Trailer tires

[JD_Diesel]

What are the best tires to use on my heavy 5er? JD

[OC_DMAX]

My summer project is to upgrade the Goodyear Marathons (15 inch rims) on my trailer to Michelin XPS RIB tires (using 16 inch rims). I know several people who have upgraded to these tires after having blow-outs with the crap tires that come on RV trailers today. No problem after going to these tires. See the link below. You can get them at Discount Tire (a little on the expensive side though).

http://www.michelinrvtires.com/michelinrvtires/productguide/newprod/TireOverview.jsp?tread=XPS+RIB

[JD_Diesel]

Thanks OC they look like great tires would get them in a heart beat, But the load cap is not high enough only 3020. the ones that I have now are 3520. Thanks JD

[OC_DMAX]

Sounds like you need a "G" rated tire (I assume you have 16 inch rims). Goodyear makes this one for trailers:

http://www.goodyear.com/rv/products/product_g614rst.html


What is currently on the trailer? (make, size, load range)

[JD_Diesel]

they are st 235/ 80 /16 load E towmax. JD

[MIKE WIENER]

I have that same tire on my 5er. 235 80 16 E by Bfgoodrich they are commercial TAs. this is Bfgoodrich's version ov a tralier tire. love the way the trailer is towing with them. only have about 4000 on them. Got them at Discount tire Americas tire here in LA.
Had the goodyear's all started coming apart after six years. can not gripe as there only rated for about three years.

[Rollingon]

I ran across these the other day. Don't know anything about them.

http://www.carlisletire.com/catalog/trailer.pdf (lower left of page)

The ST235/85R16 Load Range F is rated for 3960 #. Has anyone had experience with these??

[Tractor]

I have been checking into this for some time. My 35 ft triple slide weighs about 13,500 loaded. Right now from the factory I have 235/80/16 Marathons. Had a bit of trouble with one coming back from Las Vegas last fall but caught it just in time. The 235/80/16 have a diameter of 30.8 inches. The tire is to light to handle this kind of a load. The Michelin XPS 235/85/16 is a 10 ply load range E with a diameter of 32.2 inches. Rated for 3042lbs this is a dandy tire, but it too is rated a bit light for todays big RV,s The XPS is my second choice. So far leading the pack is Goodyears Unisteel G614, 12 ply load range G. With a diameter of 30.7 inches in the 235/85/16 size. It is rated to handle 3750lbs. The tire is slightly wider then the XPS and the diameter is closer to the marathon to keep my outfit level. One tenth of a inch shorter, but my quess is that it won,t squish down as much as the marathon 8 ply rated at 3000lbs. The XPS is a costly tire, the G614 even costs quite a bit more then the XPS. But put a price on a tire that you hope you can trust in your travels down the road. With the 3750lb tire at least in a battle I can prove that the tire was rated tough enough to handle my RV,s weight. I contacted several people on this issue from dealers of RV,s to makers of tires and RV,s. One dealer said all of his big new trailers were coming in with the 12 ply G614 tire.
TRACTOR

[JD_Diesel]

Thats a BIG bite for the G614 1250.00 for 4tires plus tax. OOOOOOOUCH. JD

[Tractor]

JD DIESEL
Here in my area the cost is 1100 bucks. Yes I agree that is nuts. But so is the cost of a wreck caused by a blow out. Trailer damage done by a blow out. A blow out in heavy traffic would be rough. That is not saying that the G614 could not have trouble, but I would at least like to think the tire is the best I can find to make a trip enjoyable. Don,t think I can trust a C brand China made tire. In my little mind anyhow. If you find something better please let me know. I have not bought anything yet. That price sure does make a guy think about it for a while.
TRACTOR

[RdTxTd]

Had the goodyear's all started coming apart after six years. can not gripe as there only rated for about three years.

Mike,

Do you recall where you read the three-year rating? I've had my Marathons for 4 years now and am having to replace one because of a puncture. The warranty on GoodYear's web site says the warranty is good for up to 6 years. I know they usually start going bad before the tread is gone. I don't want to replace them sooner than needed, but don't want to wait til they start coming apart either.

