Tire Questions

[Doug C]

1992 Excella 25'

I'm planning to replace all four tires soon as mine are getting too old. The ones on the trailer are ST 225 75 15 load range D. I'm thinking of going to a Load Range E for reserve capacity.

1. Are the factory wheels on this trailer designed to handle the 80 pounds of air pressure of an E-rated tire?

2. Does anyone know of a good tire for this application that is not made in China? In an ST tire, I can only find Chinese tires of various unknown-to-me brands.

3. Is going to an LT tire a reasonable option? This would give me more choice when choosing a tire brand.

I am working through some of the info on record, but am interested in different people's opinions on these three questions.

Thanks for any input you can give.


Doug

[DKDarrow]

1. You dont inflate it to 80....perhaps 60 at the most

2. The brand you choose is up to YOU.......After 2 blowouts on D carlisles around 4 corners last summer.....I stayed with Carlisles and went to E's......NO problems yet.......

For me the most important aspect was/is having a tire monitoring system so that when the inevitable blow out comes I know immediately and therefore diminish body damage.........Good luck and God bless...........Dennis

[Phoenix]

The maximum pressure is molded into the aluminum on the inside of the wheel (visible when the tire is removed. I think the OEM 15-inch wheels say 110 psi, but not absolutely sure. In any case, 80 psi is OK. Also, for trailer applications, most tire stores, including Costco and Discount Tire, recommend inflating to maximum pressure that appears on sidewalls of tires, which is 65 psi for load range D and 80 psi for E's.

Regarding replacement tires, there are several other tire threads (posts) that are currently active on this forum. Suggest you SEARCH for "tire failure" and take a look at those, first. Then, post your unique question(s), to reduce duplicating information that has already been posted.

Thanks, and welcome to the forums!

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by DKDarrow

1. You dont inflate it to 80....perhaps 60 at the most

The fact is, an "E" rated tire will carry no more weight than a "D" rated tire at 65 PSI.

To get more weight capacity, you MUST go to higher inflation pressures.

If you don't believe me, check the charts.

[Bill M.]

Easy answer is just to change to LT tires. I went to Michlen. I run them at the rated 50 psi. No problems in 4 years and 40,000 or so miles. Lots of long tire threads if you like reading about them. Airstream offers LT tires as an option, and in my opinion it is an upgrade.

Just an opinion, but if you insist on ST tires for some reason, the GYM are probably still the best bet. And going to a heavier, stiffer tire at a higher pressure does not help anything much when a defective tire fails.

[purman]

Originally Posted by SteveH

The fact is, an "E" rated tire will carry no more weight than a "D" rated tire at 65 PSI.

To get more weight capacity, you MUST go to higher inflation pressures.

If you don't believe me, check the charts.

coming back from washington last week in a 100 + temps I found the tires ran hotter if they started over 60 psi. and they gained 3 psi due to the heat.. I thought I was going to replace my Carlisle tires with Carlisle's but I'm going with the Michelins, And just not worry about it any more. I also have a monitoring system, I never checked my tire preasure before. Now I find myself doing it every hour or mor. (Well it is right in front of you, and if you have a new toy you do want to play with it)

[Doug C]

Originally Posted by Bill M.

Easy answer is just to change to LT tires. I went to Michlen. I run them at the rated 50 psi. No problems in 4 years and 40,000 or so miles. Lots of long tire threads if you like reading about them. Airstream offers LT tires as an option, and in my opinion it is an upgrade.

Just an opinion, but if you insist on ST tires for some reason, the GYM are probably still the best bet. And going to a heavier, stiffer tire at a higher pressure does not help anything much when a defective tire fails.

Thanks. Which Michelin did you choose? The tire shops are saying I should stick to ST tires, but I don't know exactly why. The only ST tires I can find in 225 75 15 are all made in China. I'd prefer not to buy Chinese tires. I would have more choice in LT tires so it's an option that I'll definitely investigate. I didn't know Airstream offers LT tires as an option. Heck, if LT tires are just as good or better that ST, and they're available in more sizes and brands, why do they even offer ST tires? Cheaper? What am I missing here?

Thanks,
Doug C.

[Doug C]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

The maximum pressure is molded into the aluminum on the inside of the wheel (visible when the tire is removed. I think the OEM 15-inch wheels say 110 psi, but not absolutely sure. In any case, 80 psi is OK. Also, for trailer applications, most tire stores, including Costco and Discount Tire, recommend inflating to maximum pressure that appears on sidewalls of tires, which is 65 psi for load range D and 80 psi for E's.

Regarding replacement tires, there are several other tire threads (posts) that are currently active on this forum. Suggest you SEARCH for "tire failure" and take a look at those, first. Then, post your unique question(s), to reduce duplicating information that has already been posted.

Thanks, and welcome to the forums!

Thanks for the info. I'm working through some of the available material. I know this topic has been covered from a bunch of angles. Trying to learn as much as I can. I appreciate all the help from everyone.

Doug c.

[rumrunner]

One item which never seems to get mentioned on these tire/blowout threads is valve stems. the common rubber valve stems are not rated for high pressure use (over 45 psi or so). Make sure the appropriate high pressure valve stems are used. you can usually tell the difference by seeing if they have a copper stem. If you have the gasketed chrome stems have them changed periodically also as the gaskets are rubber and degrade over time.
I cant tell you how many times I have had blowouts come into the shop and found passenger pressure rated or extremely old valve stems in the remaining rims.
Valve stems are cheap- blowouts aint!
tim

[10Smiles]

Originally Posted by purman

coming back from washington last week in a 100 + temps I found the tires ran hotter if they started over 60 psi. and they gained 3 psi due to the heat.. I thought I was going to replace my Carlisle tires with Carlisle's but I'm going with the Michelins, And just not worry about it any more. I also have a monitoring system, I never checked my tire preasure before. Now I find myself doing it every hour or mor. (Well it is right in front of you, and if you have a new toy you do want to play with it)

Purman,

What Michelins did you settle on? I have been considering their...

235/75R15 108T XL

These are rated at 2,183 pounds each. For four, that would be a capacity of 8,732 pounds. I think that would work fine for our 30 foot trailer.

Thanks,
David