Truck tire versus trailer tire

[FLOmads]

My wife and I started full time August 3rd of 2017 with a 23 ft flying cloud with Goodyear endurance tires, June 14th of this year our trailer was totaled in a hail storm that hit Fountain Colorado, we are now in a 25 ft flying cloud also with Goodyear endurance tires, They seem to be good tires as we have gone about 35k miles, Watch out for visible defects in the side wall that look like a dent along the sidewall from the rim to the tread, I missed one and caught one when we had a tire replaced after hitting a curb.

[suncoasteng]

Be aware that Load Range D can vary widely by tire size and tire brand.
Example, I use Carlisle 15", but the smaller 205 Load D is 2100# while the 225 Load D is rated at 2500#.

I have had good luck and bad luck with different ST tires, but stick with them rather than switch to LT since the number of side wall layers is very important on trailers. With a tandem axle trailer, you should determine your tire rating based on fully loaded trailer weight divided by 3 tires. Once the first one blows, all that weight jumps to the remaining soldiers.

Tire pressure monitors are important, but more important is keeping your speed down. A blowout at 60mph is a lot easier to control than one at 75mph!

[JCWDCW]

Originally Posted by Action

One would not inflate tires to meet the individual load on that tire.

Rather weight the load on each tire and find the one with the greatest load. Then inflate all tires to that greatest load. (plus a margin) Some of the tires will have a greater load capacity margin. Action

I agree! I was simply reiterating the Tire Shop's position on pressure.

When I had to replace one tire with the Carlisle Trail HD it was inflated to 50 psi. by Kal Tire; they were likely looking at the load rating of the Chinese GYM Knock-off that it replaced. Didn't look right to me so I increased it to 60. Have not found any info on inflation vs weight carrying capacity, but this Load Range E can carry 2850 lbs at 80 psig, and the next load range down carries 2450 at 60 psig. Presumably not the same tire just de-rated, but it is a bit of a guide. I'm running about 7000 lbs total trailer weight so I'm comfortable at 60 psi but once warm weather comes back I will be checking tire temps and looking at the foot print on the road to refine it.

Got to admit it was so much easier to just inflate a lower load range tire to max and forget about it!
JCW

[4streams]

If I believe the old threads on the topic much of the issue has a lot to do with heat dissipation, so load rating, speed rating, design and your actual air pressure all play a role. Early in the GY’s Endurance video they address better heat dissipation well as a higher speed rating. They go hand in hand.

Most of my GYM problems occurred in hot climates, particularly Arizona ( I criss cross the country at least a couple time a year). The tire may not blow there as it can take a while for the belt to finally separate, but the damage starts there.

I did switch to Michilen LT’s about six years ago on my Classic 31 and have never had a problem since. Since they were rated at 106 mph for mounting on wheels that were both drive and steering, one assumes they can handle the heat much better than the trailer tires at the time.

As far as the USA vs. China argument it reminds me of growing up in Detroit in the 70’s and arguing with top auto execs back then. They all blamed unions for shoddy workmanship. My view, if you give them a crappy design they will build a crappy product. Why GY chose to ride a crappy design for with he Marathon for so long is any ones guess, they probably considered it a price sensitive market and not worth their time.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

I understand that everyone has their own preference when it comes to tires on their trailer. My preference has been Michelin. In the years I owned my 75 Trade Wind, I struggled to find a tire that would hold up to the amount of traveling we did. After replacing 4 sets of tires (Goodyear, Carlisle (twice) and Tow Master) in the first 7 years, I installed 15" Michelin (P rated) LTX tires. They performed perfectly for the next 5 years and many many miles. They looked great when I sold the trailer this year.

When I purchased the 2002 Safari this year it had 16" Michelin's and I could not have been more pleased. They also performed flawlessly during our 12k Alaska adventure this summer. I had to add air one time on the trip due to cooler temps and lower altitude. The TST system kept me informed of any pressure changes as we traveled.

I question the issue that Michelin does not approve of their tires being installed on trailers because they sell a ton of tires to Airstream and they know what Airstream is doing with them. 16" Michelin's are standard on all the new Classics rolling out the door in Jackson Center and have been for several years now.

If you call Michelin, they will tell you they do not approve their tires on trailers. We know AS and others supply these 16" LT rated Michelins typically on the higher end trailers. We also acknowledge they are rated LT or light truck...Michelin no longer makes a 15" Light Truck rated tire...confusion comes from the 15" LTX M/S2, which is passenger rated; not a true LT rating.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by SteveSueMac

Action - in #11 and #14 - good stuff - and a few reactions.

