Completely confused.. could I have wrong tires on my 27FB?

[jholder]

As the title states, I am completely confused. Upgraded to an 09 27FB Ocean Breeze International last month. Went to check tire pressure yesterday, as it just seemed like I was feeling more bounce than usual. Each tire was measuring in the low 40's. Referred to the sticker on the airstream and it said recommended was 65 per tire. But, the tire, which is a Marathon ST225/75R15 has a max cold pressure of 50psi. The sticker on the AS says it recommends the ST225/75R15LRD. These are 2014 tires fyi.

I am not sure the difference in the two tires. Also curious of max speed with that tire. Usually keep it 65-70max.

Leaving for Florida on Friday from Nashville, so definitely don't want to risk having the incorrect tires before a long trip. I never skimp on tires...they're cheap insurance, so if it seems wrong, please advise!

again.....thank you!

[carl2591]

unfortunately you scrimped on tires with the goodyear marathons. A lot of ASers have gone to the 16" wheel and a michelin or bf goodrich LT type tire.

search "tire blowouts" and see what is up.

PS: the new AS come standard with michelin, eddie bauer, and you can get them on 23 and up i believe it is now.

just sayin..

[Msmoto]

According to my research at Goodyear, the Marathon has a rating of 2150 pounds at 50 psi. You may want to contact Goodyear to confirm this and ask about the maximum pressure.

FYI, as I am also concerned about tires i have replaced the OEM wheels and tires with Firestone Transforce LT225/75R16 115/112R E. These I run now at 53 psi. They are rated up to 80 psi, but at the load I carry the correct pressure is about 50 psi. Maximum rating is 2680 pounds per tire or 10,720 for the four. My trailer is 7200 across the scales, so i have nearly a 50% safety margin.

On the Road 05.18.15 by Tommie Lauer, on Flickr

I find these run almost cool...never so hot that I cannot put my hand on them.

I purchased the wheels at http://www.trailertiresandwheels.com...-trailer-wheel
and the tires locally.

[SteveSueMac]

Sounds like you have load range c marathons which would have a max 50psi vs a load range d (that's what the LRD indicates) which is 65psi max and if I recall correctly, 2500# of load capacity per tire (so 10,000 for your trailer) vs I think 2100 (or thereabouts) for the Load range c.

My 27fb Flying Cloud is about 6000# fully loaded for camping. I'm using 15" Michelins which are a load range c and have to be derated 10% for use on a trailer. So I have 1984# per tire (total of over 7900# load carrying capacity) at 50 PSI.

With your GYM trailer tires LRC you probably have 8700# load capacity which likely exceeds your GVWR for your trailer (is it 7600# or thereabouts?).

However - there are many discussions in the forums about the Marathon tires and much of it is negative. I think if you keep them at 50 psi cold and check them regularly you should be ok. But I don't know the weight of your trailer on the scales and I'm not a tire engineer. We have a few in the forums who hopefully will chime in.

[aftermath]

Thanks Craig, you saved me from saying the same thing.

OK, all sorts of belief systems out there from hitches, to big burly TVs to tires. If this 2009 is new to you and it has the original tires I would seriously consider putting some new rubber on. Trailer tires age by the calendar and not by mileage and you can't go just by tread depth to determine if they need replacing or not.

There are many of us out here who run ST tires without issues. I have a set of Maxxis, or is it Maxiis(?) that are about 25K into distance and still look pretty good. I will replace them in another year or so.

If your tire says 50lbs max, then you need to inflate them to this level before you do anything else. While I like my ST tires I would never tell anyone else you have to have these. If you live in a very hot climate, if you like to drive real fast and if you tow a lot of weight......maybe the big truck tire could be a good option.

[Bill M.]

sounds to me like you do have the wrong tires. Probably the trailer came with load range D tires and when they were replaced in 2014 somebody installed load range C tires. Both would be load rated at 65mph. For inflation pressure I think you have to go with the maximum pressure on the sidewall as an upper limit. On paper you probably have enough load capacity even with the C tires.

[Al and Missy]

Since your tire label specifies load range D, it would appear that someone changed the tires on the trailer and didn't get the right ones. If you bought from a dealer, contact them and ask why they sold you a trailer with the wrong tires. If you bought from an individual you are probably on your own.

Were I in your place I would seriously consider getting at least the tires specified for the trailer or other tires with at least the same load capacity and inflate them to provide the same capacity as the specified tires.

