Maxxis ST Tires Test in Trailer Life Sept 2016

[slowmover]

ST tires are probably fine for a construction materials or lawn service trailer. But that's about it.

[Tom_T]

Originally Posted by gandttimes

I guess you didn't recognize sarcasm. There wasn't an emoticon that had a sarcastic look on it.

George

Sorry George, I did not, but then you know my frustration with useless posts like that!

Cheers!
Tom
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[Tom_T]

Out of curiosity, are there any state(s) where it is legal to tow a TV-TT rig over 65 mph? .... if so, which one(s) & at what max. speed(s)??

In California we're limited to 55 mph in almost all cases, with some only posting Trucks & Cars with Trailers at 55 - leaving an open & usually unsuccessful (in court) hope that a pick-up or truck based SUV is not considered a car in such cases - ergo, the state is in the process of changing the signs to "All Vehicles When Towing."

That said - anyone who has driven in CA knows that neither trucks, TVs nor any other vehicle is at the speed limits on freeways in many cases!

TIA
Tom
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[Tom_T]

Originally Posted by SpletKay06

Just a little tid bit, in order for a tire to have an ST rating it must be rated to at least 65 mph. That doesn't mean that all ST tires have a speed rating of 65 mph. My ST225/75R15 Carlisle radial trail hd's have an m speed rating which is 81 mph. That combined with Discount tires warranty I'm not considered with a tire failure.

IIRC those Carlisles are what Pete Brock (BRE Racing & Shelby Daytona Coupe designer, etc.) specs on his Aero Vault streamlined car hauler trailers for the 81 mph M speed rating.

The Trailer Life Maxxis article says their tires are designed for more than 65 mph ST rating, so if the org. changes their mind on them, perhaps they will modify their rating up from 65 to XX mph + safety factor?

Cheers!
Tom
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[Tom_T]

Originally Posted by guskmg

My experience was 21 tires in 9 years. One blowout with wheel well and skin damage and numerous tread separations. These were GYM, Carlisle, and Maxxis in that order.Two years on Michelin 16' LTX.
guskmg

There are a lot of factors which come into play on tire failures, including: heat & road temps., age, prior/existing ozone &/or road hazard/use caused cracking & damage, loading of not only the trailer - but also each wheel, road condition & hazards, etc., etc.

If you travel on the highways a lot - towing or in a solo vehicle - then you will eventually have some flats, tread seps., blow-outs, etc. - with ANY tire.

However, I do agree that there are more issues with Chinese made tires where quality control appears to be lacking or non-existent or ignored - & this is in all of ST, LT & passenger car/suv/cuv tires.

Cheers!
Tom
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[Tom_T]

Originally Posted by guskmg

My experience was 21 tires in 9 years. One blowout with wheel well and skin damage and numerous tread separations. These were GYM, Carlisle, and Maxxis in that order.Two years on Michelin 16' LTX.
guskmg

..... and I can assure you that neither Michelins nor LT tires are immune from blow-outs & tread separations from personal experience!

I had a tread separation caused blow-out on a rear tire on our 1988 VW Vanagon CamperGL Westfalia (about 4800 lbs as loaded) in a set of LESS than 2 year old (by date code & installation) Michelin LT195/75R14-C-101LR tires designed specifically for the tall & narrow high center of gravity VW Vanagon Vans (1980-92+to-2003-S.Africa).

In fact it turned out that ALL 4 new tires had tread bubbles & imminent separations on them, so the tire dealer replaced all 4 at cost, since they had < 1/32 tread wear.

Road conditions were perfect on I-15 near Elsinor CA, it was an October early morning with temps around 65-70, & having driven about 40-45 miles from Orange CA that morning - with us only putting about 3-6000 miles per year on the van at that time.

So there you go - the vaunted Michelin LT tires - can & do fail & blow out & tread separate - even when specifically designed for a particular vehicle & it's unique needs (sidewall flexing, as with our trailers)!

I'm just sayin'!!!!
Tom
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[xrvr]

We're those michs part of the recall?

[Tom_T]

Originally Posted by avionstream

We're those michs part of the recall?

No, not part of any recall - it was in the early 2000's and were direct from an Orange County CA Michelin tire dealer.

They were just a set of 4 defective LT tires, which may have been part of a larger bad batch, but not part of any recall as far as I know.

They got replacements from a different manufacturing batch, for which we had to wait a week for them to be shipped here.

