thumbs

I need some experanced help here. I bought an 08 fifthwheel and it came with Chines crap tires. I only have 1200 miles one them but they gotta go. To many people haveing problems.

I am looking at the Michelin XPS, Goodyear G614 and the Bridgestone Duravis R250. I need a reliable darn good tire. I can't afford a blowout that will tear the trailer up. I know there are no guarentees but I need tires that work.

You guys that haul heavy what tires do you suggest? The gvw of the fifthwheel is 15k. At full load I will have about 12K on the tires. Now I know I'm "probably" not at max on the tires but have to allow for it.

thanks for the help

scootertrash35

i've run firestone transforce and have had 0 problems with 2 sets,i haul heavy and drive fast and a lot of off road.ive got 60k on 1 set and they still look new,not bad for $150 each

torquefan

At that GVW, I assume that either there are more than 4 tires, or they are heavier than load range "E". What size are we dealing with?

thumbs

235/85R/16

Empty weight is supposed to be 11500. Now remember I have about 25 or 2600lb hitch weight. So on the trailer axles I have about 9K empty. Add about 2K for all the crap ya haul and your around 11k on the axles or about 2750lbs on each tire. Now this is all a pretty close guess but it is a guess. I haven't been able to have it weighed yet. I am working on being able to weigh each tire position truck and trailer to get a better idea as to what I am working with. I think E's will do it. I hope so. The only other tire that I know of would be the GY G164. I hear a lot of good things about the Michelin XPS. Its a very very long story but there are major problems with tires. I am trying to find the ones that people that have used them find they work well.

scootertrash35

my trailers are 10,500 empty,as much as 30,000 loaded(2 10k axles)

boostin

go with the goodyear g614 load range g 235/85/16, they might be overkill in your application,but they are great,i have them on a 40' gooseneck enclosed trailer that i haul furniture in,i am always overloaded(only 2 axles),i was blowing load range E tires all the time,and was looking to put 17.5 tires on when i stumbled on these,not a single flat or blow out since, the tires dont even look like there is a load on them.you will be impressed,i have about 50,000 miles on them and they have at least that much left on them,then they are regrooveable

thumbs

The G614 was one of the tires I was looking at very seriously. I haven't taken the tires off yet but I really don't know the width of the wheels.. Goodyear says the G614 is approved for 6.5" wheels. I am told they are 7" by the supplier. When I go to the tire website they say the tires are apporved for 6" rims. Michelin's XPS is approved for 6-7" wheels. Goodyear is pretty narrow on the wheel they approve. Maybe it is to get the optomum wheight carrying ability out of the tire. Idono Hard to get any straight answers. I know I have to weigh this thing for sure.

Now what happens if I decide to go with a tire that is approved for a certain wheel width, say 6.5" and I put them on 6-7" wheels. What would the problem be?

boostin

mine are mounted on factory 98 3/4 ton chrome wheels-7inches wide,there are no problems

Rare1

If your trailer maker put crap Chinese tires on it, they might have also used crap low-capacity steel wheels. I don't know how you could verify this, they might have some ID on them. If you can't verify, buying wheels of which you know for certain they are strong enough is the same peace of mind you are seeking with the tire upgrade.

thumbs

Yep I heard that for sure. Na I think the wheels are fine. I called the supplier and they are 110psi wheels. I know quite a few people with this camper and there seems to be no issue with the wheels just the tires. Good thought though. I am beginning to think the manufacture may have thought these tires were better than the earlier ones and thought this may have solved the problem. I have nothing to base this on but I do know they knew there was a problem with tires. I don't know how long they have been putting these tires on but my guess is fairly recently. The long and the short of it is they still stink but it is possible they were trying to do better. Not to the point of Micheline or G614's though. I would expect or at least understand better putting these tires on a cheap trailer, but this thing is supposed to be top of the line. That's what p*&%^*(*^ me off.

junkman1946

I dont know if your trailer purchase is complete yet. But if I just shelled out multiple thousands of dollars on a large fifth wheel new, and you had junk tires on it I would demand the dealer replace the tires or you will take your checkbook elsewhere. Just my opinion. Frank

junkman1946

Afterthought: Return the trailer to the dealer, tell him you are not happy with the tires. (vibration-thumping- whatever) get them replaced under warranty. Frank

thumbs

Welllllll Ya see I can't prove a thing but. I asked the factory rep about the tire problems in the industry. He told me that with the new steel valve stems and the change in tires they solved the problems. Well guess what??? Anyway to late for that. I got it about 6 weeks ago. Now I can't swear to it but I think I just found a place in the tire(when I was lookin for something else)very small but it looks to me like it maybe commin apart. It isn't goin anywhere and I'm changin out the tires before I use it again but will watch it for a while and see if it gets bigger. Can't find a mark where it looks like it got scuffed or something like that but.....

CoastalDav

With your trailer at 15000 gvw, I assume you have 7,000lb axles and very little pin weight. If they are 6k axles your going to have 3k on the pin if your manufacturer follows the general guidelines for fivers. Anyway, as mentioned above the Goodyear G's would be the way to go.

If you go to the Goodyear Web site you can find a inflation table for your axle weight which will not be maxed out. Since the G's are rated at 3750lbs each at 110psi. They are build like the Michelin XPS Rib, having steel belted sidewalls and tread. Michelins are rated at 3042lbs each at 80 psi. I would guess the Goodyears would run around 90-95psi with your Trailers GVW at max.

Make sure you get the road hazzard and other warrities as Goodyear is good about fixing you trailer in the event you have blowout that tears the wheel well out along with other things.

Dave

thumbs

yeah I've been reading Goodyear is good about that stuff. That is one of the reasons I'm very seriously lookin at them. The thing about the Michelins is I haven't been able to find anyone that has had a problem with them. Anyway the whole thing rests on weighing the trailer. 15K is the outside heaviest I would think. In reality I am figuring 11 to 11.5K on the axles. That probably is heavy also. It all depends on the scales. I didn't know they had a road hazards or whatever they call it but I'll get it for sure, thanks