I, on the other hand, went with the 16" wheels and tires. I also added a TPMS. There are posts on this and other RV forums about problems with ST tires. I chose to go with the larger tires and wheels since I haven't seen any reports of failures with them. It would appear that there are those who run the 15" tires with no problems, so you will have to do your own research and make your choice.

Al

[jholder]

Originally Posted by aftermath

Thanks Craig, you saved me from saying the same thing.

OK, all sorts of belief systems out there from hitches, to big burly TVs to tires. If this 2009 is new to you and it has the original tires I would seriously consider putting some new rubber on. Trailer tires age by the calendar and not by mileage and you can't go just by tread depth to determine if they need replacing or not.

There are many of us out here who run ST tires without issues. I have a set of Maxxis, or is it Maxiis(?) that are about 25K into distance and still look pretty good. I will replace them in another year or so.

If your tire says 50lbs max, then you need to inflate them to this level before you do anything else. While I like my ST tires I would never tell anyone else you have to have these. If you live in a very hot climate, if you like to drive real fast and if you tow a lot of weight......maybe the big truck tire could be a good option.

That's the issue, they came with these and the owner had just replaced about 9 mos ago. I hate to throw away practically new tires, as he had less than 1k miles, but I also don't want to take any risks.

[jholder]

Really appreciate the time you guys have put into responding. I have been back and fourth as whether to keep them a while and get some use out of them (since they are less than a year). If I was only going to stay within an hour or two of home, it would be one thing....but I have some anxiety taking these to Florida. I may have them switched out this week. In the whole scheme of things (and cost of the trailer) the cost of correct tires and peace of mind is very minor.

It's sounding like the majority says to dump them.

[SteveSueMac]

Originally Posted by jholder

Really appreciate the time you guys have put into responding. I have been back and fourth as whether to keep them a while and get some use out of them (since they are less than a year). If I was only going to stay within an hour or two of home, it would be one thing....but I have some anxiety taking these to Florida. I may have them switched out this week. In the whole scheme of things (and cost of the trailer) the cost of correct tires and peace of mind is very minor.

It's sounding like the majority says to dump them.

Well, you can't buy peace of mind 😃

Have you had the trailer weighed loaded for camping? Can you tell from the date stamp how new the tires are (not just the 9 months from previous owner but actual manufacture date)?

I think if you come in under 6500# and those tires are less than 3 years old you're probably good to go with what you have so long as you have them at 50 psi cold.

At the end of the day - comments from the peanut gallery shouldn't matter much - make the decision you feel most comfortable with. Hopefully you got helpful information for your decision. Good luck and happy camping!

[jholder]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

Well, you can't buy peace of mind 😃

Have you had the trailer weighed loaded for camping? Can you tell from the date stamp how new the tires are (not just the 9 months from previous owner but actual manufacture date)?

I think if you come in under 6500# and those tires are less than 3 years old you're probably good to go with what you have so long as you have them at 50 psi cold.

At the end of the day - comments from the peanut gallery shouldn't matter much - make the decision you feel most comfortable with. Hopefully you got helpful information for your decision. Good luck and happy camping!

Thanks so much. Yes--date code is 11/2014...thus my hesitancy to throw them away.

[nrgtrakr]

But you never told us the weight rating of your current yet questionable tires ...
Our 75 Overlander has no sticker relating to anything to do with tires. The owners manual has a bunch of outdated info - for example inflate 6 ply tires to 35psi and steel radials to 50psi - but it does give a good starting point for size. So I did a little tire studying and replaced the antique museum piece tires with the appropriate rating for the weight, size for the hole and inflate them according to the sidewall info to keep them from getting too hot and self destructing.

[ROBERT CROSS]

The VIN plate will tell you what AS installed when built....



Bob

[WestieHouse]

I found this article helpful:
http://rvingwithmarkpolk.com/2012/11/08/trailer-towing-st-tires-vs-lt-tires/

I recently completed a 14,700 mile trip from Seattle to Newfoundland, where the roads are quite poor, with original GYM ST tires on my 2015 23FB. I carefully maintained speed (<65 mph) and cold tire pressures (50 psi) within proper limits. The only problems I experienced were: (1) a simple flat. This was due to a screw in the trailer tire that I discovered on my routine tire inspection performed every day of departure. I had a reputable shop correctly repair the tire and have driven over 10,000 miles since without further problem. (2) a bent TV alloy wheel due to an unseen pothole in a thunderstorm on NL. Though the tire did not deflate, I discovered the damage during my morning routine the next day. I replaced the wheel and tire just to be sure.
Fun begins with safety!
D2

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by Msmoto

According to my research at Goodyear, the Marathon has a rating of 2150 pounds at 50 psi. You may want to contact Goodyear to confirm this and ask about the maximum pressure.

