Yokohama RY215 vs. other LT tires

[Widget]

First let me say I've done a ton of reading on tire choices and have drawn my own ST vs. LT tire conclusions. For the purposes of this thread I'm not interested in discussing the merits of one vs. the other. There are plenty of threads for that.

What I am interested is what the collective brain trust here thinks is the right next LT tire for me and my specific needs given the details I'll outline below regarding usage and concerns.

Trailer: '72 safari 23ft, 15" and no interest in 16". GVWR:5800# Currently D rated GYM running 50psi.
Tow Speed: Speed Limit or up to 70mph where allowed.
Trip Length: Usually 350-500mi, but looking at extending the range of where we are camping. Due to jobs, life, vacation time, etc. If we do longer trips they will be cannonball run style. A mad push 10+hr days to get where we want to be and then chill, mad dash home to make the most of our week.
Specific Use Condition: Once a year I anticipating a beach excursion which will require towing through loose sand for beach front camping. I can't ignore this with my tire choice, I don't need to be dragging an anchor..... Tires will be aired down for the beach.

The Contenders: In order of my preference at the moment.
Yoko RY215: Sound like a great tire, my concerns are twofold. First, will they dig into the sand being so narrow? Concern #2 is replacement. Should I lose one these are not as readily available and the taller height would make it hard to get an off brand match. Any comments on MPG impact? Convention would say that the narrower tread/rib design would offer better rolling resistance. Last thought, may not ride as smooth as the LTX's. Will keep a nice vintage look.
LTX M/S2 XL : Seem to be the defacto preferred tire in the LT world. My only concern is the width of my wheelwells. The black liner is bowed inward and only has about a fingers clearance over the GYM's. This feels like the right tire, but then leads to a need to address the wheelwell bulge. Probably the right thing to do. Width should give a nice float in the sand. Should be relatively easy to pick up another should I ever need one.
Goodyear Wrangler HT: Looking at this in 215/75 R15 as a narrower alternative to the LTX which may aleviate the above concern. Tread looks like a nice runner.
Goodyear G26 It's been mentioned, but feels like it's getting a bit short in height for what I want. I don't see the advantage over the Wrangler HT above other than its wt. capacity, but the above tires all cover my needs when derated.

So what do you say? I really want to make the RY215's happen, but wonder if I'll regret that call. And I'm very curious on any MPG thoughts will the choice here make any notable difference? At the end of the day that's a bit of a mute point. You're not going to hypermile while towing and if I really wanted the MPG I could just tow at a slower speed for the biggest impact.

*Note that I've used LT a bit liberally. I do recognize that the 15" LTX is a P-Rated tire.

[J. Morgan]

Ok, I wanted the Yoko RY-215s that you mentioned above real bad, but I couldn't find them locally in the time frame I had available, so I ended up getting these instead...

It worked out that they fit the style of my trailer quite well, and so far at several thousand miles in I am very happy with them.

I think they would look at home on the beach...

http://tire-size-conversion.com/tire...Y742S-7R15.htm

[Widget]

Thanks for that link. That's a bit to meaty of a tread for my liking. I'd love to see it on a trailer though!

Also, any pics of the Ry215's would be great.

[slowmover]

I ran a few thousand miles on the 215s before selling that trailer. Happy to recommend them above any ST.

[switz]

The Michelin LTX (P) 235/75R15 XL tires are 28.9" in diameter where the stock Goodyear ST225/75R15D tires are 28.3" so the decrease in wheel well vertical clearance would be about 0.3". In the "images" link under my avatar are photos of the stock GYM ST225/75R15D beside both a 15" Michelin LTX (P) 235/75R15 XL and a 16" Michelin LT225/75R16/E LTX M/S2 tire.

I installed the 15" Michelins on both our 2013 25FB and now on the 2015 23D International Serenity with 15" SenDel wheels that match the ones on the Classic in appearance. The 23D originally came with 14" "ST" tires and wheels. The 16" Michelins are installed on our Classic. I run the 15" Michelins at 44 psi and the 16" at 75 psi.

The 23D curb side wheel opening was enlarged to the same length as the street side to accomadate the 15" wheels. The image shows the wheel wells after the 15" tires and wheels were installed on the 23D.

[AldeanFan]

I have the Michelin LTX MS2 in my '77 Safari. I have been very happy with them and have no clearance issues. I like that they are a commonly available tire and I've heard very few issues with them. I would definitely use them again.

I have Yokohama tires on my truck -geolandar ATS - and I've been very happy with them but I don't have experience with the Yokohama's you are considering. When it comes time to replace the tires on the truck it will be a difficult decision between more Yokohamas or Michelins.

