ST Tires changed to LT series tires

[Lloyd in S.C.]

I have had some of this experience myself..............

Daughter and her husband purchased brand new 5th wheel 2 years ago. So far, they have had 2 tire failures. One non-event, one did over $1,500 damage.

Yesterday following them on a trip, they were going slow through a small town and I observed a wobble in the left rear. Once we resumed speed all looked good. When we slowed again, I saw the wobble again and suggested we stop and take a look. Sure enough the belts in the tire were failing, we could see the distortion in the tread. The tire had proper inflation, there was no road damage etc...

We are giving serious thought to replcing all 4 tires with Light Truck (LT) tires. There are tires that are ver comparable in all demensions in the LT series. Anyone else done this? Have experience you can share?

L.

[nukerj]

Depending on the weight of your trailer I would think that finding LT tries that can carry the load is going to be difficult?

What is the current load rating of the ST tire?
have you tried moving to a load range above the oem supplied tire?
Typically manufacturers put the lowest load rated tire that they can legally install, so they leave no extra room for running at the max GVWR.

ST tires should also be inflated to the max load carrying capacity pressure in order to get the best performance from them.

[dayle1]

I made the switch in 2012, my BFG Commercial T/As are 4-1/2 yrs old and no issues. If you have 16" wheels and either 5200 or 6000 lb axles then comparable LTs will have a 3042 lb capacity and should work fine. I gave up on ST tires when even Maxxis tires, one of the best, wouldn't last 3 yrs.

Last time I checked the stickers on a bunch of trailers, 1/3 specified STs, 1/3 specified LTs, and 1/3 only stated size. Interestingly the newer, pricier and heavier units were more likely to use LTs, so if it works for them, then good enough for me.

[cashmore]

Originally Posted by dayle1

I made the switch in 2012, my BFG Commercial T/As are 4-1/2 yrs old and no issues. If you have 16" wheels and either 5200 or 6000 lb axles then comparable LTs will have a 3042 lb capacity and should work fine. I gave up on ST tires when even Maxxis tires, one of the best, wouldn't last 3 yrs.

Last time I checked the stickers on a bunch of trailers, 1/3 specified STs, 1/3 specified LTs, and 1/3 only stated size. Interestingly the newer, pricier and heavier units were more likely to use LTs, so if it works for them, then good enough for me.

Switched to the same BFG Commercial T/A 3 years ago and have had no issues. Just make sure you know what your weights as you will lose some capacity on the load ratings when you switch but it's only a couple of hundred pounds.

[dayle1]

Originally Posted by cashmore

Switched to the same BFG Commercial T/A 3 years ago and have had no issues. Just make sure you know what your weights as you will lose some capacity on the load ratings when you switch but it's only a couple of hundred pounds.

Again, any trailer with axle ratings of 6000 lbs or less, then there is no loss of capacity with a 3042 lb rated LT tire.

[cashmore]

Originally Posted by dayle1

Again, any trailer with axle ratings of 6000 lbs or less, then there is no loss of capacity with a 3042 lb rated LT tire.

Valid I misread - with 6k or less axle you're correct. My apologies

[Airmech]

My dad had the same problem. The original owner (was his best friend) had a blow out and caused a lot of damage. Now my dad purchased the rv and had 2 more tires blow out on him. One didn't cause any damage luckily, but the other one did. So now I'm trying to gather any and all info from here to get him the best tires. He has a 12 cougar 331mks I think? Letters are messing me up, anyway all suggestions welcome! FYI, old tires were tow max. Told him best bet is Lt, was I wrong?

[Hatchet67]

Thanks for posting this up dad & for letting me know about the site!

We bought the camper last year so we've only had it 15 months.

Weight on the rear axles is 9960# (both axles)
Axle weight rating of 6K#, tandem axle
Stock tires ST235/80R16 Load range E
I'm looking to replace those with LT235/85R16 load range is 120 (3086#) These have a bit higher sidewall but it appears there should be no clearance issues.
I also looked at LT245/80R16 but I am concerned about mounting those on a 6' rim. Most tire manufactures recommend 6.5 minimum for the 245s
Anyone have this set up in use?
Thanks in advance.

