Tire advice

ggrvguy · 03-22-2019, 09:02 AM

I'm thinking of buying 4 new trailer tires for this season. They are 175/80r13. I'm finding a wide range of prices on the internet, but haven't called any local dealers yet. Years ago, I remember one brand that came on some new campers that were nothing but trouble, but I can't remember the brand. Any particular junk I should stay away from? I hope to put on a lot of miles in the next few years after I retire in 2020. I would like some opinions, please.

Gary G

Viking · 03-22-2019, 09:42 AM

Don't know if they come in a 13 inch size, but the Goodyear Endurance trailer tires are made in the USA and have a very good speed rating. That is what I bought for my T2499 last year.

BenB · 03-22-2019, 04:45 PM

Carlisle Radial Trail HD is a good one that comes in 13" diameter. Have the 13" on our popup and 15" on our Sunline.

**JohnB** · 03-23-2019, 08:29 PM

Hi Gary,

A few things to check and make sure on tires regardless of brand for trailer tires on campers.

1. On tandem axle trailers, weigh all 4 wheels fully loaded with camping gear and the WD hitch engaged. Find the heaviest wheel. Add a minimum of 20% extra load carrying capacity to the heaviest wheel. Then all 4 tires are to be equal to or larger load carrying capacity. The turning of tandem axle or triple axle creates a lot of internal stresses in a tire trying to tear the tire apart. By increasing the load capacity, it helps reduce the stresses.

2. The tires should be inflated to to max cold side wall pressure at the start of every towing day. They need that pressure to help lower the stress from turning.

3. Every year before the season starts, do a tire inspection including a free spin test to look for out of round tires, bulges, cracks in the tread and side walls.

4. The 5 year mark is a good recommendation to not exceed in trailer tire life due to the use trailer tires get.

5. Cover your tires from the sunlight when the camper is stored, if you use fabric type covers, pick white or light colors vs dark, black colors. The sun and heat start breaking them down just sitting there.

6. Do not exceed the speed rating of the tire. Many ST tires are at 65 mph. Some of the newer trailer tires are rated higher.

7. Consider adding a tire pressure monitor system to the camper, especially if you plan on a lot of traveling.

As to brands, many people have had good and bad luck in recent years on trailers tires. If they never had a failure, well they are good too them. If they had blowouts, they are not good. It is hard to pinpoint trailer tire failures and folks need to do their part in proper care/maintenance, not overload them, and try to avoid road hazards, pot holes, curbs etc.

That said, I have found from my research and personal use into this, for ST trailer tires, these 3 brands and models (only) have better than most life when applied/used correctly.

1. The Maxxis ST Radial M8008.

2. The Carlisle Radial Trail HD.

3. The new Goodyear Endurance tire if they are available in your size and weight range.

I was very specific with the brand and the model of tire and I would not deviate outside that model in those brands.

Both Carlisle and Goodyear have had issues in the past on ST tires, however the current day ones they have helped the issues by redesigning the tire to overcome the problems of the past. Maxxis has not been totally clean either, however better than many others.

Also, balancing the tires is helpful in sustaining tire and suspension life.

I also have no issues and are using LT truck tires that are rated for suitable trailer use by the manufacturer on a trailer trailer. Again sized, used and maintained correctly. In your case I think your tire size may eliminate that this option.

Hope this helps

John

**Sunline Fan** · 03-24-2019, 07:53 PM

I don't believe the Goodyear Endurance comes in any 13" sizes now. The old Marathon used to, but those were discontinued.

ggrvguy · 03-25-2019, 10:38 AM

Thanks for the input. I heard that Carlisle was a decent brand and they seem readily available. Most of the other brands I've seen, I don't recognize and suspect they maybe Foreign junk.
Gary G

**JohnB** · 03-25-2019, 08:54 PM

Hi Gary,

Yes the "new" design Carlisle Radial Trail HD tires is a winner over what they had before. Prior to that redesign (now about I think 5 to 6 years ago) the Carlisle trailer tires had some large issues and had a real bad rap about them. But the latest HD design is holding up with some run time run time in years on them.

