Community Forums

RonKent · 04-13-2011, 09:02 AM

I am replacing the tires that came on the 5th wheeler. They look good but are 9 yrs old.

I have called 4 tire dealers and they each carry a different brand.
These are all 10 ply tires (5th wheeler is a 27 foot Wildcat)

Mastertrack, Caryle? Maximus, and Towmaster are the brands they carry and recommend. (spelling may be wrong on some of these)

Is there one of these that you would recommend over the others?
Or one that you definetly wouldn't buy?

IC2 · 04-13-2011, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonKent

I am replacing the tires that came on the 5th wheeler. They look good but are 9 yrs old.

I have called 4 tire dealers and they each carry a different brand.
These are all 10 ply tires (5th wheeler is a 27 foot Wildcat)

Mastertrack, Caryle? Maximus, and Towmaster are the brands they carry and recommend. (spelling may be wrong on some of these)

Is there one of these that you would recommend over the others?
Or one that you definitely wouldn't buy?

This subject has been beaten to a 'bloody pulp' here and every other forum. There are those that swear by RV specific tires and others (like me) that prefer a good LT (Light Truck). As far as my experiences, the mass produced LT tires have it hands down vs the smaller population segment RV tires which are often made in China and have a very spotty reputation.

If you want to go bleary eyed, do a search here

Cat320 · 04-13-2011, 01:35 PM

I also swapped my Chinese made Missions for a good LT tire...Bridgestone. My only advice is to avoid Chinese tires, any other brand would be better.

JIMNLIN · 04-13-2011, 08:32 PM

I would stay away from the Carlisle ST tires as their #1 in trailer tire complaints on the NHTSA complaints website.

If you have ST225/75-15 E your out of luck getting a good LT tire. The problem is the load range E tire has a 3000 lb load rating and not many 5 lug 15" wheels can take that much weight or 80 lbs pressure. 15" trailer wheels rated for 3000 lb at 80 psi aren't as common.

Many folks upgrade to a 16" trailer wheel and a LT E tire. LT E tire weight capacity ranges from 2680 lbs for a 225/75-16 tire up to 3042 lbs for a 235/85-16 tire.

I upgraded to 16" wheels and BFG Commercial LT215/85-16 E for my 28' 5er in '03 and just swapped them out for new ones the same size/brand. Zero issues with over 70k miles.

ralper · 04-14-2011, 12:10 AM

I replaced my G rated tires with J rated tires. I think that 5 er tires should carry 125% of the weight of the unit. I have read of so many tire problems that when mine started I bought good heavy tires.

I do not buy the "BS" about you do not need tires so heavy because the truck is carrying 20% of the weight. The whole weight of the trailer is bouncing up and down on those tires and punishing them unmercifully.

My 15,000 Lb. (actual weight) trailer had G614 16" tires that would carry 15,000 Lb. My new 17.5" Michelins will carry 19,000 Lb. I had to buy new rims. Heavier tires are not available or I would have had them.

What I am saying is to upgrade your tires when you buy new ones.
Establish the quality you want then shop them for price.

HobbyTalk · 04-14-2011, 04:01 PM

Since you most likely have 15" wheels you are struck with ST tires with an outside chance you can upgrade to 16" wheels and LT tires. For ST tires I would recommend Maxxis tires. They are made in Thailand and have a good reputation.

IC2 · 04-14-2011, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HobbyTalk

Since you most likely have 15" wheels you are struck with ST tires with an outside chance you can upgrade to 16" wheels and LT tires. For ST tires I would recommend Maxxis tires. They are made in Thailand and have a good reputation.

You don't need the identically marked/ size tire - you look for load rating, diameter and tread width and compare with what you have on the trailer. As far as Maxxis(or any other brand tire for that matter) - maybe it's made in Thailand. Or Japan. Or Korea, Or Mexico. Or...... My last TT had a Maxxis spare - from China!! My current 5er had Canadian Marathons, now has Mexican Generals.

HobbyTalk · 04-14-2011, 08:18 PM

It will be difficult if not impossible to find LT tires for 15" rims of the proper height and load range for his trailer. He MAY be able to upgrade to 16" rims and find an LT of a size and load range that will fit his trailer. ST tires made in China (95% of all ST tires) are well known to be a problem. AFAIK all Maxxis M8008 tires now sold in the US are made in Thailand and there are very few reported problems with them.