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Old 07-11-2014, 05:19 AM   #101
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Is there a specific reason that you want to use 225/75 instead of 235/75R15 inch tires other than the ST tires don't come in a 235 size ?
There is a multitude of 235/75R15s available from virtually all manufactures, and even the P rated tires have a load rating over 2000 pounds .
I have used these tires for many years without ever having one fail for any reason , other than a picking up a nail. The trailer tows perfectly at highway speeds , 75 MPH in the Texas heat , and no problems at all with tight u-turns on pavement or anything else. They have no 65 MPH speed limitations and with the lower pressure they run , they deflect and absorb a lot more road imperfections that otherwise would be transferred to the trailer .
Last summer we drove from central Texas up through Canada , all over Alaska and back home down the Cassiar route with absolutely no problems whatsoever out of the 235/75R15 Cooper Trendsetter tires on the trailer .
Ran the same size tires on the 66 Airstream with the stock steel wheels with baby moons all over the Southwest United States for years with the same results.
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Old 07-11-2014, 05:20 AM   #102
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So I read the first page, part of the 4th page and 7th page, quick question:

If I really want to keep my cool early 15" rims with baby moon caps what are my tire options?

Is there a 225/75r15 tire in an LT configuration in a decent load range of 2000 lb per tire or higher?

I REALLY do not want to have to change rims to go to 16" size.
The only option that I was ever able to find is the Yokohama 7R15. Not really a 225/75, but a radial replacement for the old 700X15 bias ply tire.

I searched almost everywhere for a 225/75X15 LT tire, and could not find one of any kind, let alone one that would have the needed weight capacity. That is when I decided to take the plunge to the 16" wheels and LT tires.
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Old 07-11-2014, 05:22 AM   #103
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We had the right rear go flat on our Safari near Pie Town , New Mexico about a month back . A nice young lady that had been following passed and signaled that there was a problem back there , we pulled over and she told us the tire had been down for several miles "towed perfectly with no apparent problems " the weight of the trailer had been carried by the right Front tire and wheel allowing the assembly to the rear of it to roll along without the wheel ever making contact with the road surface . This was a new first time on the road p rated 15 inch tire and did not come apart or do any damage whatsoever to the trailer, although it was run deflated long enough to inflict fatal damage to the outside sidewall of the tire , while the inside was perfectly fine . The tire that had been carrying the entire weight of the right side of the trailer was no warmer than the tires on the left side of the trailer .
Hats off to the young lady who stopped to tell us of the flat , she offered to help us put the spare on !
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Old 07-22-2014, 05:56 PM   #104
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Just talked with my friend Barry, who is on his way back here from Florida, and he had his second failure of a BF Goodrich Commercial TA tire today. Fortunately, he heard it making a thumping noise and changed it before it blew out, so very minimal damage to the trailer.

We bought those tires on the same day a little over 2 1/2 years ago, and I'm sure he has less miles on his than I had on mine. That makes three failures of the original eight tires we bought.

It's a sad thing when a $200 tire won't last three years. I find it disgusting.
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Old 07-22-2014, 06:23 PM   #105
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It's a sad thing when a $200 tire won't last three years. I find it disgusting.
I wholeheartedly agree with that!
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Old 07-22-2014, 06:34 PM   #106
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I was hoping to wait until after the summer travel season passed to start a new tire failure poll for 16-inch LT tires. That way, tire failures would have slowed down with cooler weather.

However, it sounds like there have been 3 tire failures on BFG Commercial TAs, to date.

Have there been any reports of this tire failing, in other threads?

Has anyone heard of failures with other 16-inch LT tire brands/models (e.g., Michelins)?
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Old 07-22-2014, 07:18 PM   #107
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Since "Phoenix" asked for this info.....all three of the 225/75E BFG's failed because of tread separation, all three were in service about 2 1/2 years, were always inflated to 75 PSI, and were driven at mostly 65 MPH, or less with occasional higher speeds up to 75 for short periods of time. Mine had about 30K miles on it, and my friend's had I'm guessing about 25K miles.
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Old 07-22-2014, 07:29 PM   #108
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Just read this and remembered the exposed wire in the tire of mine that failed had a brass color:

"When examining a separated tire one should look closely at the separation interface to determine whether there is any rusty wire, bare wire or brassy wire exposed. Corroded wire is usually evidence of moisture contamination during manufacturing. Bare wire is an indication of a manufacturing adhesion defect. Brassy wire is a strong indication of no adhesion. High resolution photographs should be taken of any exposed surfaces as quickly after the accident as possible to document any exposed wire conditions and the condition of the surface where the tire has delaminated."

Tire Tread Separations, Defects and Blowouts
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Old 07-22-2014, 07:48 PM   #109
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We had the right rear go flat on our Safari near Pie Town , New Mexico about a month back . A nice young lady that had been following passed and signaled that there was a problem back there , we pulled over and she told us the tire had been down for several miles "towed perfectly with no apparent problems " the weight of the trailer had been carried by the right Front tire and wheel allowing the assembly to the rear of it to roll along without the wheel ever making contact with the road surface . This was a new first time on the road p rated 15 inch tire and did not come apart or do any damage whatsoever to the trailer, although it was run deflated long enough to inflict fatal damage to the outside sidewall of the tire , while the inside was perfectly fine . The tire that had been carrying the entire weight of the right side of the trailer was no warmer than the tires on the left side of the trailer .
Hats off to the young lady who stopped to tell us of the flat , she offered to help us put the spare on !