Isn’t a big part of the manufacturing location issue related to regulatory conditions? Meaning - companies want to manufacture at lowest cost - China is “ideal” to them as labor is cheaper and regulations are MUCH fewer and looser than in the US (if you don’t have to pay union wages and no one’s looking at the number of illnesses or deaths in the tire manufacturing process, that’s cheaper too). There’s likely an ideal “Goldilocks” regulation zone - US probably has too many, China probably has too few - but that’s one thing that must in some way contribute to perceived differences in quality.

We haven’t fully addressed user error/abuse either. The speed limits on GYMs are 65. Anyone ever done 66+ on theirs? PSI is 65. Anyone run at 55PSI or less either for comfort or for lack of checking? Load rates are 2500#/tire. Anyone fail to measure each tire’s fully loaded weight?

I wonder if the newer GYEs are a “loss leader” to some extent. For starters, you can get an E load rating in a 15” with plenty of capacity even for “overloading” and a stamped higher speed limit. So those issues alone could cover a lot of sins. Maybe they make them in the US for a few years at a loss to gain market share and then start having those made in China a few years down the road to buy back their margins? Wouldn’t surprise me. [emoji20]

For now however - I’m seriously thinking of installing a set of them in the spring.

As to the service vs. manufacturing side of AS - remember, there are 16” Michelins on some models right out of production. So I’m not sure a difference in operating companies would matter much. And the service group offers (proactively, not waiting for customers to demand) conversions to 16” Michelins as an upgrade. That often quoted DOT regulation (divide tire capacity by 1.1 to determine load when used on a trailer) was, I always thought, aimed at manufacturers who might choose to do what AS has done. Michelin may not recommend it (to consumers, perhaps?) but a manufacturer could certainly decide to do that for their application, so long as they de-rated the capacity and used that in their calculations for load range. At least - it seems that way to me. I’m wide open to correction if I’m missing something.

Point of clarification


Tire regulations for tires sold for highway use in the US are the same for all tires no matter where they are made.
Local safety and pollution regulations are not the same things. They can be worse or better than what we have in the US.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by 4streams

If I believe the old threads on the topic much of the issue has a lot to do with heat dissipation, so load rating, speed rating, design and your actual air pressure all play a role. Early in the GY’s Endurance video they address better heat dissipation well as a higher speed rating. They go hand in hand.

Most of my GYM problems occurred in hot climates, particularly Arizona ( I criss cross the country at least a couple time a year). The tire may not blow there as it can take a while for the belt to finally separate, but the damage starts there.

I did switch to Michilen LT’s about six years ago on my Classic 31 and have never had a problem since. Since they were rated at 106 mph for mounting on wheels that were both drive and steering, one assumes they can handle the heat much better than the trailer tires at the time.

As far as the USA vs. China argument it reminds me of growing up in Detroit in the 70’s and arguing with top auto execs back then. They all blamed unions for shoddy workmanship. My view, if you give them a crappy design they will build a crappy product. Why GY chose to ride a crappy design for with he Marathon for so long is any ones guess, they probably considered it a price sensitive market and not worth their time.

I do wonder why GY doesn't put their new better compounds and stronger cords in LT tires and raise the load rating of their LT tires. Why only improve the ST tires?

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by spike2tx

Like others we have gone thru a major blowout causing 8k in wheel wheel and side panel damage . Did research and talked to our Airstream Reno shop and opted for upsizing to 16” wheels and Michelin XPS tires. These are the thickest walled , toughest LT you can buy bar none. They weigh more than standard LT tires because of the added rubber. One not so scientific benefit includes them being fireproof. Our 75 Sovereign burned in a storage fire. Everything melted, aluminum, plastic, glass etc. as you can see by the photo the XPS tires still had air ! !

That is a very heavy tire....I don’t want it..it would probably shake my 31’ Classic apart the LT E 225/75/16...is more than enough ?.as we have 7800 on the tandem axle with 1050 on the hitch fully loaded...

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by JCWDCW

I agree! I was simply reiterating the Tire Shop's position on pressure.

When I had to replace one tire with the Carlisle Trail HD it was inflated to 50 psi. by Kal Tire; they were likely looking at the load rating of the Chinese GYM Knock-off that it replaced. Didn't look right to me so I increased it to 60. Have not found any info on inflation vs weight carrying capacity, but this Load Range E can carry 2850 lbs at 80 psig, and the next load range down carries 2450 at 60 psig. Presumably not the same tire just de-rated, but it is a bit of a guide. I'm running about 7000 lbs total trailer weight so I'm comfortable at 60 psi but once warm weather comes back I will be checking tire temps and looking at the foot print on the road to refine it.

Got to admit it was so much easier to just inflate a lower load range tire to max and forget about it!
JCW

Was your Carlisle LR-C? ( 50 psi makes it sound like it was)



"Have not found any info on inflation vs weight carrying capacity,"


Haven't you ever looked at a Load/Inflation chart?