Your asking about a major Michelin recall also only reinforces what my point was, that any tire maker - including vaunted Michelin, & any tire - including LTs, can & do fail.

With everything else that factors into tire failures, & the fact that ST tires are designed specifically for the needs of a trailer - & not a light truck which needs traction (resistance) in turning - the opposite of what a trailer tire needs to do - which is to pivot while turning, for which higher traction is counterproductive.

So I just disagree with those on here who will narrow-mindedly reject any & all ST tires out of hand, without even looking into the better options out there. As noted by others above, & as I've heard from others who tow trailers (not work trailers BTW) - they've had good experiences with Maxxis, Carlisle & some GYMs in the ST flavor.

Cheers!
Tom
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[wbrisett]

About 20 years ago, Maxxis had a plant here in the US. They make some of the best off-road tires for bikes I could find. They started making some bike road tires, but after a while stopped making those.

Maxxis is one of those tire companies that make a very good product generally, but still aren't as widely known as others. I was happy to see the story in Trailer Life last week. When it comes time to change out the tires, I'm going switch.

-Wayne

[r carl]

Originally Posted by Tom_T

No, not part of any recall - it was in the early 2000's and were direct from an Orange County CA Michelin tire dealer.

They were just a set of 4 defective LT tires, which may have been part of a larger bad batch, but not part of any recall as far as I know.

They got replacements from a different manufacturing batch, for which we had to wait a week for them to be shipped here.

Your asking about a major Michelin recall also only reinforces what my point was, that any tire maker - including vaunted Michelin, & any tire - including LTs, can & do fail.

With everything else that factors into tire failures, & the fact that ST tires are designed specifically for the needs of a trailer - & not a light truck which needs traction (resistance) in turning - the opposite of what a trailer tire needs to do - which is to pivot while turning, for which higher traction is counterproductive.

So I just disagree with those on here who will narrow-mindedly reject any & all ST tires out of hand, without even looking into the better options out there. As noted by others above, & as I've heard from others who tow trailers (not work trailers BTW) - they've had good experiences with Maxxis, Carlisle & some GYMs in the ST flavor.

Cheers!
Tom
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So how did the replacement tires perform? If ST tires used Kevlar instead of polyester in a redesign I would consider them.

[Silverflames]

After a lot of research I bought a set of the Maxxis ST load range D about 6 months ago. They been on the road x3 so far, 1000+ miles, only issue I had so far was a poor install of the tires. After changing out the valve stems, all is good.

I'll repost later down the road with how they are holding up.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by dannydimitt

If it's a S T radial tire , it is garbage , plain and simple .

Chinese made junk, don't care what the tests say, I will keep my michelins, thank you...You always get what you pay for.......

[xrvr]

My maxxis tires were not Chinese.

[Rocinante]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

You always get what you pay for.......

Disagreement here. You always pay for what you get. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

[gandttimes]

Originally Posted by Rocinante

Disagreement here. You always pay for what you get. Sometimes you get what you pay for.

Ha ha, love it.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by avionstream

My maxxis tires were not Chinese.

Taiwan ? what is the difference?

[Bob662]

I thought Maxxis were made in Thailand. Not true?

[xrvr]

Mine were made in Thailand. Taiwan the same as mainland China? No.

[Tom_T]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

Chinese made junk, don't care what the tests say, I will keep my michelins, thank you...You always get what you pay for.......

Mr. Donahoe, if you'd bothered to read the article, you would know that Maxxis are NOT Chinese made, nor are they cheap - they're comparable in price & quality in ST to Carlilse & better than GYM (which ARE Chinses made now), & in LT to Michelin, Continental, Pirelli, Bridgestone, Yokohama, etc. as used by my fellow Porsche Club members on their Cayennes, & others on other vehicles.

Note that folks used to say the same types of things about Bridgestone, Yokohama & the other Japanese made tires, but now they're considered among the best in the world for all types of vehicles.

However, I too agree & had stated above that there are serious quality problems with Chinese made tires & other automotive products.

Again, Maxxis are made in Indonesia & Maylaysia under tight supervision by the Taiwanese parent company - as are some Michelin tires made in Southeast Asia nowadays - but then, ignorance of the facts is bliss, I suppose.

Thanx so much for chiming in again with erroneous info.!

Cheers!
Tom
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[mojo]

China, Thailand, Taiwan are 3 different countries.
All known for tires....