109T or C - Tire Question

[AldeanFan]

Tire Question of the Day,
This may result in some lively discussion!

Looking for some opinions from the many experienced folks here.

I have a two axle trailer I only use a few times a year for maybe 500km,
It is NOT my beautiful 1977 Safari,
Weight is around 5000lbs fully loaded.

I was looking at some tire options and came upon the following.

235/75R15C - 104 - rated at 1985lbs
or
P235/75R15xl - 109T - rated at 2271lbs

I have to stay 15" becasue the wheels are 5 bolt and I can't find 5 lug 16" rims.

either tire has enough capacity
Both are from the same manufacturer, made in the USA.

I'm intentionally leaving out manufacturer and price so as not to influence anyone's opinion.

I know the Michelin's are the top pick but if it were between the above two options what would your choice be?

[Bill M.]

Well, you have to derate the XL by 10%, making the rated load capacity almost identical for trailer service. I doubt there is any difference in the construction of the tire. They could even be the same tire but with different ratings. I personally run the XL tire in 15" because my company of choice does not off a LT or load range C. At least if you buy the Load range C tire you can say you are running a Light Truck tire.

In your case I would probably just buy the new ST Goodyear Endurance in the load range D size if the pricing is at all close. Being narrower at 205 or 215, whatever they are, the fit will be better. ST tires are supposed to "sit" better than passenger or LT tires. My LT tires surfaced cracked after 4 years. I use my trailer 3 to 4 months of the year and some weekends in addition. I do not keep a tire that I use over 4 years.

I actually am sorta in your position now. I have a trailer that has not moved for 4 years and it has 6 year old GYMs on it. In Jan I am going to replace them with the GYE to sit on. I would like it to be road worthy just in case.

[AldeanFan]

Thanks, that’s about how I feel about it.
I’d buy the Goodyear endurance if they were more available and a t a better price. The place I’ve been buying tires sells Carlisle trailer tires and they’re more expensive than the LT or P tires I was looking at.

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted by Bill M.

Well, you have to derate the XL by 10%, making the rated load capacity almost identical for trailer service. I doubt there is any difference in the construction of the tire. They could even be the same tire but with different ratings. ………

I totally didn't expect anyone else to get that same answer that I got (except for Roger).

So, you may ask, why would they be the same? Because there are several ways to describe a tire and, for practical purposes, those are the same.

[Tireman9]

Don't forget that when you are comparing load capacities you need to remember the inflation is what supports the load so when making a comparison include that number or you might mislead yourself.