Trailer tires....Carlisles....

[dunebound69]

My enclosed has 225/80/16 goodyear marathons, good for 3400 lbs a tire.

I would not put an LT tire on a trailer. Had a friend loss a trailer due to an LT. Race car, tools the whole works.

[ncrebel8]

If you have to stay with the 15" wheels , make sure your wheels are rated fro 80 pounds, and go with the maxxis E rated M8008 tires. They are the only E rated trailer tires available that have a good rating. Carlisle, tow max, marathon, are all junk. Go to any of the RV forums and search tires, It wont take you long to figure it out.

[SST 1953]

Hey hook em they survive yes, but that is not what they are designed for. That is why they make different types of tires, I wouldn't even consider an over the road tire on an rv, same size wrong design.

[Hook'em_Horns!]

Originally Posted by dunebound69

....I would not put an LT tire on a trailer. Had a friend loss a trailer due to an LT. Race car, tools the whole works.

Get a puncture on any tire (ST or LT), don’t realize it while runnin’ down the highway and let it run low/flat, it gets hot and separates and off you go down the Failed path. It happens.

Originally Posted by ncrebel8

If you have to stay with the 15" wheels , make sure your wheels are rated fro 80 pounds, and go with the maxxis E rated M8008 tires.

I agree. They have the best record of longevity in an ST.

Originally Posted by SST 1953

Hey hook em they survive yes, but that is not what they are designed for. That is why they make different types of tires, I wouldn't even consider an over the road tire on an rv, same size wrong design.

Different in design, yes.
Different in sidewall flex to aid RV's cushion, true.
Different also is in how they derive their load ratings for the tire compared to LTs. Virtually no reserve capacity compared to LTs.

Created as a stronger alternative to a ‘P’ for trailer use, most radial STs (primarily made in China) are antiquated in mfr and design when compared to modern LT tires made here and in other parts of the world. Until they change their mfr process and upgrade their equipment over there, you’ll continually see substandard quality and common failures with most ST tires on the market.

If this new Carlisle can measure up to the Maxxis, that’s a good thing. I’m all for it. Only time will tell. I've got a 15" Carlisle now with new tread on it that's on a trailer that hasn't moved in 8 months. The tread just blew apart in the center of the tread, the size of a golf ball, just parked and not being used.

It's on my list to return it to Discount for another new one under CERTS warranty. In that trailer's life, I've only had to actually buy maybe 1 tire in 20 that the tread actually wore down. All the others were replaced under warranty when they failed.


My (non-RV) experience running heavy with STs on a daily basis:
Tire Lifespan was 3-6 months with one that made it 9 months once.
Brands?
If it has a ‘Power, BCT, Master, Tow, Max, Guard-, Sport, or Trail’ in it’s name, I’ve tried it.
Tire deaths came from fast tread wear, punctures too large to repair, or tread separation/sidewall failure. Note: 2/3 of their miles in use were spent running unloaded.

Visits for replacement or tire repair/punctures were 1-3 times a week. After years of use, I came to know the different Discount location’s Managers all on a 1st name basis.

-----

New wheels (some weren’t true, all were scratched) and the switch to Duravis R250 LTs…..4 months later, I had my 1st puncture repair.
30 months later, and none have failed and plenty of tread remains.

At this moment, my RV experience running STs is too traumatic to discuss.

[SST 1953]

I am not saying you haven't had bad luck with trailer tires, it sounds like you tow a lot. All I am saying is that LT tires were not made for trailer use, nor the other way. I have hundreds of thousands of miles pulling heavy's, cargo and rv's, if there wasn't a difference tire companies wouldn't waste the money to develop different models. As for where they are manufactured, most all tires are made outside the U.S., primarily China and South America

[Hook'em_Horns!]

Originally Posted by SST 1953

All I am saying is that LT tires were not made for trailer use, nor the other way......if there wasn't a difference tire companies wouldn't waste the money to develop different models.

True, I agree.
The 2nd tier STs were designed as a superior alternative to using the 1st tier 'P' tires and they have their place on lighter trailers that don't come close to the tire's weight limits (like most heavy 5ers do).

But the 3rd tier LT’s are designed and built to handle greater stresses/loads exceeding what an ST can endure. And I agee also on not wasting money to develop new designs…they’re still manufacturing the same old antiquated ST design as they did from their beginning, not wasting any money on improvement with newer, better quality designs. It’s not just the China quality as an issue.

Something to consider; you'll always see a warning on the side of an ST tire, "Trailer Use Only-Not for Passenger Vehicle Use”.

You’ll never see a label on an LT tire warning against trailer use.

Originally Posted by SST 1953

As for where they are manufactured, most all tires are made outside the U.S., primarily China and South America.

True, most are. But not the high quality tires on the market. My Bridgestones are made in Japan. Maxxis, the Philippines IIRC? Pirelli, Michelin, etc…not in China.

[dunebound69]

I just sent an email to Goodyear to get thier take on this. I will post it when I get a reply. Figure they might know about it than the rest of us.

[Hook'em_Horns!]

Many heavy, large triple axle toyhaulers now come from the factory with the more expensive LTs. Other RV mfrs now offer the option to upgrade to LTs on their new models. High ST failure rates have owners fed up and market demand is driving the change from what was the norm.

[pud383]

I did about 6 months of research on this topic over this past winter and the thing that always comes up is that the treatment a st tire gets to protect it from the sun is the direct cause to the tread seperating with absolutely no visual warning signs at all
If u put a st tire near its load capacity and go over 60 mph u are running a huge risk of it failing
The 16 in st's have had a lot less failures and issues then the 15in st's mainly due to their higher load capacity
My 5er can weigh as much as 11000 lbs with 1800-1900 on the pin and it came with 225/75/15 load range d tires which is common practice with rv manufacturers
The very first trip with my 5th wheel we blew a tire ripped the inner liner out half destroyed the skirt blew the awning arm off of our 4 year old new to us 5th wheel
So I replaced brand new st tires with good ride pt tires load range e (2680 lbs) with alum rims for $1100 put 4000 miles on it since no worries at all
Now I run 70-75 on free way (still prefer 60-62 off freeway though)
Lt's will run at full capacity without tread failure like the st's will
Btw maxxis makes a 225/75/16 in a e range that's rated at 3100 lbs

[bigtex661]

i just measured my tire clearance in the wheel well......i have 2 3/4 inches...now is a 225/75/15 tire the same diameter as a 225/75/16 in tire......if so then i dont know why the dude at discount tire said i wont clear with the 16inch rims?