Was this your Cooper tire?


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Old 07-23-2014, 04:17 AM   #110
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Yes KY , this was a new unused Cooper trendsetter I had bought to carry along in case we needed a replacement on our trip to Alaska last summer . Remembering all the flats and damaged tires we had encountered on that journey back in 1970 I wanted a bit more than one spare for back up . We have a small air compressor in the trailer , and I put tire tools and a bead breaker in the truck to be able to dismount , repair or replace tires out in the boonies . As it turned out , no flats or damage the entire trip .
Bought a spare aluminum wheel to match the ones on the AS last winter and used the spare cooper on it. Rotated it onto the trailer before heading for Arizona this spring . Poor little feller must have picked up a nail or something , :-(
and yes , all the tires on the trailer were cooper P235/75 R 15 s trendsetter .
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Old 07-23-2014, 05:05 AM   #111
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This thread gets more interesting all the time. Thanks for the info. I am still running my ten ply rated Duro ST tires, keeping my fingers crossed. Installer told me three years for trailer tires no matter what rating. Would not install p rated tires on trailer. Lt okay, but still recommended a shorter replacement time. I only have about five thousand miles on them now. Keep the info coming on the LT tires please. They are our best alternative. Jim
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Old 07-23-2014, 05:06 AM   #112
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Just read this and remembered the exposed wire in the tire of mine that failed had a brass color:.....
Steve,

Sorry, but the quote and link you provided have it wrong.

First, that is from a lawyer's website. I don't know of many lawyer's websites that get the science right on tire failures. I suspect that's because they deal in convincing people, not in dispensing truth.

Second, corrosion isn't the mechanism of failure. It's stress and the changing properties of the rubber matrix. The actual failure starts in the rubber just off the surface of the steel wire under the top belt near the edge of the belt. Computer studies have shown this to be the highest stressed area in the tire.

Besides, once the steel wire is exposed, it corrodes very quickly, regardless of whether or not it is the cause of the failure. Someone taking the websites description as gospel would draw the wrong conclusion about the mechanism of failure.

There are a number of ways to improve the situation:

From a tire manufacturer's point of view: Increasing the amount of rubber between the belts in this area, changing to a rubber that has improved properties, including resistance to oxidation, and adding cap plies which both reduce the amount of stress as well as provide a secondary "band-aid" to hold the tire together longer after the failure starts.

From an operator's point of view: Increased load carrying capacity by either using a larger tire or using more inflation pressure (which may mean changing to a higher Load Range).

The primary driver is heat. Increased temperature causes the rubber to age faster (according to the Arrhenius Rule). But there isn't much you can do about the ambient temperature, so tires operating in Phoenix are going to age faster than tires in Minneapolis.
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Old 07-23-2014, 07:23 AM   #113
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Steve,

Sorry, but the quote and link you provided have it wrong.

First, that is from a lawyer's website. I don't know of many lawyer's websites that get the science right on tire failures. I suspect that's because they deal in convincing people, not in dispensing truth.

Second, corrosion isn't the mechanism of failure. It's stress and the changing properties of the rubber matrix. The actual failure starts in the rubber just off the surface of the steel wire under the top belt near the edge of the belt. Computer studies have shown this to be the highest stressed area in the tire.

Besides, once the steel wire is exposed, it corrodes very quickly, regardless of whether or not it is the cause of the failure. Someone taking the websites description as gospel would draw the wrong conclusion about the mechanism of failure.

There are a number of ways to improve the situation:

From a tire manufacturer's point of view: Increasing the amount of rubber between the belts in this area, changing to a rubber that has improved properties, including resistance to oxidation, and adding cap plies which both reduce the amount of stress as well as provide a secondary "band-aid" to hold the tire together longer after the failure starts.

From an operator's point of view: Increased load carrying capacity by either using a larger tire or using more inflation pressure (which may mean changing to a higher Load Range).

The primary driver is heat. Increased temperature causes the rubber to age faster (according to the Arrhenius Rule). But there isn't much you can do about the ambient temperature, so tires operating in Phoenix are going to age faster than tires in Minneapolis.
Don't know if you read all the particulars about these tires, but they are E rated, have always been run with 75 PSI (with a TPMS so I know), have been driven mostly at 60 to 65 MPH with occasional speeds up to 70 for short periods of time, and have been in use for less than three years. These tires are rated to carry 2680 lbs at 80 PSI, and have been loaded with approximately 1500 lbs., and there are no higher load range tires available.

I bought these tires and wheels for the main purpose of avoiding an instance like this, and if it were just the one, I could understand a fluke event, but now it has been three of the eight that my friend and I bought on the same day.

