Tire recommendations

[jcanavera]

I've had 3 sets of tires on my 30' slide out. The latest are 16" Michelins which are in their 3rd year of use. Prior I had D rated Goodyear ST Marathons. One of them threw a piece of tread at the end of season 3 of use. I upgraded to Maxxis E rated ST tires. I encountered two tires showing signs of belt slippage which caused the tires to balloon out in the center tread area. That failure occurred on the first trip of the year in season 4 of use. In the case of the Goodyear D rated tires, I ran those at 65 psi. The Maxxis E rated tires were run a 80 psi. Both pressures were the max inflation cold ratings. The trailer is stored inside so UV is not a culprit. I place the blame on the fact that my trailer is heavy (9,100) gross when carrying full fresh water, and age takes its toll. I just don't believe that ST tires are reliable on my trailer for more than 3 years. At the cost of those tires and the potential of damage due to tire blow out, the premium of moving up to a longer lasting 16" tires was well worth the additional expense.

Jack

[Moflash]

Originally Posted by m.hony

I have a slight twist on the 16" Sendel wheels and 16" LT truck tires.
Michelin tires are the best and longest lasting tires, but are also the most expensive.
I never get the tread life out of any tire. The sidewalls always dry rot first.
Michelin are just too expensive for me to buy and only use up half of it before I replace it.
I will maybe get 16" wheels and Firestone TransForce 16" tires through my employer for about $165 per tire. I will wait 3 more years, though, to get the life out of the Good Year Marathons that everyone is so against- I've not yet had any trouble.

Funny how people on this forum will pay all the money for a Airstream trailer which is much more expensive than the average trailer and then justify outfitting it with cheap tires jeapordizing themselves ,passengers not to mention there Airstream.
Search this thread for Michelin tire failures.What will it be worth when you are standing along a deserted county road looking at the damage to your trailer that the less expensive tire caused.
Tires are fairly important on our trailers.
All tires should be replaced every 5 -6 years regardless of brand or cost.They may appear fine on the outside but they are not.

[AnnArborBob]

Originally Posted by Moflash

Funny how people on this forum will pay all the money for a Airstream trailer which is much more expensive than the average trailer and then justify outfitting it with cheap tires jeapordizing themselves ,passengers not to mention there Airstream.
Search this thread for Michelin tire failures.What will it be worth when you are standing along a deserted county road looking at the damage to your trailer that the less expensive tire caused.
Tires are fairly important on our trailers.
All tires should be replaced every 5 -6 years regardless of brand or cost.They may appear fine on the outside but they are not.

Moflash, I totally agree. In my humble opinion, it's penny wise and pound foolish to try and save three or four hundred dollars on a set of tires every four or five years (e.g., saving 28 cents per day) when the damage a blowout can inflict will run one several thousand dollars to fix, not to mention the danger and "excitement" of dealing with a blowout in the middle of nowhere.

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by Moflash

Funny how people on this forum will pay all the money for a Airstream trailer which is much more expensive than the average trailer and then justify outfitting it with cheap tires jeapordizing themselves ,passengers not to mention there Airstream.
Search this thread for Michelin tire failures.What will it be worth when you are standing along a deserted county road looking at the damage to your trailer that the less expensive tire caused.
Tires are fairly important on our trailers.
All tires should be replaced every 5 -6 years regardless of brand or cost.They may appear fine on the outside but they are not.

I disagree with your thought process. I don't think Firestone TransForce are not cheap tires, but less expensive than Michelin. They are maybe not quite as good as the more expensive Michelin tires, but they don't cost as much either. They won't last as long.
Maybe you missed my point about not ever getting to use all the tread. In 5 years time the tires will be replaced with 75% tread left no matter how much I paid for them, so I am getting less expensive LT truck tires or load range D or E tires. I agree with the higher capacity LT truck tires with higher weight capacity and sturdier construction (8-10 ply), but would rather pay $165 per tire for Firestones. I don't think it is compromising safety at all. If the TransForce tire is good enough for our fleet off 300 trucks and 50 trailers, it is a good enough tire for my $90,000+ MSRP Airstream trailer. How many millions of dollars worth of trucks and trailers does my company have riding on Firestone TransForce LT tires?
All the hype on hear about how bad the Good Year Marathons are is like the filiform corrosion everyone is talking about. I don't have any on my trailer, and it took a trip to Jackson Center to even see filiform corrosion for the first time on a trailer in the Terraport.

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by AnnArborBob

Moflash, I totally agree. In my humble opinion, it's penny wise and pound foolish to try and save three or four hundred dollars on a set of tires every four or five years (e.g., saving 28 cents per day) when the damage a blowout can inflict will run one several thousand dollars to fix, not to mention the danger and "excitement" of dealing with a blowout in the middle of nowhere.

I don't think a Firestone TransForce LT tire would be any more likely to blow out than a Michelin.
I'm not kicking anyone for buying the very best tires (Michelin).
I'm just saying that second best (Firestone) is good enough for me.

[m.hony]

An ad just popped up on the side with Michelin LTX $186.
Maybe I will get Michelins...

[AnnArborBob]

Originally Posted by m.hony

I don't think a Firestone TransForce LT tire would be any more likely to blow out than a Michelin.
I'm not kicking anyone for buying the very best tires (Michelin).
I'm just saying that second best (Firestone) is good enough for me.

My comment was not specifically directed at the Firestone TransForce LT's, which quite frankly I've never heard of, or any other LT tires by a reputable manufacturer, but more towards the continued use of trailer designated tires by so many Airstreamers. I'm sure that there are many fine LT tires out there in addition to those made by Michelin.

