Trailer Tires ????

[1bigmess]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

... an "ST' tire. ST means ' Special Trailer' tire and are rated for a max of 65mph.

Not all ST tires are speed rated for 65 MPH max, but the ones that do not have a speed range stamped on the sidewall should be limited to never faster than 65 MPH.

I have ST tires, and mine are speed rated for 75 MPH, speed range "L". You gotta know what you are looking at, and how to read all of the codes on the sidewall. They are all important, including the date code.

I do not let the speed rating of my trailer tires dictate what I believe to be a safe speed to travel.

[cb1000rider]

Originally Posted by Crasher

I need to replace the tires on my enclosed trailer. Everywhere I look, I can only find tires "Made in China" or some other eastern Asia country. I have not had good luck with Carlisle, Hercules, Marathon (by Good Year but Made in China) and a couple other ones. They are just cheap and flimsy. Does anyone have a trailer tire size 235X80/R16 that is "Made in America" ?

The is an excellent 235/80R16 tire, load range G (dunno if you need that much) - NOT made in America, but steel belted, and gets excellent reviews: Sailun. Weight: 61 lbs. Not flimsy.

Maxxis is another good tire...

[timetogo]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

In 16" you can buy the Michelin XPS Ribs. They are not flimsy at all and will be much heavier than the other tires you mentioned. They are not cheap either.

$272.27 not installed, at Wally. Look like a good choice

[Airbiscuit]

Originally Posted by cb1000rider

The is an excellent 235/80R16 tire, load range G (dunno if you need that much) - NOT made in America, but steel belted, and gets excellent reviews: Sailun. Weight: 61 lbs. Not flimsy.

Maxxis is another good tire...

Do they make those Sailuns in an E rated version? Either that or is it fine to only fill to 80psi?

The stock tires on the fiver I just picked up is E rated to 80 psi. I'm thinking the rims may not be rated to 110 psi. Only shows load limits on the rims not psi max.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by Airbiscuit

Do they make those Sailuns in an E rated version?

Not the 16" trailer tire (S637T). Only 110 PSI (load index 129, which replaced the old term load range G a couple of years ago.).
Sailun Commercial Truck Tires: S637T HD ST Trailer

Either that or is it fine to only fill to 80psi?

It's fine. However, weight capacity per tire is reduced from 4,080 @ 110 PSI to probably around 3,420 @ 80 PSI - I can't find a load/inflation table for size ST235/85R16, and the load/inflation table at
Trailer Tire Load/Inflation Chart | Maxxis Tires USA
does not include ST235/85R16, but does include ST235/80R16. But the Maxxis ST235/80R16 goes up to only 80 PSI because Maxxis doesn't make that tire in load index 129.

[Dr4Film]

In the last 6 years I have towed my 30 foot 12,000 lb cargo trailer all over the north american continent which has amounted to nearly 50,000 miles.

The trailer came with a variety of 235/85R/16 tires which the previous owner had put on. Over the first year of towing I had two sidewall failures with those tires and finally installed a full set of Wild Country XTX Sport - LT 235/85R/16.

Over the years I continued to have sidewall failures including one in British Columbia last September while traveling to the lower 48 and a second one on the same side in Kentucky on our way to Florida this past November. FINALLY, I installed two new Goodyear G-614 Trailer Tires in Alabama and I liked them so much that I had the other side replaced while in Florida this past winter.

These are true trailer tires with stiffer sidewalls than the same size truck tires I had been running for years. They will handle the bouncing of the trailer far better than the flexible truck tires. In fact these tires are built exactly like my 22.5 inch coach tires plus they are re-groovable. They are significantly heavier than the previous truck tires I had been using, nearly 60 lbs versus 40 lbs.

No more truck tires on MY cargo trailer, EVER!

Dr4Film ----- Richard

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Crasher

So, are you saying that I can use a the LT tire of my choice or does it have to be specified for trailer use? I also noticed that the commercial grade trailer tire 235X85/R16 from GY has a max load a little more than 3000# @ 110 psi while the ST 235X80/R16 LR E Marathon also from GY has a capacity of 3420# @80 psi. Why the lower rating for a better tire??

