upgrading tires

[rickjf]

Hi,
I'm buying new tires for the trailer, as 20,000 miles has done
in the marathons. I plan on buying maxxis, but not sure on
whether to buy load range E vs D. the Ds seem adequate, as that's 2580 per wheel I think, and the gvwr of the TT 10,000.
What would be some good reasons to pay for the uprade?
Rick

[rickjf]

Ordered the LR "E"s today. a little extra beef never hurts.

[Huntindog]

rbpru wrote:
In as litigious a society as we have now, if ST tires were the bombs some claim, the trailer and tire companies certainly would not use them on the millions of TT tire being sold. They are playing the numbers. Most TTs will sit far more than they are towed. Just about any tire will work for them.

There is no doubt that LT tires will work in TT service, they have been used for years. One would think that given the volume of LT vs. ST tires produced that LT would be the less costly of the two. But the industry uses STs. There must be a reason.There certainly is. And you just nailed it. Cost.
Like anything else, it costs more to make a better product.
LT tires come in many price points, and quality levels. STs... Not so much.

Nobody want to be sued or issue a recall for inferior tires.

[rbpru]

In as litigious a society as we have now, if ST tires were the bombs some claim, the trailer and tire companies certainly would not use them on the millions of TT tire being sold.

There is no doubt that LT tires will work in TT service, they have been used for years. One would think that given the volume of LT vs. ST tires produced that LT would be the less costly of the two. But the industry uses STs. There must be a reason.

Nobody want to be sued or issue a recall for inferior tires.

[Huntindog]

rbpru wrote:
The manufacturer puts the least expensive tire that will do the job. They use STs because STs are designed for trailer use.

I run the tires that came with the TT because they still have lots of tread on them. On my recent trip we went 6000 miles and I had one flat due to a large metal staple I picked up somewhere. I also had a flat on my TV because of a rock puncture. Neither of these flats was related to tire quality.

I understand why people upgrade their tires for peace of mind. But, a staple is a staple and it does not care how expensive or well-made the tire is.

Admittedly, when it is time to replace tires I will probably review the tire spec’s and go with what seems right to me at the time. In the mean time I keep them to recommended pressure, keep the lugs to the proper torque, drive at 55 to 60 mph and let the tires do what they were designed to do.

What many of us have learned the hard way, is that STs have a tendancy to let go all at once. Slinging the steel belts around at highway speed can cause thousands in damage to the TT and ruin the trip.

A premptive upgrade can avoid this

[rbpru]

The manufacturer puts the least expensive tire that will do the job. They use STs because STs are designed for trailer use.

I run the tires that came with the TT because they still have lots of tread on them. On my recent trip we went 6000 miles and I had one flat due to a large metal staple I picked up somewhere. I also had a flat on my TV because of a rock puncture. Neither of these flats was related to tire quality.

I understand why people upgrade their tires for peace of mind. But, a staple is a staple and it does not care how expensive or well-made the tire is.

Admittedly, when it is time to replace tires I will probably review the tire spec’s and go with what seems right to me at the time. In the mean time I keep them to recommended pressure, keep the lugs to the proper torque, drive at 55 to 60 mph and let the tires do what they were designed to do.

[MarkTwain]

B.O. Plenty wrote:

djgarcia wrote:

B.O. Plenty wrote:
Buy the best tires you can get for your rig...Nobody ever ever said "I wish I would have spent less money and gotten the cheaper ones". What price does peace of mind cost?..

B.O.

"words of wisdom from a wise and experienced RVer" Right On!!

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I run Michelin XPS Ribs on mine. Yes they were expensive, but they hold the same air pressure for months, run cool and haven't given me any trouble in about 20,000 miles of running across the country. If my rig was heavier I would run Goodyear G-614s or step up to the 17.5 inch wheels and tires....You really do get what you pay for when you buy tires. I can't think of many things that would be worse than changing out a blown tire on the side of the road...

B.O.

