Community Forums

BRS50 · 02-10-2020, 04:09 PM

Tom,
I agree load range H should be sufficient for my 31IKE. I was surprised by that unusual three groove tread pattern, doesn't look like any pictures of the Hankook TH22 I've seen.

Brad

rockintom · 02-10-2020, 04:11 PM

Wonder if it's running production change....your tire dealer should know.

BRS50 · 02-10-2020, 05:02 PM

He was a little mystified too, looking in his catalog he only saw the four groove pattern. I'm gonna call Hankook customer service tomorrow and see if they have an answer.

Steve578 · 02-10-2020, 07:07 PM

After 3 blowouts with g rated tires I went to H rated 85profile tires 3 years ago. So far, no problems.

BRS50 · 02-11-2020, 12:51 PM

I did speak to Hankook and the difference in tread pattern with only three grooves is due to the size of the tire. Mine are 215/75R 17.5 and tires with the four groove pattern are wider cross section 235 or 245. My tire shop guys told me the Hankook construction was very robust with a wall thickness that made them hard to mount. It's a commercial tire shop and they said the sell a lot of Hankooks for trucks and think they are a very good tire. So we'll roll with these especially since they were a great deal at $204, the Walmart site now has them at $272 and the cheapest I've seen online are $249. Another difference, cold inflation pressure for these are 125psi the Goodyears were 110psi.

rockintom · 02-11-2020, 01:39 PM

After you get those tires on and driven, you may not want to keep them at 125psi. I put my XTA Michelins at 125 and it rode like a lumber wagon. Very stiff sidewall, but skinny tire. All said and done I ended up putting them at 108psi. Much better and still had lots of room for weight capacity.

BRS50 · 02-11-2020, 04:38 PM

Tom,
You read my mind with the very stiff sidewall the tire guys mentioned 125psi would be a hard ride. I'll take your advice and run them lower than that. I've attached a picture of the three groove tread, a little unusual.

Brad

JDT · 02-11-2020, 08:01 PM

Brad, those tires look just like mine. I checked the load inflation chart and I think it showed 80 PSI for my axle weight. I'm pretty sure 75 is the minimum for these tires. I run 90. I started at 115 and did not like the ride at all. I've run quite a few miles at 90 and there is no visible wear plus it rides smoother.

CARLnJANIS · 02-11-2020, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDT

Brad, those tires look just like mine. I checked the load inflation chart and I think it showed 80 PSI for my axle weight. I'm pretty sure 75 is the minimum for these tires. I run 90. I started at 115 and did not like the ride at all. I've run quite a few miles at 90 and there is no visible wear plus it rides smoother.

I have just about quit talking about tire inflation. Seems most people think you have to run the tire inflation pressure near the max. That is true for most cars and pickups. But when you are talking about tires that must handle a wide range of loads, you need to follow the tire's load charts. I have Continentals on the truck and trailer. The max inflation for the trailer tires is 125 psi for a single tire load of 4805 lbs/tire for a total axle weight of 9610 lbs. My axles are 7500 lbs. That is 3750 lbs/tire. The load chart for 3750 lbs is little over 90 psi and 90 psi is what I use.

A tire engineer at Continental told me to match the load/inflation pressure with the chart. He said tires under-inflated will heat up and tires over-inflated will not rebound properly. He said rebound, what some call bounce, will absorb some of the lighter bumps in the road and smooth-out the larger ones. He said over-inflated tires will transfer the impact of a pothole to the axle and frame and the smaller bumps create a vibration that can shake a trailer to pieces. These are not the only problems he stated, uneven wear and tire failure can occur with both under and over-inflated tires.

Not trying to start a tire inflation war, just passing on information. I bought the Continentals for the truck and trailer last year. All the well-known brands had load/inflation tables available. Most of the lesser-known and the China-bombs didn't.
Just Sayin'.

JDT · 02-12-2020, 06:14 AM

Carl, I couldn't agree more. These are regional haul trailer tires, not passenger tires. Like you said, they are designed to handle a variety of loads and take the abuse a car or LT tire could not. Lots of flexibility built in.

BRS50 · 02-12-2020, 02:42 PM

Jim & Carl,
Guys I'm one of the uninformed who assumed that the max pressure is the desired or recommended. There's lots of opinions out there and references like this would lead you to believe max pressure was the way to go. https://www.etrailer.com/question-78836.html

As you mention these are regional haul trailer tires and I don't see that ST designation so is that the difference that makes inflation to load proper proceedure for these tires?

JDT · 02-12-2020, 06:36 PM

Brad, I'm no expert but why have a load chart if they don't mean it. I like to think the tire engineers they hire are a whole lot smarter than me. These are a special category of commercial tires built for hauling heavy stuff and not really designed with fifth wheels in mind, I'm sure.

BRS50 · 02-13-2020, 02:58 PM

I did find the Hankook load inflation chart in their catalog. With a 16k# trailer minus 20% pin weight I've got about 3200# per tire and could go as low as 80psi on this chart. I'm thinking 90 psi might be the way to go.

CARLnJANIS · 02-13-2020, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BRS50

Jim & Carl,
Guys I'm one of the uninformed who assumed that the max pressure is the desired or recommended. There's lots of opinions out there and references like this would lead you to believe max pressure was the way to go. https://www.etrailer.com/question-78836.html

As you mention these are regional haul trailer tires and I don't see that ST designation so is that the difference that makes inflation to load proper proceedure for these tires?

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDT

Brad, I'm no expert but why have a load chart if they don't mean it. I like to think the tire engineers they hire are a whole lot smarter than me. These are a special category of commercial tires built for hauling heavy stuff and not really designed with fifth wheels in mind, I'm sure.

Oh, you beat me to the punch. Just noticed you found the chart. I started my post about a half hour ago and had to walk away for a several minutes. Good for you.

X2 what Jim said.

Also, you need to remember, the trailer in question in the "etrailer" article was a pop-up with a stated 2,900 lbs GVWR. You need to compare apples to apples. Your trailer's GVWR is 6 times that of the pop-up. Your trailer's approx. cargo payload, 4,600 lb., is over 1 1/2 times the pop-ups GVWR.

Your 5th-wheel is in a very different class than a pop-up trailer and your EXCEL is in a higher weight class than the majority of 5th-wheel trailers. Your 31' trailer is heavier than some of the mass marketed brand's larger models. In fact, the pop-up trailer in the aforementioned article, has more in common with a car, weight-wise, than a 5th-wheel.

Your trailer has a combined axle weight of 14,000 lbs for a single axle weight of 7,000 lbs and a single tire of 3,500 lbs. The TH22 max inflation is 125 psi for a tire load of 4,805 lbs. Your tires at 125 psi, need 1,305 more pounds/tire for optimum tire life and performance. I would try to find a load/inflation chart for the Hankooks and adjust the inflation pressure to a load of 3,500 lbs. You will probably find the inflation pressure to be around 80 to 90 psi.

Please post what you found for your trailer weight.

Carl