there is K=68 MPH.

The reason for the addition of the speed restriction is tariffs. ($$$$). To receive the current tariffs the manufacturers must comply with the new rules.

[JJBIRISH]

gmw photos wrote:
All Airstream travel trailers are under 10,000 pounds. Some come with LT tires standard, and all offer them as optional.
Oliver travel trailers are between 5000 and 7000 pounds, and come standard with LT tires.
There may be others, but I have not looked to see.

You might be correct but I had to check, not to be argumentative but it isn’t a line I have checked, and yet they don’t list them as standard for any model on their website nor where they even mentioned that I saw (one would think they would mention it) and the brochure page was corrupt and wouldn’t download… I am aware there are a few TTs that broach the 10,000 pound range… they and even most of the heavier 5ers do not come with the LT as standard… but offering the fact that a 15,000 pound fiver came with a LT tire has little in the way of value for the much lighter TT that don’t have 16 “ wheels not the room for them in many cases… many don’t even have 6 bolt wheels…
However I could be wrong since I have no interest in airstream… and apologize if I am… but the fact remains that options are far and few between for the overwhelming majority of TT users without going to a huge and in my opinion unnecessary expense for most of them…
There may be other options but I have differing opinions about some of them to…

The 2016 Airstream Classic
Classic starting at $126,475
Hitch Weight (w/LP & w/o options, water & cargo) (lbs.) 773
Unit Base Weight (w/LP & w/o options, water & cargo) (lbs.) 7,365
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (lbs.) 10,000

Standard Features

Alloy wheels STD
Aluminum bumper with storage STD
Aluminum LP bottle cover STD
Bright-finish alcoa aluminum STD
Cable and portable satellite hook-ups STD
Deep cycle 12v battery STD
Digital TV antenna STD
Dual LP gas tanks with LP tank cover STD
Enclosed, insulated underbelly with heated holding tanks STD
Exterior LP gas port and adapter STD
Exterior shower and 120V outlet STD
LED step light and exterior convenience lighting STD
Power hitch jack with light STD
Power stabilizers STD
Premium awning package STD
Rockguard protection STD
Second Quietstream A/C w/ heat pump (13,500 BTU) w/50 Amp Service STD
Solar pre-wiring STD
Spare tire STD
Stabilizer jacks STD
Stainless steel stoneguards STD
Stainless steel trim package STD
Zip-Dee™ patio awning STD

Boy requesting a brochure already created 2 sales calls from AS sales people…

[rbpru]

So what has all this rhetoric proved?? Well nothing!
• The vast majority of the RV industry and the Tire industry are still going to mount and recommend ST tire for TT use.
• There are some TT manufacturers who feel that their particular TT design would be better served by LT tires.
• There are some TT manufacturers who feel their TT design can be used with either ST or LT tires.
• There are some individuals who have looked at the testing of LT and ST tires and in good conscience feel the RV and Tire industry are wrong.
• And of course there are some individual would rather not second guess the RV and Tire industries and simply use the tire their TT was designed around.

I was watching the Travel channel last weekend and they were doing a high dollar restoration of a 1940’s vintage TT from a long defunct manufacturer. With painstaking effort they dismantled and restored all the components or replaced them with vintage parts. Upgrading the wiring and adding a toilet and microwave were the only modern changes I noted.

When it was time to add tires, they replaced the original tires with new made bias-ply replicas of the era with the wide white wall. They were the original style the TT was designed around which the professional TT restorers found perfectly suitable for the application.

Finally much of the ST tire controversy stems from a strong bias against tires imported from the Far East manufacturers; just as there was when Sony and Panasonic started importing electronics. And like our electronic and automotive imports, the Far East tire manufacturers will be here with Nissan, Kia and VW long after the naysayers have passed.

[gmw_photos]

All Airstream travel trailers are under 10,000 pounds. Some come with LT tires standard, and all offer them as optional.
Oliver travel trailers are between 5000 and 7000 pounds, and come standard with LT tires.
There may be others, but I have not looked to see.

[JJBIRISH]

More arguments that have no relevance to the light weight travel trailer market that this forum is all about…

No light weight travel trailers offer LTs as standard OE tires and I doubt if any even offer them as an option… the only exception might be for off road versions that may use an aggressive tread pattern…

If you want to argue what heavy fifth wheel trailers MIGHT OFFER and only might offer, it would be best made in the 5er forums where they carry some relevance and meaning…

but all you are doing here is mudding the water to support your beliefs, and adding to the confusion to the topic of tires for light duty trailers (under 10,000 pounds) as ALMOST all travel trailers are…
while the concerns may be similar for the larger high end trailers, the solutions are far different in most TT applications and can be much more expensive or even near impossible for many to have the same options as a 15,000+ pound 5er…

you would do the TT forum a service to not even post unrelated rhetoric that has little to no meaning here… it only serves to confuse the issue for those trying to come up with realistic solutions to their own issues…

as far as the ST LT debate most RVers I have met and talked to are not even aware there is a tire issue and have never had a issue of their own…

I myself have used exclusively ST tires on multiple trailers without a single failure over many years and thousands upon thousands of miles, and I believe those having multiple failures need to look within to find the real problem, or spend thousands raising the trailer and upgrading hubs, wheels and tires to a point where even they can’t destroy them… which it seems is one option being offered by some… I will point out it is one that will work if you have a oversized wallet…

I think I am going to go and mod my golf cart with a lift kit, 16” wheels and XPS tires so I never have another flat tire again… but I will talk about that in a golf cart forum or in the around the campfire forum…