[KYAirstream]

Originally Posted by slowmover

I ran a few thousand miles on the 215s before selling that trailer. Happy to recommend them above any ST.

Do you have experience with the RY215s compared to the Michelins? Preferences?

[HiJoeSilver]

Switz,
The 23D curb side wheel opening was enlarged to the same length as the street side to accomadate the 15" wheels. The image shows the wheel wells after the 15" tires and wheels were installed on the 23D.

What did this involve? The wheel wells are different sizes? The 14" tires and wheel well clearance is what keeps me from buying a new 23'.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by KYAirstream

Do you have experience with the RY215s compared to the Michelins? Preferences?

I'd rather have a trailer tire rated for commercial service. Much depends on load per wheel in this. My current TT has high loads. Thus,


Michelin XPS Rib

Bridgestone Duravis 250

Would be my first two choices.



Michelin LTX A/S

Bridgestone Duravis 500

Would be my second tier of choice.



Nothing against Michelin LTX M/S2 as I have them on my truck at present. I see that Andrew_T recommends them for TT use on A/S and that should be a good enough recommendation.

The RY-215 also falls into the commercial category where the M/S 2 does not for that lighter load range.

The trade off is more a matter of tread design. A "highway rib" closed shoulder design is less apt to lose tread (chunking) in stop and go traffic. But it doesn't have the grip of an all season tire type.

What I want is a tire more resistant to damage, runs cool, and is up to tight turns without loss of strength.

If I ran faster than 58-mph I might revisit this. My truck will eventually have the Duravis 500 & 700 as they are longer lasting than the LTX MS2.

So it's hard to say one is better than the other. So much depends on owner expectations. I'd say the main thing is staying away from ST tires.

The RY-215 is heavier than GYMs, has a deeper tread (the GYM tread looks pressed in versus molded in a side by side comparison), and I believed it a better choice. Yokohama makes an excellent tire.

Better than Michelin? The comparison has to account for different applications.

[switz]

I think "Fred" was working street side and "Steve" was working curb side and neither was aware of what the other was doing when triming the metal for the wheel wells. The street side wheel well edge came within a half inch of the vertical front surface of the plastic wheel well. The curb side was nearly three inches away from the same surface.

The screws were removed from the curb side trim and a pair of tin snips were used to blend the curb side opening to the same measurement from the vertical plastic surface as it was on the street side. The trim was gently massaged into the proper contour and the trim screws were put into new holes. Both front tires are about three quarters of an inch from the skin metal opening.

Since the trailing arm suspension goes up and back when a bump is hit, the tires move away from the front metal edge.

The stock 14" GYM ST215/75R14C tire is 26.7" in diameter with a 1,870 pound load rating at 50 psi while the 15" Michelin LTX (P) 235/75R15 XL tire is 28.9" in diameter and has a derated load rating of 1,985 pounds at 50 psi. The Michelin tire has a side wall rating of 2,183 pounds at 50 psi but must be derated 10% for this application..

The 23D has a literature tongue weight with no options of 720 pounds (literature weight is always lower than actual) which means that the axles would be supporting 5,280 pounds or 1,320 pounds per tire. It has a GVW of 6,000 pounds and 3,000 pound axle ratings. Even if the trailer were overloaded to the point that the axles were supporting their 6,000 pound capacity, the Michelins would still be adequate.

The SenDel T03-56545T wheels that match the ones on our Classic are rated for 2,150 pounds at 60 psi. We ran/run 44 psi on both the 25FB and the 23D using the 15" Michelin tires.

[HiJoeSilver]

Sorry for hijacking. Thanks for the info switz. Did all that number crunching for my '79 and ms2 ltx tires yesterday. The '79 has a ton of room in the wells with 15" wheels and the 7.00-15 tires. A little over 2" clearance front and back and a little over 4" between and the tire diameter of the 7.00's is bigger than the 15" michelins so the tires would actually get smaller. I could go to 16" but have 15" rims with original AS hub caps and such that I'd like to keep for now.
The '79 had 2600lb axles so plenty of spare capacity in the tires. Even though I'm going to get 3000lb replacement axles, I'll never load the trailer above the original limit, just want the extra cushion built in for durability and longevity. Keeping the axles from being near capacity all the time should make them last longer I think.
Fred and Steve, yep know those guys. Sometimes it's just Fred by himself, hey Fred the partition wall is 2" from the inner skin, were you doing this with your eyes closed, hey it'll be hidden behing the gaucho nobody will see. You'd think AS would have jigs for cutting things like holes /shapes in the skin to make it fool proof. Pretty simple technology for a modern mfg.