14" Tire Recommendation '04 16' Bambi Intl CCD

[pedalmike]

Looking to replace my tires this winter and wondering what recommendations my friends on the forum may have.

I have a 2004 16' Bambi International CCD with 14" rims. Recommended tire is ST215/75R 14 in load range C.

I'm thinking about the

• Maxxis M8008
• Goodyear Marathon (reluctantly based on some of the feedback here)
• Taskmaster ST Load Range D trailer tires (would allow up to 65 psi inflation as opposed to 50 psi max for most load range C tires)

We do not overload our trailer. Should I consider other non-ST tires? Thanks for your guidance.

Mike

[field & stream]

As long as you are going to be replacing tires, you might want to consider an upgrade to 15" or even 16" wheels. Better margin of safety, and better tire selection available.

[pedalmike]

Thanks for the suggestion re: 15" or 16" wheels. There doesn't appear to be sufficient extra clearance in my wheel wells to go +1" or +2" without going to a lower profile tire that keeps the circumference the same as my stock 14s. if I go lower profile, then I'm out of ST tires I think. I'm glad to be proven wrong if you have further thoughts on this.

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from AZ. . . we're running Carlisle Radial Trail tires on both my FC (15") & Safari Sport (14") After 12K miles to Alaska & back, not a problem. Just put them on the new (to us) Sport. Discount handles them. . . regards, Craig

[handn]

All the name brand ST tires are pretty much the same except for Maxxis which are somewhat better.
If you use your trailer in cooler weather (less than 95f), watch inflation pressures and stay below 65 mpg, ST tires will work o.k.
I would upgrade to 15 inch wheels and LT or extra load tires but I tow in hot weather and have had serial blowouts with all brands of ST tires.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by pedalmike

Looking to replace my tires this winter and wondering what recommendations my friends on the forum may have.

I have a 2004 16' Bambi International CCD with 14" rims. Recommended tire is ST215/75R 14 in load range C.

I'm thinking about the

• Maxxis M8008
• Goodyear Marathon (reluctantly based on some of the feedback here)
• Taskmaster ST Load Range D trailer tires (would allow up to 65 psi inflation as opposed to 50 psi max for most load range C tires)

We do not overload our trailer. Should I consider other non-ST tires? Thanks for your guidance.

Mike

What are your actual, not estimated, individual tire loads?

Without those numbers the best we can do is guess.

There are a few 14" sizes made in Europe that might be worth considering

[pedalmike]

Thanks, Tireman. Trailer was new to me in September, 2015 and I did not have a chance to measure actual individual tire loads. I will do that when getting the trailer out of storage in the spring.

What European brands are you referencing?

[mocus]

I am running Carlisle RH, ST, Load D (8ply), 225/75R/15 @ 65 lbs inflation per instructions. They are made in the states if your concerned, like me. A friend of mine, a tire dealer, highly recommeded the Carlisle (I would have purchased any tire he recommended). I have a 2006, 19', Special Edition. Great tire thus far......

[Tom_T]

I've been running 15" Maxxix ST225/75R15D on our `60 Avion T20 since July `12 on the recco of the vintage AS/kin restorer who did our PPI, & will continue with them.

We're very satisfied with them, we've towed it in July Southwest desert heat that July from ABQ to SoCal when we got the trailer, & since them in SoCal/Central CA wet & dry weather mostly below 65 mph (with a few oooops moments above that mph ;-). We also have their LT tire on our `88 VW Westfalia since last Spring, & are very happy with them on that too, for both stability, lack of sloshy sidewalls, noise, comfort, traction & a bit deeper tread depth - as compared to the passenger XLs before, & even over the OE Michelin LTs when new.

ST Radial M8008 | Maxxis Tires USA

As for someone above perhaps implying that LTs can allow towing at more than 65 mph, in fact all tire mfgrs. don't recco towing over 65, & many state such as CA limit you to 55 when towing.

Since the tire sidewalls are an integral part of the overall vehicle suspension system, a larger wheel with lower profile tires to maintain the same outer diameter will probably result in a harsher ride for your trailer.

