RobG

I have a 38' Keystone Raptor 5th wheel (triple axle). It came with ridiculous 225/75-15 Load Range D tires. All six of them delaminated within the first thousand miles. I replaced them with radial Load Range E's. Since then, one of those has blown, taking two more tires with it and destroying one wheel and damaging two others. Insurance is repairing the damage and the wheels, but won't touch the tires. I'm working with Les Schwab (where I got the replacements from) to get new tires.

BUT... I dunno if I want to go back to 15's at this point. I'm thinking 16's are the way to go.

The problem is... in order to fit the best 16" tire (235/85-16), I will need at least a 3" lift on the trailer, thanks to Keystone's undersizing of the stock tires.

The only smaller-size tire that will fit without a lift, that has at least as good a load rating (or better) than what I have now, is 245/75-16. But tire shops tell me this tire is too wide for a trailer, due to the tire scrubbing when turning. I wonder if it's really a big deal, given that most manufacturers are using a 235-wide tire. What's another 10mm??

One thing is for sure... I want a real, LT type tire. No more trailer tires. No more off brands.

Thoughts?

Rob

mrclean

At this point, I'd be wondering why it's eating tires.........six E-rated trailer tires, even 15", should be more than sufficient for that amount of weight. 16" LT tires may help, or may not. Before you spend a pile of cash on tires and wheels, I'd be looking to make sure there's no underlying problem with the wagon......

Jim W

I have some questions for you.
One: What air pressure are you running in the tires when you tow?
Two: How often do you check your air pressure?
Three: Do you use a heat gun to check tire temperatures when towing? And if you do what is the tire temperatures?
Four: What is the wear pattern on your tires? Do these look normal, if not the axles could be the problem. Or you are over loading the trailer.
Five: Have you weighted the trailer with a full load in it? What is the weight?
Six: What is the brand of your tires?
Jim

CoastalDav

You've got an expensive problem. What you need to do is get a set of 16" aluminum rims made to handle 110psi and 3700lbs.

Best Price is here; http://www.tredit.com/ Part number TR466582HD These are 8 lug, 8 on 6.5. Was around $120.00 each last I checked.

Install Goodyear ST235x80x16 Load Range G tires or another load range G of your choosing. G tires will accept up to 110psi. There is a chart you can use to custom inflat the tires to match the axle loads. So you may only need 85 psi to meet your load. Its my opinion that Goodyear is the best way to go even though Michelin has a tire that will do the same thing. 235x85x16 XPS Rib. Difference being if you have a blow out and it tears the trailer up, Michelin don't care, Goodyear will accept a claim and 95% of the time pay for the damages caused by the blowout. Tredit also has the tires. Tredit is the OEM tire people in Indiana for the trailer manufacturers.

Goodyear G's are 30.7" in Diameter. Your tires should be around 29" so they might fit.

I can't believe they put Load Range D tires on that rig. If its a Tri Axle well maybe. I had a similar problem with mine when it was new. Had D's on it as well.

Check you axle ratings. Make sure they are correct for the Max GVW. Also, You'll need 8 lug drums with 9/16" studs for the above rim for a 16" rim. If disc then check with the manufacturer.

Have the axles alligned to be sure your not dragging a tire off center down the road which builds heat quick and will blow out.

RobG

The problem I have is directly related to crap tires. The trailer came with Carlisles, which delaminated. My ONLY choice for new tires on the return trip was more Carlisle crap, but at least they were E's and not D's.

I check my tire pressures before each trip (because they're alway down 8-10 psi), and then daily during the trip. I do use an infrared temp gun on the hubs and across the tread, and also on my truck. Temps are always within a couple degrees of one another across the tread surface, and are usually warmer on whichever side the sun is on (of course).

I've found lots of 6-lug 16" wheels, so I don't need to switch hubs. This trailer isn't worth that much. f I had the option, the trailer would be gone in an instant. I'm fed up with these things, they're ALL crap as far as I'm concerned. I want to go back to a Lance camper, OR, a large diesel pusher motorhome that uses 22.5" tires.

Oh, to continue... wear pattern, there is none. The current tires are only down 2/32's from new so no pattern has yet developed. I'm fairly sure the recent blowout is due to California's crap roadways as much as or more than the tire. But I want a beefier tire that will stand up to that better.

I also do weigh the trailer regularly, and I've always been within my axle and tire ratings.

I appreciate the input; but what I was looking for was input about the 245 width versus 235 or whatever.