[FastEagle]

Originally Posted by Hatchet67

Thanks for posting this up dad & for letting me know about the site!

We bought the camper last year so we've only had it 15 months.

Weight on the rear axles is 9960# (both axles)
Axle weight rating of 6K#, tandem axle
Stock tires ST235/80R16 Load range E
I'm looking to replace those with LT235/85R16 load range is 120 (3086#) These have a bit higher sidewall but it appears there should be no clearance issues.
I also looked at LT245/80R16 but I am concerned about mounting those on a 6' rim. Most tire manufactures recommend 6.5 minimum for the 245s
Anyone have this set up in use?
Thanks in advance.

There are zero LT235/85R16E tires available from any manufacturer that have the load capacity of the ST235/80R16E tires.

The minimum load capacity for the ST235/80R16E tires is 3420# at 80 PSI. The maximum load capacity for the LT235/85R16E tires is 3042# at 80 PSI. Tire industry standards require replacement tires to have and equal or greater load capacity when compared to the Original Equipment tires.

Discount tire quote: "Make sure the tire has load carrying capacity equal to or greater than what the vehicle placard suggests."

"Verify that the rim width range is appropriate for the tire to be installed."

Note: The official load capacity designation for ST and LT tires is the load range letter found at the end of the tire's size or load range letter found on the tire's sidewall.

[Lloyd in S.C.]

Thanks for all the replies!

We have checked the weights on the tire ratings,,,, and will lose some from that perspective,,,,, however we will still exceed the axle rating on the trailer. And probably more important, the trailer has been weighed and is considerably below the axle rating of 6,000lbs.

We have the same setup as Dayle1....

Thanks again all!

[MtnTrek]

Our experience was nothing negative only positive, although our wheels & stems accommodated 110 PSI. on our last trailer 15.8 K lbs.
Not a fan of LT's on trailers, but understand everyone's experiences.
Found to be a good value:
ST235/80R16 LRG 14 PR Sailun S637 Radial Trailer Tire


Currently run 17.5" -H LR.


Be well.

[roothoss1282]

Originally Posted by Lloyd in S.C.

Thanks for all the replies!

We have checked the weights on the tire ratings,,,, and will lose some from that perspective,,,,, however we will still exceed the axle rating on the trailer. And probably more important, the trailer has been weighed and is considerably below the axle rating of 6,000lbs.

We have the same setup as Dayle1....

Thanks again all!

First thing I did was got rid of the ST tires and I put the Mich. Ribs on. I just got back from a 3500 mile trip and running harder then I wanted and I couldn't be happier with the change. Really nice to not have to keep looking in my mirrors at what my tires are doing. Just on this trip I saw 3 5ers in rest areas with damage and I had to check and they were ST tires. Best of luck what ever you decide. My Montana High Country loves them LOL

[JIMNLIN]

Good choice for a trailer with 6k axles.

I would recommend a LT that the tire makers has given their blessing for using in a trailer position.
Of course the XPS Ribs and Bridgestone R-250 are at the top of the pile. Both are a commercial class all steel carcass tire.

The BFG Commercial T/A 2
Firestone Transforce H/T
Goodyear Wrangler H/T
Cooper Discoverer HT-3
all have been recommended for trailer service from the tire maker by a 1-800 or emails.

[FastEagle]

Using replacement tires that are in conflict with tire industry standards or are not able to provide the load capacity of the Original Equipment tires are clear safety violations. As an owner that’s your choice. Bragging about it can be misconstrued as a recommendation for other owners to follow that unsafe path.

The following reference from Michelin gives a brief description of tire industry replacement standards.

Michelin does not build trailer tires in sizes 16" and below. However, vehicle manufacturers may, in some circumstances, chose LT or P tires for OE fitments. Airstream offers some of the Michelin brand tires on selected models of their RV trailers.

Help Me Choose The Right Tire | How to choose tires | Michelin US