Tires

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
C

Cedrick

Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2017
Posts
9
I?m needing to replace my fifer tires.  My unit has the original tires that are six years old.  Recommendations on tire manufacturers.  I think I want to stay away from imported tires but looking to see what others experienced.

Cedrick
 
These days, no matter what label is on the tire, it could have been made nearly anywhere.  I've been very pleased with the Hankook tires I have on my MH and those I have used on my cars.  The MH tires are two-thirds the price of the Michelins and ride smoother and quieter.
 
What size?  15 inch you only have three choices, two of which are made off shore.  Maxxis, Salun are off shore, Good Year Endurance are as I understand made in the USA.  16 inch sizes?  Go for most any name brand LT tire that has the load capacity that matches your axles rating.  Hankooks get sone good reviews, as do most other LT tires.
 
Without a hint of the size you need it becomes very difficult for anyone to give recommendations for RV trailer tires. Some sizes are only made by ?off shore? manufacturers.

The tire industry standard is very consistent in this recommendation. ?Never choose a tire that is smaller in size or has less load-carrying capacity than the tire that came with the vehicle.?  (That?s a Michelin quote).

?Replacement tires should be the same as the OE size designation, or approved options, as recommended by the vehicle or tire manufacturer. Never choose a replacement tire of a smaller size or with less load-carrying capacity than the OE tire size at the specified vehicle tire placard pressure.? (That?s a U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association Quote).

Note: In 2008 the prefix on the tire size ( P=Passenger, LT=Light Truck, ST= Special Trailer) officially became part of the tire size designation. 
 
I used to manage a fleet of light trucks and like you had a bias against offshore tires. I had to change my tune and went exclusively with Toyo, it was the only one that would withstand the abuse those clowns dished out. In your case talk to a reputable tire dealer like Big O or Les Schwab, ordering online is dicey if you don't know what you are looking at due to the prevalence of 'China bombs'.
 
I suggest the same size you have now, but upgrade one Load Range.  If you have LR  D, then insist on LR  E tires.
 
I?m needing to replace my fifer tires.  My unit has the original tires that are six years old.  Recommendations on tire manufacturers.  I think I want to stay away from imported tires but looking to see what others experienced.

Cedrick
Click to expand...
Actually we have some very good off shore tires for trailer use and aren't the usual old tech china bombs.
However as mentioned we have no idea what size....load range your OEM tires are or your trailers axle ratings.
Axle capacity ratings dictates tire plus a 10-15 reserve capacity choices.
Give us some numbers and some of us can point you to better tire choices. Small 5th wheel trailers can have 14" P tires tire and the big boyz can use 17.5" load G and J tires.
 
Many RVers prefer the Maxxis brand ST tires for their trailers. They have a higher speed rating than the usual 65 mph limit on ST tires, and they have a reputation for quality.

https://www.amazon.com/Maxxis-M8008-Radial-Trailer-Tire/dp/B004QL6HYM
 
Cedrick said:
My tires are ST235/80R16 load rating  E
Click to expand...

That size opens a couple of other doors. The ST235/80R16 tires with a LRE have three distinct maximum load capacities. 3520#, 3500# and 3420#, all at 80 PSI.

There use is going to depend on your trailer's certified GAWR (s), not the axle manufacturer's GAWR (s) depicted on their  labels. There are loop-holes the vehicle manufacturer must work with to use the 3500# & 3520# tires on 7000# GAWR axles. With axles at or below 6840# GAWR, all of those tires are qualified because without documentation they all default to 3420#.

If you have 6000# GAWR axles your best replacement tire would be some more ST335/80R16 tires with a LRG. Your wheels are probably certified at 3580#. You can air the LRG tires to a PSI value that will provide 3580# of load capacity without hindering the wheels maximum load.
 
donn said:
LT 245 75R16 should be a good match
Click to expand...

All LT245/75R16E tires have a minimum rim width of 6.5". Besides that, they only provide a maximum load capacity of 3042#, not even close to the 3420# provided by the OPs ST tires.
 
Doesn't the fact that the tires the manufacturer chose lasted six years tell you something about the so called China bombs?

Some of the newer model TT tires are produced in the USA and probably will be as long as they can demand a premium price. They are a small fraction of the 2 million tires the trailer manufacturers send out every year.

All tire manufacturers have issues from time to time. Let's not forget the Ford/Firestone debacle a few decades ago. My choice is to go to a reputable local tire dealer.

I try to avoid the ST/LT debate, it is like talking to the dog. You are not going to change anybody's mind.

Good luck
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,131 (members: 28, guests: 1,103)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,974
Posts
1,388,493
Members
137,723
Latest member
CarlSpackler
Back
Top Bottom