[r carl]

Originally Posted by CapriRacer

A couple of thoughts:

First, blowouts are generally road hazard related. They are random and there is literally nothing you can do to prevent them.

.

Why is it st tires have far far more road hazard related blowouts?

[Jackcat2]

I have no dog in the race. My credentials are meaningless. Run a proper size tire for the weight, a tire designed for trailer use, at proper inflation pressure for the load, at no more than maximum speed for the tires. Period. This is more important than the brand or the country they were manufactured in. The last thing you want is to be found negligent in an injury accident with a "contributing factor" being improper tires for the appliction.

[TinTin]

Originally Posted by jackcat

I have no dog in the race. My credentials are meaningless. Run a proper size tire for the weight, a tire designed for trailer use, at proper inflation pressure for the load, at no more than maximum speed for the tires. Period. This is more important than the brand or the country they were manufactured in. The last thing you want is to be found negligent in an injury accident with a "contributing factor" being improper tires for the appliction.

I'm about to switch to 15" Michelin LT tires on my trailer. Are there legalities to be concerned about using LT tires on a travel trailer?

[Bill M.]

I think there might be in Alberta. In the states I think it is generally fine. DOT here gives a recommendation on how to reduce the load for that application.

[TinTin]

Googling doesn't indicate any difference between Canada and US in this regard. As long as the load rating of the tire is not exceeded, both LT and ST tires are acceptable (i.e. legal) for use on travel trailers.

[m.hony]

LT tires give a little more "headroom".
ST tires are limited to 65 mph (not that I would go any faster).
LT tires are capable of holding more weight and higher speeds.
LT tires provide a little safety and peace of mind.

[TinTin]

Since we're switching to add a margin of safety, it's good to know we're legal as well !!

[Tomy]

I'm not going to suggest a tire, because I am highly biased. I worked for Michelin Tire Corp for 17 years.

Action is spot on that it really does depend on your usage. If you are a full timer who puts a lot of miles on your trailer, a more expensive tire may actually save you money by both extended wear and gas savings. Many higher end tires have decreased rolling resistance, which can improve fuel economy. Many Michelin tires have warranties extending from 60k to 80k. If you plan on putting those kinds of miles over say, a five year period, then that might warrant consideration.

The five year rule though isn't hard and fast. Both Michelin and Bridgestone recommend careful inspection at five years and replacement after ten. The caveat is this is for tires that are regularly used.

The problem is ozone, and tires have wax blends to combat the effects of ozone, but if the tires rarely move this wax doesn't work its way out, and the outer wax gets depleted and the tire becomes damaged over time. You can help preserve the long sitting tire by applying something like 303 Aerospace Protectant and using a cover to protect from UV radiation if they sit in the sun.

If the tire does sit a lot, you may be wasting money on a higher end tire. The margins are slim in the tire industry and tires are priced based on the materials and costs to construct them. The old adage "You get what you pay for" really does apply in the tire industry, but there's no need to waste money on something you aren't going to take advantage of, like extended milage, or economy. You don't want to spend a hundred to save ten. Just don't go so cheap you endanger your AS and your family.

Michelin is a French family owned company and carries the family name. Édouard Michelin, former CEO and grandson of one of the founding brothers once said, "Product quality is corporate pride." Michelin also owns BF Goodrich, where you can expect similar quality. Most tires for the North American market are made at plants in SC and Canada.

Bridgestone is a Japanese company and owns Firestone. Japanese attention to quality is well known. Most of their production for the North American market is also produced in the US and Canada.

Hope this helps.

[m.hony]

What he said...
He just said in a more educated and experienced way.
thank you.

[AnnArborBob]

Originally Posted by TinTin

I'm about to switch to 15" Michelin LT tires on my trailer. Are there legalities to be concerned about using LT tires on a travel trailer?

Airstream puts LT tires on many if not most of it's 2015 models as well as on earlier Eddie Bauer models. I presume that they have done the research regarding the legality of using LT tires on trailers.

[TinTin]

Thanks Bob. I didn't know that AS had switched to LT tires!

I remember reading that some tire dealers were uncomfortable putting LT tires on trailers, but this may have been posts from some years back.

[AnnArborBob]

Originally Posted by TinTin

Thanks Bob. I didn't know that AS had switched to LT tires!

I remember reading that some tire dealers were uncomfortable putting LT tires on trailers, but this may have been posts from some years back.

Hi Bob & Nancy, I haven't done any exhaustive research, but I am not aware of any other brand of TT that comes from the factory with LT tires. When you sell a 28' white box for $30,000 (vs. $70,000) I suppose that you've got to economize at every opportunity!

Class A, B & C motor-homes usually come with LT tires.

I am not surprised that many automotive oriented tire dealers have little if any experience with TT's and would thus be reluctant to deviate from the label on the tire.

[Ag&Au]

This thread is a rehash of several threads on these forums. All of them and this one make a reader come to different conclusions based on their personality traits.

If you are an optimist who believes bad things only happen to other people (and its probably their fault when they do), you will stick with ST tires. If you are also stubborn, you will continue that line of reasoning even after you experience your first and subsequent ST tire failures. There may be no hope for you.

If you are a pessimist, who believes that bad things will always happen to you, you probably don't own a travel trailer in the first place. Everyone knows they are a death trap.

If you are an intelligent reasoning person, who likes to benefit from the experiences of others, you will read all the other threads and then pick the same type of LT tires they use. I would go so far as to say it will be manufactured by Michelin.

My recommendation is to fall in line behind all those here who have switched to the same Michelin tires with great success, so far.

Ken

P.S. There are many other types of personality. There's no telling what those goofy guys will do.