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Old 11-19-2014, 11:52 AM   #1
Lynn
 
2005 25' Safari
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Upgrading tires from GYM to Michelin

I have a 2005 Safari 25' with the standard 15" rims with GYM. I confirmed with the GY folks that all new Marathons are made in China. I would like to replace them with Michelin but don't want to buy new rims. Has anyone put on Michelin 235-75R15/XL 108T being aware the size difference?

Lynn
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Old 11-19-2014, 12:01 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by aliner View Post
I have a 2005 Safari 25' with the standard 15" rims with GYM. I confirmed with the GY folks that all new Marathons are made in China. I would like to replace them with Michelin but don't want to buy new rims. Has anyone put on Michelin 235-75R15/XL 108T being aware the size difference?

Lynn
Many of us are running that Michelin on our trailers. I currently have about 11k miles on mine over 2 years, in conditions ranging from sea level to the Continental Divide, from 100+ degree air temps down to 28F last weekend. They have performed flawlessly for me.
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Old 11-19-2014, 12:31 PM   #3
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Lynn: I'm sure the 15 inch Michelin LTXs will fit on your original 15 inch rims. There is a problem with this however, in that you will lose some load capacity if you switch from 15 inch GYM (2540 lbs) to 15 inch Michelin LTX (2150 lbs). If you upsize to 16 inch wheels and 16 inch Michelin LTX as many have done, you will retain more of your load capacity.
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Old 11-19-2014, 01:05 PM   #4
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Actually you need to down rate the maximum load on the XL tires by 10% per DOT regulations and I think that comes out to 1985lbs or so for the Michelin XL's. I run the Michelin XL's on my 1988 25' trailer. You need to check the axle rating of the trailer and make sure the tires will carry the rated axle weights. Thats a legal requirement many places. For our trailer the max gross wt is 6800, the max axle load is 3200 per axle and the trailer actually carries about 5600 on the axles when hitched and loaded so there is plenty of room to spare on the loads. Your trailer will be heavier but I expect it will work out that the Michelins are fine for you. I am very pleased with ours and am on our second set.
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Old 11-19-2014, 01:07 PM   #5
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I was perusing ebay last night and I found a Cooper Trendsetter SE P235/75/15 with the 111 (#2403) weight rating and a speed rating of Q.
Anybody aware of this tire? On paper the weight rating is better than the Michelin.
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Old 11-19-2014, 01:40 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by crispyboy View Post
I was perusing ebay last night and I found a Cooper Trendsetter SE P235/75/15 with the 111 (#2403) weight rating and a speed rating of Q.
Anybody aware of this tire? On paper the weight rating is better than the Michelin.
Full disclosure first: I bought my truck used from Carmax with a brand new set of Cooper Discoverer tires on it, and they weren't bad enough to throw away while they have plenty of tread but they're not great.

That said: I'm skeptical of a tire produced by a company that specializes in lower-priced tires that the company bills as a budget product. From the Cooper website: "The Trendsetter SE is Cooper's entry level all-season tire line targeted to the value-oriented consumer." Consumer reports generally rates their other tires mid-pack (I didn't find the Trendsetter in test results).

On Cooper's site they list the P235/75R15 Trendsetter as "105S" with a max load (before derating for trailer use) of 2028 lb. Maybe the ones for sale on eBay are old?
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Old 11-19-2014, 02:31 PM   #7
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Michelin tires

Bill M do you have any clearance issues with your Airstream. I have been looking for tires for my 1972 31" Sovereign and saw this post and your response. I have read every post on tires and yours gives me hope. I put new axles on from Andy this spring and wanted to stay with the original baby moon hubcaps. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 11-19-2014, 03:06 PM   #8
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I did not have any clearance problems on my rig. The tires are wider than the original and are pretty close to the corners of the wheel well. I am not familiar with a 31', 1972 model. But I think the 235's will probably fit. You can maybe find dimensions for them on line or I could send you a particular measurement if you need it. It was easy for me because the trailer had P235 tire on it when I got it so I knew they would fit. I just replaced the crappy tires that came on it with better ones of the same size. I have seen these tires on a newer 30 foot model. Just be sure that 1985lbs. per tire meets or exceeds the maximum axle rating. There are load range D tires made in that size now. I think Goodyear Wranglers come in that size. I have seen them on a 30 foot trailer. (owned by a Goodyear engineer who did not like Marathons) . Yokohama has some load range D LT tires that size. So there are some other choices out there. The Michelins listed are maximum inflation 50 psi. which is the same pressure as load range C. I think you can maybe get a little higher load rating with some of the LT tires mentioned. Does your trail have steel wheels or Al wheels? What pressure does the tire plate say? Some people say that the steel wheels on older trailers should be limited to 50 psi.
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Old 11-19-2014, 03:45 PM   #9
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Michelin tires

I have the steel wheels and the info I pulled up on the internet showed 2205 load range, I will check that out. If you have time to measure from the plastic wheel well out to the aluminum I would appreciate the help. Thanks a bunch for the info.
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Old 11-20-2014, 10:51 AM   #10
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Use to by the cheapest tire I could find for anything I had.. Then one day I woke up and went to Michelins. I have not had 1 tire problem or flat in 20 years. We live off the paved roads 10 miles.. Dirt with wire,, bolts,, nails and anything else you can picture that fell off a wagon or tractor for the past 120 years..

