let's talk tires!
- Thread starter herefishy
- Start date
TireHobby
Well-known member
The primary consideration when in the hunt for replacement tires is to insure you meet or exceed the minimum requirements the RV trailer manufacturer has given you to go by.
As the RV trailer evolves it gets larger and larger. The big ones are already setting on 8000# axles requiring 17.5” wheels/tires in load ranges H & J.
If your current trailer tires have served you well and have been failure free why not just get another set of them?
If, on the other hand you have had tread separations and sidewall failures you should consider going to a higher load capacity tire. It’s a difficult decision for most because going to a higher load capacity tire in most cases is going to also require new higher load capacity wheels.
The Special Trailer (ST) tire manufacturers are constantly increasing the load capacity of their tires with new construction tires. But they are not being received well by the present consumers because the ST market is primarily off shore with the largest producer being Main Land China. However, they do have the 16” tire up to a LRF boasting a load capacity of 3960# @ 95 psi. That’s 210# above the Light Truck tire that is LRG and rated at 3750# at 110 psi.
If you are brand loyal and want tires made in the USA you will have to rearrange your budget because they will come at a premium price especially if you want the wheels to come from the same place.
If you despise the ST tire you will have a hard time finding suitable replacement tires for the 6000# axles.
TireHobby
As the RV trailer evolves it gets larger and larger. The big ones are already setting on 8000# axles requiring 17.5” wheels/tires in load ranges H & J.
If your current trailer tires have served you well and have been failure free why not just get another set of them?
If, on the other hand you have had tread separations and sidewall failures you should consider going to a higher load capacity tire. It’s a difficult decision for most because going to a higher load capacity tire in most cases is going to also require new higher load capacity wheels.
The Special Trailer (ST) tire manufacturers are constantly increasing the load capacity of their tires with new construction tires. But they are not being received well by the present consumers because the ST market is primarily off shore with the largest producer being Main Land China. However, they do have the 16” tire up to a LRF boasting a load capacity of 3960# @ 95 psi. That’s 210# above the Light Truck tire that is LRG and rated at 3750# at 110 psi.
If you are brand loyal and want tires made in the USA you will have to rearrange your budget because they will come at a premium price especially if you want the wheels to come from the same place.
If you despise the ST tire you will have a hard time finding suitable replacement tires for the 6000# axles.
TireHobby
jnbhobe
Well-known member
I see you are looking at a BH 3055RL It will come with LR-E tires, wheels may be rated for 110psi tires. It is stamped on the inside of the wheel. It will have 6K axels. I upgraded to 7K and Goodyear tires from the factory. As far as UV protection on ST tires I have no idea. But I do know I have always done as you and run LT tires.
Last edited by a moderator:
TireHobby
Well-known member
It's what the RV trailer manufacturer puts on the 6000# axles. If they use ST tires and you follow industry standards with your replacements you will have to upgrade to the LT LRG or use more ST tires.
TireHobby
GOTTOYS
Well-known member
I have done a lot of reading about this on another major website. I decided to change out my Chinese tires for American made LT tires in the same load range. I've heard a lot of pros and cons and weighed the information and decided to go for it. If they don't work out it won't be any worse than having those lousy China bombs exploding and tearing up the side of my trailer. After getting the ST orig equipment tires off I couldn't believe how thin and flexible the 2 ply sidewalls are. They feel like a bicycle tire. Time will tell if I made the right decision or not. At this point I think I did....Don
TireHobby
Well-known member
The following quote is right out of the Heartland Owners Manual. It’s an industry standard and is found in all owners manuals.
“Use only the tires size that is listed on the Safety Compliance Certification Label. If you have a question about the label, please call HEARTLAND RECREATIONAL VEHICLES.”
TireHobby
“Use only the tires size that is listed on the Safety Compliance Certification Label. If you have a question about the label, please call HEARTLAND RECREATIONAL VEHICLES.”
TireHobby
I have had a few tire problems with the Chinese "tirebombs" exploding and blowing my fenders off. I have been careful with my tire pressure and since I use an LT I keep the speed to around 65 mph. The times I have had problems were when the temperature was over 90 degrees. I have heard that you should not exceed 65 mph with the LT tires. I have switched to Goodyear Marathon's and so far so good.
GOTTOYS
Well-known member
I installed a set of B.F. Goodrich Commercial LTs. 235/85/16 Load range E. I have 6,000# axles. If they don't work out I won't be any farther behind than I would have been with the China bombs. These are quite popular among the users on RV Net. They wanted $50.00 to change my valve stems to metal so I can use a TPMS. So I just rolled that into the new tire package. I have my old tires sold to a guy that wants them for a utility trailer. My total cost comes out at $338.00 after the rebate I got and the sale of the old tires. Plus these are balanced and the originals weren't. For that kind of money I'm willing to try them out....Don
There is nothing wrong with using LT tires on a trailer. 65 mph is the rating for the Goodyear 614G tires for the record. I have had a lot of HL products zoom by me on the interstate so that isn't well observed. If you want higher rated speed and a heavy load rating then you have to go to 17.5's or find LT's that have the speed rating you need.
We run all of them on different trailers including ST's from china on a couple of dually GN trailers. No problems with any of them.
We run all of them on different trailers including ST's from china on a couple of dually GN trailers. No problems with any of them.
SJH
Past Washington Chapter Leaders
The 614G is an ST tire.
convert
Reginald Hromek
Boy am I confused!! Talking about tires.... I just looked at he tires on my new 2011 Bighorn. I always thought that the designation LT stood for light truck when it came to tires. On my trailed the tires are sized as LT, however stamped on the tire it says for trailer use only. My other trailer tires were sized as SST trailer tires, so is a LT for truck use or is is a;lso a trailer tire only?????????
Invizatu
Senior Road Warriors
There are other forces to consider other than just how much weight a tire might support. My understanding of ST tires includes the fact that the cords (polyester) and the wires (steel belted) are larger in diameter than those used in LT or passenger tires. This allows for a higher curve of strength coefficients under angular loads that might be experienced on a trailer tire because of the center point of gravity (based on trailer height) when negotiating curves and turns. Suspension systems also can positively or negatively impact the tires performance requirements. I think I would stay with ST tires as that is what they are designed for, and if something were to go wrong and the insurance company were to get involved, I wouldn't want to fight the battle of justifying the use of a non compliant tire.
