OK, we see they are Maxxis. Sunline did install that brand as standard tires in 2004. I have had 2 sets of them on the camper and 1 set on my flat deck trailer.
I will say this, those tires have internal degradation even if you cannot see it on the outside. Due to age, odds are not in your favor they will hold up once you start loading the camper and taking long hauls down the hi-way. 5 years is about it. Unless you are towing mega miles a year, most camper owners never wear out the tread, (unless an alignment issue) they age out first.
In this case, getting 5 tires of the same brand and type is the better way to go (from my experience that is). On a camper, your spare has to be fully dependable and as good as the tires on the camper. You could be out in the middle of no where, (places campers go...) and if you have a tire issue needing replacement on the main 4 tires, finding a ST trailer tire just like the ones you have can be a problem. When you install the dependable spare, it can run as good and hard as the other 3.
The valve stems need to be replaced when the tires are changed. If you are considering a tire pressure monitor on the camper (many do) you will need metal valve stems. If not metal, then for sure hi pressure stems. Hi pressure stems cost pennies above the standard ones but have a higher rating then just getting by. They look like this, see the brass stem is a good give away
Now to the brands, this is confusing in the modern day manufacturing of ST trailer tires. Even our small camper forum is filled with tire failures and which brand is best. There are sizing issues and then tire quality issued combined with under inflation and overloading. The good news is, Sunline at least sized the tires and running gear to hold up the entire camper weight. Many other brand do not. And on the the T264SR, you have tires that are also mounted on the 10,000# campers, yet you have a 8,600# GVWR. So you have the right size. Now the brand.
I myself have had tolerable luck with Maxxis, if I'm going to an ST tire. But... 5 years are it. Cracks in the treads start and they then progress faster after that. That said, I have fully converted to LT tires on my bigger camper after 3 ST tire failures that were not Maxxis, but I run the Maxxis on my 10,000# flat deck trailer which is a different application. That said, HenryJ, one of our very knowledgeable tire folks had really bad cracks on Maxxis in like less than 1 to 2 years. I was schocked when I saw them.
This Google Custom Search on SOC is a place to start to read on tires.
tires - Google Search
Tires brands are a personnel thing. The best the average camper can do on ST camper tires,
- Air them up to max cold side wall pressure.
- Check tires pressure at the start of "every" trip. (start of every day of towing)
- Cover the tires with white covers when not in use to help reduce sun damage.
- Ensure there is 20% extra tire capacity per the heaviest loaded tire.
- Do not exceed the 65mph speed rating on ST tires. Better to be at a max of 60mph.
- Request the tire date be at least less than 1 year old when you buy them. Wait for them if needed. The longest warranty on trailer tires I have seen is 5 years from the manufacture. And many are from the date of manufacture, not sale. Yes a dealer can sell you a 2 or 4 year old tire as new and it is very legal to do so. Just your warranty can partly gone the day you rolled they are installed. If you request less than 1 year, you have better odds of getting them. If you do not ask, it can be pure luck some times to get fresh tires.
- Check the tire warranty from the manufacture, when does it start and how long it is?
- Buy a brand you trust and or the dealer selling them to you.
Many camper folks who you use ST tires consider these brands
Maxxis
ST Radial M8008 | Maxxis USA
Goodyear Marathon - Go to the Marathon link
Goodyear RV Tires – Tire Selector
The "new" Carlise improved second generation Radial Trail RH
Carlisle Transportation Products
And sadly, none of them are made in the USA nor any other ST trailer tire. All the brands above have gone in and out of issues over the years. When researching see what year they are talking about. Good Year use to make them in North America, then went overseas and that was a big problem, they pulled the production back for a while and I believe are now once again off shore after fixing the quality issues. The older Carlisle had a long list of issues. The new redesigned tire is a lot better. Your 2004 Maxxis may have been made in China as they had a stint doing that. They are now in Thailand.
When you get more confused on your research..., post back and we will try and help.
Hope this helps.
John
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