Mike Mitchell may be a CEO of a big company, but he apparently
NOT an engineer specializing in tire engineering.
Tire weight capacity and load/inflation data for all tires sold in the USA are developed by a bunch of engineers called the Tire and Rim Association (TRA). Pure science and engineering, without a hint of marketing or money-making influence. The load/inflation tables, speed ratings and load ratings they develop apply to all brands of tires sold in the USA. So if they say an ST235/80R16 tire has a higher load rating than an LT235/85R16E, then you can believe it, regardless of what a trailer manufacturer says about it.
Commercial tires are designed for four different uses, and the use defines the construction of the tire. Those four uses are steer axle, drive axle, trailer axle, or all-wheel positions.
Generally, the all-wheel-position truck tires cost more than the same size tire for a specific axle use. For example, one excellent all-position truck tire is the Michelin XPS Rib. It is the only 16-inch Michelin tire included on the Michelin truck website, and is rated an all-wheel-position truck tire - which means it is a trailer tire as well as a steer axle or drive axle tire. The other Michelin LT tires are not rated for any position of a truck, so they are not suitable as trailer tires.
Most ST tires are limited to 65 MPH speed. The advantage of the XPS Rib is it is has a speed rating of "Q" = 99 MPH. I often exceed 65 MPH when towing, but rarely exceed 99 MPH, even when passing on a 2-lane highway.
If you dig around on the Goodyear website, you'll find that Goodyear makes a tire that is almost identical to the Michelin XPS. All-steel construction. Recapable. Rated as an all-position truck tire. And it costs an arm and a leg and your first-born son, just like the XPS Rib. And it comes only in the same sizes as the XPS Rib =
LT215/85R16/E
LT225/75R16/E
LT235/85R16/E
LT245/75R16/E
That's it. If you want a different size, then you'll have to choose a different tire.
http://www.michelintruck.com/micheli...o.do?tread=XPS RIB
When it comes to ST tires, I've had some really good service from Cooper and Maxxis ST tires, and I've had some awful service from Goodyear Marathon trailer tires. I haven't run the expensive XPS rib on my trailers yet, mainly because all 4 of my trailers have 14" or 15" wheels, not 16". I wore out two sets of XPS on a '99.5 F-250 PowerStroke tow vehicle. They lasted more than twice as long as the almost-as-costly BFGoodrich AllTerrain.