Good Luck!
Tom
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[rucos]

I installed the same as tires as TomT in October and drove about 3500 km (2100mi) in November .... Did lots of 60-65mph and checked them at most every stop and had no issues, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend maxxis.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by Tom_T

snip

As for someone above perhaps implying that LTs can allow towing at more than 65 mph, in fact all tire mfgrs. don't recco towing over 65, & many state such as CA limit you to 55 when towing.

Not sure if I agree that "all tire mfgrs. don't recco towing over 65". If you have found web pages from about the top 10 tire companies then I thing you might be able to suggest that " many or most" but " All" is a bit of a stretch. Especially since I know a couple that say nothing about a speed limit of 65 and seem to recall more than one implying more than 75 was OK.

Since the tire sidewalls are an integral part of the overall vehicle suspension system, a larger wheel with lower profile tires to maintain the same outer diameter will probably result in a harsher ride for your trailer.

I do agree that is all else is equal a lower aspect ration tire is more likely to give harsher ride.

Good Luck!
Tom
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Not sure about making claims that "all" or "every" can be supported with facts.

[Tireman9]

I really do not understand why the concept of cumulative damage can result in failures much later in a tire's life is so hard to understand.

Maybe if I left a jug of milk out to the refrig for the 1st day back from store then put it in the refrig it might be cold and OK on day #2 but I doubt it would be good as long as another jug that was always refrigerated.

Organics fo not repair themselves jsut as putting a burnt hot dog back in the fridge doesn't make it all OK, putting air ini a tire that was run low doesn't repair the damage and slowing down after you have run faster than the design limit doesn't repair the structural damage that was done to the tire.

[AlamoRunner]

Mike

My 2012 FC23 is a tandem axle with 4 of the 14" wheel/tire combos. I had no problems with the OE GYMs (also 215/70 14) but at 4 years age based on tire code I decided to replace them last August.

Our use at this time is monthly trips of up to 500-600 miles and an annual 2500 mile trip and I am not prepared at this time to upgrade to the 15s so I researched available 14s.

An aside...While many on the forum advocate for towing at 60-65 mph, on Texas (and some other southern states) highways that will have you blocking a lane of traffic and subjecting yourself to the constant flow of 18 wheelers and everyone else blowing by you at 70 mph plus. When conditions are appropriate, I tow at 70 and find going with the flow of traffic to be more comfortable and I believe, safer, than the slower pace. You may not have this issue in the Northeastern states.

For that reason among others, I wanted to go with a non ST rated tire and ended up choosing the Kumho 857, an 8pr LR D LT tire in size 205 R14C. It is a european sized commercial light truck tire marketed by Kumho for trailer fitment.

The Kumho diameter is .4" greater than the GYM (27.0 vs 26.6)
The Kumho capacity is 2150 @ 65 vs GYM 1870 at 50.
This is plenty of capacity for my 4800# FC23.

After mounting we made our annual trip from San Antonio to Destin Fl area and I found the handling and ride while towing subjectively improved over the GYM and my average fuel mileage was about 1mpg better than prior trips.

The tires were purchased from and mounted by Discount Tire at a cost of $153 per tire includes lifetime balance and repairs.

If you have a source for them in your area, they warrant consideration.

Mark

[Tom_T]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

Not sure about making claims that "all" or "every" can be supported with facts.

Tireman -

To clarify for you - "All" the ones that I looked at did not recco over 65 mph, those you saw that were silent on the matter are not recommending it, & perhaps you've found some that say it's okay. So I didn't specify "all that I looked at" - which was implied - you're calling me out on that ... really!?

In any case - many states limit towing to 55, 60 or 65 mph.

In any case, my point was that folks should not be recommending carte blanche to tow above 65 just because they got LT tires - & as a tire pro, I would think that you'd be in some liability problems if you did so - given the states' <65 mph towing laws alone.

My concern was safety & false security that high speed towing was always okay with LT tires, despite speed limits for towing - ergo, it's at one's own risk to do so - whether resulting in tire damage from exceeding their limits, or a fat fine on a speeding ticket is the risk.

Perhaps you would better serve folks reading on here, if you were to instead specify exactly which tire mfgrs. do say towing over 65 is okay with their LT tires, & list which tires are so rated when towing;

.... & to also specify exactly which states & Canadian Provinces allow towing above 65 mph, & which speeds for each which allow one to do so?

