Tires

[kennyd63]

Is it necessary to only by tires for T.T. Why can't I not buy regular tires for my T.T? Reason I am asking is that its seams that I am getting flat tires too often, 2 in one year. is that normal? This tires are fill with nitro air which I fill they are full of it. you get my drift.

Thank you in advance..

[Huntindog]

Olli wrote:
So when in doubt or don't have any preferences, get Maxxis 8008?

Maxxis has their issues.

There has been a disturbing amount of failures reported on this forum, at least for the small sample size it represents. Maxxis has a small percentage of the TT market, and this forum is a small percentage of that market.
This small slice of the market that is represented here has some very vocal Maxxis fans though.

But even the Maxxis fans (most of them anyway) will admit that Maxxis has an important shortcoming. Availability.
Almost everyone has to order, and then and wait to get them.. And when they finally do get them, sometimes they are very old.

Old tires are always a bad thing.

Having to wait for tires can be a bad thing... Sure, when making a planned purchase of an entire set, a few weeks can be no problem..
But if a road hazard destroys a tire or two on a trip, then one can be stuck waiting for the replacements to arrive. Any tire can meet such a fate, so this concern has nothing to do with the quality of the tire.

This was a major factor in my decision years ago to do whatever it took to get 16 rims and LT tires.
They are easily available everywhere. I have never had a failure, but I recognize that it is possible. Being stuck somewhere waiting for tires would be a major problem for me.

If you are retired, or in a situation where you can be time flexible, then this would not be a concern for you.

[Olli]

So when in doubt or don't have any preferences, get Maxxis 8008?

[gmw_photos]

FrankShore wrote:
Passenger means passenger, no?

Uh oh, then I must be trouble.
Cuz I carry passengers in my truck. And it's tires say "light truck".....nowhere on them do they say "passenger".

[FrankShore]

Passenger means passenger, no?

[bobndot]

rbpru wrote:
There is no rhyme or reason to TT tires. Some are junk, some last forever regardless of brand or cost or place of manufacturer.

My set lasted 7 years, I put 15,000 miles on them plus whatever the previous owner had on them. They were Chinese and had enough tread left, I kept them for farm trailer use.

I keep them inflated to 50 lbs. and we do not get much sun damage in Indiana.

I agree. (yes I know 'whoopee-do' :B )
I think some owners cause their own problems. I would bet that your TT is balanced while towing. Meaning all four tires and both axles are all carrying the load equally.

Many owners do not weight them that way ...axle by axle.
It should be done because all trailers are balanced differently due to floor-plans and loading. Keeping in mind..axles also have ratings and 3500# axles are very common.

[gmw_photos]

Some tires fail. Some do not. And this is true whether trailer tires, passenger tires, light truck tires, or even airplane tires.

If there is "rhyme or reason" to any of this, in my mind it is like most manufactured products, and that is, if the product in question is built to higher testing standards, by laborers trained to higher skill levels, in factories certified to highest manufacturing standards, then the chances of the product meeting our needs are higher.

That is all I have been trying to say, as well as several others on this forum, for several years.

There are differences in product lines regarding the criteria I mentioned above.
Research thoroughly, be an informed consumer, choose wisely.

[rbpru]

There is no rhyme or reason to TT tires. Some are junk, some last forever regardless of brand or cost or place of manufacturer.

My set lasted 7 years, I put 15,000 miles on them plus whatever the previous owner had on them. They were Chinese and had enough tread left, I kept them for farm trailer use.

I keep them inflated to 50 lbs. and we do not get much sun damage in Indiana.

[gmw_photos]

FrankShore wrote:
You can't and should never use passenger car tires on your RV!

Try some Maxxis tires like suggested and don't worry about filling them with anything than plain old air.

From all that I can gather, when using a P metric tire for a trailer application, the user must decrease the "load capacity" as stated on the tire sidewall, by 10%. If you can still support the load the trailer will place on that tire in that position, and still have a reasonable reserve factor, then using the P metric is within the guidelines.

Me personally for instance on my lightweight ( 4000 pounds total ) camper, with tandem axles, I could use P tires and still have a LOT of reserve weight capacity. I would personally choose them before I would use any ST tire.

As it turns out, in my size, there are several "commercial van/light truck" tires available, in load range D, so that has become my choice .

[352]

FrankShore wrote:
You can't and should never use passenger car tires on your RV!

Try some Maxxis tires like suggested and don't worry about filling them with anything than plain old air.

Sir, please post where you acquired this information.

[wvabeer]

I had a toy hauler that blew tires all the time. The tires were st 225 /75-15E Carlisle. Junk. I blew 8 tires I added a lift to the trailer and Put LT 235/85-16E with a higher load rating. No problems after that. The factory tires were marginally when empty. Weight it your self. Get the right weight rated tire for the load and stay away from foreign tires.

[westend]

Do the tires go flat when just sitting in storage? If so, you have small leaks around the rim or at the valve stem. Soapy water in a spray bottle will uncover this type of leak.
Aluminum alloy wheels will also leak a bit of air over time but it is rare to have one go all the way flat.

[colliehauler]

kennyd63 wrote:
Is it necessary to only by tires for T.T. Why can't I not buy regular tires for my T.T? Reason I am asking is that its seams that I am getting flat tires too often, 2 in one year. is that normal? This tires are fill with nitro air which I fill they are full of it. you get my drift.

Thank you in advance..

You did not say what size tires you have? The tires that come on rv's are the cheapest they can find. If they are 14 or 15 inch your best bet is ST tires. A lot of people have had good luck with Maxxis tires. Car tires will not carry the weight. If you can find a LT tire with the proper weight rating they will work as well.

[alexleblanc]

depending on how much room you have in the wheelwells and between the tires - you may be able to look at 225/70R15 - for what its worth a lot of the airstream guys run P metric Michelin LTX M/S tires on their rigs. Worth looking into.

[coolbreeze01]

What is flattening your tires? Nails, screws, or what?

I have good luck running E rated tires. I've had tires delaminate over the years and several trailers, but no flats or blowouts.

[phillyg]

There's more info on this and other forums about tires than you can read in a day; just search on "tires" and you'll be overwhelmed. Briefly stated, some heavier FWs are coming from the factory now with LT tires. But, unless you have 15 or 16" wheels now, you may not find an LT tire in your size, or you may not have space to go to a larger wheel and tire. The alternative is to get the best ST tires, which most people believe are Maxxis. OTOH, they too can blowout. Treat your ST tires well: don't hit curbs, keep them at max PSI all the time, don't bother with nitrogen (sales gimmick), don't go more than the speed rating (usually 65mph) and expect they may not last more than three years.