ST vs LT tires

[Gene]

Our 2008 wheels had clear coat peeling in several places on each one. They looked pretty bad and that sped up what we had been thinking about—going to 16" and getting better tires. We like the pattern with holes in the wheels rather than spokes—and they are easier to clean.

Airstream has used the same pattern in some models at various times. I think at the time the more expensive trim lines had the wheels with holes, so it was an upgrade in two ways.

Gene

[Whirlaway]

Originally Posted by Silver Goose

Offset is the distance from the centerline of the wheel to the plate with the mounting holes. A zero offset means the plate is centered in the wheel. The sketch was snagged from Wikipedia.

Gene, Silver Goose, and other posters to this thread,
Thank you for all the questions and answers, this subject is so confusing.
There are so many different tires out there. Without reading this thread I believe I would of just replaced my ST because, I did not know what the correct tire was to purchase.

Lin.

[pattonsr]

I wouldn't call the 16" wheels and Michelins an Airstream build option. You take off the 15" wheels and have 16" wheels put on at your location or back at the factory service department. So you pay for 15" wheels you do not intend to use because there is no build option for 16".

[dznf0g]

I believe they are standard on the Eddie Bauer aren't they?

[Gene]

Originally Posted by pattonsr

I wouldn't call the 16" wheels and Michelins an Airstream build option. You take off the 15" wheels and have 16" wheels put on at your location or back at the factory service department. So you pay for 15" wheels you do not intend to use because there is no build option for 16".

I believe that is true and illustrates there are bad options and good options. Airstream likes to get as much money as possible out of any changes in what they normally do and are very resistant to special orders.

You can buy wheels and tires yourself and pay somewhat less than Airstream charges.

Gene

[Phil&Sher]

After reading everyone's great advice and comments, it seems that the main advantage of 16 inch wheels and tires boils down to the fact that you can get a stronger tire in a 16 - a load range E (10 ply LT) vs a D load range in the 15-inch tires.

The reduced wheel speed seems negligible. A 15" Marathon does 738 revs per mile, while the 16" Michelin does 709. That's less than a 4% difference, although 29,000 fewer revs per thousand miles might make for a bit less wear on both tires and bearings.

Perhaps r carl will keep us posted on his experience with the Yokohoma RY215. Although listed as an LT, Yokohama specs for the 15" size show it to be a D-range tire with a max load of 2040# at 65psi max. So unless your trailer weighs more than 8,000, it might be a better choice than the Marathon, while cheaper than buying new wheels.

[dznf0g]

One issue which made my decision to move to 16s easier was the fact that my original 15"AS oem wheels had filiform corrosion pretty bad. It was going to cost almost $100 per wheel to strip, polish out and recoat them. The new 16" tredit wheels were $114 each. Kind of made the wheel expense a moot point.

Oh, yeah, and I sold the old ones on Craig's list for $90 for all four.

[DFlores]

Maybe you guys can help me with my SOB trailer, I need new tires and after reading this thread was thinking of putting Michelin Agilis tires on it, because I want to stay with the 14" wheels Agilis | Michelin Tires

Will 4 of these tires give me the same life as you guys are discussing with 16" wheels? My dry weight is about 4500lbs

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Map_man

Maybe you guys can help me with my SOB trailer, I need new tires and after reading this thread was thinking of putting Michelin Agilis tires on it, because I want to stay with the 14" wheels Agilis | Michelin Tires

Will 4 of these tires give me the same life as you guys are discussing with 16" wheels? My dry weight is about 4500lbs

What is your GVWR (gross weight rating)?
Tandem axles?

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Phil&Sher

After reading everyone's great advice and comments, it seems that the main advantage of 16 inch wheels and tires boils down to the fact that you can get a stronger tire in a 16 - a load range E (10 ply LT) vs a D load range in the 15-inch tires.

I believe you can get ST tires in the Airstream size in Load Range E, but that's not the reason many of us switched. Marathons do not wear well and have a tendency for tread separation and air loss. Maxxis tires seem to do better, but there are reports of similar problems. Michelins do not have these issues and it may be that other LT brands do not either. Since tread separation can do expensive damage to the trailer, reducing the possibility of that alone may be a good reason to switch.

Gene

[DFlores]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

What is your GVWR (gross weight rating)?
Tandem axles?

5900 Lb GVWR with two axles.

[dznf0g]

At first blush, I think it is a good option. Appears to be maybe a softer compound as it only has a 45,000 mile tread life. But in all likelihood you would age out before wearing them out???

[Phil&Sher]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

.......The new 16" tredit wheels were $114 each. Kind of made the wheel expense a moot point.

Where did you buy the Tredits?

[Phil&Sher]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

I believe you can get ST tires in the Airstream size in Load Range E, but that's not the reason many of us switched. Marathons do not wear well and have a tendency for tread separation and air loss. Maxxis tires seem to do better, but there are reports of similar problems. Michelins do not have these issues and it may be that other LT brands do not either. Since tread separation can do expensive damage to the trailer, reducing the possibility of that alone may be a good reason to switch.

Gene

Yes, I noticed the Marathon ST235/80 R16, but with all the reports of separations I discounted it. I'll probably go to the Michelin on 16" Tredits.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Phil&Sher

Where did you buy the Tredits?

Direct from Tredit. Here http://www.tredittire.com/T02-P52.aspx

[Phil&Sher]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Direct from Tredit. Here T02

Thanks... I didn't realize that they sell direct.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Phil&Sher

Thanks... I didn't realize that they sell direct.

I called and ordered from the home office in Elkhart and they shipped from there as they are closest to me. I'd bet if you call Elkhart, they'll ship from the distribution center closest to you.

[Phil&Sher]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

I called and ordered from the home office in Elkhart and they shipped from there as they are closest to me. I'd bet if you call Elkhart, they'll ship from the distribution center closest to you.

They show an office in Plant City, FL I'll give them a call. I'm surprised the wheels are so inexpensive, but I guess they're Chinese like everything else....

[Phil&Sher]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

I believe they are standard on the Eddie Bauer aren't they?

Right you are! I looked it up in the 2012 EB Manual and they show LT225/75R16E for the tire size

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Phil&Sher

Right you are! I looked it up in the 2012 EB Manual and they show LT225/75R16E for the tire size

So doesn't that at least IMPLY that there has been some AS engineering buy off on LTs being at least OK for trailer use?