FWIW. The 235X80/R16 LR E tires on my trailer were carrying 2850# each with a rating of 3420#. Had a blowout yesterday on one tire dated 43rd week of 2011.

What makes you think the ST235/80R-16 LR-E is a "better" tire than an LT235/85R16 LR-E? These are two different types of tire with significantly different regulatory (load formula and testing) requirements. ST concept is trailer only, Low speed 55-65MAX and the specs were established well before the concept of Interply Shear was even known in the tire industry. The lower expected operational speed was a major reason for the expectation of more load capacity. The problem is that people are not using ST tires as their design intends.

Current LT tires use latest Engineering concepts and updated testing requirements.

My suggestion that you could use LT tires in trailer application is based on expectation that the tires would be bought from a #1 or #2 tier brand (a name you have heard of and brand that is used on new cars today) HERE is link to a post that identifies brand by "tier". I note that there are many tires on RV trailers today that don't even make the list of top 4.
I also expect you will confirm a minimum 15% margin on load capacity above heaviest loaded tire based on individual tire measurement and run a TPMS and set cold inflation to the MAX pressure on the tire sidewall and use white tire covers when parked for more than a day in the sun.

Buying a 100% coverage tire warranty may also be good insurance if you have had tire failures in the past

[Crasher]

[QUOTE=Tireman9;3084747]What makes you think the ST235/80R-16 LR-E is a "better" tire than an LT235/85R16 LR-E?]

I did not mean to imply that I thought the ST was better than the LT, but was questioning why a lower rating on the commercial trailer tire that I feel is a better tire. I'm thinking of going with a set of GY G614 RST 235X85/R16. They are a 14 ply rated for 3700#, which is 850 more that the load they will carry or a 30% safety factor. Switching to that tire eliminated the tire failures on my sons several implement trailers. They are not cheap, but hopefully, no more failures on my trailer.

[Airbiscuit]

Is it ok to change out your own tires or do you need to bring to a dealer? I currently have a spare on my fifth wheel with a brand new tire and rim ready to be put on. I'm just not sure if a regular floor jack is strong enough (or safe) to use on the trailer.

[tuffr2]

I removed the wheels and old tires myself threw them in the truck and took them to the tire shop.

The problem I had was the new tires (Michilen XPS Ribs) were much heavier. It took 'All' my energy to get the new tires lined up on the wheel studs. My back hurt for two days.

[Hatchee]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

My suggestion that you could use LT tires in trailer application is based on expectation that the tires would be bought from a #1 or #2 tier brand (a name you have heard of and brand that is used on new cars today) HERE is link to a post that identifies brand by "tier". I note that there are many tires on RV trailers today that don't even make the list of top 4.

If I understand the chart you reference it is based on market share not quality....or am I reading it incorrectly?

[cwsqbm]

Originally Posted by Airbiscuit

Is it ok to change out your own tires or do you need to bring to a dealer? I currently have a spare on my fifth wheel with a brand new tire and rim ready to be put on. I'm just not sure if a regular floor jack is strong enough (or safe) to use on the trailer.

Its ok to change your own tire - that's why you carry a spare. It's best to figure if your jack will lift your trailer before you need to. Mine wouldn't, even though what I asking it to lift was under it's rating. Fortunately, the jack from my tow vehicle worked. Now I carry a big bottle jack that easily lift one side of the trailer.

[ralphie]

You can use LT tires for trailer applications, but what you'll find is most do not have as much load capacity as similar sized ST tires. People moving to Sailun tires are reporting good results and I don't believe I've heard even one report of a blowout with one.

[Crasher]

I finally was able to confirm that my aluminum wheels are rated for 3400#, but only have to carry 2850#. Also learned that the Good Year G614 235X85/R16 14 ply @ 80 psi will carry 3000# safely. I will carry 85 psi for an 11% safety margin of 3170# or 90 psi for 3300# and a 15% margin. They are close to $300 each mounted and balanced, but everyone I spoke with that has switched to them has eliminated flats and blowouts. No more cheap Chinese tires for me.