Rednax

I went from ST tires that I did not like to an LT tire (with a narrow tread) that DISCOUNT TIRE did not want to mount for me, as:

- they were not ST
- I was also installing Centramatic balancers

D-T did the mount of the tire to wheel, and the balance on a Hunter-GSP-9700; I then mounted the balancers and wheel/tires in the parking lot (using their jacks).

Comparing the tires I bought to the GYM's most would recommend noted this: The Marathons (an ST tire in 225/75-15; LR-C; 2,600-lbs) had a lot more bulge and sidewall scrub on tight turns on a tandem axle trailer. The YOKOHAMA RY-215 LT tires (LR-D; 2,040-lbs) were of heavier construction. On a lock-to-lock u-turn on a fairly fresh asphalt parking lot the Yoko's exhibited next to no "flex" and simply pivoted on the tread.

I tried the same on a warehouse district concrete road and found things to be the same.

The load rating was the same for both, roughly, and the GYM's were rated for higher weight. But, on this travel trailer, either tire met trailer manufacturer recommendations.

Tire temps never exceeded 125F even on a hot, stop & go 105F Texas day on the highway in late August.

Busboy

"If you put wider tires on the trailer,are you sure the tires aren't too wide for the wheels now?"

Before doing the tire switch I researched the rim sizes and capabilities, The trailer rims are in the size and pressure range for that tire. I personally didn't install the tires as they are mounted on aluminum rims, Costco did them and I don't think Costco would have installed them if there was a problem. I did the spare as it's a steel rim.

"You put bigger tires on the truck, and smaller tires on the trailer, does your trailer sit level now? If not, that can cause some mishandleing issues itself. Just a thought.

DuaneW."

The truck tires are almost 2 inches bigger in diameter than the original so that raised the truck almost 1 inch. The trailer tires were about 1/2 inch bigger diameter as the originals and wider. So less than 3/4 inch difference overall and the trailer does sit level.

I think the problem is the truck, I drove it yesterday and it's definitely not the same truck as before the tire change. I will do the 1500Km trip and report back.

Very interesting comments on LT Vs ST tires. It's obvious I sit in the LT camp. but I am willing to hear all suggestions and opinions.

bczolone

I don't know if it's the laws or it's fact, but I spent ten years working for a company in the ag business and we had litterally hundreds of spreaders, tenders, NH3 tanks, mobile pumps and of course flat bed equipment trailers and we had our own shop.

ALL trailers had trailer tires, ALL the time.

All of this equipment was towed on the highway and sometimes for many miles, often maxed out.

That's what sticks in my mind because they never replaced any of the tires with vehicle rated tires.

I'm adding this I found on one of my RV forums...I admit now; I don't know it all .

"I said I would report what response I got from Cooper Tires on the ST vs LT issue. Here goes. Cooper sent me an email with a phone number to call. The customer service rep at the number put me on hold and got a gentleman to talk to me who has years of experience actually building the tires and is a trailerist, also. Yes, there is a definite difference between Cooper LT and ST tires.
However, it is not a "safety" difference as long as the load rating is correct for your trailer's gross weight when towed. Both ST and LT tires can be safely used for trailers. The difference in construction is this: Cooper ST tires are basically a tire that combines passenger car tire construction techniques, with heavy duty truck tire fabric and cord materiels. This results in an ST tire having a high LT type load rating with the lower air pressure requirements and soft, shock absorbing sidewalls of a passenger tire. There is also extra UV inhibitors and oils added to the rubber to help in storage. This is much easier on the suspension and other components of the trailer on bumpy roads than the stiff sidewalls and higher air pressure of the LT tires. As far as tire safety is concerned, he stated that is up to the trailerist and how he maintains the tires, keeping the proper air pressure in the tires, and choosing the correct load rating. He stated LT tires have an advantage because of the larger choice of tread patterns and number of sizes available to choose from to suit the conditions you are towing in, such as snow, unimproved roads, etc. He also stated that it is imperative to not allow the trailer to rest on the tires in the same spot for months at a time in the off-season. This causes the fabric cords in the tire to take on a flat "set" which can then cause some of them to actually break apart when you next take the trailer out on the highway. This can cause complete tire failure. He stated the best thing to do is to store the trailer on jacks with the tires in the air, or removed completely. This last information was of concern to me since I only have "stabilizing" jacks and cannot lift the trailer enough to take the load off the tires without serious effort. At any rate, that is what Cooper Tires has to say on this subject."