Hello B.O.,
Ironically, I have the Good Year G614 Lt, G rated tires on my 5th. wheel and have had no tire problems going on 3 years:) When I looked at my new Heartland 5th wheel, it had Tow Masters tires. I told the dealer we had a deal IF he would change out the Tow Masters for Goodyear 614 G rated tires, we have a deal:) He said "no problem" The switched the tires at the Heartland factory before it was delivered:):)

[B_O__Plenty]

djgarcia wrote:

B.O. Plenty wrote:
Buy the best tires you can get for your rig...Nobody ever ever said "I wish I would have spent less money and gotten the cheaper ones". What price does peace of mind cost?..

B.O.

"words of wisdom from a wise and experienced RVer" Right On!!

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I run Michelin XPS Ribs on mine. Yes they were expensive, but they hold the same air pressure for months, run cool and haven't given me any trouble in about 20,000 miles of running across the country. If my rig was heavier I would run Goodyear G-614s or step up to the 17.5 inch wheels and tires....You really do get what you pay for when you buy tires. I can't think of many things that would be worse than changing out a blown tire on the side of the road...

B.O.

[MarkTwain]

B.O. Plenty wrote:
Buy the best tires you can get for your rig...Nobody ever ever said "I wish I would have spent less money and gotten the cheaper ones". What price does peace of mind cost?..

B.O.

"words of wisdom from a wise and experienced RVer" Right On!!

[B_O__Plenty]

Buy the best tires you can get for your rig...Nobody ever ever said "I wish I would have spent less money and gotten the cheaper ones". What price does peace of mind cost?..

B.O.

[CaveRun]

I bought these tires for my TT back in June... They're great tires and I have the same brand on my pontoon trailer... I also have the Load-Stars on my equipment trailer.

Karrier ST225/75R15 Radial Trailer Tire - Load Range D

[Atlee]

I'm of the opinion that you should put the largest tire on the trailer that will fit.

Xtra margin always comes in handy.

[Lowsuv]

Huntindog is slightly more right than ScottG in this particular instance .
But both agree that it is better to upgrade from the factory ST load range C tire .
Scott takes the position that he upgraded enough by going to a load range D .
Huntindog takes the position for a few dollars more there is an even better choice than an load range D on ST ( weaker scale than LT ) to the Load Range E tire to gain additional safety margin .
Looking at the manufacturers charts an Load Range E tire adds another pound or so of cords and rubber to allow 80 psi .
The load range D is lighter than the load range E but still heavier than the factory OEM load range C .
Both agree that upgrading at replacement time makes good sense .
Huntindog deals with temperatures that are average 20 degrees higher than Scott G does .
ScottyG probably is not planning to visit Huntindog in Arizona next August .

[ScottG]

Huntindog wrote:
Do you NEED LREs? According to the charts, and the people who believe in them.....No.

But many of those same people will point to that curb you hit, or the pothole that surprised you, or the time you briefly exceeded 65 MPH as the reason a tire failed. STs seem to be fussier than LTs when they are abused.

LREs give you more safety margin for when those unfortunate events occur.

And the cost difference is so small as to be a non issue. I have seen it as low as $6.00 a tire.

With LR D's I have nearly two tons of safety margin.
That's more than enough for me since they've been great for 4 years.

[Lowsuv]

There is a benefit to upgrading tire load capacity at replacement time .
Travel trailers are made to a price point and each component needs to cost the manufacturer the minimum amount .
As regards tires the first time purchaser has no idea that the ST tires are made to a minimum standard that assumes that the trailer will sit 99 % of the time .
Further it is a too frequent occurrence that the trailer sits without moving after the 3rd or 4th year .
Not everybody is RV crazy like the posters on this board .
So the minimum tire goes on as OEM and the purchaser does not know or care .
Rather the question is the interior suitable to the missus and does theslide out add huge room .
After actual practice we see ST tires fail considerably more frequently than our car and truck tires have failure .
Most folks never have a tire failure on a car or truck and it never enters their mind that ST tires fail in the 21st century .
The first time we consider upgrading is too often AFTER the first ST tire failure .
Attendees on this forum have the opportunity to upgrade BEFORE the first failure .
In the long run it is cheaper to upgrade to an LT tire at a modest premium to an ST tire rather than having to repair / replace the weaker ST tires a second and third time .
Plus when I want to go camping , I want to go camping , and not spend time on a roadside on a hot sunny day .
Please upgrade at replacement time and save yourself some grief .
One time arriving at your camp spot to find somebody else has taken it because you were fixing a blowout is another consideration .