Dave

[Inspector]

I hate to think that a Goodyear tire is the only alternative out there. I have had so much trouble with them in the past. I lost one on the first rendezvous trip to Stevensville. Then couldn't get a replacment for the 16.5 tire in Missulla. (Spelling). Tractor knows the story. Then on the trip to Ohio for the Moraine tour on the way back I lost two more. I finally got to Hayes KA. and had to replace all four tires. I at that time replaced the wheels as well and now have 16s on the trailer. I just couldn't find a 16.5 anywhere and thats not good if you are traveling. The damage that the tires caused was paid for by GY thankfully but not without haveing my ducks in a row.
I just got a bad taste in my mouth about Goodyears.
Denny

[OC_DMAX]

Inspector,

Are you referencing the Goodyear Marathon or the Goodyear 614 ? The 614 is a substantially better tire than the Marathon.

[Tractor]

Hey there INSPECTOR.

As I try to come up with a tire decesion, I think of you and all of your GY tire troubles. When we had the get togeather in British Colombia a few years back I had a Marathon blow out on my old fifth wheel just inside the Montana line. So I bought 4 Coopers in Billings. One year later I replaced 1 Cooper due to cracking. The dealer took care of it for me. Nov of 2005. I stoped at Evanston, Wyo for fuel, one of the Marathons on our new fifth [2003model] wheel had a bubble on it the size of a basketball. Did find a tire in Evanston that would work, wanted to save the spare cause still had 450 miles to go to finish my 1,000 day drive from Las Vegas to Sheridan. Later that morning after we got home a snow storm hit our area with all its might. Denny the 614,s are a heavier tire when you pick it up. Have had the other tires along side of it to compare them a little bit. But that price, along with the GY trailer tire troubles that almost all of us have had, has me really trying to think this one out. Seems like that first rendezvous in Misoulla, Mt was only last week doesn,t it. I,ll never forget it.....
TRACTOR

[Inspector]

Tom:
That was surely a great time. The folks that we have met through the Dieselpage have been the best friendships over the years. I can't think of any better people to associate with. When I see the folks that I have met signed in here I see familiar faces and think of the good times we have had together. Jim doesn't realize what he has started (he probably does) with the TDP. Not only is it the best resource for GM diesels but he has brought together the best folks that I would want to be associated with.
Time flys and I do remember the first rendezvous very well.
If you folks out there who haven't had the oppurtunity or the pleasure to attend a rendezvous I highly recommend that you make plans to do so. You will meet some really fine folks with the same interests that you have. Come one come all.
Denny

[tanker]

I too have had a blowout with our 03 trailer tires. While heading West to the Rendezvous in Salt Lake City this past year we stoped in Evanston Wyoming for fuel. The pumps did not have enough room to pull through, so I told Kathy to go back and watch for any vehicles entering the pump area while I backed out. Well before I moved Kathy started pointing and waving not to move. We had a blowout on the left rear trailer tire. The sidewall was ruptured. There was nothing around that suggested I rubbed a curb etc. and the chrome rim was not damaged at all, so I know we did not drive very far on it. After installing the spare we headed to Salt Lake, where I contacted a Goodyear tire shop about a mile from the campground. The following day they had a new tire, mounted it and sent me on the way with only a $10.00 service charge. They said that they never saw a tire that did that, and under examination determined that I did not hit anything. My tires ar Goodyear Wrangler HT LT225/75R16 (E). I now keep a close watch at every stop, not just for inflation, but look for any signs of cracks etc on the side walls. As mentioned above, you don't need a blow out at highway speeds on a heavy trailer.
I also agree with Inspector about the Rendezvous', a great place to meet the nicest people. We have made great friendships, and keep comming back for more.

[JD_Diesel]

After reading some of the reply's about tires . Now I don't no what kind of tires to get. It sounds like there is nothing out there worth getting. JD

[Craig M]

The next step on tires is to go to the 19.5's. This of course means getting new wheels. The 19.5 tires are not much larger thatn the large 16 that have been discussed above. The LT235/85R16 (G) is 30.7" and the 245/75R19.5 is 32.9" The G rated 245/75R19.5 has 4540# capacity single. The 265 G is 5355#. 19.5 is a "big" truck and trailer tire, and ther are many other options than Goodyear.