P Kennedy

Busboy lets look at some real tire facts for "our" location. Alberta has some of the highest UV indexes on sunny days in the continent but for shorter periods of time than down South. Our temperatures are extreme -40f to +95F but again both are usually short term and not continuous. We travel on roads that are good to extreme poor quality (mountain granite gravel) on straight to mega twisty in the back hills. A lot of this depends on what you use your trailer for and where you go to play. 5000 miles per year is high milage on most RV's, compare this tire use to Hotshot trailers in tandem/single, tandem/dual and the same in tridem/single and dual. Take a look at what they run for tires as they will on a regular daily basis out twist/turn, load/overload, travel at high speed & various terrains and road surfaces 20k to 80k miles per year average. Lets look at what you have installed, semi-open tread design which allows give in cold weather for grip, softer sidewall for good ride and increased footprint and whether on a truck or trailer they are designs to "move". If you can't adjust to the feeling take them off but they will outlive those fancy ST's in this part of the country. RV trailer's have high failure rates due to several other reasons than being an LT or ST, #1 improper inflation, #2 improper speed (ST 65mph 105 kph), #3 improper alignment all of which generate excess sidewall heat which most don't monitor closely while traveling. Closed rib tread designs generate less heat and scrub than open grip design's because of less tread flex. #4 most RV trailers with high tire failure rates are also subject to oversprung trailer suspensions leaving the tire sidewall to do the work for them= heat. Do a survey while traveling a 4 lane road traveling next to different trailers and you will see this for yourself. The squishy feeling on singles wheels with those tires will not go away but you can get used to it. The chance that you will break an aluminum rim vs bend a steel rim in a 90 degree pivot with a trailer is even less likely as hotshot and stock trailer are subject to this abuse steady. The weight distribution front to rear on your truck also makes a big difference in handling combined with sidewall flex. Watch your speed, feel your sidewalls/hubs with your hand and check pressures before each trip = no blown tires 20+years. OhOh here it comes.........You can't???????

Busboy

Interesting what Cooper had to say on the subject, especially saying that an ST tire has softer sidewalls than an LT tire. I had heard before that one of the differences was that an ST tire had UV protectant in the rubber.

The Michelin MS tires are not new to me I have used them for around 8 years with no problems. What is new is the larger tire size I installed on the truck and the wider tire I installed on the trailer. I inflate my tires regularly and before each trip towing. I also use aluminum valve caps that seal and carry an infrared heat gun in my glove box all the time to check tire, hub and brake temps. Maybe a little over the top on safety but that comes from a lifetime of safety first.

The only blown tires I've had to deal with, and there have been a lot of them over the years, have been 32 ply airplane tires some on "true 18 wheelers" B747s. Busboy comes from "Airbus" and the safety thing comes from over 36 years in the biz before retirement 5 years ago. So...... YES I can.

P Kennedy

Sounds like you have a great experience foundation to work with so just carry on. I have since sold the 2500 and replaced it with a dually as my lightest trailer empty combined with the truck is 14600 lbs. The dually takes away the squishy feeling but I put 254k on the 01 40% trailer towing. I don't own anything with ST tires due to trouble with them. Take note of the number of people on Hwy #2 traveling at speeds way above their skill/experience level and ST tires.......that makes me way more uncomfortable than the great LT debate ever will.

Busboy

My truck is now used for towing only and I may just go to a dually. My father in-law traded up to a dually about 4 years ago and loves it but he lives on a farm. He said the dually makes a big difference especially in cross wind conditions. This trailer was the only thing I own with ST tires that's why I changed them out. The strange thing is.. it wasn't like this until I changed them. I have a fifth wheel car hauler with LT tires I should hook up and just take for a drive and see how that is now but it's buried at the moment. Camping trip coming up so I'll see if they do "settle out" as a few have suggested.

