New tires

[DeltaRon]

2015 FC 28 Rear Queen

Have the GY 15 Marathons, 65 mph rated. I've seen a lot of "confusing" threads here.
I would like to get up to at least 70 mph tires. I prefer Michelin and not interested in new
16" wheels, unless it is really advisable. Which tire should I upgrade to? Advise anyone?


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[r carl]

Here is one.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....5G26&tab=Sizes

[SteveH]

Take a look at the Michelin LTX 235/75 15 MS/2. Lots of people are using them with good success, and no 65 MPH limit.

[paiceman]

DeltaRon: Just a thought from experience, you can upgrade to 16" for not much more money and in my opinion improve the ride. I've done both and we are now on our second set of 16" wheels and Michelins LT. Our rational was same as yours the limiting factor of the 65mph, especially out west.

[SCOTTinNJ]

Michelin ltx 15's may not give you enough carrying capacity for a 28'. Many threads on that.

[Bill M.]

Problem is there are just not many choices in the 15" size. I like and run the 15" Michelin p235 XL tires on my 25'. Tires are rated at 1985 lbs when used on a trailer. The tires have to be rated for more than the axle weight ratings on the trailer tag. I have seen them on a 30' but I din not check the axle weights. I assume he was legal. The setup came from Can Am. My 25 has 3200 lb axles, so I have some room on load. Goodyear might still make the Wrangler in a 15" load range D tire. I have seen those on a 28' trailer (owned by a retired Goodyear tire designer) who did not like the Marathons.

[mtbguy]

I'm in the same boat. Today I just purchased a set of 4 Sendel T03 16 inch wheels with no tax and free shipping for a little over $400. The 16 inch size gives you so many more (good) choices, and maybe an extra half inch of ground clearance if you ever need it camping. I'm probably going to end up getting the Michelin LTX E rated tires for the new rims. I can't afford/don't want to end up with a $7000 insurance claim because I tried to save $100.

I have had bad luck in the past with cheap trailer tires in the Georgia heat and a heavy metal fender completely ripped off a cargo trailer from a Chinese trailer tire that blew on the highway.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by DeltaRon

2015 FC 28 Rear Queen

Have the GY 15 Marathons, 65 mph rated. I've seen a lot of "confusing" threads here.
I would like to get up to at least 70 mph tires. I prefer Michelin and not interested in new
16" wheels, unless it is really advisable. Which tire should I upgrade to? Advise anyone?

Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

It would really help if you could provide some facts and data so we can off an informed suggestion rather than just a guess.

- Complete tire size
- Load on each individual tire or at least the actual load on each axle when hooked up and fully loaded to your expected heaviest condition.

[Silver Otter]

Maxxis 8008. Love them.

[switz]

The 28' model Airstreams all have the 7,600 GVW. The 28FC has a literature tongue weight of 791 pounds without 60 pounds of propane in the tanks. It is most likely the trailer will, when loaded for camping, have a tongue weight exceeding 1,000 pounds.

In the 1,000 pound example, that would mean the axles would be supporting 6,600 pounds of the total GVW rating.

Our 25FB had a tongue weight of 1,175 pounds and the axles were loaded just under 6,000 pounds camping ready. These are the tires we mounted on the Airstream rims:

Michelin LTX (P) 235/75R15 XL 2,183 pounds @ 50 psi derated to 1,985 pounds for trailers 28.9" diameter 4 x 1985 = 7,940 pounds 4 x 2,183 = 8,732 pounds. Run at 44 psi. There is more square inches of tire patch for better braking and a softer ride for the trailer. We really liked them and they are not speed limit rated.

Some of the 34' triple-axle trailers have these tires installed as well with great success.

[Tireman9]

The problem with discussing load and weight is that most people do not realize how much "stuff" they carry.
It's well established that over half of RVs have one or more tire and/or axle in overload when the individual tire position weights are measured (30,000 data points)

If you want to drive fast just be aware that in RV application most tire companies specify a 75 mph MAX. This is like the engine redline max for RPM. You can exceed it but at the expense of tire life.
Driving faster doesn't mean the tire will fail at 76 mph but you may shorted tire life by a week for every minute you drive faster than the recommended speed.

So don't come back with a failed tire and say as many do "My tire failed for no reason at all"