HurleyMan · 03-28-2019, 02:53 PM

I have MISSION tires. They were horrible and just blew off one right after the other. They cam e on the trailer and started having issues within the first 2 years and maybe 1,500 miles at most. They have all been replaced with Goodyear Marathon which has since been discontinued and replaced with Goodyear Endurance. The Marathons have been great so I can only imagine the Endurance are likely even better or at least that is the buzz I hear everywhere. Unfortunately I don't know that you can get them in your size.

I see a couple people recommending Carlisle. I've had them on other equipment and they served me well also. I just haven't had them on a travel trailer.

ggrvguy · 04-17-2019, 10:03 AM

I found a good deal on some Carlisle trail HD that some recommended. But they're load Range D instead of C. Common sense is telling me that a heavier tire would be better, right? Assuming the wheels are rated for that load, is it better to run heavier tires? I know they should be inflated to max pressure but will they ride a lot different with higher air pressure and heavier sidewalls?
Gary G

HurleyMan · 04-17-2019, 02:49 PM

A higher load range is a good thing. They will have better sidewall construction. It might even cause your trailer to track better.

**JohnB** · 04-17-2019, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ggrvguy

I found a good deal on some Carlisle trail HD that some recommended. But they're load Range D instead of C. Common sense is telling me that a heavier tire would be better, right? Assuming the wheels are rated for that load, is it better to run heavier tires? I know they should be inflated to max pressure but will they ride a lot different with higher air pressure and heavier sidewalls?
Gary G

I looked up the tires you mentioned. https://www.carlislebrandtires.com/o...adial-trail-hd

The ST175/80R13's at C load range are 1,360# at 50psi.

On D load range, 1,570# at 65 psi.

The jump to D's adds about 15% more tire capacity.

The goal is to get the heaviest loaded tire on the camper, you must scale it to know, to have at least 20% excess load capacity to help ward off interply shear failures from turning with tandem axles. There are only so many ways to do that, less weight in the camper or more tire capacity.

If you are looking at the D's for extra reserve/excess tire capacity, and not to actually add extra weight above the trailers weight ratings, then it can help.

One jump in tire load range size normally is not that noticeable from my experiences. Jumping many load range sizes larger could be.

On my T310SR camper, I went from ST225/75R15's LRD to LT225/75R16's LRE to gain extra load capacity. And then after the first LT's had issues, I jumped one step further to an all steel tire in the same 16" size. Side walls and tread area have steel reinforcement and they are very stiff sidewalls.

I have not noticed any negative effects while towing. I also happen to have shock absorbers and a rubber equalizers. But I had them in place starting with the original ST sizes too. Those upgrades I could feel a shift in better stability, but not due to the tires.

On a smaller note, I have friends running D load range on ST205/75R15's in place of their original C load range on their Sunline and they have not reported towing handling issues.

Hope this helps

John

HurleyMan · 04-18-2019, 06:08 PM

The truth is that you can't go wrong with tires of a higher load rating. D's are better than C's. It's just better and safer. Let me break it down for you like this. I once had a girlfriend. She had C's and she was alright but then I got a new girlfriend and she had D's. The end! The moral of this story is that you can upgrade but once you've had better, you'll never go back.

**Sunline Fan** · 04-18-2019, 10:30 PM

My ‘97 is now running ST205/75/R15D, while the originals were C. That’s just how the Goodyear Endurance are rated, higher than their old Marathon.

I can’t say I noticed any difference in how they perform. Running them at 65 vs 50 before. I also can’t say I noticed much of a difference in tire weight when I had them mounted, so I don’t think the D tire is much stiffer in this case.

ggrvguy · 04-19-2019, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HurleyMan

The truth is that you can't go wrong with tires of a higher load rating. D's are better than C's. It's just better and safer. Let me break it down for you like this. I once had a girlfriend. She had C's and she was alright but then I got a new girlfriend and she had D's. The end! The moral of this story is that you can upgrade but once you've had better, you'll never go back.

OK, I'm ordering the D's, based on HurleyMan's analogy of his girlfriend

and everyone else's advice.

Gary G