"Presumably not the same tire just de-rated, but it is a bit of a guide."


No they would be two different Load Range tires a LR E (80 psi) and the LR-D (65 psi) I suggest you read the sidewall of your tires to learn more.

[B_Pi]

Posted this awhile back, maybe it will help?

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f463...ml#post2163151

[JCWDCW]

Originally Posted by Tireman9

Was your Carlisle LR-C? ( 50 psi makes it sound like it was)
Tire is LRE max inflation 80 psig but it is a 2800+ pound load rated tire

I need max 2100 for my Trailer. This tire was only one available up in Thunder Bay Ontario....long way from my home town!


"Have not found any info on inflation vs weight carrying capacity,"

Haven't you ever looked at a Load/Inflation chart? Tried to find one...not too much luck....I know they exist but can't see it on the web!

"Presumably not the same tire just de-rated, but it is a bit of a guide."
I was commenting on the tires I saw in the website.

No they would be two different Load Range tires a LR E (80 psi) and the LR-D (65 psi) I suggest you read the sidewall of your tires to learn more.

As noted tire is an LRE... I'm quite aware of the tire, and plan to replace the other three with the same. Note that someone in this post had a Carlisle failure. Two tire shops I have visited rate Carlisle quite highly.
JCW

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by JCWDCW

As noted tire is an LRE... I'm quite aware of the tire, and plan to replace the other three with the same. Note that someone in this post had a Carlisle failure. Two tire shops I have visited rate Carlisle quite highly.
JCW

....look where they are made?....

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by JCWDCW

As noted tire is an LRE... I'm quite aware of the tire, and plan to replace the other three with the same. Note that someone in this post had a Carlisle failure. Two tire shops I have visited rate Carlisle quite highly.
JCW

Any tire can fail. No matter who or where it is made. Unless you know the real REASON for the failure you have no facts to base your future purchase decision on. Haven't run into any tire shops where anyone has received training in "Failed Tire Inspection and analysis" as that isn't their job. Their job is to sell tires, parts and auto service.



"Blowout" is a condition, not a reason.


Puncture, leaking valves, overloading ( Actual measured load 90% of capacity or greater), over-age (4 + years) etc are reasons.

[JCWDCW]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

....look where they are made?....

China of course!
I've put 6 years of travel on Chinese tires, both the trailer and my truck
As Tireman9 says; blowout is a condition. The only failure I had was when I put the full weight of the right side of the trailer on a block that didn't support the full footprint of the Tire. Two conditions led to that failure. Poor support by the block and a tire past its due date. Thankfully I was parked in a campground
JCW

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by JCWDCW

China of course!
I've put 6 years of travel on Chinese tires, both the trailer and my truck
As Tireman9 says; blowout is a condition. The only failure I had was when I put the full weight of the right side of the trailer on a block that didn't support the full footprint of the Tire. Two conditions led to that failure. Poor support by the block and a tire past its due date. Thankfully I was parked in a campground
JCW

"Thankfully"...because you ran 6 years on Chinese tires?? Not enough info on your situation...how many miles on them, how were they stored/cared for (covers from sun/weather?); load on your trailer, etc. Because you had "good luck", not sure I would discard the other cautions many of us have posted here...many involving tires from made in China as an example.....were you, perhaps, "running on borrowed time?" I remember with one of my early RV's, it had set in a field for several years with "brand new" Chinese tires installed prior to last use...everything worked well for "shake down" first month, then a trip to Montana...rear tire blew in 100 miles; next day, a second tire grew a "bulge" which was caught while backing into campsite, by onlooker. Third tire developed bulge inside next day, which I caught while getting gas....you just never know...so you do what you can to be safe.

Blowout is a "condition"?? Of course it is....but, because I have 10 year old tires on my utility trailer, would I take it on the highway at 60+MPH hoping nothing happens while carrying a load to the dump?? I think not; local use only and nothing on the highway.

Tires are a big part of my safety concerns when traveling...if you "know" there are questions about a particular tire, it's age, origin (China made?) and conditions of life (exposed to sun/weather) don't put your safety (or others) at risk...is what I believe- including TPMS system. Hope most of us feel same way..

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by JCWDCW

China of course!
I've put 6 years of travel on Chinese tires, both the trailer and my truck
As Tireman9 says; blowout is a condition. The only failure I had was when I put the full weight of the right side of the trailer on a block that didn't support the full footprint of the Tire. Two conditions led to that failure. Poor support by the block and a tire past its due date. Thankfully I was parked in a campground
JCW

....you always get what you pay for...there are no bargains out there...