Bill1374

The only trailer tires I've had blowouts with have been ST tires. All on interstates at 65 mph or less. When I moved up to a Newmar Kountry Star fifth, it came with Goodyear Wranglers LT series. Since running the LT tires, I no longer have trailer tire problems.

Bill

Busboy

Just thought I'd update the situation. The camping trip went great but I had to drive with one elbow on the door and the other one on the middle seat back folded down or the truck and trailer were all over the place. It is definitely the truck as I had my 5ver flat deck out the other night with a ford 4x4 on it and it was the same thing.
Today I removed the front wheels and installed a couple of rims and LT245/75R16 tries, the change was immediate the moment I drove it. The truck felt and handled like the way it should. So the new LT 265/75R16 are coming off the truck and I'm going to use the new LT245/75R16 tires I installed on the trailer, then buy new LT235/85R16 tires for the trailer.

I read about people on here installing much bigger tires than the 265's on their trucks without handling problems so I honestly don't know? What I do know is stock works..

NJMurvin

I run ST tires now on 15" rims. Next time around, I plan to change rims to 16" and run LT tires (if they will fit). You can get the load ratings for the LTs. Make sure the ratings match the trailer's weight. I think the tires I have on now are load range E and are so stiff, the drawers in my kitchen rattle open by the time I get to my destination. I'm hoping the LTs will be a bit softer.

PCM

Another vote here for LT tires on the trailer. We switched out trialer tires from 15" ST to 16" rims with BFGoodrich Commercial T/A tires.
We made that decesion after reading countless posts on one of the RV forums. The problems that people report with ST tires are endless.
Despite putting about 4k miles on our unloaded fifth wheel rv, we didn't want to take any chances with the ST tires.
Very happy with the upgrade. pcm

Bill M.

I am not reccomending LT tires across the board for a trailer. But my trailer has 15" wheels, and the Goodyear Marathon tires in that size have an awful record, as best I can tell. They just blow up sometimes. And they sometimes take a chunk of trailer with them when they go. The owner always says "I must have let it get low". Yeah, right. These guys check their air everymorning and run air pressure sensors and drive 60 still one friend had 3 blowouts out of 4 tires in 3 years. Another blew a tire on the interstate on his first trip in his new trailer. Michlien only makes trailer tires in 16" and larger.
I personally mounted a set of Michlien LT tires on my trailer. I have driven these approximately30000 miles in the last 2 years, including a trip to Alaska and back. They never loose air, they pull great, and I feel safe. The supposedly thin sidewalls held up to rocks and gravel fine. We drove about 1000 miles on gravel (and some mud). It was nice to have real traction and a soft ride on the trailer. Friends with the ST tires lost shelves and tables and refrigerator shelves in the trailer on that road I have a trip planned that goes through Alberta and I am just going to try to sneak through. I will skip Alberta instead of changing tires if it comes to that.

Busboy

Why skip Alberta? It's a beautiful province, lots to see and do. I have always used LT tires on ALL my trailers RV, flatdecks and utility and NEVER had any problems. Gravel is hard on tires but we do have some paved roads.

ghenges

The Michelin LTX is a great trailer tire. A true heavy duty tire.
The 235/85R16 LRE tire weighs 55.8 pounds, 10 to 15 pounds heavier than the average 235/85R16 tire.

http://www.michelinrvtires.com/miche...read=XPS%20RIB

cLAYH

I talked to my commercial tire rep from Kal Tire about this. He said there are no laws in Alberta prohibiting using LT tires on a trailer PROVIDED they meet the weight ratings for that axle. Meaning that since you cann't get a LT tire heavier than an "E" rating(#3400), you couldn't mount an LT tire on a 7000# rated axle. Even if you aren't loading your trailer to the max they still won't pass it on a commercial inspection.

Now if you have axles 6000# or less in rating then you are ok. The Kal Tire rep says they pass trailers on commercial inspections all the time with LT tires as long as they meet the weight rating for the axle. He says he sells more LT tires for trailers than STs as most of his customers haul off paved surfaces and ST just don't last.

Contray to what I earlier posted, he does recommend STs for RV trailers though as he says the sidewalls are SOFTER and give a better ride and most RVers don't stray off pavement very much.