We have a 72 Overlander and I mounted up some 235/15 LT tires and it was a squeeze to slide into place but once bolted up turn fine.. They are rated at 2050 lbs. and only carry 35psi to avoid any needless rattles to happen to our A$... Sodbust
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Old 11-20-2014, 11:30 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aliner View Post
I have a 2005 Safari 25' with the standard 15" rims with GYM. I confirmed with the GY folks that all new Marathons are made in China. I would like to replace them with Michelin but don't want to buy new rims. Has anyone put on Michelin 235-75R15/XL 108T being aware the size difference?

Lynn
We have had ongoing concerns about all the bad press and posts on ST tire quality and their lack of regulation. So, after spending many hours researching tires, we opted to go with the Michelin LTX 235 75R-15. Our 1973 31' had the original axles so opted to have them replaced by Capital City Customs in Raleigh (axles from Colin Hyde) at the same time. Have been very pleased with performance of all the new running gear.
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Old 03-22-2015, 09:48 AM   #12
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I switched to the 235/15 Michelin LTX tires on my last Airstream. They worked great and seemed to have smoother ride than the trailer tires. Drove it around 6000 miles with no problems.
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Old 03-29-2015, 09:21 PM   #13
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There is another problem with going to the Michelin P type XL tires. You must de-rate the load that is on the tire sidewall by dividing by 1.1.
This is true for all P type tires when placed in truck, SUV or trailer service.
Tire Rack has info on this.
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Old 04-19-2015, 01:43 PM   #14
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A little help here guys,
Can't seem to quite locate the Michellin LTX tires, you guys recommend, to fit a 15" x 6" rim - 6 hole pattern. Tire chart indicates I need 205/70R15 or 75R15. My GT is only 2770lbs. I don't want to go with the GYMs. Online search gets me to passenger tires. I'd like to purchase online and then take them to a shop for mount & balance.
Thanks!
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Old 04-19-2015, 02:00 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by Sweneau View Post
A little help here guys,
Can't seem to quite locate the Michellin LTX tires, you guys recommend, to fit a 15" x 6" rim - 6 hole pattern. Tire chart indicates I need 205/70R15 or 75R15. My GT is only 2770lbs. I don't want to go with the GYMs. Online search gets me to passenger tires. I'd like to purchase online and then take them to a shop for mount & balance.
Thanks!

These are the ones I'm using on my 2012 27fb Flying Cloud
http://m.tirerack.com/tires/TireDeta...TR5LTXMS2OWLXL

Accommodates rims from 6-8" wide.

You have to de-rate them 10% when used on a trailer so you actually only get 1984# per tire at 50 PSI.

Does that help?
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Old 04-20-2015, 08:37 AM   #16
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S.S.M,
Thanks for this info. I'll chase this down. This link however shows P235/75r15. Tire chart indicates 205/70r15 max. Guess i'm just going to have to call someone for clarification.
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Old 04-20-2015, 05:29 PM   #17
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Sorry - I just remembered that the ones I put on my trailer could be used on 6" rims and totally missed the size you provided. I didn't search to see if those are made any thinner....


Maybe one of the tire engineers would like to chime in with their thoughts on the appropriateness of fit?

Good luck!
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Old 04-20-2015, 05:43 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TinTin View Post
Lynn: I'm sure the 15 inch Michelin LTXs will fit on your original 15 inch rims. There is a problem with this however, in that you will lose some load capacity if you switch from 15 inch GYM (2540 lbs) to 15 inch Michelin LTX (2150 lbs). If you upsize to 16 inch wheels and 16 inch Michelin LTX as many have done, you will retain more of your load capacity.
Now I'm confused; the Michelin website specs on the P235/75R 15 108T XL has a maximum load of 1985 @ 50 lbs. De-rating by 10% brings it to 1786, which is still sufficient for a dual axle 6000 Gross. But where does the 2150 come in?

Thanks for the help
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Old 04-20-2015, 05:59 PM   #19
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Upgrading tires from GYM to Michelin

Quote:
Originally Posted by Steamy1 View Post
Now I'm confused; the Michelin website specs on the P235/75R 15 108T XL has a maximum load of 1985 @ 50 lbs. De-rating by 10% brings it to 1786, which is still sufficient for a dual axle 6000 Gross. But where does the 2150 come in?

Thanks for the help

Hi - they start at 2150 as passenger tires - you de-rate them 10% from there to get to 1985# for use on a trailer.
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Old 04-21-2015, 05:46 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by Sweneau View Post
S.S.M,
Thanks for this info. I'll chase this down. This link however shows P235/75r15. Tire chart indicates 205/70r15 max. Guess i'm just going to have to call someone for clarification.
What chart indicates a 205/70R15 max?



Quote:
Originally Posted by Steamy1 View Post
Now I'm confused; the Michelin website specs on the P235/75R 15 108T XL has a maximum load of 1985 @ 50 lbs. De-rating by 10% brings it to 1786, which is still sufficient for a dual axle 6000 Gross. But where does the 2150 come in?

Thanks for the help
It appears the Michelin web page has an error (several, actually!). Yes, I know, but it does happen.

The actual load carrying capacity of a P235/75R15 XL is 2183# @ 41 psi - and when you divide by the 1.1 derating factor, you get 1985#.

The other possibility is that the tire is an LT235/75R15 Load Range C - in which case the load info on the website is correct (the size designation would be wrong!)
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