Yeah, we made the mistake of looking at some tires today. Had to go spend some money.
We figured the trailer's are now 3 years old, and we didn't want to take our chances any longer with the china made ST's. All the horror stories we here about them blowing out, just didn't sit well any more. Especially where we like to drive a little faster than most, and these tires are rated for 106 mph. Whereas an ST tire is only rated for 60 or so. I know we won't be going 100 mph with the trailers, but at least we can feel more comfortable going 70-72 mph.
The old ones were D rated 225/75/15 ST's, & We went with the C rated 30/9.50/15 LT's, and they're rated for 1985 lbs per tire. We know after weighing the trailers that the axle weight is only 5900 lbs, and i don't beleive we'll ever overload them. We have tire enough for 8k lbs, so we should be good.
My dad's tire shop made us a good deal at $92 each, and with both trailers it came to $950 OTD. This price also included 8 other tires being swapped out for our old ST's, which is another reason we took the plunge.
Figured we'd kill 3 birds with 1 stone sort-o-speak, and put the takeoffs on our 3 other flatbed trailers that needed tires. Worked out pretty good, since we don't use the other trailers as much nor do they carry much weight.
Went for a little test pull on the freeway tonight, and they seem to ride much smoother. They handle the bumps much better, and it seems as though i may need to re adjust my brake contoller. The new tires seem to grab better than the old ones did. Rolling resistance seems to have improved a little as well.
My brother's trailer ( same tires & trailer ) had already replaced one tire last year due to it being out around. Just happened to notice it, so he put the spare on.
Got all the old tires mounted on the flatbed yesterday, and noticed one tire had seperated. So we had to dismount it, and buy another used tire.
What a POS tire they are. Nankang ST 225/75/15 D rated china made tire.
It was kind of funny how my brother's trailer had 2 bad ones, but yet mine didn't. My trailer is in the sun, where his is in the shade all day.
Go figure.
I think we dodged the bullet on this though. Had we not have replaced them, our lake powell trip next month could have been disasterous. Would not have been pretty, especially with the boat behind the 5er.
Thanks to this forum, and other's i think we made the right decision to getter done now.
Let us know if the new tires affect mpg. After reading some of the tire posts have gotten a bit paranoid and may be looking for new tires myself. Now I take a flashlight and check the inside sidewalls after each tow. Weird I know but can't help it.
Let us know if the new tires affect mpg. After reading some of the tire posts have gotten a bit paranoid and may be looking for new tires myself. Now I take a flashlight and check the inside sidewalls after each tow. Weird I know but can't help it.
I don't know if it will affect mpg or not; i hope so. I know my dad gets the same or better with a 2k lb heavier 5th wheel, of which he's been running LT's on his. So we'll see how it goes, and i'll be sure to let you know.
You 'should' be paranoid if you're running those china made POS tires. There's nothing wierd at all about what you're doing. You're a huge step ahead of most who don't even look at them.
You also need to look at the tread; as to look for a seperated tire or cracking as well. A seperated tire kind of looks like you locked up the brakes, and so it'll have a flat spot. But, the flat spot will be un-even and on a slope.
Usually when you'll have a problem, is on the way home from a trip as usually most people ( including myself ) don't check the psi at that time. And most of the time, it's on the passenger side. Simply because it's more prone for picking up nails on the side of the road, and hitting curbs etc..
Last edited by Only Toyota for me; 06-07-2009 at 11:55 PM.
Reason: spell check
Well I just dropped $700 for 4 Carlisle E rated tires and got rid of the D tires my trailer came with, those were Mission tires. 2 blowouts in 3 years??? WTF and not from nails, both cases the tread just separated from the tire. The second time, lots of damage under the slide-out. And I had checked pressures.
It seems like everything comes from China.
If I have ANY problems with these, I'll get 5 16" wheels and go for LT 10 ply tires, either BFG or Michelin.
__________________ [Tundra Bay]
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Man you guys got me concerned about my tires now. My camper will be 2 yrs old this july and I checked the tires yesterday and they look fine, so I should be OK for 1 more year, I hope.
Well I just dropped $700 for 4 Carlisle E rated tires and got rid of the D tires my trailer came with, those were Mission tires. 2 blowouts in 3 years??? WTF and not from nails, both cases the tread just separated from the tire. The second time, lots of damage under the slide-out. And I had checked pressures.
It seems like everything comes from China.
If I have ANY problems with these, I'll get 5 16" wheels and go for LT 10 ply tires, either BFG or Michelin.
$700 ? Wow, that's a lot of money for ST's. We paid $450 per trailer including 8 other dismounts and mounts plus we balanced the LT's. But the problem you would have is, they DO NOT make an LT in a 8 or 10 ply in the 15" size. That's why we had to go with a 6-ply; but with our axle weight only being 6k lbs we're okay. They're rated for 1985 lbs per tire times 4.
You on the other hand, would not be okay ( if i remember right ). I think your axle weight was more, so a 6-ply wouldn't be the wise choice.
I don't understand why trailer makers put 15" tires on anyway. Jeez, my uncle just bought a 10k ULVW 5er that's running them. How stupid.
Yeah, i think you'd be wise to step up to 16" and go that route.
P.S. Finally got on the rv.net bandwagon over there. I assume you know who i am over there? I've been wanting to stir the pot for you for some time now.
Man you guys got me concerned about my tires now. My camper will be 2 yrs old this july and I checked the tires yesterday and they look fine, so I should be OK for 1 more year, I hope.
