Tire replacement time.

[Boondocker]

Speaking for me, I want to be able to drive through the middle of Nevada in August and look at the terrain and not worry about blowouts.

[idroba]

I have only had them for one season, but the BFGoodrich Commercial TA 225-75R16 tire that I put on my Argosy seems to be a good one. I changed to 16 inch rims so I could use the commercial 225/75's and aired them down to 55# to match the load of my 4200# Argosy 20'. Time will tell, of course, but the Goodrich TA's have a very good reputation in the truck and motorhome forums.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Boondocker

Speaking for me, I want to be able to drive through the middle of Nevada in August and look at the terrain and not worry about blowouts.

Uh...yup!

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by idroba

I have only had them for one season, but the BFGoodrich Commercial TA 225-75R16 tire that I put on my Argosy seems to be a good one. I changed to 16 inch rims so I could use the commercial 225/75's and aired them down to 55# to match the load of my 4200# Argosy 20'. Time will tell, of course, but the Goodrich TA's have a very good reputation in the truck and motorhome forums.

I hear ya, but they just weren't enough for my 8500#s. Or at least too close. I think it's a good tire for your setup.

[handn]

Originally Posted by perryg114

My theory is that ALL trailer rated tires are junk and it does not matter if your bias is bias or radial. TIme will tell if I made the right decision buying 235/75-15 XL truck tires.

Perry

X2, After leaving parts of ST tires of various brands tires by the side of the road all over the sunbelt, I have replaced mine with P 235/75 15 XL (extra load) Michelins. At over 2000 lbs load, they have plenty of capacity for my 6300 gvw 25 Safari. At 50 lbs inflation, the ride is much smoother plus on my last trip, I went 70 plus tracking straight as an arrow. No more piddling along at 62, checking tire pressure at every rest stop and anticipating a tire change in hotter than hell conditions with traffic racing by.
They are rated at 100 mph at over 100 degrees.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Skatiero

So LT may be better.... I am trying to learn about this. I have heard that bias PKU tires get flat spots when they sit, is this true? What is the cheapest good choice I can make?

Skat,

I can speak for only one brand, Coker/Firestone WWW pictured above, when researching new bias replacements for the Ford I asked that very question, was told that improvements in manufacturing for most brands, (USA), have cured the problem. "Bertha" no longer thumps when her feet are cold.

IMHO...I wouldn't necessarily look for cheep, let your fingers do the walking, internet first, then person to person on the phone....worked for me.

Bob

[perryg114]

If you need even more capacity you can go to the 16" rims. It seems that the 2500lb trailer tires are probably less capable than a 2000lb passenger rated tire because of the rating games they play. Passenger rated tires have more reserve capacity than trailer tires. I think it comes down to we don't care if you have a flat on your trailer but we do if it is on a car with poeple in it all of which have lawyers.

Perry

[Skatiero]

Gosh, there are so many variables! Putting it simply: if you had an extremely limited budget and needed to put four tires on a 1989 Excella 29' IMMEDIATELY ans as cheaply as possible while staying safe, what would you do? I am in Georgia. --Katie ("Skatiero" is my childhood nickname, my maiden name was "Roller" so I was the Rollers' Kate... Rollerskate... Rollerskatie, Skatieroller.... )

[crispyboy]

Skatiero,
I have the same trailer you have (1989 Excella). I am on my second year towing with Carlisle radial tires LRD and work well for the traveling we do (trips have been typically 100 - 500 miles/day). No complaints. They don't loose air, don't seem to be any hotter than the tow vehicle tires on the highway and I often run 70 mph. The tires are kept at 60 psi.
These were at least $40 cheaper per tire than any Good Year Marathon and $20 cheaper than closest ST tire competitor.
I have no doubts that LT tires and those going to 16" tires have a better setup but that can be pricey.
I have probably jinxed myself and will have a blowout on the next trip.
Good Luck and don't over think this

[rideair]

One of the main diff's between "trailer" and "LT" is the "speed rating". Most if not all "trailer" tires are rated at 65mph compared to the "LT" that could have a speed rating of 90mph or more.

If one looks at many of the old trailer tires that were put on on the rigs back in the 60's, 70's you will find it's the same exact tire you can still find today. The only difference is the name on the side, Power King, Road King, USA Trail, etc.... the tread and side wall pattern is still the same using what appears to be the same mold.