Rob

CoastalDav

I hear ya, so look at the Michelin 245 seris XPS Rib tires. That is the best LT tire for a trailer. Never seen one of them blow out. I'm sure it happens, just never heard of it yet. ST's (Trailer) have softer side walls for the turns.

Wyoming Geezer

Rob,I had the same problem on my little 30' Holiday 5th. Lost 2 of the originals (Goodyear Wranglers) 6 months old. replaced all, lost 1 more next year. Got a tip on BFG Commercial LT22575R16LR-E. No more problems. Been on for 6 years/40k miles. Tread still great, small cracks on sidewalls. Will replace in the next week or so before we start back out (still getting snow here). I'll never use anything but these BFGs unless I find something better.

nkennedy

I lost a couple of GoodYear Wranglers on my fifth too. Replaced with Michelin LTX, and no more problems.

rebal

I have had bad luck with less schwab trailer tires I think there some kind of china made tire I have had better luck with there TOYO brand LTs I have been running Goodyear RST 235/85-16 LRG and have been real happy with them But you would need a set of wheels to handle the psi (110) on the other TT I have 15" and installed a set of MAXXIS tires and there doing real good. seems like all the sitting that trailers do is real hard on tires. we have 1 trailer thats out on the road every day and give the least trouble ,just flats

MX429

Michelin XPS Rib tires. They are the best thing that you can put on there. They are a solid steel construction tire and they are even rated to be re treaded!! I had tire problema on my trailer until I went with them. Worth the money.

DJM

The tire wear several of you have described is abnormal. Providing an arm chair diagnosis is just a theory based upon personal experiences. I would check the alignment of the trailer axle(s). I've been hauling rv's & boats across the country for the last 3 years and have made many cross country crossings without any issues. About 9 months ago a dealer in Spokane educated me about the axle and tire problem. I was hauling a brand new 33 ft boat on a new tri axle trailer. All six tires, new when I left bangor maine, were worn and about to pop. The axles on the trailer shifted appx an inch out of alignment and as a result the were not traveling down the road as they should have, but were slightly crocked and wore out.

The tire dealer used a very unsophisticated device to show me the problem. A string attached to the rear of the trailer to the center of the axle, He marked the string and checked the other side and we could see clearly the axle was out of alignment.

So just my humble 2 cents and something to check out.

RobG

I would love to use the XPS Ribs... but holy crap they're $110 more each over the BFG Commercials. The BFGs look like a good way to go, since I don't have another $700+. I'm not even sure if I can find the funds to upgrade to the BFGs. I may just have to deal with the stock crap tires for the time being.

Thanks a bunch for the recommendations. I'm having the repair shop check the axle alignment as a precaution.

Rob

hamilton71801

I had a Goodyear blow on me a couple of years ago and replaced all 4 with Maxxis ST's. I did an extensive research and found that these were highly recommended on RV.net.

Pull Ya

If you can't afford to buy better tires than I would suggest buying a really good jack and drive slower---and I hope that i'm never beside you when you blow another tire. IMO "most" trailer tires a dangerous and will eventally lead to damage of your or someone elses property or someone getting injured. A couple of the tires that have been suggested are the best you can buy, although your right, they are not cheap.
Jay

J&L

I have over 800k towing commercially with several different size flatdeck trailers. However those miles were in the '70s and '80s. And yeah, we had trouble with ST (trailer tires) back then also. Bad trouble. Its not your trailer axle issues most likely but just poor quality designed/manufactured tires IMO. Their very suspect to heating from loads and interstate speeds. Their 65 mph restricted and get very hot when operated over those speeds even with max sidewall pressures which are recommended.

I carried two spares on all five of my trailers. Thankfully a Goodyear truck tire dealer that had been prorating my shredded ST tires suggested I go with LT tires. Boy did that save lots of down time on the road changing ruined tires. And saved me bucks.

My present 11200 GVWR 5er came with brand new ST225/75-15 D Marathons. I will not use a ST tire so a visit to my tire dealer, with four 16" trailer wheels I bought from a equiment trailer manufacture in my area, and had LT215/85-16 E BFG Commercial mounted. Four 215/85 gave me 10720 lbs of capacity which is great on 5200 lb axles. The tires are DOT dated '03 and well over 60k miles. Zero issues but will probably swap them out next year.

Six LT215/85-16 E or the 225/75-16 would be 16080 lbs of tire capacity for your tripple axle unit. I personally like the narrow 85/ series tire for a trailer.

Make the move to LT tires and you sure won't regret it.