Cheers!
Tom
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[switz]

I converted our 2015 23D International Serenity from the stock GYM ST215/75R14C tires and wheels rated 1,870 pounds @ 50 psi and were 26.7" in diameter with 15" SenDel T03-56545T wheels and 15" Michelin LTX (P) 235/75R15 XL tires rated 2,183 pounds @ 50 psi but must be derated to 1,985 pounds for trailer use and are 28.9" in diameter. We run 44 psi tire pressure.

[switz]

The reality of most car tires in more upmarket models are rated for speeds over 100 mph. Not too many places where that speed will not earn a "performance award" from the local sheriff/police.

The same goes for trailer tires. They may not be speed limited to 65 on the sidewall, but is it prudent to run 65 and faster when towing?

The majority of trailer owners are not driving their rig every day and thus lack the experience one acquires as a professional driver driving 100,000+ miles every year. The reality of faster speed is a minor incident can escalate instantly to a major problem and the speed makes stopping distances much longer and one's reaction times do not get quicker with age.

I decided over 45 years ago to drive only on Michelin tires. I had a tandem motorcycle trailer where the stock GYM tires earned the title "explodathons" so it too got Michelins.

In no case have two Michelin tires I installed on a trailer axle had less load rating than the trailer axle itself. That is a requirement of this regulation:

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49 CFR 571.110

Tire selection and rims and motor home/recreation vehicle trailer load carrying capacity information for motor vehicles with a GVWR of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or less.

S4.2.2.1

Except as provided in S4.2.2.2, the sum of the maximum load ratings of the tires fitted to an axle shall not be less than the GAWR of the axle system as specified on the vehicle's certification label required by 49 CFR part 567. If the certification label shows more than one GAWR for the axle system, the sum shall be not less than the GAWR corresponding to the size designation of the tires fitted to the axle.

S4.2.2.2

When passenger car tires are installed on an MPV, truck, bus, or trailer, each tire's load rating is reduced by dividing it by 1.10 before determining, under S4.2.2.1, the sum of the maximum load ratings of the tires fitted to an axle.

S4.2.2.3

(a) For vehicles, except trailers with no designated seating positions, equipped with passenger car tires, the vehicle normal load on the tire shall be no greater than 94 percent of the derated load rating at the vehicle manufacturer's recommended cold inflation pressure for that tire.
(b) For vehicles, except trailers with no designated seating positions, equipped with LT tires, the vehicle normal load on the tire shall be no greater than 94 percent of the load rating at the vehicle manufacturer's recommended cold inflation pressure for that tire.

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For safety reasons, I did the tire upgrade on our 2015 23D International Serenity from the stock 14" GYM ST215/75R14C tires rated 1,870 pounds at 50 psi to the 15" SenDel T03-56545T wheels and and 15" Michelin LTX (P) 235/75R15 XL tires sidewall rated 2,183 pounds @ 50 psi but per the regulation above derated to 1,985 pounds. As a result, I have a larger tire foot print on the road plus more load capacity safety margin.

Airstreams are considered recreation vehicles. So I slow down and enjoy the ride and scenery as well as the destination. I drive 55 (or the posted speed limit if lower) on most roads and around 60 t0 62 on the Interstates.

[Tom_T]

Now that is usable & official DOT info from Switz!

It also points out that DOT is making adjustments to the max. load ratings for passenger & LT tires, which is based upon the info which I noted above regarding sidewall flexibility, etc.

Tire Rack has a pretty good informational tire tech library here & written for the average person:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f238...ml#post1736312

These 2 on trailer tires discusses what folks are talking about on here for ST vs. LT tires on trailers, etc.:

Trailer Tires (ST) -
Tire Tech Information - Trailer Tires

Trailer (ST) vs Passenger Vehicle Tires (LT & P-XL) -
Tire Tech Information - Trailer Tires vs. Passenger Vehicle Tires
> NOTE - I see that this article runs contrary the the Federal statutes quoted above by switz, to down-rate BOTH LT & passenger tires' wt. capacity by 94% - the Law is correct, & Tire Rack needs to correct their write-up!

Also 3 helpful Trailer Life articles on tires here -

http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-h...14764_12162015

http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-h...r-tire-rating/

http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-h...r-tire-trauma/


Thanx Switz!
Tom
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