[OC_DMAX]

JD Diesel,

First, as far as I can tell, no one here has had a specific problem with the Goodyear G614 tire. This line of tire is much more capable than the Marathon line. Most of the problems are with the Marathon tires and Goodyear did make a design change on those tires. Second, RV tires in general (and more specifically, the ST rated tires) all have their problems. Most of these tires have a speed rating of only 65 mph to enable a higher load rating of the tire. A lot of trailer tires are run under inflated, at or above rated load, and above their 65 mph rating. Part of the problem lies with the trailer manufacture for providing no margin in the design. Some of these ST tire are now being imported from China, stay away from those.

My suggestion: Go to this website:

http://www.rv.net


Go to the 5th Wheel and ToyHauler forums. Post a very specific question about the Goodyear 614 line of tires. Do not solicite comments about any other tire (either within the Goodyear line or other manufactures). Then see what answers you get. I suspect you will find virtually no issues with this tire.

Another thing to remember, anyone can pick up a nail on the road, loose inflation, have the tire heat and then blow-out. This will result in damage to the trailer. You need to separate these types of issues from sidewall/tread separations or bulging. This is more related to tire design (but can also be happen when overloading the tire for a given inflation level).

Lastly, go to your Goodyear dealer. Ask to see both the Marathon tire and the G614 tire side-by-side (preferably the same size). Flex the sidewall of the tire. Pick the tire up and see which one weighs the most. One will be like a large truck tire and the other will be like a passenger car tire.

[BozDMAX]

I have the Goodyear G614s on my 5th wheel, which weighs in at about 16K. Seem to wear like iron, with 25K on them now and a lot of miles to go. Only complaint (and it is a very minor one) is the the larger diameter leaves a smaller space in between the tires at the closest point. Makes it a bit awkward to put in a compression-type tire lock when parked for a long time.

I have not so much as even rotated them.

[MIKE WIENER]

Tire life This life span of three years has been Talked about in trailer life mag. As well as told to me by more than one tire person. And by tire person I am not refuring to JR busting them down. The one thing that Goodyear did say Was that the tire will last longer the more it gits used. Mining the oils in the rubber on the surfece are reguvinated by the heat from normal use.

I sould have shead some light on my case. The tralier sat for the first two years. They were coverd but I am not sure that helps every thing. As my tires lost there treid just like a recap. Most of them were holding air after the lost treid.

As was pointed out earlyer alot of these trailers tires are at there wieght limit from the factory.

Mike

[Inspector]

I agree with Howie that tires should be inflated to the load that is required. I am willing to bet that most tires on fivers have to be inflated to there max air pressure to carry the the load of the trailer. The load rating marked on a tire is at max pressure. Some tires don't leave us much margin.
FWIW.
Denny

[RdTxTd]

Based on what others are saying, I've had pretty good luck with my Marathons. They are 4 years old with only about 13K miles on them. No doubt it's due, at least in part, by the fact that they're well under their load limits. They're rated at 2540# each and the weight on my TT axles is usually no more than about 7000#. I always try to keep them at max pressure of 65 psi.

Dave

[Steve Rapp]

I didn't see this mentioned but the balance of a tire is critical! When I had tires put on my trailer a few years back I think the tire monkey forget to balance one of them (could see it hop around in the mirror) and guess which one had a blowout a couple of thousand miles later? To top it off when I had to buy a trailer tire on the road I watched the guy mount and inflate the tire and then head towards the trailer to install it. I asked him did you forget to balance it and he said it wasn't required for a trailer?!? I said it is on this one.
Watch those guys mounting your tires and see how much weight they are using or if they even bothered to remove the old weights. Excessive weights mean that tire may not be real good to start with. Also watch it spin on the balance machine to see if it has a lot of movement. I caught one guy adding weights to one of my wifes tires when I took it in for a rotation and balance for a total of FIVE weights all spaced an inch apart! After going through three trailer tire flats on a long trip I just replaced them every three years. Hard to find a tire NOT made in china anymore, read the sidewall or ask where it is made.