FYI, as I am also concerned about tires i have replaced the OEM wheels and tires with Firestone Transforce LT225/75R16 115/112R E. These I run now at 53 psi. They are rated up to 80 psi, but at the load I carry the correct pressure is about 50 psi. Maximum rating is 2680 pounds per tire or 10,720 for the four. My trailer is 7200 across the scales, so i have nearly a 50% safety margin.

On the Road 05.18.15 by Tommie Lauer, on Flickr

I find these run almost cool...never so hot that I cannot put my hand on them.

I purchased the wheels at 16" 6 Lug LH1 Black Hi Spec Aluminum Trailer Wheel
and the tires locally.

I have these same tires, but have a different wheel. 16" Sendel T03 wheels + Firestone TransForce HT LT225/75R16 tires + Centramatic balancers +Dill TPMS = comfortable towing/peace of mind-
60 psi in the tires- Still go 65 mph max, although the new tires and wheels are capable of more speed-

[Msmoto]

Just FYI, the wheels and tires were about $1100 total, sold my OEM wheels and tires for $500....so the upgrade was about $600.....

[dames7]

This post can cause many to loose it.

First, you need to do some comparing of what you have and what is the best fit for your AS. The cheap Goodyear's tires are all made in China,( on the side of the tire), some may be good but I see a lot coming apart. Last place anyone wants to be is on the side of the road thinking what do I do next.

Second, you need to put in Nitrogen, WHY ?

Air is composed of:
A. 1% Water Vapor and other gases and escapes up to 250 times faster than Nitrogen.
B. 21% Oxygen and escapes 3-4 times faster than Nitrogen.
C. 78% Nitrogen and is the largest molecule in air, is dry and non-flammable. Because of their large size, the nitrogen molecules are the least able to seep through the pores of the tire, therefore maintaining optimal inflation longer. By reducing the percentage of oxygen, water vapor and other gases in your tires from 21% to 7% or lower as compared to "plain old air", your tires will hold proper inflation pressure 3-4 times longer.

2. Increased Fuel Efficiency:
By using Nitrogen in your tires, and maintaining proper inflation pressure, the rolling resistance is reduced, resulting in better fuel economy. In fact, properly inflated tires can improve your gas mileage by about 3.3%. I'll take that any day.

3. Longer Tire Life:
By maintaining more consistent inflation pressure, and reducing rolling resistance, the tire doesn't wear as fast from the heat caused by under-inflation.

4. Increased Safety:
Under-inflated tires are the cause of 90% of blowouts. Nitrogen provides more reliable inflation pressure and reduces blowout potential.

If you run with Tires under-inflated, it will destroy the tire sooner than later, its not what AS puts on the side of your AS, go by what the tire is design for.

I change mine out with the LTX M/S 2 by MICHELIN TIRES: Michelin Tires' LTX� M/S2.

It's very hard to understand why AS would put a cheap tire on such a nice AS.

[m.hony]

I'm in it for a little more money- bought more stuff-
Sold my original wheels only for $200 on Airstream Classifieds-

Original wheels- gone-

New wheels, tires, Centramatic balancers, and TPMS installed-



Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums

[The Cralls]

I spoke to the local Goodyear dealer and did some online research at Goodyear. The load range on the tire is the difference in the max pressure and load. The max speed according to Goodyear is 65MPH. Go to this web site for RV tires Goodyear RV Tires – Performance, Durability and Comfort for the information. I have about 20K on mine now with no issues.

[Jacob D]

There have been several threads on Air Forums regarding tires. You can go to any reputable tire dealer and get universal information as to tire pressures, load ranges etc. The pressure charts are the same for all tires. I personally plan never to run anything but a load range D (or higher) ST tire on my 26 foot Overlander. I have run GYM's now for about 15 years with no problems. The GYM 225 75R15 load range D's we have on now state on the sidewalls 65 psi max. I keep them at 40 to 42 psi , keep them covered in storage (to prevent sun damage), spray them with ArmorAll Tire Foam monthly for the same reason and park them on pavement at home. Some folks in these forums will advise using LT's but that can be risky on tandem axles because of high sidewall stresses in sharp turns esp when backing. ST's are designed to take the extra side wall stresses on trailers. Do some more homework on the Forums and at several tire dealers and you will quickly learn all you need to know about safe tires for your rig.