You should be concerned about them. From the info i've gotten on various forums and such anyway.
Hopefully you'll be okay; just be sure to baby them and run at max psi ALL the time. It seems like most blowouts happen on the way home, simply because most people don't check the psi at that time. And it usually happens on the passenger side.
How heavy is your trailer, and what's the axle weight?
I'd highly recomend going to an LT if possible when the time comes. My brother found an out around tire LAST YEAR, and the trailer was 2 years old then. And this year a seperated tire; nice POS tires they were.
Carlisle Tire Class Action Lawsuit Move Flattened by Judge
Two Michigan men requesting to take their lawsuit against Carlisle Tires to the level of a class action matter have had their hopes popped. A U.S. District Court judge ruled last week that there were "no common legal issues," that would justify the action. The attorneys for the men feel there are, citing over 100 similar complaints to federal regulators regarding tire failure.
A quick review of the website e-opinions shows plenty of unsatisfied Carlisle trailer tire buyers. Describing them as "unreliable," "cheap," and "dangerous," 11 out of 12 reviewers recommended trailer tire buyers shy away from purchasing this brand.
One RVer told us he purchased a new travel trailer equipped with Carlisle tires, and in rapid succession, three of the four tires blew. In each case, the company sent him a replacement tire, some even after the expiration of the tire warranty. After the fourth tire blew, our reader told us he simply had lost confidence in them and switched brands.
You should be concerned about them. From the info i've gotten on various forums and such anyway.
Hopefully you'll be okay; just be sure to baby them and run at max psi ALL the time. It seems like most blowouts happen on the way home, simply because most people don't check the psi at that time. And it usually happens on the passenger side.
How heavy is your trailer, and what's the axle weight?
I'd highly recomend going to an LT if possible when the time comes. My brother found an out around tire LAST YEAR, and the trailer was 2 years old then. And this year a seperated tire; nice POS tires they were.
My trailer when loaded is approx 8500lbs. gawr for each axle is 5080lbs. I have those mission 225/75/15 tires and you guessed it, made in china.
My trailer when loaded is approx 8500lbs. gawr for each axle is 5080lbs. I have those mission 225/75/15 tires and you guessed it, made in china.
Go get it weighed so you know how much ACTUAL trailer axle weight you have, then you'll know what tire you'll need.
If it's a 5er, you'll have about 6800 lbs on both axles but if it's a TT then you'll have more. Of course you really should weigh it loaded for camping so you can get a worse case scenario.
If you have any more axle weight than 6800, i'd be upgrading to 16" wheels and going that route. The LT, C rated tire i have is only rated for 1985 lbs per tire, so you'd want a little more tire if you're over.
If i had only 3 tires, it would max my tires out on capacity with 5900 axle weight. But i have 4, and i think i'll be good. You see, you don't figure in the pin weight as it's riding on the truck tires.
There is an E rated 15" ST tire. Unfortunately Carlisle. Made in China.
Anyone understand why it is recommended only to use trailer rated tires, not LT tires, on a trailer?
I've heard it's bad for an LT to sit too long without being used. May have less sidewall flex with an ST, and i think this is the case for me. While turning the rear tire really stretches out more than with the ST's. Which might say an ST slides better and has less traction as well.
I also know that ST's are not DOT approved like an LT, and it is illegal to put an ST on a vehicle. Just from this info, you'd have better braking, handling, traction, stability, ride quality, less failure rate, and higher speed rating.
It seems as though i do have better braking, and the rolling resistance seems better. Handling is yet to be determined, until next week when i hook up the boat behind. Haven't towed the trailer enough yet to say with just the trailer, but it seems it may have improved a little.
Failure rate? Well, 2 bad tires on a 3 year old trailer i'd say is a poor failure rate for the ST's. But from what i've read, three years is quite common.
I just can't beleive how much the braking has improved; i actually have to turn down my controller.
Be ready for an update when we get back from lake powell at the end of the month.
Go get it weighed so you know how much ACTUAL trailer axle weight you have, then you'll know what tire you'll need.
If it's a 5er, you'll have about 6800 lbs on both axles but if it's a TT then you'll have more. Of course you really should weigh it loaded for camping so you can get a worse case scenario.
If you have any more axle weight than 6800, i'd be upgrading to 16" wheels and going that route. The LT, C rated tire i have is only rated for 1985 lbs per tire, so you'd want a little more tire if you're over.
If i had only 3 tires, it would max my tires out on capacity with 5900 axle weight. But i have 4, and i think i'll be good. You see, you don't figure in the pin weight as it's riding on the truck tires.
Yeah I have a TT, will have to get it weighed when loaded to get an actual weight. Got a trip to DC this month, 410 miles one way and gonna have tires on the mind for the whole trip.
Well; update on the tandom experience with the new LT's.
Everything went well, and there was not much difference in sway but it seemed to take the higher speeds when passing better.
We set up camp in a spot in the sand where it was tough getting out. The sand was very deep and loose, so we had to lower all the tires to 20 psi to get out. Hooked up to the 5er with one tundra, and hooked the other tundra to it and hammered down. You should have heard the sound of that; it was sweet sounding from what i was told. Imagine 2 tundra's with magnaflow exhaust at full throttle in 4-lo redlined in first, then tap into 2nd when we gained momentum. It was badazz to say the least. You should have heard all the cheers with the audience on the beach. It was sweet.
New LT Yokahama HTS for the 5er
, I hope.
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