Now, having given you all this info in one place, are you telling me to avoid tire failures like this in the future that I should replace trailer tires more often than every 2 1/2 years?

I say this is ridiculous, and all I can deduct from this is that BF Goodrich tires a garbage, and I'm glad I no longer own them. Wonder how the Michelin's will fare at 3 years and 30,000 miles? No one seems to have that much age and use with them on here.
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Old 07-23-2014, 09:00 AM   #114
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well , for what it's worth , hear is my 2 cents worth of Michelin L T tire experience . This is about a tire that was built in the seventh week of 2003 . It is a Michelin LTXAS 245/70 R 17 load range E that came new on my 2003 Dodge 2500 . I bought the Dodge with 47,000 miles on it in May of 2012 . It had the original tires from the factory on it with this one under the truck as a spare and had never been on the ground . Being the cheap Charlie that I am and not being able to **** can a never used Michelin , I bought a new set of the same tires and left this one as a spare till the end of July and put it on the left rear of the truck just to get some use out of it . A few weeks later in September we found our present Airstream up in northern Illinois and jumped in the truck and drove up there and brought the trailer home .
We decided to drive to Alaska and back in 2013 so I bought an extra steel wheel from a junkyard to fit the Dodge , " just like all the other wheels on it " and bought another Michelin LT and mounted on it . Put the 10 year old Michelin in the back of the truck for an extra spare and took off to Alaska .
While camped outside of Chicken , Alaska on the way up , I got to feeling sorry for the "OLD" fellow . jacked up the LR of the Dodge and put it on to get some more use out of it in the cool of the Alaskan and Canadian weather . Long story short , Lazy me never got around to taking it off and it stayed there for the rest of the trip plus another 5500 mile journey this May and June out thru Arizona , up thru Utah , Wyoming , South Dakota , Etc, and back to central Texas . Got way more use out of that old Michelin than I ever figured I would , and just retired it "no pun intended" to the barn , yesterday .
Am I crazy for running that ten year old tire all over North America ? Probably so , and would never ever done it except for it being a Michelin .
OK that's enough 2 cents worth for today :-)
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Old 07-23-2014, 09:20 AM   #115
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I think it has already been proven here that tires on a truck are a totally different ball game than tires on a trailer, and I wish I knew why.
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Old 07-23-2014, 09:34 AM   #116
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Since "Phoenix" asked for this info.....all three of the 225/75E BFG's failed because of tread separation, all three were in service about 2 1/2 years, were always inflated to 75 PSI, and were driven at mostly 65 MPH, or less with occasional higher speeds up to 75 for short periods of time. Mine had about 30K miles on it, and my friend's had I'm guessing about 25K miles.
Steve,


I just love the shade of toe nail polish you use. Where can I get some just like it?

Ken
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Old 07-23-2014, 10:53 AM   #117
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Steve,


I just love the shade of toe nail polish you use. Where can I get some just like it?

Ken
Ken,

Always the wise guy....my WIFE says HER nail polish is "Big Hair, Big Nails", by OPI. Do you think you want to try some of it?

This morning thinking I was just about finished with repairing the damage from this tire blowout, I was under the trailer applying some calk, and I find that the fender liner is damaged. Damn, will it ever end...

It's the black plastic liner, and I'm trying to decide how to patch it because replacement is out of the question.
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Old 07-23-2014, 11:25 AM   #118
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maybe a generous helping of silicone over the crack , then pop riveting a strip of mudflap rubber over the damaged area ?
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Old 07-23-2014, 11:43 AM   #119
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I think it has already been proven here that tires on a truck are a totally different ball game than tires on a trailer, and I wish I knew why.
Don't recall ever seeing any information as to affect to the inside of a radial tire when it is parked with a load on it for extended periods of time , I know your never supposed to park with only part of the tire holding the load up " like with a board not wide enough for the entire tread to come in contact with even overnight . Could there be a correlation between leaving the tires loaded in the same position ,even parked on flat concrete , for weeks or months with the steel belts and other compounds deflected and future failures ? The pickups tend to be used and moved much more often than a trailer .
How many folks put their Airstreams up on blocks or jacks with the tires off the ground when parked for long periods ?
I always do this with our Safari whenever we back it into the shop after a trip , just to take the load off the axles mainly . any tire gurus out there with info on a stationary loaded tire ?
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Old 07-23-2014, 06:30 PM   #120
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I have repaired the wheel well.

A friend of mine said he had repaired them with fiberglass cloth and polyester resin, so that got me to thinking. Didn't like the ideal of polyester resin, because it sets up rigid, and the wheel well is sort of flexible. Thought about epoxy, but the only thing that epoxy will not stick to well long term is plastic.

So, since the wheel well is black plastic, I tried some ABS glue on it, and it worked great. I first sealed the crack with urethane caulk, then put two layers of plastic screen wire with ABS glue over the area, followed by one layer of 3/4 oz. fiberglass cloth with ABS glue. Very messy job, but it's finished, and I believe it will hold up well.

Hoping I'm finally finished with this repair job.
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