[casa3805]

Originally Posted by crispyboy

Skatiero,
I have the same trailer you have (1989 Excella). I am on my second year towing with Carlisle radial tires LRD and work well for the traveling we do (trips have been typically 100 - 500 miles/day). No complaints. They don't loose air, don't seem to be any hotter than the tow vehicle tires on the highway and I often run 70 mph. The tires are kept at 60 psi.

We have a 27 ft 1984 Sovereign. Put Carlisle ST225/75R15E's on it. Max pressure on the side says 80psi. And the Carlisle site and Discount tire will both will you to run it at the max. Now I can tell you that at 80 psi I could bounce that trailer to pieces. So we moved down to 72 psi and all seems well. Only about 2500 miles and 5 months or so on the tires.

But I simply don't know if I am running a risk by going lower than the recommended pressures. So...what to do, what to do...

[Frank's Trailer Works]

Originally Posted by rideair

if one looks at many of the old trailer tires that were put on on the rigs back in the 60's, 70's you will find it's the same exact tire you can still find today. The only difference is the name on the side, power king, road king, usa trail, etc.... The tread and side wall pattern is still the same using what appears to be the same mold.

[rluhr]

18,000 miles so far. Still have 12/32nd" depth. Love 'em.

[casa3805]

Originally Posted by rluhr

18,000 miles so far. Still have 12/32nd" depth. Love 'em.

Rluhr, Are these on the Carvel or the Safari?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by casa3805

We have a 27 ft 1984 Sovereign. Put Carlisle ST225/75R15E's on it. Max pressure on the side says 80psi. And the Carlisle site and Discount tire will both will you to run it at the max. Now I can tell you that at 80 psi I could bounce that trailer to pieces. So we moved down to 72 psi and all seems well. Only about 2500 miles and 5 months or so on the tires.

But I simply don't know if I am running a risk by going lower than the recommended pressures. So...what to do, what to do...

Chuck,

IMO...72psi in an E rated tire is fine for your rig.(nowhere near max load). Our TV's LTX Michelin's are also E and 80 max pressure, I run them at 72F, 74R, 45k without any problems.

Bob

[Lance M]

Originally Posted by casa3805

Rluhr, Are these on the Carvel or the Safari?

These are on his Safari. You can read about all of Rich's tire issues on his blog here. His experience with these tires is a big part of why I chose them.

[rluhr]

Glad my experience was helpful to you, Lance!

I think a better link would be this one: Man In The Maze » Blog Archive » Running gear maintenance day <--- directly to my most recent blog entry on the subject.

For the full, gory, tale of our years of tire challenges and why we ended up with Michelins, check both of the blogs linked below in my signature and do a search on the term "tires."

Short version: we tried every brand of "ST" tire we could find and they all failed prematurely, until we switched to Michelin light truck tires.

YMMV. Our lightweight 1968 Caravel can run just about any tire without a problem. There's a big difference between a 17-foot, 2500 lb trailer and a 30-foot, tandem-axle 7500 lb trailer. So I don't recommend that people go to the trouble of switching unless they are having issues such as premature wear, belt separation, or short tire life.

[rbhinzman]

I'm also in need of tires & have some other questions. Have '86 Excella 32'. Returned from trip last weekend & knew before going south in Jan/Feb would need tires. Whoa!! While checking I found the rf tire had some terrible wear, primarily on inside including cupping down to metal belt. I'm thinking either really bad balance or a brake hanging up. No evidence of problem on the rb tire nor on left. Also considering aluminum wheels at same time( I've always had problem with wheel cover on one wheel spinning & pulling on the stem.) Thought I might just get away from wheel cover. Should I replace shocks at same time? Have additional questions if anyone has chance to advise me. Thanks.

RB

[arodriguez60]

I have had great luck with bias tires. I also fear the damage a steel belt will do to a fenderwell.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by rbhinzman

I'm also in need of tires & have some other questions. Have '86 Excella 32'. Returned from trip last weekend & knew before going south in Jan/Feb would need tires. Whoa!! While checking I found the rf tire had some terrible wear, primarily on inside including cupping down to metal belt. I'm thinking either really bad balance or a brake hanging up. No evidence of problem on the rb tire nor on left. Also considering aluminum wheels at same time( I've always had problem with wheel cover on one wheel spinning & pulling on the stem.) Thought I might just get away from wheel cover. Should I replace shocks at same time? Have additional questions if anyone has chance to advise me. Thanks.

RB

RB,

If the cupping is primarily in one area of the tire,(heavy spot), it's most likely a balance problem. Worn shocks will exacerbate the problem...tire bounce.
Centramatic balancers and new shocks may be in order....along with some new shoes.

Bob